F•R•I•E•N•D•S

T•W•E•N•T•Y•F•I•V•E

Mikayla

It's been a day since we've last heard from Everly, and from what Ben's told us, she's not doing too well.

The wind wisps past my ear, stinging them as it goes by. Even with the growing cold, coach insisted we get a quick practice in, seeing as we had a game coming up this weekend.
My legs move tirelessly down the field, and even with the distraction, I couldn't take my mind off of that shy young girl.

When she bumped into me at the party, I admit I was overly harsh. Anyone could see that she wasn't one for trouble. If someone told me that that same person would come to mean a lot to me months later, I'd think they were delusional.

"Mikayla, look out!" Someone shouts. But before I could dodge anything, a soccer ball nails me right in the chest, knocking the wind out of me.

Doubling over, I could hear the muted steps of cleats before I saw them. "You alright?" Codie asks, helping me up again.

"Yeah, I'm good. That was a pretty good kick," I chuckle at the now blushing blonde.

"I'm so sorry! Let me make it up to you. I make the best cheesecake a dorm student ever could," she jokes. "Maybe I'll bring you some?"

Quickly I turn down the idea before I thought about it too long. "That's okay, really. It's not a big deal." Slowly I start to walk backwards off the field.

"I hear you, but I'm going to bring you some anyway. You seem like the stubborn type who won't take anyone up on their word. Don't worry, it'll be delicious!" And with that, I watch dumbfounded as Codie heads over to the bleachers for her stuff.

Without her knowing, she had hit the nail right on the head. I was stubborn, so I've been told. But for good reason. If Mother found out I was more focused on making friends than passing my classes, she'd have my head. Kennedy, Everly and Ishika were the only exceptions I was willing to make.

Even though Codie was kind, and an excellent player. She's been trying real hard to make me warm up to everyone and maybe I should.

Maybe I should.

My thoughts continued to get the best of me, long after I left the field.

I was in my dorm now, tidying up the place just so my hands could keep busy. Stephanie, my roommate, still had classes, and even when she didn't, I rarely saw her. We both had busy schedules and in the long run, it worked out for the both of us. And yet, the days we do have a free day she wouldn't hesitate to sit on the couch and watch cartoons with me.

But in the noisy silence, when she wasn't back or when the girls all had their own thing going on, my mind was a dangerous place to be in. Especially by myself.

My boredom was steadily growing.

To pass the time, I try to scroll through my phone to make the clock go faster. There were no games on it, I didn't like those silly little apps. I ended up going through my contacts list, looking for any duds. It wasn't like I had much to choose from either. There was my parents numbers, the girls, a few family members, and coach's. I almost missed the new addition at the top.

Adam. The saxophone player from the cozy joint I went to.

I smile, remembering the way he approached me and slyly gave me his number. Against my better judgement, I typed it in on my phone when I left for the car.
There was just something about him that piqued my interest.

So, in my idle estate, I sent him a text that wasn't anything special. A simple "Hey it's Mikayla from the jazz bar," was all I needed.

A few slow minutes crawl by before there's a response.