"Come on!"
Olivia's throat ached from screaming along with the crowd. Parents and children alike whooped and hollered from all sides of her. Olivia leaned over the railing to get ever closer to the field and the players running upon it. Her foot stomped along with the crowd in a chant, and her friends laughed next to her, their sides bumping against Olivia every so often with the drunken exhilaration only an exciting sports game could bring.
It was as if the whole student body and their grandma had shown up for the Arden vs. Illyria game. Olivia Lennox was among them, face painted in Illyria colors and donning one of Viola's many soccer sweatshirts, this one having the Illyria seal on the front breast and HASTINGS proudly across the back. Earlier, she'd worried over whether she should wear it to the game with all the talk of her and Viola still circulating the school, but eventually decided she didn't care enough. Especially when there was a good chance people would just figure it was Sebastian's sweatshirt.
"Number 14, Porter has the ball…he connects a successful pass to Orisino on right wing-"
Olivia's cheeks were frozen to the touch, and each intake of breath filled her lungs with crisp autumn air, but the thrill under her skin kept her warm under the stadium lights. Duke's raucous yelling reverberated from the field, bidding someone to, for the love of God, get open. This is how it's been the whole first half- Arden's players sticking like glue to Illyria's offense, shutting down any plays from occurring beyond center field.
The girl who's name resides on Olivia's back was zipping around with more zeal than any other fatigued player around her, desperate for an opening to help Duke. Arden had marked a man on her from the starting whistle, most likely one of their more agile midfielders since his runner's form could keep up with that of Viola's sharp movements.
Viola, of course, was getting frustrated- Olivia could see it plainly enough, even from all the way up in the stands.
"Ball stolen! Arden ball, number 25, heading for Illyria goal."
Off in the corner, Viola gives a hard smack of her colliding body to her Arden bodyguard, and Olivia mostly sees it because her gaze had been seeking out the girl without her realizing it. The boy's steps falter, and he's astral projected off course; Viola flies after the ball.
"Viola! Ugh, God," rang out behind Olivia in a shrill, older woman's voice.
Olivia had seen Daphne Hastings long before the starting bell had blown. She sat to Olivia's right on a diagonal, sitting with who she assumed to be Viola's father. She'd never actually formally met the man, only heard Viola talk of him sometimes. Admittedly, the girl didn't seem to like mention him a lot- if not at all.
Daphne had nearly lost it upon seeing Olivia make her way up the stands.
("Oh! Dear, this is Olivia; you remember her, don't you? She and Sebastian are an item!"
Olivia's eyes bulged as she nervously glanced from one Hastings to the other. Mr. Hastings looked down at her will a considering look that made Olivia want to adjust her hair and clothing.
"Well..Daphne," Olivia used the woman's first name like she'd been told to many times. She hesitated, choosing her words carefully, "We aren't-"
"Well, were. You know how these crazy kids are these days, zipping from boy to boy.")
She'd talked her ear off before one of Olivia's friends saved her by asking to get hot chocolate at the concession stand. Now, Daphne gripped onto her ex-husband's arm, looking aggrieved by Viola's violence while the rest of the student body around her cheered it on. Olivia herself didn't have the same sentiments. She watched Viola plunge into aggression without a care, and suddenly felt too warm in her collar. A flush of heat would go down her body, and she had to swallow every time Viola handled the ball with such elegance and finesse that Olivia was so unused to seeing from the brunette.
It was also one of the times Viola was most serious, at least publicly. Olivia had grown used to knowing a Viola Hastings that didn't need to act like a walking sitcom in the quiet of Olivia's dorm room.
Viola on the soccer field was a sight to see.
Maybe Olivia was overwhelmed with pride and love for the girl, watching her then. But if you were there watching her too you would understand why it was suddenly hard for Olivia to remember why she shouldn't admit to such things, even in her head.
"Illyria corner!"
Andrew took the corner kick and lofted the ball into the crowded penalty box.
A strange series of events occurred that looked like a big tangle of bodies in front of a frenzied goalkeeper. A familiar lithe figure was among some of the bodies jumping to meet the ball with their heads. She got a good head on it, but it glanced off another player before it could skate into the net. The Arden bodyguard-face dark with scowl- didn't even look at the ball as he threw himself into Viola, elbow jerking up just so, towards her face.
Olivia vaguely heard Daphne squawk again as several bodies collide and crumple to the ground. It was all so quick and intense, however most players pop back up to continue with the game. Some stay lying on the turf, and one of which had a long brown ponytail. The Arden player looked at her and scoffed, purposefully stepping on Viola's hand that lay planted on the grass. Viola only gave him the satisfaction of jerking her hand to her chest.
Olivia felt her stomach capsize. She actually lurched forward immediately, stomach hitting the resistance of railing and her hands gripped it tightly. She was zeroed in on Viola and a second away from running down to the pitch like she'd done all those months ago. She only vaguely heard her friends murmur their concerns for Illyria's top scorer, too angry to even function beyond staring.
Viola always threw herself into the game and got knocked around quite a bit, but she wasn't moving just then.
"Oh god," Olivia whispered. The girl had raised her body up, clutching the middle of her face where a substance reflected shine from the stadium lights.
Without her usual grace, Viola stumbled blearily up, and a referee directed her to go to the sidelines where someone was waiting with a first aid kit at the ready. She didn't walk for long, though, before an anxious Duke ran up alongside her. They seemed to be having a discussion, and Viola brushed him off, most likely getting annoyed and embarrassed by his attention, still trying to cover her injury. Duke tried to move her hand to get a look at her nose, and Olivia held her breathe.
A path of fresh blood was visible from a smeared nose, dripping grotesquely off her chin. Viola bat him away again and stalked quicker to the sideline. Closer to where Olivia stood.
She watched as Viola spat out blood that'd entered her mouth before flickering her eyes up to the stands. Her eyes stopped on Olivia immediately as if she'd already established where Olivia had put herself.
Some indiscernible emotions danced in her eyes, but she smiled weakly at her. Olivia must have smiled back because Viola gingerly touched her injury and made a face at her red fingers for Olivia. Olivia's laugh sounded more like a release of air she'd been keeping trapped in her chest, but it satisfied Viola.
Daphne looked like she might faint and tried to get her daughter's attention from where it was (which was on her son's ex-girlfriend for whatever reason)(honestly, the inside of Viola's mind was a mystery to her).
Ten minutes later, Viola was begging Coach to let her play, and Olivia was griping to her friends about how typical Viola this was. Blood was still leaking from her injured nose, and a nasty shiner would be donning one of her eyes for the next week.
They ended up losing with a score of 2-1, and most attendees left satisfied with the entertainment of a good game through and through. Some students left engaged in heavy discourse and discontent, like Olivia's friends.
Olivia walked out with them, but said she'd forgotten her keys as an excuse to head back to the stadium. There, she watched as an evasive Viola steered clear of her concerned loved ones. She pretending to have a lot to talk about with Coach until eventually, Duke and her parents gave up on waiting for her. Not long after, the tall, scowling man grew tired of Viola's stalling and waved her away to mop up the fresh stream of blood coming from her injury.
The debutante waited for Viola to see her, wondering if she would be welcome to linger, unlike the others.
"Don't get too close. I'm all sweaty and probably smell worse than my brother's gym bag," Viola mumbled from where she sat pouting.
"You don't smell that bad at all. Definitely not any worse than you usually do after a game," Olivia joked, and it was true. Viola smelled like grass and fog after a rainfall and whatever lotion she uses to moisturize. And the distinct metallic smell of blood.
Viola scoffed at that, and she rummaged through the medical kit that was left behind. She was ordered to take it back into the field house when she was finished, but she didn't know where the heck it was supposed to go. By now, most had cleared off the field, so not many people were around to ask either.
Not heading her words, Viola felt Olivia approach and sit right next to her. She quietly rejoiced when she felt the blonde's jean-clad thigh brush her skin.
"You really did it this time," Olivia said.
"Um, I think you meant that jerk face really did it this time. Who knew the only requirement for Arden soccer was to be semi-decent at the game and a big fat asshole to compensate," Viola ripped some packaging open with more force than necessary, as she grumbled, "Cheaters..."
But when Viola looked up from the cleaning wipes, she lost a bit of motor function. She was being checked over by kind, nurturing eyes. Viola didn't have any other injuries, just scrapes and bruises, but Olivia's eyes roamed like a touch. In response, Viola felt her entire body soften, no longer stricken with adrenalin.
(Completely at the blonde's mercy.)
"I'm fine, Olivia, really. It's just a little bump," aid kit forgotten, Viola adjusted her ponytail to give her hands something to do.
"Oh, Viola," Olivia chastised. Viola didn't know what she was being chastised for but grinned stupidly at how Olivia had said it. Mirth danced behind blue eyes and chapped lips, voice as soft as her eyes at her name. (Vi-o-la)
That didn't last long before she was saying, "ow!" at how her nose hurt. Damnit, she hoped her money-maker wasn't too damaged by that cheating asshole.
It was only when she tasted blood did she understand, but Olivia had already taken the cloth from her slack hand that wasn't trying to see if her nose was the same shape. Olivia took her left cheek, encouraging it to turn towards her and kept her steady. It still managed to surprise Viola, and her face flashed red hot. She probably looked at Olivia like a scared little animal. Olivia was kind enough to not mention any of it.
Her face was cleaned with tender, caring strokes. Viola could have cried by the end of it for so many reasons.
"You don't have to do this, Liv," Viola found herself saying.
"Do what?" A line appeared between Olivia's eyebrows, but she didn't stop her work.
Viola searched for her answer in the clouds. "Like..." Her eyes blinked.
They fell back on the girl so close to her. Olivia smiled at their return.
Viola looked at her lips and thought of Duke. "You ruined my plans to sulk. We had a bad game. I had a bad game. I was going to sulk until I got over myself, but now all I feel is good."
"And that's bad? The blonde tried to tease, but Viola just shook her head. Her nose knocked against Olivia's fingers, and she hissed at the pain.
She jerked back and held the tender bridge of her nose.
"Hey, hey," Olivia soothed, "God, I hope that dick didn't break it-"
Something twisted in Viola's gut at the tenderness the blonde was showing her. Thoughts of Duke flashed in mind. Without even thinking, she drew back more and found her voice raised in a frightened pitch, "Stop."
Analytical blue eyes steadily met her own.
"I didn't need help! So- so stop with your perfect voice and perfect, perfect eyes! And, and," Viola gestured haphazardly to Olivia's everything.
Olivia grabbed one of the flailing hands and slid their palms together.
"Why?"
That left Viola sputtering, unsure as to what garnered such a calm response from the other girl.
"Why?" She asked again, "So it's easier to pretend that this isn't happening?"
Viola's eyes ballooned. A shiver ran up her spine from the cold taking advantage of her sweat-soaked body. The only warmth came from their connected hands.
"Olivia," Viola's eyes left her for the first time, seeing no one watching them. But that didn't mean that there wasn't someone near.
"I know you've been avoiding me. I can't say I blame you," Olivia's confidence wavered and she suddenly looked at scared as Viola felt. "But that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. I'm having a hard time too, Viola. We're experiencing the same thing." She looked down, and Viola could only see her eyelashes- stark against her skin.
She looked at this girl and couldn't believe what was happening. They were out here on the soccer pitch. No drinks, no distractions. Just the whistle of wind, and Olivia Lennox admitting something to her that-part of Viola had been convinced-Olivia would never bring to light.
"You- " Viola went with a part of her gut that protects, "What makes you think we're experiencing the same thing?" she challenged.
Olivia stayed silent for a while, and Viola realized that she'd focused on their still entwined hands. Viola twitched like she might let go now that she'd been caught, but didn't.
Her stare was piercing when she looked again into Viola's eyes. Viola was so intimidated by the intensity of Olivia's unhidden desire, she couldn't even begin to swallow the baseball forming in her throat.
And then Olivia kissed her.
Right there on a metal bench on the side of an empty field, Olivia leaned over and bestowed a kiss upon her lips. With them both sitting on the bench, their height difference wasn't much of a factor and Olivia's other hand easily found her cheek. Olivia's cold nose brushed against the side of her own nose and then pressed against her cheek, but her lips were warm and incredibly soft. It was a tender gesture, a squeeze of the hand, adding to the flurry of sensations Viola was already experiencing. It was entirely different from their first kiss, and Viola felt her palms sweat and her heart beat wildly in her chest for completely different reasons.
Geez, kissing guys never involved such intense, heart attack-y feelings. Or maybe that was just Olivia?
Viola kept with the pace Olivia set, and found herself getting completely lost in it until the velvety, supple lips eased off her own, Olivia didn't move entirely away. She breathed a shaky sigh onto Viola's skin, and they both hovered with their eyes closed, the potential for more a hairsbreadth away. Viola could not even focus, her heart pounding at an alarming rate.
"I know we are," Olivia whispered. Her bottom lip dragged against Viola's own.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
Viola tried to pick out one thought from the overwhelming amount in her head, but when she finally decided she just wanted to feel, Olivia's face was no longer close enough to bridge the space.
Viola opened her eyes, already bracing to feel hurt, but instead saw Olivia's brow furrowed as she wiped at her face.
"Wha-?" When Olivia's hand pulled back there was a red stain above and on her lips. Viola's hand shot up to her own nose. Unsurprisingly, her nose was wet again, and oh god, she'd bled on Olivia Lennox. Gross.
"Well that's a first," Viola mumbled to herself, going crosseyed to stare at the blood on her fingers.
In there corner of her eye, Olivia was cleaning her face with a wet wipe grumbling about Hastings and "I'm not even surprised anymore"'s. She then twisted her body back around to wipe Viola's face too, this time with less care. Viola sputtered and laughed at the harsh assault on her face. It reminded her of when she was a kid and would get bloody noses all the time from falling out of a tree or knocking her nose during an aggressive game of Freeze Tag. Many a time, Daphne Hastings would gasp at the sight, lick her handkerchief and clean her face frustratedly, snapping at Viola to keep still.
"You," Olivia grit through her teeth as Viola kept laughing and jerking away reflexively, "Are," Viola squeezed her eyes shut and submitted, "Such a mess."
"I'm sorry, that was gross," Viola frowns to show her sincerity, even though it's possible Olivia wasn't looking at her expression, "And totally a mood killer," she adds after a beat.
"No, it's fine," Olivia's voice was kind, and true to her word, she didn't sound bothered.
No words were exchanged for a few more seconds, but then Viola felt cold fingers wrap around hers and lifted up to her nose. "Hold this here."
"Yes, ma'am."
She opened her eyes and gave a sheepish smile, but Olivia just rolled her eyes, not having any of it. They stayed there in a somewhat awkward silence. Her fingers flexed on the wad of wipes under her nose as she cautiously looked anywhere but at the blonde beside her.
"Anyway," Olivia drawled, and they both chuckled at the attempt at a transition. The air felt less heavy between the two of them, and Viola felt thankful for it.
"I-" Olivia took a deep, stabilizing breathe, "I don't want to rush you. I want us to be at a place we can be honest. I need you to talk to me, Viola," Olivia implored, and Viola could tell just by how she said it that it was something the girl desperately needed from her.
And for that alone, Viola found herself nodding.
"I like you," Olivia said and Viola blinked, " A lot. I think I always d-did. And I don't think it's going away, so.."
Olivia looked less sure now, blue eyes flitting between hers helplessly, searching for guidance.
Feeling woefully unprepared for the admittance, Viola's mind went blank. However, she still wanted to remedy the scared look on Olivia's face and reward her for such bravery with a dose of her own.
"I-" The words get stuck in her mouth, like she just ate a jar of honey. "I think-"
She reached up with her free hand to coil it around Olivia's warm neck, thumb brushing the underside of her jaw. "I think me too."
The spark of hope seemed to die down in Olivia's eyes and her shoulders sagged a little bit. Viola gripped her neck harder, and tried to get the nauseous feeling in her stomach to stop.
"I'm going to work on it, Olivia. I will. I- um, want to be honest, too. Once I, y'know..process," she cursed internally and tried to convey what she was feeling through their shared gaze. Her thumb stroked Olivia's cheek tenderly, unconsciously.
She must have succeeded, because the defeated demeanor was slowly replaced with a breathtaking smile, and Viola wondered, not for the first time, how she'd found herself making such promises to a girl like Olivia. Had this- this adoration snuck up on her or were there signs all along. Had it snuck up on Olivia?
( "I'm having a hard time too, Viola. We're experiencing the same thing.")
Olivia eventually stood up, breaking their connection. Viola couldn't help the wistful way she watched her; the kiss was still at the forefront of her mind.
(She didn't think it would leave anytime soon.)
Olivia sucked in a deep breathe, smiled, and started putting away the supplies.
"Come on. You'll catch pneumonia if you stay out here any longer in your sweaty uniform," Olivia looked mildly disturbed by the idea, and Viola couldn't help but grin at that.
She happily did as ordered, eager to spend the whole walk back to the field house with Olivia beside her. Maybe she could even charm her way into a late lunch at Cesario's pizzeria after she got changed- just the two of them.
"I have to go," Olivia's voice broke through her plan-making. Viola's face dropped and she watched as Olivia pointed over her shoulder towards the parking lot.
"Oh."
"You know my mother."
Viola pulled a face at the mention of Mrs. Lennox that made Olivia laugh.
"Yeah, you should probably hurry then," Viola playfully pushed the girl away from her and towards the parking lot.
As they parted ways, Viola was the one to stare after her. And then walk a little. Turn back. Stare after her again. Repeat. And if she thought her chest couldn't have felt more full, she noticed her name at the back of Olivia's sweatshirt, recognizing it finally as her own. She hadn't even realized that Olivia hadn't given it back last time she came over to her house.
When she could no longer see shimmering blonde hair, she sighed and picked up the rest of her gear and the kit (neatly packed by Olivia). Her fingers lifted up to lips, but she didn't touch them in fear it would stop the buzzing that hadn't stopped since Olivia had kissed her.
Olivia had kissed her! Olivia liked her.
A laugh bubbled up to her lips as her whole body felt like it would float off into the air all the way to the field house. She twirled and ran, laughing at how the inertia of her heavy bag allowed her spin around. Sebastian would so be making fun of her right now.
She entered the building, only to breeze past some of her teammates who looked at her like she was absolutely nuts. There was a pressure in her lungs that felt dangerously like she would laugh louder or yell something. Something like, "Olivia Lennox just freaking kissed me! All you suckers don't even know that you're wasting your breathe because she likes me!"
That was, until she realized that would be a very unwise thing to do, and that stopped her little private pride party by the fact that she'd been dangerously close to doing so. She'd never had the best impulse control; Olivia made her need to stop and actively keep herself in check.
(It was literally just yesterday when she'd overheard a midfielder- Ryan- talking about Olivia- in a rather vulgar way Viola did not condone. Duke had shut him up, but Viola had been right behind him ready to give him a talking to.)
She wasn't sure if she liked the feeling or not.
Lost in her own world, Viola failed to notice how all players cleared out before she'd even packed her cleats.
On top of that, she still didn't even know where the stupid first aid kit was supposed to go.
"Olivia would've probably been able to figure it out," she thought to herself glumly, dragging her feet to she showers, trying-and failing-to keep her mind from the blonde debutante.