the choice • charlie conway

chapter twenty three

sadie

Being back in the state finals is bringing me feelings of both excitement and extreme anxiety.

The way I felt after watching MPA score that game winner and being on the field for it is a pain I hope no athlete experiences in their life. All I felt was utter despair and heartbreak.

And then after that? Having to go to the varsity end of the year banquet and sit there with a fake smile on my face when I was literally dying in the inside? Not fun.

Maybe I'm being a bit dramatic describing it, but I don't care. That sucked a lot, and I don't want it to happen again.

Which is why this year, we're changing that. I refuse to feel what I felt last year, and I will destroy my body in the process if it means we can win.

The vibe on the bus ride to UM is very tense. It's obvious that everyone is nervous, and rightfully so. The importance of this game is crazy. Funny enough, we're playing the Blake School today. You know, the team that made that third period rally and tied the Ducks nine-nine last year when they were on JV?

Yeah, that school.

I'm already nervous enough for this game as it is, and the fact that Charlie texted me last night and told me he can't come to Florida with me anymore is messing with my mind even more.

If I'm being honest, a part of me is relieved he isn't coming anymore, because of all of the recent awkwardness between us. Most of me is disappointed though, because I was really looking forward to this trip together. It was supposed to be a trip for both of our parents to get to know each other better, and for us to spend quality time together.

I'm really not sure what's going to happen between us. I certainly don't want to break up with him, but I have no idea how he feels about me. He's been so distant since forgetting our anniversary, and that makes me wonder if he even loved me to begin with.

I mean, I'm sure he did at some point. He had to have. There's no way he would've stayed with me this long if he didn't. But maybe he fell out of love and hasn't wanted to admit it. Who knows at this point?

My mind snaps out of these depressing thoughts and gets into game mode as I watch our bus pull up to the field. I grab my bag and follow my team as we get off the bus and walk to our designated bench.

Everything matters today. There can be no mistakes.

Blake shows up maybe ten minutes after we arrive, their white jerseys accented with blue and green captivating everyone's attention because of the color combo. I personally don't think their jerseys are bad looking, but Morgan always says she would rather stare directly at the sun than stare at Blake's uniforms.

She cares way too much about fashion.

The warmup today feels more intense than ever. I know it's only because of what's at stake, but that one factor is what's making the warmup as intense as it is.

When the teams take the field, I nearly throw up from nerves. As the ref blows the whistle and Blake kicks the ball off, I immediately snap into game mode for the last time this season.

Let's do this.

I'm sure everyone in the crowd can feel the intensity of this game. How every touch, pass, shot, and play is perfectly calculated and is executed with a purpose. How every whistle results in instant panic for one team and instant relief for the other.

After the first half, I'm mentally and physically drained. The noise from the crowd is surprisingly helping to calm me down, when it normally does the complete opposite. By the time I take the field for the start of the second half, I feel insanely confident. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I'm going to believe that it's a good thing.

The game is very back and forth, but that's expected. Blake gets one good chance about ten minutes into the half, but Avery comes up big with the save and keeps the score tied at zero-zero.

With just over two minutes to go, I get a through ball from Ella that sends me on a perfect run. I don't have a shooting lane, but I see Blayke out of the corner of my eye sprinting up the field and making herself open for a pass. I angle my body and send a cross over to her, watching as she brings it down with her foot and starts towards the net.

She takes two touches before shooting it, and I swear I've never held my breath more in my life. I watch as it soars past the goalie into the net, and suddenly everyone explodes.

Our team is shrieking on the sidelines while we all sprint to Blayke and tackle her to the ground. This can't be real right now. Did that really just happen?

After everyone has calmed down, we immediately switch into defensive mode. There's absolutely no way we can blow this lead right now.

Every girl on the field right now is in panic mode. Whether it's to score or to defend the lead, everyone is panicking. I swear I've never heard so much yelling in my life.

The last minute seems to drag on forever. Every time I look at the clock, it seems like only milliseconds have gone by. If there was a wall near me, I would've definitely slammed my head into it by now. Why can't time go any faster?

Finally, we reach the last twenty seconds. Morgan sends the ball to literal Alaska, and Blake doesn't realistically have the time to grab it and make a rush before time ends. Instead, they just stare at the clock in defeat. Suddenly, I hear my teammates yelling from the sideline.

"TEN, NINE, EIGHT, SEVEN, SIX, FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE....."

And immediately, literal pandemonium breaks loose.

When the buzzer sounds, I immediately throw my arms up in the air and sprint towards Avery. The whole team is jumping on each other, and we fall to the ground in a huge dog pile. The sound of our screams, laughter, and cries drown out the sound of the roar from the crowd, but that's okay. I'm surrounded by my best friends and I just won a state championship.

When we finally get off of each other, I find Ella and Morgan immediately. We all immediately start crying as we throw our arms around each other, because this, this is what we've been working for since we started playing soccer together. This means more to me than any EEFC championship we've ever won together. I don't even think when we won our national showcase in New York over the winter beats this feeling. Our EEFC team has won that tournament for the past eleven years. This is the first time that Eden Hall soccer has ever won a state title, so this means so much more to me.

We finally did it. All of the hard work and hardship from last year has finally paid off. And I can't be more grateful that I'm getting to share this experience with my best friends.

**a/n**
double update tn bc idk when i can update next :(
hope you guys enjoyed these two chapters!! also the story won't just be sports anymore lol i promise!!! love you guys <333