CHAPTER ONE
"Yeah, Jean!" In the bleachers, Scott Summers, Kurt Wagner, and Kitty Pryde could be heard cheering loudly for their friend, Bayville High's star striker, Jean Grey, as she ran out onto the field, fists pumping in the air. It was only the second game of the season, and yet it seemed the entire town had come out for the game. A team from out of state, Lakewood High, had caravanned in that morning to play against Bayville High. They had caused quite the commotion, with their car windows painted and players sticking their heads out of sunroofs to cheer and make their presence known. If nothing else, they were enthusiastic. Bayville hadn't seen a team with so much excitement in a long while, and it was curiosity, rather than school pride, that had attracted such a crowd.
Lakewood High's girl's soccer team was dressed in dark green jerseys and black soccer shorts, which contrasted with Bayville's red jerseys and white shorts. As each girl took their positions on the field, the combinations of their jerseys reminded Scott of Christmas. For a moment, Scott wondered what he would get Jean for Christmas. Or anyone at the institute really. But he quickly brushed the thought aside. He'd learned it was best to pick out Jean's presents last minute. She was very curious and her telepathy made keeping secrets difficult.
From the moment the game started, it was intense. It was easy to see the girls from both teams were equally skilled.
Jean took control of the ball and dribbled it down the field. She was easily able to maneuver around the other team's advances, leaving several girls behind as they tried to steal the ball from her.
"Come on, Jean! Alright!" Scott cheered as she neared the goal. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a member of the other team slid in front of her, kicking the ball out of Jean's control. The girl effortlessly jumped back up to her feet and started running with the ball down the other direction.
The announcer cheered in excitement, "And an amazing interception by Lakewood High's Dylan Chambers!" Scott froze in his seat, unable to take his eyes off of the girl. The longer he looked, the more familiar she seemed. Scott felt lightheaded.
"What is Jean doing?" Kurt's worried voice brought Scott back to reality. He pried his eyes off of Dylan and looked back at Jean. She hadn't moved from the spot where Dylan had stolen the ball from her. She just stood, arms limp at her sides, staring after her as if in a daze. She looked exactly as Scott felt: shocked.
"Come on, Jean," Scott tried to regain his composure. He was confused, and wanted answers. But he wouldn't allow Jean to blow this game over a ghost. He knew how much playing meant to her. He repeated the thoughts in his head, hoping Jean would hear them.
Jean shook her head, stray red hairs sticking to the sweat on her forehead and neck. She looked to Scott in the bleachers, making eye contact and Scott knew she had heard him. Jean knew she had to keep playing, if for no other reason than to get answers. She needed to get a good look at Dylan's face, and she needed to see if she could get in her head. But personal matters aside, she also couldn't let her team down. So she shook her body to loosen the tension that had built in her arms and legs, and sprinted towards the ball.
Dylan continued to navigate swiftly between Jean's teammates as they dove for the ball. She passed the ball once to another teammate; the ball shot aggressively in between the legs of one of Bayville High's players and into the control of one of Lakewood's girls. The ball continued towards the goal and once the Lakewood girl was seemingly trapped by a wall of Bayville High's players, she passed the ball to Dylan, who immediately diverted the ball straight into the goal.
Lakewood High's soccer team erupted into cheers, green jerseys bouncing up and down on the field. Clearly the enthusiasm they had upon entering Bayville had only grown once they were on the field. Jean continued to play hard, though Scott could tell she was struggling to focus. Kurt and Kitty cheered throughout the entire game, and Scott was frankly surprised they hadn't lost their voices by the end. Scott was always one to cheer for Jean no matter what. He believed she knew he had her support, whether he was outwardly vocal about it or not. However, for the remainder of the game, Scott couldn't muster a word. He could barely take his eyes off of Dylan.
She wasn't hard to follow. Her long blonde ponytail bounced elegantly as she glided across the field, and she was tall. Not as tall as Jean, but close. Just as she always had been. And her energy never seemed to falter. From the moment Scott laid eyes on her to the moment she scored the winning goal, she radiated enthusiasm. The game had been intense, from what Scott gathered by talk after the game. He hadn't been able to pay much attention to the game as a whole.
Dylan was thrown up on the shoulders of her teammates after scoring the winning goal. She smiled and cheered as she was carried off the field, where she was promptly placed on the ground as the team continued to celebrat.
Spectators started to clear out as Scott, Kitty, and Kurt met Jean on the field.
"Jean! That game was, like, amazing! I was totally on the edge of my seat for, like, the whole thing!" Kitty gushed.
"They definitely gave us a good game," Jean laughed. She looked Scott in the eyes, her small smile quickly dropping.
"Jean…" Scott's voice came out as a croak.
"I don't know, Scott," Jean told him quietly.
"Is it her?" Scott broke eye contact with Jean to look over to where Dylan stood with her teammates, packing up her gear.
"I don't know," Jean repeated. "It can't be."
"But what if it is?"
"What are you guys talking about?" Kurt raised his eyebrow in confusion. Both Scott and Jean ignored him.
"It can't be," Jean said. "I mean, if it was her, then where's Damien? Those two were never apart- oh my God." Jean's eyes widened as she looked off to the side. Scott followed her gaze, laying his eyes on the familiar tall, muscular build and dark brown hair that belonged to his old friend: Damien Chambers. Damien casually walked across the field to meet up with his sister, who, to Scott's disappointment, had taken the interest of a particular Duncan Matthews.
"That was some game," Duncan stuck in hands casually in the pockets of his letterman and smirked.
"Those Bayville girls put up quite the fight!" Dylan chirped. "It was an awesome game."
"You definitely have some moves." Dylan shook her dark hair free of the confines of its ponytail, brushing her fingers through it a few times before throwing it back up into a messy bun.
"I'm glad you noticed," Dylan smirked.
"I'd like to show you some moves of my own," Duncan stepped closer to her, looking her up and down once before settling on her bright blue eyes.
"Well, now aren't you the charmer," a small, flirty smile tugged on Dylan's lips. She could have continued flirting, knowing this poor boy would get nowhere with her. But a tall red-headed girl, her previous opponent, and a tall brunette next to her caught Dylan's eye.
"Why don't we—"
Dylan interrupted Duncan's clear attempts to get her to go off with him. "Well Duncan, it's been a real pleasure meeting you but I've just spotted Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome and I have to introduce myself." She slung her soccer bag over her shoulder and made a beeline to Scott and Jean, ignoring Damien on her way over. Damien rolled his eyes but followed her. Duncan growled angrily under his breath, but didn't put up a fight. Scott couldn't help but smile, having witnessed his high school nemesis get rejected.
"Hi," Dylan stuck her hand out to Jean. "I just wanted to say you were amazing on that field tonight. This is my brother, Damien, and I'm Dylan. And yes, it is a boy name, my mother wanted two boys but she got me instead." Jean tried to maintain her composure, but Scott knew she was just as rattled as he was. Dylan still gave the same introduction he had heard so many times before, and yet she gave it to them like it was their first time meeting.
"I'm Jean," Jean slowly shook Dylan's and Damien's hands. "Good game to you too." Kitty and Kurt eagerly made their introductions, while Scott struggled to make sense of everything.
"I was really excited to play your team this weekend," Dylan chirped. She had yet to acknowledge Scott besides a few flirty side-eyes, and it drove Scott wild. "Damien and I are actually transferring here next week and I'm glad to see you guys have such an awesome soccer program!" Scott's and Jean's eyes widened.
"You're… moving to Bayville?" Scott stammered. He was visibly struggling to remain calm.
"I am!" she grinned, turning to face Scott. She rocked onto her toes, swinging her arms gently. "So I guess that means we'll be seeing a lot of each other soon."
Damien cleared his throat. Clearly recognizing his sister's flirtatious attempts and knowing how to avoid feeling awkward, he started asking Jean about her soccer history, and about their school.
"So, Tall, Dark, and Handsome," Dylan tilted her head to the side, her blue eyes sparkling under the stadium lights. "Got a name?"
"I-it's Scott. Scott Summers."
"Nice to meet you, Scott Summers," she shook his hand, lingering just slightly enough for her fingers to gently brush his as they broke the shake.
Something caught her eye and she immediately gasped. "Oh, Damien! Their coach is leaving! Sorry guys, I gotta go talk to him and get the deets about joining your team!" She slung her soccer bag back over her shoulder and took a step away, before abruptly stopping and looking over her shoulder.
"See you around, Scott Summers," she winked. "Bye Jean, it was nice meeting you!" Dylan took off in the direction of Bayville High's soccer coach, with Damien jogging alongside her.
"Like, why are you guys acting so weird?" Kitty asked Scott and Jean.
"Yeah, you guys are acting totally crazy!" Kurt chimed in.
Unable to take his eyes off of Dylan, Scott answered, "We grew up with those two. We've known them for years."
Jean added, "But I don't think they know us."