But before I could do that, Coach pulled me aside. “Lena, there’s someone who wants to meet you,” he said, clearly pleased.
We left everyone else on the field and walked toward an older looking man waiting near the bleachers.
He shook my hand, and I wondered who he was. Could he be…
Coach made an introduction. “Lena, this is Mr. Barry. He’s a scout at the college level, represents several different schools. He’d like to talk to you about your future.”
I beamed. “I’d love to talk about my future.”
With that, Mr. Barry began talking about what a great addition I’d be to this school’s team or that one. How he not only admired my ability to score while under incredible amounts of pressure but my ability to bring the team together.
I nodded like a dummy, trying to process his words and make sure I was hearing correctly.
Once again, WAS THIS A DREAM?
He went on, and I tried to keep my breathing steady. “I’d love to see you play again. Coach here tells me you’re playing against Chestnut Mountain in a couple weeks. I’ll be there, seeing what you can do. Needless to say, big opportunities await you, Lena, especially if you keep playing the way you do.”
I nodded again, sure I looked like a bobblehead. “Yes, sir. You can count on it, and I look forward to seeing you there.”
My eye caught my dad standing not too far away. I waved him over and told Mr. Barry who he was. “He’s helped me train since I could walk,” I said.
Mr. Barry smiled and shook Dad’s hand. “Nice to meet you. Your daughter is incredibly talented…”
The three of them began talking, and I slipped away, still in disbelief.
The girls waved me over, on their way back to the locker rooms. The stadium was starting to empty out, people making their way down the bleachers and toward the parking lot.
From a distance, I saw the other team walk with their gym bags in hand toward their locker rooms.
Katie high-fived me. “Ian was looking for you, but he went to go get his stuff.”
I nodded. “We have to celebrate. That goal you made in the first half? It was epic.”
We entered the locker room and changed into our warm-ups.
The whole time, I couldn’t stop thinking about the game, that final goal, watching the boys cheer for us. Meeting Mr. Barry, the college scout.
And Ian.
Definitely Ian.
He’d kissed me. On the lips.
He was the one who’d made the rule about no more kissing on the mouth. How it wasn’t right unless it meant something.
So our kiss…it had to mean something for him like it did for me, right?
Even though we’d technically kissed a couple times before, there had to be a different reason tonight’s kiss felt like our first one.
And it was because it was 100% real.
Seventeen
By the time we got back to school and stepped off the bus, it was super late.
But everyone was super hungry so we decided to meet up at the Shake Shack.
Ian drove us there, and the whole way, we couldn’t stop talking about both teams’ wins. All his saves. My game-winning goal.
And the whole time, his right hand squeezed mine while his left steered.
I was pretty sure the pulsing red hearts for eyes were back.
We pulled into the diner, and I stepped out, immediately shivering. I hadn’t felt the cold before, but now I realized I hadn’t brought a jacket.
I joined Ian, taking his hand again, and willed my body to stop shivering.
Ian turned to me. “Here,” he said quietly, taking off his letterman jacket and putting it on me.
I slipped my arms inside and hugged the jacket close. It was still warm, and it definitely smelled like him. “Good luck getting this back,” I said.
He chuckled. “It looks better on you anyway.”
I definitely could have debated that, especially with my post-game wild hair, but instead, we went inside.
We found everyone else and joined them. Together, both teams took up almost half the restaurant and several booths.
Everyone cheered when they saw us, and several of the girls definitely eyed Ian’s jacket on me.
Katie nudged me playfully when I gave her a hug. “You two just get more adorable every time I see you, I swear.”
Pretty soon, I was feeding Ian fries and laughing with everyone else.
As we sat there, I realized it didn’t get much better than this. Laughing and hanging out after a game like tonight. One where we’d left everything on the field.
I couldn’t believe this was my last soccer season in high school. Senior year. I just never wanted it to end. But I knew it would in just a few more months. All of us…we’d be in different places next year. A lot of us would no longer even live here.
It was a lot to think about, so I pushed those thoughts aside and focused on memorizing every sound, every laugh and smile, the heavy feel of Ian’s jacket on me, his arm around me. The warmth of being so close to him. His voice, perfectly deep but kind.
I leaned my head against his shoulder and closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath.
How was this real life right now?
It felt like a dream.
Ian spoke softly, making me open my eyes. His camera was right in front of us. “Say cheese,” he said.
With my face oh so close to his, he snapped the picture then showed it to me.
“Perfect,” I said. He was handsome as ever. And I looked…happy. More than words could say. “Send it to me?”
A few minutes (and my favorite filter) later, it was on Instagram.
I could hardly stop looking at us, and I wondered why I’d never seen him that way before.
I couldn’t imagine us going back to being friends now. Not when being more simply felt right.
Several messages hit my phone at once. It was the #BFFs thread.
Tori: WHOA.
Ella: !!!
Rey: omgggg
Harper: Jumping up and down over here! Tell me this is what I think it is! :D
I practically squealed in my seat and texted them back like a maniac.
Lena: GUYS, I THINK THIS JUST BECAME REAL <3 PINCH ME
Lena: JUST KIDDING DON’T PINCH ME I DON’T WANT THIS TO END.
Then I sent about a million different relevant emojis.
So did they.
Ella: But how??? I thought you guys agreed this was all pretend…
Tori: I KNEW IT
Rey: TELL US EVERYTHING
Lena: I don’t even know. I think it just happened. At the end of the game, we kissed. He KISSED me. And I know it was real. I think he feels it too.
Harper: What did he say???
Lena: I guess we haven’t really talked about it, but it’s like we don’t have to, you know? Things are just…perfect right now. Like we don’t need to say it out loud. I just can’t even believe how amazing life is right now.
They sent even more emojis.
I put my phone down and went back to the conversation at hand, which involved a burping contest among some of the boys and most of the girls being grossed out. Thankfully, Ian had too much self-respect to participate.
I held on to him, eating my fries and still sure I had to be in some kind of dream.
We’d won the state qualifier at the last possible moment, a scout was pretty interested in me, my best guy friend and I had fallen in love, and I had the best girlfriends in the world.
Life was perfect. What else could I ask for?
Life was perfect.
Even if getting up at the crack of dawn wasn’t. I was actually pretty excited to get to school because it meant riding there with Ian.
Holding his hand as the morning sun’s rays reached us through the windshield and warmed us up was everything.
We made it inside just before the warning bell. Ian checked the time on his phone. He only had a couple minutes to get to first period. “See you late
r?” he said.
I nodded.
He gave me a peck on the cheek. “Thanks. If I get one more tardy in this class…”
I gave his hand a squeeze. “Don’t worry. I’m sure I can find my way.”
Then he was gone, lost in the crowd of students rushing to make it to class on time.
By the end of second period, I was telling Rey all about our game on Friday. But most importantly, about Ian and me.
Rey doodled on her worksheet. “That is awesome. So you really think you’ve got a shot at playing soccer in college? I don’t even know what I want to study.”
“Coach thinks so. And I bet you’ll find something. There’s so much you could do, Rey. Writing. Art. Graphic design. Become one of those bloggers that hangs out on the beach all day or something, sipping a yummy drink with those mini umbrellas.”
Rey glanced around awkwardly. “Yeah, I don’t know if I could do that.”
I scoffed. “You already write like all the time. All you have to do is post it online. I bet you’d get a million followers like that.” I snapped.
She shrugged.
I gave her a smile. “You’ll find something. Just watch.” Then I gave her a wink. “I bet a cute guy is just around the corner too,” I teased. “Or right in front of you. Just look at me and Ian. Who would have thought? Do you remember all of us a few years ago? Or in middle school? We were so goofy looking,” I said with a laugh.
Rey nodded. “I used to have super long hair.” She touched her super short hair. “And we’ll be graduating and going to college soon.” She frowned.
“What’s wrong?” I said. “I can’t wait to graduate.”
“Well, duh,” she said. “You already have a plan, and it’s happening. Plus you’re confident and friendly. You’ll make friends wherever you go.” That frown became a little bigger. “I’m really gonna miss you guys.”
I put my hand on hers. “Rey, come on, you know we’ll still hang out. Promise,” I said. “And you’ll make friends too and have a blast. I just know it.”
She finally cracked a small smile. “Thanks. I hope so.”
The bell rang, and we scrambled to finish the work we were supposed to be doing. Oops.
“The two of us together aren’t always a very productive pair, are we?” I said, giggling.
She started giggling too.
We were the last ones to turn in our worksheet, the classroom empty by the time we picked up our backpacks to leave.
Rey and I walked into the hallway, zig-zagging our way to our lockers. Usually, Ian met up with me by now, but he wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
I turned to Rey, who hugged her journal and textbook. “Want to walk together?”
She nodded. “At least until we have to diverge paths.”
Diverge? Count on Rey to use the fancy language.
We linked arms and headed to our next class. A couple of hallways later, I waved bye to Rey and turned toward Math.
The bell rang just as I walked in, and I wondered about Ian. Maybe he’d gotten held up in class just like me.
I found my seat and took out my phone so I could text him. The teacher was at her desk, talking to someone, so I turned my back and tapped out a quick message.
Lena: <3 missed you!
I stuck my phone in my pocket, half expecting an immediate buzz but none came.
The teacher’s voice cut through the loud chatter of the classroom. “Guys, work on your study guides for a few minutes! We’ll get started in just a bit.”
I dug through the sheaf of papers pocketed in my binder. Study guide, study guide, study guide…
Then a familiar name caught my attention.
“And I heard Bethany say she and Ian are finally getting back together. Can you believe it...” the loud whisper said.
I turned around in a flash, but it was hard to tell who had said it when just about everyone was talking and laughing, hardly pretending to do any work.
Searching for the same voice one more time, I wondered if I had even heard correctly. Maybe I just thought I’d heard the names Bethany and Ian. Maybe…
Maybe my ears hadn’t deceived me.
I turned back around, biting my lip, study guide forgotten.
Is that why I had hardly heard from Ian today? And the more I thought about it, why he’d seemed a little off this morning, like he wasn’t quite hearing what I was saying? Like something else had been on his mind?
I breathed in deep, all those jumbling thoughts cramming into my mind and not letting me focus on anything else.
I hardly heard a word the teacher said during the next forty-five minutes before the bell rang.
But it couldn’t be true… Ian wouldn’t do that.
Would he? It had to be some weird rumor, started by Bethany of course.
That made sense. Because we were together now. Our kiss good night when he dropped me off at home after hanging out at the diner…that had been real. It had definitely felt real.
Everything from his jacket on me to the way he looked at me had been genuine.
So those whispers…they had to be lies.
Had to be.
Eighteen
At lunch, I wanted nothing more than to disappear.
Ian finally showed up, but he was late and definitely not himself.
Maybe it was due to the rumor I’d heard earlier. The whispers had spread like wildfire from class to class.
I could have sworn the loud chaos of the cafeteria actually quieted down for a few seconds when we walked in.
Ian glanced around, shoved his hands in his pockets, and then attempted a smile, except his jaw was stiff.
I recognized that tic of his. Something was up.
“You hungry?” he asked. His voice came out strained, and for once, I wished I was anywhere but with him.
Or at least not in front of everyone in the cafeteria. It felt like a thousand pairs of eyes were watching us, seeing how we acted, maybe hoping for a fight. A loud break up, if they got lucky.
I hated this.
How had everything changed so fast?
Ian’s voice broke through again. I remembered that he had asked a question. “I said, you hungry?” he tried again.
I shrugged. “Sure.”
We didn’t say another word the rest of the time in the lunch line, and the tension between us was excruciating.
Why didn’t he just say something? Say it wasn’t true?
Say it was.
I could have just asked him myself, but that didn’t feel right either. The rumor was about him and Bethany so shouldn’t he be the one to tell me what was going on?
The whole situation unsettled me.
Ian and I, we’d never even had an argument. Maybe a disagreement over which playlist to listen to or which play the other should have done on the field. But ever since we’d started this dare, we’d argued outside that party, and now it felt like a much more serious fight was brewing.
And we didn’t usually keep things from each other. Not if they affected the other person anyway. If he needed to be told to suck it up and or stop doing that in soccer, I’d say it. And he would nod and say I was right.
And the same was true for me. He wasn’t afraid to tell me what I was afraid to admit myself. What I didn’t even realize I was doing.
But now it felt like he was hiding something. Something that was going to blow our friendship—and our relationship—into smithereens.
Was that why he wasn’t saying anything?
Had he gone back to Bethany?
Ugh, this whole thing was killing me.
I grabbed my tray and rushed off to my usual table. It wasn’t until I was halfway there that I heard the lunch lady calling after me, letting me know I’d forgotten to pay.
This could not have become any more embarrassing.
Then Ian got her attention and handed over some bills.
I turned back around and finished racing to my usual table.
The #BFFs glanced back in th
e direction I’d come from. I kept my head down but when I looked back up, Ella’s gaze followed someone across the lunch room. Ian, I assumed.
I sighed. “He didn’t follow me, did he?” I asked.
Ella shook her head. “No, but he keeps looking over here.”
Harper scooted closer. “Is everything okay?”
Tori put down her drink. “What’s up with you two? I’ve been hearing all kinds of weird rumors.”
I groaned. “So you heard them too? I was kind of hoping it was all just a figment of my overactive imagination.” My voice trailed off. Definitely not my imagination.
Harper put her hand on mine. “I thought everything was great between you two, that—”
Tori interjected, “—you two were actually going out now?”
Rey nodded. “What happened?”
I shook my head. “I don’t even know. Ian’s been acting weird. Something is up. I’m just afraid to ask what,” I said quietly.
Harper wrapped her arm around me. “You two will figure it out. I just know it.”
Suddenly, tears filled my eyes. What if we didn’t? “How do you know that?” I asked, trying really hard to keep my voice even.
Tori gave me a small smile. “We just know. You two are meant for each other. No way you guys have been such good friends this whole time, just for it to end like this.”
Rey said, “I think the same thing. I can tell Ian is crazy about you. Maybe he messed up or something. But I know he’ll fix it. You’ll see.”
Ella wrapped her other arm around me too. Then Tori and Rey scooted in on the other side of Ella and Harper too, reaching their arms until they made this almost kind of cool half cocoon around me.
In that moment, as much as it felt that my heart was starting to crack, I felt safe. But even so, I couldn’t help but wonder if I had been completely wrong about Ian and me.
I saw Ian at soccer practice, but instead of asking him about what I’d heard, I completely chickened out and decided to talk to him about it after practice.
I did need to give practice one hundred percent after all. Coach expected it.
And I also didn’t want things to possibly implode in my face right before practice when we’d have to spend another hour and a half together.
#TheBoyfriendDare Page 9