AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Soccer Politics
THE NICE THING about a university versus a community college—the students weren’t just party kids. In my history class, there were a handful of middle-aged people and several seniors. A majority were my age and then there were some younger. It made it easier to just blend in
“Grady, my man. What’s up?” Steven stood above me with his hand out.
He was followed by a few other teammates, and looking around the lecture hall we had become the center of attention. So much for anonymity.
“What’s up?” I took his hand and tipped my head to the other guys. I stood up so they could shuffle by.
Steven sat next to me, leaning over, and said, “See all that?”
He was referring to the many sets of female eyes watching us and giggling. I rolled my eyes.
“That’s all yours for the taking. Stay away from Tina, though. She’ll kill your game.” He smacked my chest.
“Yeah, I figured that out already.”
“Did you get rid of her?” Steven inquired as he waved at a group of girls. They waved back and giggled louder.
“Yeah, we came to an understanding.”
“Good.”
Steven was a junior. There were only a couple of sophomores on the team, and I was the only freshman.
Casen sneaked in just as the lecture started. She searched the room and smiled awkwardly when her eyes landed on me. The aisle seat next to me was still open, so she plopped down in it.
“Did I miss much?” she whispered.
“No,” I responded simply. She took out her notebook and a pen and then absentmindedly started to twirl her dark hair around her finger.
My muscles tightened and my pencil snapped in my hand. Casen’s eyes darted to me as the crack echoed around us. Her brows scrunched together curiously and she dropped her twirling hand to the desk.
“Are you okay?” She stared at the broken pencil in my hand.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I threw the broken pieces into my backpack and pulled out a pen, ducking my head for the rest of class. My head pounded for the first half of the lecture, making it impossible to hear the instructor. By the end of class, I hadn’t written anything down. I glanced over to Casen’s notebook and the page was covered in blue ink.
She packed up her bag and stood up, getting ready to leave.
I called after her, “Hey.” She glanced back, waiting for me to speak again. “Can I borrow your notes?”
She looked at me strangely and then replied, “Just come over tonight and you can copy them.”
“Fine,” I agreed. I was hoping she would just let me borrow her notebook. Now I had to sit with her, which meant conversation, and after what she overheard yesterday, I was afraid what she would want to talk about.
She frowned. “You’re welcome.” She shook her head as she disappeared out the door.
Steven hit my shoulder. “Good one, Reilly. Trust me when I say you don’t want to get on Lucas’ girlfriend’s bad side. Just be cool.”
I forgot about all the bullshit politics that followed sports, and since I was the new guy, I needed to play the politics better than anyone else. I had ruled at High Pointe High from freshman year because of Brandt, but I wasn’t following in his legacy here. I was making my own.
“Thanks for the advice.”
I headed to the cafeteria for lunch when I spotted Lucas and Casen across the quad. They looked like they were arguing, and when Casen turned my way with tears in her eyes, I knew it was more than a couples’ quarrel. She looked broken. She didn’t seem to notice me as she pushed Lucas and raced toward the apartments. Lucas raked his hand through his head and then kicked a nearby tree. His anger flared, which only meant he had hurt himself. He hobbled slightly in the opposite direction of Casen. I didn’t miss the drama, but it reminded me of the fights Tessa and I had. The things she did were infuriating, and I wasn’t the best at hiding my temper. I had punched a hole in a wall at school when I caught her flirting with a loser to get weed. Tessa made my blood boil on more than one occasion, but damn if she didn’t make me feel alive. I wondered if I would ever feel like that again as I continued to the cafeteria.
After English Lit, I headed to the field to run the track before practice. Some of the guys were doing the same thing, including Lucas. His foot seemed to be better, although I could tell he was favoring it a bit. I pulled alongside of him.
“Hey, man,” he grumbled.
