It seemed like all anyone wanted to talk about on Thursday was the soccer game taking place that night. I overheard people whispering about it in classes and chatting enthusiastically about it at lunch. Sawyer was on the team and had an endless stream of guys and girls coming up to him to wish him luck during the lunch break, and of course, he lapped it up.
It was hardly the first time I’d watched people worship the ground a jock walked on. But for a soccer player, it was definitely a first. The kids at my old school had acted like our soccer team didn’t exist. Football was the most popular sport back home, and it was strange to see the attention flipped at Weybridge.
Apparently, the whole school turned out to watch the Weybridge Eagles’ home games, but I was tempted not to go. I wasn’t all that into sports and had math homework to catch up on because, thanks to Luther’s endless chatter in class, I was already falling behind. When I reached my dorm room at the end of the day, I realized it was going to be impossible to avoid the game.
Cress was all dressed up in her dance uniform with her hair slicked back and heavy makeup on her face. Red was definitely her color, and she looked gorgeous in the short, fitted dress that had Eagles printed across the front of it. She squealed as I entered the room. “Ah, it’s your first Eagles game tonight. Isn’t it exciting?”
“Uh, yeah?”
Cress kept speaking almost without taking a breath. “Well, if you’re not excited now, you will be when you see how amazing our guys are. And you’ll get to see me dance! We’re performing at halftime. You are still coming, right?”
There was no way I could refuse to go now, so I smiled and nodded. “Of course, I’m coming. I can’t wait to see you dance.” That was something I was actually looking forward to. Cress lived and breathed for her dance team, and I was excited to see what she’d been working on.
“Good.” Cress spoke with the satisfaction of a parent who had finally gotten their child to do what they wanted. “Now, go and put on something cute. And make sure you’re in the school’s colors. I have to leave, but Anna said she’d swing by to get you when she was headed down to the game.”
“Yes, Mom.”
She poked her tongue out at me but then laughed. “I’ll see you after the game is over.” She grabbed a duffel bag and swung it over her shoulder before hurrying from the room. I felt a little like I’d just been caught up in a whirlwind.
I quickly changed and spent a few minutes brushing my hair. It had gone a little crazy during school today—probably because I’d been pulling it out when Luther wouldn’t shut up in math.
There was a knock at the door, but I didn’t have a chance to open it before Anna barreled into the room.
“Isobel, are you ready…” Her voice trailed off as she caught sight of my outfit. “Cress told you to dress cute, right?”
I frowned and glanced down at the jeans and T-shirt I was wearing. It wasn’t perfect, but I didn’t see the problem. Admittedly, the only red top I owned was my school PE top, and it probably looked a little sad when paired with jeans.
“I didn’t have another red top,” I explained, looking at her again.
Anna was wearing a tight red dress that clung to her body. It seemed far too dressy for a soccer game.
“I’m sure Cress has something…” She marched into the closet, and I slowly followed after her.
I leaned against the wall as she hunted for something I could wear. “Why does everyone dress up so much for a game?”
“It’s not really for the game,” she explained. “It’s because everyone likes to go out after and celebrate. We usually head to the burger joint in town. They have the best fries you’ve ever tasted, and just thinking about the burgers makes me drool. You’re going to die when you try them.”
“And I couldn’t wear jeans to a burger place?”
She glanced over her shoulder at me. “The jeans are fine. It’s the top that’s got to go. You’ll look like a freshman if you rock up in actual school clothes.”
“Oh.”
Anna turned back to the closet and pulled a top from the rack. It was a deeper shade of red than the Weybridge sports uniform and looked to be off the shoulder.
“Try this.” She handed the top to me. The material was unbelievably soft, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the style. I’d half expected Anna to force me into a dress that was just as revealing as the one she was wearing.
“You don’t think Cress will mind if I borrow it?”
“She would be sad if you didn’t. Especially if she saw what you’re currently wearing.”
“I mean, I don’t look that bad, do I?”
She lifted one eyebrow at me, and it was all the answer I needed.
“Okay, okay. I’ll put it on.”
Her face transformed with a smile. “Excellent.”
As we left the dorm, we were met by a crowd of people making their way across the courtyard. They were all headed in the direction of the sports center. There were students from all year groups as well as a few teachers, and everyone was wearing red. It was impossible not to notice the excited buzz in the air as people laughed and chattered to one another. It felt like the whole school was turning out for the game.
“Anna. Isobel. Wait up!”
We both stopped as Wes jogged toward us. He looked handsome in his red soccer jersey, but it seemed a little unfair that he was allowed to wear school attire when Anna had insisted I’d look silly in it.
“You headed to the game too?” I asked as he reached us.
“I don’t think Sawyer would ever forgive me if I missed a game.”
“And that boy knows how to hold a grudge,” Anna agreed.
“Yeah, he still hasn’t forgiven me for putting a frog in his bed when we were six.” Wes grinned at the memory.
“You put a frog in his bed?” Anna gasped. “I wouldn’t forgive you either.”
“And I thought you were the nice twin,” I added. “I didn’t realize you’re secretly evil.”
“Well, it wouldn’t be much of a secret if everyone knew,” Wes said, still grinning brightly.
We continued on our way to the soccer field, and when I saw where the crowd was headed, I had to suppress my shock. I’d expected the game to be played on a basic grass field. At best, I thought there might be some rickety old bleachers bordering the sidelines—this was just a soccer game, after all. I should have known better than to underestimate Weybridge Academy.
A soccer stadium that looked worthy of hosting a world-class team stood before me. Two huge stands towered over opposite sides of the field, both with roofs covering the countless seats. The grass looked so green I couldn’t be sure if it was real or not. There was a huge eagle painted in the center of the pitch, and tall floodlights loomed high above each corner. Weybridge certainly took soccer seriously.
The stands were packed with people when we arrived, and we had to walk up to one of the middle rows to find some free seats. We arrived just in time because the moment we sat down the players began to emerge from the locker rooms.
The people around us started cheering and stood to greet them. As I looked down at the field, I saw Sawyer jogging out with the rest of the team. He was pumping his arms up in the air in an attempt to rev up the crowd.
“Your brother clearly hates all this attention,” I said to Wes, making him laugh.
“Tell me something I don’t know.” He started to groan and put his head in his hands as Sawyer began blowing kisses to the crowd. “Let me know when it’s over,” he grumbled.
“I’m pretty sure this goes on for the whole game,” Anna said.
“Then tell me when the game is over.”
I was distracted from Sawyer’s performance as the final player took the field. It was Noah. Of course, he played soccer. His presence on the team was probably part of the reason the sport was so popular at the school. Even the girls who hated sports had probably been converted into soccer super fans because of the way he looked in that uniform.
His expression was so different from Sawyer’s as the crowd cheered him onto the field. His lips were flat, and there was a focused look in his eyes. He looked ready to demolish anyone who got in his way, and I imagined the players on the opposing side would be smart to give him a wide berth.
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him as the game started. He moved with lethal grace and complete determination. The intensity with which he eyed the ball was enough to make any girl in the crowd wish they could take its place on the field. I’d watched enough sports to know he was a true athlete, and he didn’t slow down at all as the game progressed.
“Earth to Isobel…”
The sound of a whistle blowing caught my ear, and I tore my gaze from the field to find Anna grinning at me. “You really like soccer, huh?”
“What? Why?”
“Well, it’s halftime, and I’ve barely been able to get one word out of you all game.”
It was halftime already? I blushed because it seemed obvious I wasn’t really a soccer fan. The reason I hadn’t been paying attention to anyone was because I’d been totally distracted watching Noah play. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like Anna had noticed I’d been fixated mostly on one player. If she had, I knew she wouldn’t be letting me get away with it.
“Did you play at your old school?” Anna continued.
I shook my head. “I didn’t have much time for sports back home, which is probably a good thing. I have terrible coordination.”
“Seems you aren’t the only one here with terrible coordination.” Anna nodded toward the players from the opposing team who were slowly making their way from the field with their heads hung low. “Langley Prep has no chance of winning.”
“Yeah, they’re getting destroyed out there.” Wes had a huge grin on his face as he looked at the large scoreboard that towered over one end of the field. “We’re already up three goals. They’ll be lucky if they score one.”
“I think it’s because they’re too scared to go anywhere near Noah,” Anna said. “It’s like he’s on a mission tonight.”
“Yeah, he looks great,” I murmured.
Anna nudged her shoulder against mine. “You’ve only been here a week, and I see he’s already made an impression.”
I hadn’t meant to say that out loud, and my cheeks flushed. “I mean, he looks good out there. He’s playing really well.” I corrected myself before quickly changing the subject. “Your brother’s playing well too, Wes.”
“Yeah, he’s been okay,” Wes agreed. “He’s looking a little slow out there though. I think he’s missed one too many early morning fitness sessions.”
“I don’t blame him,” Anna said with a shudder. “I don’t know how anyone gets up before school to train.”
Wes smiled. “I like mornings.”
“Me too.” I shared his smile. Mornings were my favorite time of day, and I was looking forward to when my ankle was fully recovered so I could get back to my morning runs. The thought made me pause. What if I came across Noah out in the woods again? A nervous tremor ran down my spine, and I couldn’t tell whether it was because I liked the idea of bumping into Noah again or not.
Music started playing over the speakers, and Anna began bouncing on her feet as she turned to the field. “It’s time for Cress’s halftime dance number.”
I grinned and joined Anna and Wes as we clapped and cheered the dance team onto the field. As soon as they kicked off their performance, I could tell the girls really knew what they were doing, and I felt a swell of pride as I watched my friend perform her dance so perfectly. I’d seen her practicing a few of the more difficult moves in our room this week, but it was exciting to see them put together with the rest of the team. She made it look so easy.
The energy in the crowd was electric by the time the soccer players returned to the pitch. If the Langley Prep boys had any hope of turning the game around, it quickly diminished as they trudged out of the locker room only to be greeted by the mass of cheering Weybridge fans. There was no fighting the swell of excitement churning through the stadium, and all of it was directed at the home team.
The Eagles completely and utterly dominated Langley. By the end of the game, Weybridge had seven goals while Langley couldn’t score one. It seemed that had mostly been down to Noah. He played defense, and no one could get the ball past him.
“Now can you see why everyone makes such a big deal about the soccer team?” Anna asked as we made our way from the stadium. We’d lost Wes in the crowd, so it was just the two of us.
“I guess they’re pretty good.” I didn’t know all that much about soccer, but even I couldn’t deny the team was impressive. Especially Noah.
Anna scoffed. “Pretty good? They just annihilated the second-best team in their division.”
My eyes widened with surprise. “That’s their biggest competition?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I just figured they were a bad team.”
Anna shook her head. “No, they’re actually considered to be quite good. Weybridge is just a whole lot better.”
I couldn’t believe it. The two teams I’d just witnessed didn’t look close to being evenly matched.
The crowd started to thin as we headed into the parking lot. We were planning to meet Cress there before making our way to the burger place in town, and I spotted her leaning against a flashy pink convertible. She was still wearing heavy makeup from her performance but had changed out of her dance costume and into something more casual.
She grinned brightly as we approached. “So, what did you think?” Despite her confident smile, there was a nervous edge to her voice, and her body was tense as she waited for our verdict.
“You guys were amazing.” It was easy to compliment her when she’d done so well.
“You think?”
“Yeah, Cress, you killed it,” Anna agreed.
“You guys didn’t notice me miss the beat on one of my kicks?”
We shook our heads.
“Everyone looked perfectly in sync the whole dance,” I reassured her.
She finally seemed to relax. “It was our first performance of the season, so there were bound to be a few hiccups. We’ll definitely be better next time.”
“Only you could think there were any hiccups with that dance, Cress.” Anna laughed. “Anyway, are you guys ready to get burgers? I’m starved.”
“You and your stomach,” Cress replied as she opened the car door.
Anna leaned in close to me. “She may mock me, but just wait until you taste the burgers we’re about to eat.”
“That good, huh?”
“Good doesn’t even begin to cut it. Forget the soccer match. The best part of the night isn’t going to be what you watched; it’s going to be what you put in your mouth…”
I stared at her for a moment before the two of us burst out laughing.
“I really hope you’re still talking about the burgers, Anna.”
She winked before hopping in the car. “Well, that and the fries.”
