The Rules They Broke

Chapter 12: Back to Reality

OLIVIA 

When they got back to the high school football field, they found Noah checking IDs at the gate.

"Hey, Olivia, right?" Noah grinned at her. "Nice seeing you again so soon. You with anybody?"

"Yeah." Olivia motioned to Milo and his friends behind her. "I'm with them.

Noah's face contorted into something that Olivia couldn't decipher. The moment passed quickly, though, and he looked back at her with an easy smile, that slight irregularity gone.

"I don't need to see your IDs, guys, I know you all," he said, and he waved them through.

"Milo," Olivia said when they were out of earshot, and Noah had started talking to the next group of people. "Did you see that?"

Milo frowned. "See what?"

"He looked like - like he remembered something ugly."

He didn't seem to follow. "Like an ugly person?"

Olivia shook her head. "It was nothing," she murmured. Milo gave her a concerned look, but at her insisting, he let up.

It took longer than Olivia thought it would for the game to start, but eventually, the commentator began speaking over the loudspeaker, and the game began.

Olivia had no idea how to play football. She didn't know what the players were running for, or running from, or running to, but she knew she didn't mind being there. Emily sat on one side of her, at equal times roaring and standing up and cheering, and Milo sat on her other side, randomly yelling out what she assumed were instructions to players that would never hear him, and rapidly explaining what was going on to Olivia.

She had her binoculars pressed to her eyes so she could see what was going on down at the bottom of the field. She could see the back of Melanie's cheer uniform - the cheerleaders were all facing away from them, sitting at the very bottom - and she could see Jackson's jersey - number seven - and though she knew she could never belong, she let herself pretend a little.

It was about twenty minutes in, just a little while before the cheerleaders and band would come out for halftime, when she noticed him. She had turned to face Milo as he spoke to her when she caught him out of the corner of her eye.

At first, it was only one. A man in a dark coat and sunglasses was standing about five rows behind them, conspicuously craning his neck to see over the sea of heads. The dark coat Olivia could allow, but it was six in the evening. There was no need for any dark glasses.

It's nothing. He's not here for me. He's just a weird parent or a crazy uncle.

She ignored the sick feeling that started to grow in her stomach.

It persisted. The sick feeling grew and grew until it bubbled over in anger. Couldn't she just enjoy a high school football game like a normal human being? Couldn't she sit in peace for just a few hours? Couldn't she walk anywhere without them trying to get her?

She clutched her hair and leaned over, trying to get her thoughts into some sort of cohesive structure.

Just take a breath. Take a few breaths and then think about it.

She looked behind her a few minutes later. The man was two rows closer. Worse, she could now see another man in dark sunglasses just a few rows behind him. She just managed to catch him pulling his phone away from his face and putting it away.

Had he been taking a picture of her from his phone camera?

Her hands began to tremble, and not from the cold.