youngblood | a.i.

two || opening

"You promise it's just one season?" Luke asked, an eyebrow cocked.

"Do I look like I want to do this?" I replied with an annoyed look on my face.

"Anastasia!" my mom said from beside me.

I rolled my eyes just enough Luke could see but not her. "Sorry, let me rephrase this- Yes. Just one season, no more."

Luke sat in silence, just trying to read if I was serious or not. I stared straight back at him, waiting for his answer.

"Fine," he finally said, going back to eating his food. "You can come with me to tryouts, but I'm not promising they will even let you on the team. They haven't had a girl on the team in a very long time, you'll be breaking every silent rule our school has."

"No one likes me anyways," I shrugged.

× × ×

"Okay, kick it to me," Luke said from across the yard.

"Luke," I laughed as I kicked it back. "I've played the game before. I practically trained you."

"Yeah, but if I have to take you in front of all my friends, you have to be trained," he said as he kicked it back.

"I literally just decided I was doing this an hour ago, let my food settle first, Coach," I told him sarcastically, feeling my stomach grumble in objection.

"We have a week, Annie," Luke told me kicking it back. "You don't have time to let your food settle. Now work on your shots," He said running to the goal we had made in the backyard. "I'll keep."

"Oh my god," I sighed as I set up my shot.

I'd practically trained Luke when he was a kid. When he didn't have friends to practice with, I was the one on the field with him. I know what I'm doing, he just doesn't believe me.

I quickly chipped it, planting the ball straight in the top corner of the net. I watched Luke jump for it but painfully miss.

"Good thing you don't play goalie," I laughed as I felt my phone start vibrating in my back pocket.

"Shut it," he called back, kicking the ball back to me. "Again."

I pulled out my phone, looking at the name across the screen. "I've got to go."

"One more," he insisted from the goal.

I slid the green icon across, bringing it up to my ear.

"One sec, Cal," I said as I kicked the ball once more.

I turned around before I watched where it hit, bringing the phone back up to my ear again.

"What's up?" I asked as I started back towards the house.

"Who is it?" Luke called from behind me.

"Calum!" I yelled back as I walked closer to the door back inside.

"What?!" Calum yelled through the phone, making me pull it away from my ear from how loud it was.

"I wasn't talking to you, dumbass. I was talking to Luke," I told him, turning back around to Luke to hear his question.

"How did you meet him anyway?" Luke finally asked, collecting all the soccer balls to one area.

"Why does it matter?" I called back from the door.

Luke just shrugged, looking away as he turned to retrieve the ball from the net. 

I just shook my head and shut the door behind me. "Luke says hi," I said to be kind. 

"I'm not stupid, Annie," Calum laughed over the phone as I started up the stairs to my room.

I rounded the corner on the top of the banister and turned for the second door down, the first being Luke's. I pushed my door open with Calum's voice playing in my ear, my glance dancing around to the decorations strung about.

My eyes fell to the record wall that never failed to make me smile- Fine Line hung in one corner, Born To Die in another, Wiped Out! and AM mixed in, Tickets to My Downfall in the center. All of my favorite music hung on that wall, other random nick-nacks filling the empty space. 

"Are you sure?" I asked with a laugh as I threw myself back onto the bed. My eyes traced the vines dangling from the roof as I spoke. "I love my bed."

"And what were you doing that required you to leave it in the first place?" Calum asked as I fell back against my comforter.

"Practicing for the soccer tryouts," I told him, biting my lip for the response I was expecting.

"Oh, why is Luke concerned? He always makes the team. Hell, he's the second captain," Calum continued as I started playing with the loose string on my shirt.

"I know. He's not the only one joining." I held my breath, praying he wouldn't mind. At the end of the day, it's his team too.

"Oh, you're joining the soccer team too?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"Yeah. The one scholarship I have been banking on just changed their requirements so I have to play a season of a sport, so now I have to play soccer with you guys," I explained, my focus everywhere but this conversation.

"On the all guys team that has never had a girl play on it for as long as we can all remember?" Calum continued.

"Yep," I said popping the p sound. "That would be the one."

"The team with Ashton as captain?"

Fuck.

"Do I get a choice?" I forced out a laugh. I really don't want to deal with Ashton but you have to do what you have to do.

"The team that has Andrew on it too?"

My heart sank at the name, but I tried to catch my breath as I sputtered out a response.

"I- I can't let him control my life forever, right?" I asked for his reassurance, not confident in it myself.

"I'm proud of you, Annie," Calum whispered to me through the phone.

"Thank you," I replied with a smile. "I'm proud of me too."