AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Not that we were actually dating or anything. But distracting him from soccer in any manner was explicitly what my father told me not to do.
“Fine. I’ll do it,” I said, taking the bag back and finishing the rest of the chips.
“Thanks, squidlet,” he said, reaching forward to pull me into a hug. I froze, but allowed him to wrap his arms around me. “I’ll meet you in the bleachers just before practice starts. We really need someone who knows the sport well and can track the ball and the players, knowing when to zoom in on the action and when to pan out for an overall look at the field. I couldn’t think of anyone better than you…”
The way he trailed off made it seem like he wanted me to jump in and talk about soccer, maybe throw in a line or two about the plays I was eager to tape tomorrow.
Years ago, I would have. Now, not so much. I hadn’t played competitively since elementary school. While I still loved the sport, it wasn’t who I was anymore.
I know he hated that. And at times, so did I. But I made my decision then, and I stuck to it.
“I’ll be there, Dad. I won’t let you down,” I said before tossing the empty bag and can into the trash.
“You just pressrecord here, and then here’s the zoom, and the stop button. Record everything, and we can edit and cut what we need later on the computer,” Dad said, showing me the little handheld camera.
“I think I got it, Dad.” I was a teenager. I knew how to record videos.
Dad chuckled and patted my shoulder. “That you do, squidlet. Thanks again for doing this for us. It really is a big help, especially with—”
“Playoffs coming up. I know, Dad. Now go coach, so I have something to videotape.” I gave him a little smile, so he knew I wasn’t being harsh. He returned it with his own and hurried off the bleachers.
Being in the stands gave me flashbacks to a few weeks ago when I had to announce my relationship to Dad publicly. To when Charlie sat here, waiting for me.
To when he took me to his house.
A lot had happened on or next to these bleachers lately.
But I wouldn’t say I wasn’t excited right now. Dad was right—they needed someone who knew the game. Someone who could spot the action and where they needed help. Putting a camera on a tripod would record the entire field, but it couldn’t zoom in on a play. It couldn’t single out a player about to score, it couldn’t quite grasp the game like a real person.
A person who knew soccer like I did.
That wasn’t what I was the most excited about, though. Seeing Charlie play was. He was the captain for a reason—he was the best on the team. Not to mention a good leader, calm and level-headed in times of stress, and an all around good guy.
Those last qualities were how he must have been voted captain. But he was the varsity starter for one reason only—his talent on the field.
And that was what I was most excited to see. Videotaping Charlie in his element would be fun. I could also criticize his abilities while he played, which thrilled me.
Slowly, the guys trickled out onto the field, their gym bags over their shoulders, talking amongst themselves as they walked.
I spotted Charlie right away, but he didn’t see me.
It wouldn’t be long until he did, though. I stood out like a sore thumb with my bright blue hair, all black outfit, and being the only person in the stands. Someone was bound to notice me quickly, pointing me out like they had the previous times I sat here.
I steadied the camera on the tripod, making sure the field was in the middle of the screen. I positioned it so it focused on the players warming up, getting them in the frame, making sure it zoomed in and out easily.
Knowing myself, I would be more focused on watching them play than I would be on looking into the camera screen, so I had to get familiar with it before they started.
Dad let them stretch and get a few warm-ups in before he settled them into their first scrimmage.
And that’s when it happened.
He turned toward me, giving me a thumbs up and circling his finger in the air to tell me to start rolling.
Every head around him turned at the same time to see who he was talking to. And that’s when they all saw me.
I raised my hand and gave him a thumbs up back, trying to ignore all the sets of eyes on me. Especially Charlie’s. I felt his gaze specifically. It felt different from the rest. It didn’t have the same judgmental weight to it. He wasn’t glaring at me, wondering why someone like me would be in the stands.
His stare felt calmer. Warmer. Full of admiration. I only thought the last one once I caught his eyes and saw the smallest of smiles hit his lips. I could tell he was restraining himself from lifting an arm and waving to me as his arm twitched by his side.
