Method to his Madness

1 - Let Me Just Be Perfectly Clear That This Was Not My Fault

When the sun
whispers goodbye in
soft gold,
it hugs the earth
as one beautiful soul.

It's not quite dark yet when we all make our way towards the sports field. Charlotte left some time ago, going back to her own dorm before we were going to meet up with the rest.

It's that special moment between twilight and sunset, a moment that no one seems to pay attention to yet means the world to me. I can't really explain why. The world is turning dark, yet in that moment there is a special beauty to be found in it if you can acknowledge it. Sometimes, the world forgets to look, and only when the sunset is exceptionally beautiful they will pay attention to it, but I? I see it every night. This moment is my moment. No matter how fucked up or tired I feel, the painted, golden sky will always find a way to calm my restless heart. It's comforting in a way beyond words. I tip my head back slightly to look at the colored sky.

"Haz! You coming?" Emma yells from somewhere in front of me. I sigh and jog a little to catch up with her and the others. She's walking next to Feli, who is wearing a frown on her face as she scrolls through her phone, one of her earbuds dangling against her chest. She hates loud crowds, but since last year she's been trying to make more of an effort to watch the boys train. No one blamed her for the fact that she never watched a match, but Felicity had insisted on at least making it to the training now and then. Her fiery red hair is tucked back in a messy ponytail, some escaped strands falling around her face as the wind softly plays with it. I do a quick scan of our group, and frown when I don't find my girlfriend. "Where's Char?" I ask Felicity. She and Charlotte are both in the other building, together with Rafe.

She shrugs. "Told me that she wasn't feeling like watching. She'll meet us at the basement after training." I sigh but don't comment on it. Sometimes I think that Charlotte purposely withholds herself from the group, closing herself off, although I never figured out why. I fish my phone out of my pockets and quickly type her a message, before putting the device away again.

The soccer team is already on the field when we arrive, a group of sweaty teenagers that are covered in mud and grass stains. You can say what you want about our soccer team, but Levi does not approve of wussiness when it comes to the game.

"Alright guys, c'me here!" The captain shouts, effectively making all the members huddle close to him. There's something about Levi Robisonn that draws you in, like a black hole in the galaxy, although his sunny personality kind of clashes with that metaphor. Point is, wherever Levi goes, eyes follow. I'm not sure if it's his looks or the way his hair is always a bunch of messy brown strands that never looks like it's intentionally messy yet still give that vibe. Or maybe it's his smile, and the way his bright blue eyes crinkle when he does so, or the fact that he became soccer captain when he was a junior, much to the annoyance of the seniors back then.

"Stare much?" Rafe's voice snaps me out of my thoughts, and I look up with a startled 'huh', only to realize that he's grinning at Felicity, who tears her eyes away from Keanu with heated cheeks. "Shut up," she mumbles, her eyes moving back and forth between the outlines of the field and our little group.

We settle down on the bleachers, occasionally rooting Li on whenever he passes by our side, earning a grin and a thumbs-up from him in the process. I narrate the most important things that happen on the field to Emma, embracing my artistic liberty whenever things get boring.

When the practice ends, Liam gestures to us that he's going to shower off first, so we stay on the bleachers a little longer. Keanu runs up to us and clasps hands with me. We're on the cross-country team together, and even though we don't move in the same social circles, we're pretty amicable with each other. "Hey man," I greet him.