Playing For Love

by Dana Burkey

  “Won’t that be a lot of people at your place?” Jordan asked, thinking the same thing I was.

  “I guess,” Skyler shrugged. “But I’m sure some people have plans and won't make it since it’s such short notice. At least that’s how I convinced my mom and dad that I could invite non-soccer friends too.”

  “Good thinking,” Jordan nodded.

  And that was it. We didn't really talk about it too much more since we were busy working on the crafts and filling of the bags. But, in my head, I was really excited that I was going to have the chance to not only hang out with the soccer team to hopefully celebrate a win, but I was also going to get to hang out with Jordan as well! It helped to make up for the cramp my hand was getting as I worked on more and more hats. The work was clearly a lot more than we planned, so Ross headed into the kitchen at one point to make some snacks for us all to enjoy. I was pretty hungry after the workout with Jordan, so I was excited about the idea of something to munch on. I was also wanted to go shower but didn’t want to miss time with Jordan. And it was a good idea considering what happened next!

  “Ewww,” Jordan groaned. “I have glitter glue on my shirt now.”

  He'd just dropped one of the hats while moving it to the towel we set them on to dry. The hat was more or less undamaged, but somehow he still managed to get at least a little of the glittery gel glue on his clothing.

  “It’s just a little bit,” Skyler said with an eye roll. It wasn't the first time Jordan or Ross had complained about the glitter glue since we started working.

  “It’s a lot,” he corrected. “Almost a whole bottle. I’m basically covered in it.”

  “Not yet,” I said with a smile. “But this should help.”

  Once again I had to have been feeling bold since I rubbed some of the glitter glue onto my fingers and moved closer to Jordan as if I was going to put it on his face. The idea of me putting glitter on his face had Jordan jumping to his feet right away. I stepped closer to him and in defense he grabbed onto my arms to try to keep them from getting any closer to him. We were both laughing as I twisted and turned, all the while trying to get my fingers, and the glitter glue, to make contact with his face. I got a little bit to smear on his forehead, which only seemed to fuel him more. Still holding my arms firmly, Jordan managed to push my hands onto my face, effectively covering my cheeks, nose, and forehead with what was still on my fingers.

  Jordan finally let go of me then, and we stood there catching our breath and laughing. Neither of us were moving to take the glue off of our faces, mostly because it was pretty silly that we had fought so hard over just a little bit of glitter glue. After watching the whole thing go down, Skyler finally spoke up.

  “Sometimes I forgot you two aren’t like dating or something,” Skyler said with a grin. “You guys just act so adorable around each other.”

  “I don’t know if adorable is the right word,” Jordan replied finally using his hands to wipe the glitter glue off of his forehead.

  “Okay, who’s hungry?” Ross asked, coming into the living room with some pizza rolls and chips and pop for us all to enjoy.

  While everyone else dug in, I headed to the bathroom to wash off my face. It gave me time to process all that had just happened. Skyler just called Jordan and me adorable, and he didn't call me “a little sister” when she said it! Did that mean that he agreed that we were good together? Or was he just still worried about the glitter on his face? And did Ross hear what Skyler said? It was a lot to take in, and I honestly still feel confused.

  When I got back into the living room and grabbed some snacks, I noticed Skyler was giving me an extra big grin. Apparently she was proud of herself for making the comment. And maybe she should be proud. After all, I don’t know if Jordan agreed with it all or not. Sure, he made the comment about adorable not being the right word, but was that just because we had just been locked in battle? I tried to smile back some, but also looked over to see Jordan had gone totally back to normal. It was all so strange, but also in a way kind of exciting.

  The rest of the evening was spend working on the hats. They were taking longer than expected, and it wasn't until almost 10 that we finished the last one. We then moved all of them to the kitchen table to dry, with the plan for Skyler and I to put them all in the bags on the way to the game since she was picking me up in the morning. That would also give me a chance to ask her about the whole Jordan thing.

  I was so exhausted between the soccer practice and the whole day at school and just everything, so I didn’t really say much to Jordan when he left. I might have missed a chance to impress him there or something, but he was kind of helping carry some stuff to Skyler’s car and I didn’t want to go outside since it was raining. The shower I just took woke me up a good bit, which is the only reason I'm writing all of this down. I just wish I understood it all better. This whole thing with Jordan is really confusing. I honestly don’t know how he feels about me, but if Skyler thinks he liked me then I kind of want to believe her. I mean, she's known him even longer that I have, so maybe I need to trust her on this one. Or maybe I need to get some sleep and ask Beth and Corra about it all tomorrow. After the game. Which I need to go to bed so I am ready for. Like now! BYE!

  OCTOBER 18TH-SATURDAY

  Before I get on to the best and most amazing thing ever, we won our soccer game!!! Skyler picked me up in the morning and I made sure to help get all the hats in the right bags then stash them in her trunk to be brought out after the game was over. The game was a home match, so by the time we got there for warm-ups people were already arriving to get good seats. I knew Jordan, Ross, Corra, Trey, Beth, and a lot of others would all be arriving closer to the game, so I didn’t focus on the stands and instead just worked on getting ready for the game. And it was a good thing too! We ended up only winning by one goal, so I was glad I never paid too much attention to the crowd until the game was over.

  It was then, as we were eating lunch provided by the PTA while we waited for the varsity game to begin that I realized just how many people were there. The stands were filled with what had to be over half of the school! There were hundreds of people there, and almost all of them were wearing nose guards. The visiting stands were also full, but they didn't look nearly as over the top as our fans. It looked more like a world cup game or even one of our school football games than any of the other game so far this season.

  Varsity won 2-0 and when the game was over all of JV rushed onto the field and we were all hugging and cheering and honestly crying at how great we all did! I mean, we just beat the toughest team in our district! As much as it was something we wanted and hoped for, it was something totally different to actually achieve that goal! The excitement just got even bigger as we started taking team photos to post online, and then bigger again when Skyler’s mom brought all of the gift bags over to hand out.

  I kind of remember seeing my mom and dad and giving them hugs at some point, but there were so many people all over and we were so excited that I honestly can’t remember! Then, when I looked around for Ross and Jordan when we went to leave Skyler told me that they were already at her house with a bunch of people that already left the stadium. I was bummed they didn’t say hello to us and all that, but when I looked at my phone I realized that we'd all been down on the field for almost a full hour after the varsity game ended. It also helped that I had texts from everyone saying good game and all that. Jordan even added a heart to his!

  When we finally made our way to Skyler’s house everyone was in the front yard waiting for the team to arrive. Since we were all more or less the last ones to leave the field, everyone arrived to the house at the same time. Only about half of the team planned to come, but everyone was cheering on the yard enough for everyone that wasn't there to probably hear it from home. They had signs and banners and were all wearing nose guards! It was amazing, and had me almost in tears as I got out of the car and was immediately caught up in hugs from Beth and Corra. Once I hugged both of then, I starte
d walking towards the house only to get stopped by Jordan.

  “You did great out there Fabulous Fiona,” he grinned as he picked me up and gave me a massive hug.

  By the time he set me down just a few second later, I could feel my whole body heating up from the embrace. Even my toes were tingling from how close we'd been, and also from his scent which seemed to be trying to take over my whole brain. Thankfully he moved to give Skyler a hug after he was done with me, so I had a chance to recover. And recover I did. I was able to follow the crowd of people into the backyard where there were two picnic tables full of food including a cake that said “Way to go ladies!” It made me wonder if there had been a backup plan in case we didn't win. Would they've just scrapped the words off?

  Since we were pretty hungry after the games, we all started snacking before we got into our swim suits. It was a little cold outside, but the pool was steaming thanks to the new heaters, so we used the outside pool showers to get all the sweat off, then started jumping in as soon as we were done enjoying all the great food Skyler’s parents had catered in. Her parents, speaking of them, were inside with a bunch of other parents that had stopped by for some of the party. My mom and dad were both inside, but it was clear that the adults were all trying to stay out of the way so all of us kids could hang out on our own and have fun in the pool.

  Once we got into the pool we were all just swimming around and enjoying the feel of the warm water on our muscles. Some people eventually started having fun by jumping into the pool from the diving board, but I was happy with just sitting and relaxing. In fact, when Skyler announced that her dad had the games ready to watch in the basement, I was happy to head inside to sit and maybe even nap a bit while watching. I figured it wouldn't be all that exciting to sit and watch the game, but boy was I wrong.

  We got our new team sweatpants and hoodies earlier this week at practice so I put mine on after I changed out of my swimsuit and headed downstairs to the big screen after saying goodbye to Corra, Beth, and Trey. A lot of the girls on the team were also leaving since they had other plans like homework and things with their family, so I more or less wasn’t even thinking about Jordan. I was just tired and trying to stay warm in my hoodie. I had the hood up and everything as I plopped down on the couch and waited while everyone else found seats. There had to be at least 20 of us, and it wasn't until I saw Ross walk in and sit down on the other end of the large couch that I looked around to see if Jordan had left or not. He was sitting just two seats from me, with only Torri between us. Thankfully he didn't seem to notice that I was looking for him.

  I tried not to think about him too much as the game began playing, and it was a pretty easy task! It was really weird but also cool to watch the game. Skyler’s dad was able to film most of the field the whole time so we could see parts of the game we didn't really see all that well when we were on the field playing. Seeing the goals we stopped, as well as the goals we got, was amazing! By the time we got to halftime of the JV game, I was feeling pretty good about how I was looking on the field too. Not nearly as all over the place like I feel sometimes out there.

  “Snack break!” Skyler announced, pausing the game and hopping up from the couch. A lot of others followed suit and headed up the stairs to the food that had all been brought inside while we were getting out of the pool.

  “You coming?” Torri asked me as she stood up and stretched.

  “No,” I said with a yawn. “I’m too comfy to move.”

  “You look like you’re going to fall asleep,” Jordan said as he scooted closer to fill the gap between us left when Torri got up.

  “It’s been a long day,” I shrugged. “I think between staying up last night and then playing and cheering and everything, the tiredness has finally hit me.”

  “And you didn’t leave when your friends left?” he asked, resting his arm on the back of the couch, which made it basically around me.

  “I wanted to watch the game with everyone,” I explained. I could feel myself leaning a little closer to him, but was more or less helpless to stop it. “And I think I can make it through the rest of the games.”

  “Do you need some coffee?” Jordan asked, actually moving his arm to wrap around my shoulders.

  “That might help,” I said with a smile.

  “I’ll be right back!”

  And with that Jordan was gone. He got up and headed upstairs, clearly looking for some coffee for me. As soon as he was gone Hayley and Rachel, who were both still in the basement as well, moved to sit near me.

  “Okay, what's going on with you and Jordan?” Hayley asked with a grin.

  “What do you mean?” I asked, feeling my face turn red right away.

  “He just totally cuddled up to you and then went to get you coffee as soon as you said you wanted some.” Hayley recapped. “Are you two dating?”

  “No,” I said quickly, refusing to look at either of them.

  “Well, you’re not dating yet,” Rachel added. “But clearly you're totally in love with him!”

  “I’m not in love with him,” I frowned, my face continuing to heat up even more.

  “Fine, but you like him,” Rachel tried again.

  When I didn't immediately reply, both Rachel and Hayley began laughing and basically squealing. I glance towards the stairs and thankfully didn't see anyone walking down to join us. Unfortunately, Sam and Chelsea who were also still in the basement quickly moved over closer to us to find out why I my face was hot pink and Hayley and Rachel were freaking out so much.

  “Fiona likes Jordan,” Rachel explained with a massive grin.

  “Duh!” Sam said simply.

  “You two aren’t dating yet?” Chelsea asked.

  I covered my face with my hands while Rachel filled in Chelsea that nothing was official yet, but it was clear that we both liked each other. She really said that! She said that Jordan totally liked me, and it was super obvious! As soon as the words were out of her mouth I dropped my hands in shock but was instantly even more shocked when I saw that Sam and Chelsea were both agreeing with her. That made me feel both better, and worse at the same time. Did that mean I needed to just wait and Jordan would ask me out? Or did that mean that everyone was just as hopelessly clueless as I was?

  “I bet the only reason he hasn’t asked you out yet is so you can focus on making it to state and everything,” Sam pointed out. “I bet he asks you out officially as soon as the soccer season's over.”

  “And if not, you should just ask him!” Rachel grinned.

  The other girls agreed, then quickly stopped talking. I glanced behind me to see Ross and Jordan both walking down the steps. Ross had a plate overflowing with snacks that he offered to the group before sitting down where he had been before. Jordan, however, was only carrying one thing.

  “I tried to make it smell like your coffee did in the car the other morning, so hopefully it tastes alright,” Jordan explained as he sat down next to me and handed me a steaming cup of coffee.

  Enjoying the warmth in my hands, I blew away the steam then took a small sip. It was perfect! Just enough cream to mask the taste of the coffee, something I have a love hate relationship with. While I swallowed down a second sip I made the mistake of glancing up to see all of my friends staring at me and Jordan. It made me intake just enough air that I started choking on the coffee I just swallowed.

  “Are you okay?” Jordan asked, taking the coffee from me so it wouldn't spill as I coughed.

  “Yeah, I’m okay,” I managed between coughs. “Really.”

  “Was the coffee that bad?” Ross asked with a laugh once I was finally more or less breathing normal. My coughing had clearly gotten everyone's attention.,

  “It was great,” I assure both Ross and Jordan. “I just swallowed it too fast.”

  “You’re sure it’s okay?” Jordan asked me, more or less ignoring my brothers laughter.

  “Yeah,” I nodded, suddenly realizing he was sitting really close to me again. “You got it spot on, reall
y.”

  “Oh good,” he grinned. “Just drink a little more slowly so that doesn’t happen again, okay?”

  “Okay,” I nodded. Then, to prove I would follow his rule, I took the coffee back from him and took a nice slow sip. He smiled in approval then stood up.

  “Now I need to get my coffee,” he said before dashing back up the steps.

  I caught Hayley and Chelsea giving me crazy looks, but did my best to ignore them. Instead, I just sat and sipped my coffee with a smile on my face. Then, as Torri sat down next to me, I felt my smile fade. After sitting with Jordan for just a little bit before he went to get my coffee, I completely forgot that Torri had been sitting next to me in the first place. Reminding myself it was no big deal, I check my phone to see that Sarah was sending me a whole slew of emojis. They were mostly hearts, cups of coffee, and kissy faces, so I tucked my phone back into my hoodie pocket with a roll of my eyes.

  Skyler returned to the basement then and was about to push play on the game so everyone quickly settled back into their seats. Torri was still right next to me, but then I noticed out of the corner of my eye that she also got a text, likely from Sam. As soon as she read it she glanced at me and gave me a big smile. Then, she scooted a little farther from me so there was a clear spot for Jordan. It was a rather small spot, meaning he would have to be really close to me, but I had the feeling that was also part of the plan.

  Jordan made it back just in time for the second half to pop up on the big screen. And, as expected, he had to squish to fit in the seat left by Torri. I could tell some of the girls were watching us but tried not to let it show. I’m sure my face was still bright red, especially when Jordan wrapped one arm around me so it was more comfortable sitting so close, but I tried to just focus on the game and the cup of coffee that was helping me wake up a little more. Although to be honest, having Jordan sitting so close was a wake up as well!