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We were close enough to the field to see the players from both teams warming up. I spotted Liam right away and I couldn't help feeling giddy and proud. Penn was warming up near him as well but neither of the guys had seen us arrive yet. Becca sighed and fell instep behind me so she couldn’t be seen.
We all shuffled into our seats, but the instant we sat down, a line of little girls quickly formed to get pictures with us. They were aspiring soccer players and one girl even knew my name.
"When I grow up, I'm going to play soccer at ULA just like you." She beamed up at me as I signed her shirt.
"You definitely will. I can already tell you're a great athlete, and uh, you know… don’t forget to eat your vegetables." I smiled and handed her back her Sharpie. I glanced up to the girl’s mom that was standing a few feet away with her iPhone at the ready. "Would you like a picture?"
"Yes! Please!" the little girl squealed and wrapped one arm around my back. I smiled toward the phone all the while feeling like I was having an out-of-body experience. The fact that even just one girl knew my name and recognized me was something I’ll never forget.
By the time the line of girls died down, the players were done warming up and they'd disappeared into the locker room to get game ready. I took my seat next to Becca after she'd finished signing one last autograph. She was wearing a smile that hadn’t been there before the girls had come over. Maybe she finally had a break from thinking about the Penn debacle.
We didn’t sit there for much longer before loud dance music started pounding from the speakers. The entire crowd jumped to their feet and starting shouting and clapping.
It was finally time for the players to make their debut.
The announcer introduced the opposing team to a mixture of cheers and boos, but then he took his time announcing the LA Stars team. Each starting player was named individually while their picture was flashed on all the jumbotrons. One by one the starters were called and they ran out from the locker rooms to a cheering crowd. Penn was named and the crowd kicked it up a notch. Becca’s claps halted altogether. His handsome face appeared on the jumbotron, and I couldn't help but sneak a peek to see her biting her lip in contemplation.
Liam was the last player called. The announcer dragged his name out and the crowd’s screams seemed close to shattering my eardrums. The ladies went wild, even the girls on my team, and when his face popped up on the jumbotron, my heart melted. He looked so handsome with his killer smile. I scanned quickly to where he was running out, waving his hand toward the crowd and turning in a circle to acknowledge all of the fans. He was the crowd favorite and most of these fans felt like they owned a part of him; they'd watched him carry the team through some intense games and he’d made them proud season after season.
I clapped and cupped my hands around my mouth so that my shouts would carry toward him. I was only four rows up from the field and the team's bench was directly in front of us, but he still felt so far away. He ran to his team and his eyes scanned the crowd, but he didn't find me before the announcer started the pledge, and then Penn and Liam took the field for the coin toss.
Becca leaned in. "It's so weird that I slept with him last night."
I eyed her playfully. "Hey..."
"Okay, technically you were in between us. But doesn't it feel surreal? People are literally going crazy."
"They're going crazy for Penn, too," I reminded her.
She did have a point though. It seemed crazy to be dating a professional athlete. I would have never even met him if our paths hadn’t crossed because of ULA soccer. In a setting like this, he really did seem out of my league.
"I wish he didn't look so cute in his uniform," Becca complained about Penn. I couldn't take my eyes off Liam long enough to notice though.
After the coin toss, we all took our seats again and the first half started. The game was fun to watch because I recognized most of the players from various parties and events.
It was a really close match and both teams had only scored once during the first half. Then finally during the second half, Liam blazed past one of the defenders for the other team and scored with a clean shot that sent the goalie sailing across the net. Liam threw his hands into the air and pumped his fist. I hopped to my feet and cheered with the rest of the crowd, so proud of him for helping pull to team into the lead. When he ran over to the side to grab a drink of water, he spotted me instantly. It was the first time he’d found me in the stands and I felt my heart puttering wildly in my chest.
