Hello there. I would be ever so grateful if you were to toss in a review at the end of this here chapter!
The first week of my senior year passed excruciatingly slow. I fought with Jamie. Bad. He wanted to know how come I was hanging out with random guys when I was supposed to be he girlfriend. That really set me off, because being labeled and restricted has never been my cup of tea. We argued for two hours. Eventually we called a truce, but I could tell he was still angry. I hate fights anyways, but fighting with Jamie just felt wrong. He means so much to me... I never want to see him unhappy, and to be the cause of his unhappiness is almost too much. To make it even worse, I sprained my ankle at practice on Tuesday and couldn't play in our first scrimmage game that weekend. It was just real sucky week. I felt horrible even thinking it, considering what had just happened with Jamie, but I was so disappointed I didn't get to hang out with Adam again. I didn't even see him once all week. Sunday morning came and all I could do was lay in my bed. I felt like if I got out from under my sheets something even worse might happen.
"Aw, come on Amber! You need to get out of bed." Shannon exclaimed. "Don't you want to go shopping with us?" I rolled onto my side and looked down at her from my top bunk.
"No." I sniffled. Shannon sighed.
"Alright. Fine. But you really need to eat ok? I don't think anything catastrophic will happen if you just walk to the cafeteria yeah?" She shook her head at my silence before picking up her purse on the way out. I blinked. I didn't want to go to breakfast. I might see Jamie at breakfast...
four hours later I woke back up and it was 2:43 p.m. My stomach rumbled but I was still too proud and upset to go eat. I sat up in my bed slowly. My head throbbed. I climbed down the bunk and shuffled to the bathroom to pee, hoping that and a shower might make me feel better. No such luck. I sat on the floor of our dorm towel drying my hair, still hungry, still depressed. I flexed my ankle experimentally, thinking fondly of a walk around campus. The joint didn't seem as tight as the day before, and the pain had faded with all the rest I'd had that weekend so I deemed a walk safe enough. I pulled on shorts and a tee, stuffing my keys in my back pocket before I headed out the door. I hesitated half a second in the hallway before darting back inside for my soccer ball. A few footskills couldn't hurt, right? My walk took my straight down to the soccer field. It was such a pretty day. Low 70s with a constant breeze. A classic late summer day in Minnesota, chirping birds and all. I thought that maybe my weekend could turn out ok after all.
I was dribbling around slowly in the 18 when I heard someone cough on the hill to my left. When I looked up, Charlie Conway was staring back at me. I froze.
"Hi." he said. Boy, he had a sexy voice.
"Hi?" I took a few steps towards him. "Can I help you?" He stuffed his hands in his jean pockets and smiled that crooked smile I've been hankering for all week.
"Just watching. There's not much to do around here is there?" His eyes did that sparkle thing again and I swear my heart murmured.
"Nah not really... there's a mall." I scuffed the dirt with my foot, becoming twitchy again.
"Eh, I'm not really much of a shopper." He paused. "So are you on the soccer team here?" I nodded.
"I'm one of the Varsity captains."
"Wow. Varsity. Impressive." He teased. I had heard of the JV hockey teams' immediate rivalry with the varsity. I raised an eyebrow.
"Aren't you on the JV hockey team?" He grinned and nodded, sitting down on the hill. His eyes invited me to do the same (or at least that's what I'm claiming). I sunk down next to him and held out my hand. "I'm Amber."
"Charlie." We shook. "Nice to meet you. So are you a Senior then?" I nodded, temporarily distracted by the sun hitting the far goal posts.
"Yep. And you're a Freshman. How do you like it here so far?" The conversation was feeling a little deja vu, but at the same time completely different from the one I had with Adam. Charlie was much more outgoing and relaxed from the start.
"I actually kind of hate it." He said honestly.
"Yeah, I heard you JV-ers are getting a bunch of shit from Varsity."
"Well it's not just that; we can dish the shit right back." He grinned mischievously. Recognition dawned on my face.
"Oh my God, you're the one that pulled the horse crap thing this week! Dude, that was epic." I high fived him. His hand felt very nice...
We talked about a lot of the things Adam and I talked about at lunch on Monday. We ended up back on soccer.
"So Amber," Charlie began, standing up and brushing off his jeans. "You gonna teach me how to play soccer or what?" I smirked.
"I dunno Conway. I don't know if you can handle it." I said, leaning back on my elbows. Charlie narrowed his eyes comically and picked up the ball.
"Try me." I laughed and leapt up at him, knocking the ball from his hands with my head.
"Hey!" He startled at first, then put on a comical game face and lunged. I smiled, rolling the ball away from him with the soles of my feet. I snickered as he chased me halfway around the field.
"Quit lunging at the ball, or you'll never get it! Wait until I take too big a touch, then just stick your foot in and grab it!" I told him as he lunged yet again. I spun a little Maradona around him and he gaped, those blue eyes ever so enchanting so close up...
"Whoa, that was cool, teach me that!"
We spent thirty long minutes on the Maradona. By the end, Charlie was able to get the first step right, and even the spin, but always ended up on his ass in the dirt on the second step.
"Ooof-Damnit!" he cursed, yet again sprawled in the grass. I laughed. My mood had improved remarkably, the late afternoon sun on my back and the cool grass on my feet did wonders... also the feel of Charlie's hips under my hands as I tried to position his legs the right way for this move... I reached down to help him back up.
"You almost had it there Conway."
"Ugh, no I didn't. Why can't I get this?" I could tell he was trying not to frown.
"Deeply ingrained competitive side? Check." I slapped his back. "Look, it took me years to learn this move, you're not gonna learn it in a day, kid." See what I did there? Calling him kid? My own pathetic attempt to not think about his tall, good-looking-ness. He smiled.
"Yeah I guess."
"There's that happy go-lucky Conway we all know and love! Hey, you hungry? Because I am starving. Haven't eaten all day." I gathered the ball and my flip flops into my arms and began walking towards the hill. "Theres this Chinese place down the road, wanna come with? It's pretty good." I shrugged and turned to face Charlie, walking backwards. Was that some color I saw on his cheeks?
"Yeah sure. I could eat." Oh yeah. Classic cool-guy answer trying to cover up. What a damn cutie.
"Cool. Walk me back to my dorm? Gotta grab my keys." I flashed him a grin. We trekked up the hill and main road back to the school. It was a quiet walk. Charlie was still doing the whole cool-guy thing, this time with his hands in his front pockets, looking at everything besides me. I guess it was because I was so much older. If a random senior guy had asked me to go to Lin Feng's with him when I was a freshman, I would have seriously flipped my shit.
"So," I said as we neared my dorm. "What's your favorite color?" Charlie looked at me like I had sprouted a second head. I sent him a grin in return and meandered slowly up the front steps of the building.
"Um, I dunno... blue?" He answered, his eyebrow quirked in extreme confusion; like, why the hell is this girl asking my color preferences?
"Blue... that's a good color. Nice and strong." I gave him a slow smile as I languidly pulled open the front door. After a frenzied and quick inner debate, I rested my hip and shoulder blade on the door for half a second and trailed my hand on the outside of the door as I pulled it shut. "Wait here, kay?" The look on that kid's innocent face was priceless. Eyes slightly glazed and mouth wide open...
Oh geez I'm a horrible person. I sprinted up the one flight of stairs to my room, mentally strangling myself the whole way. Where do I get off trying to seduce that sweet kid? What gives me the right, what makes me hott enough to try it? The feeling of having that kind of power over somebody was intoxicating, I was quickly finding out. Never before had the thrill of satisfaction run through my body at the glance of a guy. I never had the chance to see if I could even seduce someone; Jamie and I just happened. It was never me trying to get him to like me. We were friends, and society dictated we try being more than friends. Maybe... Nah, I like Jamie. We're good together. Right?
"Aaauuughghhh!" I groaned powerfully, banging my head on my door as I unlocked it. I launched myself onto Devin's bed, not patient enough to climb up to mine before I let loose the scream that was building. I buried my face in a pillow and screeched because life is just confusing sometimes. A minute later I remembered Charlie was downstairs. I ignored the illegal shiver that ran down my spine and stood up. Hair smoothed, emotions bundled, car keys safely in pocket I breezed back out my door, almost forgetting to lock it back. As I hopped down the stairs my confidence came back. Who cares if I flirt with Charlie. Better yet, who's gonna know? I mean, they'll find out eventually. Being tied down doesn't gel with me, they know that. What the hell right? I'm a fucking senior.