Page 28 of Bad Kind of Love

We exchange eye contact, long unmoving eye contact that is soon abruptly broken by the sound of a whistle.

“I uhh. I think you owe me some popcorn.” I raised my chin, seeing that his once curious eyes were now dark again.

“Fine. Just watch where you’re going next time.” He growls while cutting in line and barking orders at the cashier for popcorn. In a matter of seconds, he’s holding out a bag for me.

“Thanks.” I mumble, taking the bag from him. Nodding, he brushes past me in the opposite direction, away from the stands. I twist my head to follow him, wondering why he is leaving.

Was he not going to watch his son play?

His body fades into the crowd of people and I make my way back to Josie.

“Yum. Thanks.” She beams grabbing popcorn and shoving it in her mouth. “There he is.” She points down onto the field to number forty. “My future boyfriend.”

Laughing, I twist open my lemonade and take a sip. “Keep dreamin’.”

“And there’s yours.” She motions to number thirty-two, Wes. Centered in the middle of the field, he stands tall waiting for the play.

“Definitely not my future boyfriend.” I chuckle, entertained by the idea.

“Tell him that.” She snorts. As I’m about to say something, the sound of shouting and bodies crashing against one another interrupts me. Wes is hiking the ball, and he steps back looking for the perfect pass. Once his eyes are locked onto someone, he tosses the ball across the field and it lands perfectly into the hands of his intended target. The loud cheering begins as the player sprints for a touchdown, causing the stands to go crazy. Josie joins in like she knows what’s going on, when in reality she knows absolutely nothing about football.

The game goes by, and the clock’s down to thirty seconds left. We're down two points. We have the ball and are only twenty yards away from the field goal.

My dad watched a lot of football. There wasn’t much to do in our run-down house other than to watch TV.

As soon as the ball lands in Wes’s hands, the clock starts counting down. Everyone’s on the edge of their seats as they wait for his move. Wes looks lost, looking for anyone open and eventually, throws the ball up. Like in every sports movie when the losing team is making their last play, the ball flies in slow motion. That’s how it feels right now. It twirls through the air, and slowly falls into a pair of extended arms that grab it and fall onto the field for a touchdown.

The crowd goes berserk.

All on their feet, they cheer wildly as the whole team rushes the field, embracing one another.

“Holy crap!” Josie shouts, rising from her seat.

The energy surrounding us is crazy, and almost impossible to not join in. I stand up beside her, clapping my hands and hollering alongside the fans.

After the little celebration, we're back down by the concessions where everyone is standing around, waiting for the players to make their grand appearance. Josie and I are somewhere stuffed in the middle, surrounded by a mix of students, fans and parents.

“I think I see Nate!” She points above the crowd. Her wide smile reminds me of a proud girlfriend who just watched her boyfriend win, when really it was the exact opposite.

“What do you plan on doing? Congratulating him?” I chuckle, imagining Nate’s puzzled face as Josie praises him.

“Not now.” She drops from her tippy toes. “Maybe at the party.” She shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly.

My eyebrows lifted in surprise by her bold statement. “I’d like to see that.”

I wasn’t trying to come off as rude, I just knew Josie too well and the idea of her going up to Nate, at a party, surrounded by all his friends was impractical.

“Oh, trust me. By the end of tonight, he’ll remember the name Josie Eckerman.” She smiles, while my face scrunches up. “Not because of… that. Sex.” She shakes her head, realizing how it came off.

“Excuse me.” A nasally voice snaps as they purposely knock into my side. I’m jolted forward when my eyes catch a flash of a dark ponytail and blue and white cheerleading outfit and immediately register who the person is.

Vicky.

As she passes, she peers back at me with a satisfied smirk that has me clenching my teeth.

“You okay?” Josie grabs my arm gently before glaring off towards Vicky’s direction.

“Yah.” I nod, but I’m anything but. I was tired of her little game of cat and mouse with me, her antics were getting old and if she didn’t stop soon, I was going to explode.

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