Chapter 11 – Games
"Heads" Embry said as he stood face to face with Seth, "Alright" Quil flipped the coin up in the air and caught it between his hands with a soft motion. I was really hoping Embry would win the toss and pick me – but my daydream was immediately shattered. "Tails, Seth wins" Quil chuckled, "Yes!" Seth closed his hand in a fist and pulled his hand back as he grinned.
"How about 2 out of 3?" Embry asked innocently, "No dude, I won" Seth shook his head. "Fine" Embry rolled his eyes as he folded his hands in front of his chest. Seth had a mischievous grin on his face when I caught him looking at me from the corner of his eyes.
"I choose" he started and then looked at Embry, "Grace" he grinned. "What?! No!" Embry's eyebrows were creased together, "Take Nessie" he offered and I could not help but chuckle with everyone else. "I want Grace" Seth tried to say with a straight face but failed miserably. "You are mean" Embry mumbled like a child and I shook my head as I looked at my feet.
Why did Embry want me on his team? I would play really bad as compared to anyone else. In fact, they all would be better than me on their worst day.
"I choose Nessie" and even before Embry's sentence was completed Seth blurted out "Jacob!" "What!? I am the last to get picked" Quil threw his hand up in the air, "Don't worry, Seth is just trying to piss us off" Jacob put his hand on Quil's shoulder. "I thought at least they would pick me before you" Quil said as he moved from under Jacob's grip. "Why?" Jacob narrowed his eyes at Quil, "You know, you always pass the ball to Nessie, even if she is on the other team" and I saw Renesmee grin.
"No cheating, okay?" Seth told Nessie, "I don't cheat" Renesmee shook her head, "I just ask him for the ball – very politely" she completed with a grin and I chuckled, "Yeah, none of that" Seth shook his head. "Actually Nessie" Embry looked at Seth as he put his hand around Renesmee's neck, Renesmee looked up at Embry and he looked down with a mischievous smile, "Ask for the ball from Jacob – very politely" and I saw Renesmee smile too while Jacob groaned.
They were really going to use the whole imprinting thing to cheat in a game? It was making me giggle now. "You wanna play dirty?" Seth wiggled his eyebrows, and Embry smirked, "We can get in the mud too" Seth said proudly. "Careful guys" Renesmee started now, "You might land face down in that mud" 'Sassy!' I thought, and I had a huge grin on my face. Embry and Quil made an "Oh!" voice on that remark.
"Let's get started" Jacob had a grin on his face too.
Seth, Jacob and I jogged to the one end of the spot we had chosen for the game while Embry, Renesmee and Quil jogged to their side. It was time to make a strategy.
"Jake, I know you are the alpha and everything" Seth whispered, "But can you be the goal keeper, man?" he asked seriously. "What? Why?" Jacob frowned, "Because you always pass the ball to Nessie, and we can't lose" he said in a matter-of-fact voice. "Okay" Jacob agreed, "What do I do?" I asked them and they both shared a look before Seth smirked.
"You tail Embry" Jacob said, and Seth nodded eagerly. "Just tail him?" that is all? I don't get to do the real stuff? I mean, yeah, I will be bad but c'mon! "Oh! the rest will follow" Seth assured me, "What if Embry is goal keeping?" I asked, "Then you tail Nessie" Jacob said, "Yeah, she will be soft with you" Seth agreed. If they play rough then I would be glad to tail Renesmee. "Okay" I smiled and the three of us turned around.
The three of them were already in position. Quil was goal keeping so it meant I had to tail Embry and just as the game was about to start Seth whispered to me "Forget the ball, run after Embry" and off he went to start the game.
I did as I was asked, I kept running after Embry rather than the ball. Renesmee and Seth on the other hand were playing rough. From the looks of it, Embry seemed glad I was rather hanging around him than getting engaged between that tussle that was going on. Seth would occasionally pass the ball to me and I would try very hard to take it as close to the goal as I could and then I would pass it to Seth.
At one point, I had the ball and I was running full speed towards the goal, Seth was running right beside me but he was being tailed by Renesmee. Out of nowhere Embry came in front of me about 3 feet away, I looked at him with pleading eyes and he let me pass the ball to Seth who scored a goal for us.
"Woah!" Seth shouted while Jacob and I clapped for him. "5-4" Seth told Embry, who didn't look bothered by the score or anything for that matter. He was smiling at me and I was smiling back and to be honest it made my heart flutter and I knew all of them could hear that.
Was that it? Were Jacob and Seth using my crush on Embry to win the game? I mean I don't mind that it could get us to win the game what bothered me was that did they knew I had a crush on Embry? Would they tell him?! I knew Renesmee knows but did everyone know?! Was that why Embry let me pass?!
I tried very hard to keep my head in the game but it was quite difficult with Embry glancing at me every minute or so. I had to constantly remind myself to breathe and stay in the game.
The game ended with us winning by 1 goal. "Yes!" Seth leaped in the air and did a little happy dance, while Renesmee and Jacob eagerly ran to each other, Embry slowly made his way next to me and Quil rolled his eyes at Seth.
Quil soon left to meet Claire and dragged Seth with him, apparently, he did not want to creep out Claire's parents, while the rest of us sat on the blanket in our previous spot and talked and after a while it started.
"Grace, we will go shopping tomorrow, right?" Renesmee asked as he snuggled close to Jacob, who was running his hands through her hair. "Yeah sure" I replied with a smile, "Won't you come to the garage with Emily?" Embry asked with a frown, "Oh no! She will come there first and I was going to pick her up from there" Renesmee saved me after a long pause. It was not decided because I had forgotten that I had promised both of them something on the same day!
"Oh!" Embry was still frowning, "Don't frown, it is for girl's choice dance shopping" Renesmee told him. "You are going to a dance?" he asked me, his eyes wide – in horror? "Yeah" I nodded and from the corner of my eyes I saw Renesmee mouth to me 'Ask him' and I did – awkwardly!
"Embry" I pushed my hair out of my face, he looked at me with his sad eyes. "Would you –" I started and then felt like I was going to hyperventilate but Embry waited for me to speak up patiently and honestly, he looked clueless. "Would you – you know –" I started again and then looked down, but he still waited patiently.
"Would you accompany me to the dance?" I mumbled and then continued, "You know, if you want to, it is not a compulsion or anything" and I would have gone on and on if he had not stopped me, "Grace" and that made me look up. "I would love to" he looked straight into my eyes making my heart skip a beat and I took a sharp breath as I saw the same adulation in his eyes as I had seen before.
I cannot believe I have Embry Call – my childhood crush—the love of my life – as my date for a dance! I did a mental happy dance but on the outside, I was tongue tied.
Renesmee broke the silence by saying "How amazing will this be! The four of us together" and I saw her and Jacob grinning while Embry still did not peel his eyes off me and I tried very hard not to blush as I kept my eyes strictly to my hands on my lap.
This was better than any fairy tale, it was more than I could have asked for.
A/N: Hey Readers,
Please Review! Thanks :)
-JT
