MIDNIGHT RAIN | nick nelson [on hold]

Chapter Nine

OH MY GOD! IS THIS LOVE OF MY LIFE AND OWNER OF THE PRETTIEST SMILE, VENUS KING?!

SHUT UP! IS THE THE IMOGEN HEANEY, LIGHT OF MY LIFE AND OWNER OF MY HEART?!

[ 1.04 ]

Venus stood on the edge of the rugby field, watching the boys train. Charlie was on the field but he looked really in his head, no longer having the same confidence he did when he was first learning. Venus knew he was still pretty scared of tackling, but she had no idea why. He had been training with the boys for a while now, she would've thought he'd be used to it by now.

She cringed as Charlie dodged to the side, avoiding tackling the boy with the ball. She ran a hand through her hair, using her other to cover her face. It was a little embarrassing, but she knew that Charlie wasn't one for team sports. He preferred solo things like running, where people didn't rely on him as much. 

"Come on, man. For the third time!"

"Is he going to tackle anyone, or is he gonna stand there?" Harry commented, "Why did he even join the team?"

"Hey Harry," Shawn called. When Harry turned to him, Shawn flipped him off. "Shut up!"

Venus smiled at Shawn, happy to see him defending Charlie. She watched as he approached her best friend, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, Spring," Shawn patted the boy on the back, "You'll get the hang of it soon. I'm always happy to help out if you need it."

Venus eyed Shawn closely, noticing the way he eyed the boy up and down before giving him a dazzling smile. Charlie was too out of it to even notice it, but Venus had. After a few more rounds and Charlie still not tackling anyone, training was eventually over. The boys headed to the locker room while Venus jogged to catch up with Shawn.

"Can you please help Charlie," Venus asked him gently, "I don't want the other boys to pick on him more than they already do."

Shawn grinned, looking over at Charlie, "Sure. Looks like he wants it."

Venus moved to the side so she could see Charlie, who had picked up the rugby ball and was staring at it determinedly. She smiled, pushing Shawn so he would go over and help him.

Venus stayed the whole time, watching the boys. It felt nice to see Charlie actually trying and wanting to improve. It was also nice to see Shawn helping him, giving him tips and getting him to stop tackling the tackle bag and start tackling him. For a while, Charlie dodged Shawn. But eventually he started going for it and knocked Shawn down a few times. He still wasn't great but he was at least going for it, even when Shawn wasn't holding back.

Venus picked up on Shawn's body language a bit more when watching. He was very comfortable with Charlie, often finding ways to touch him or sneaking glances. Venus narrowed her eyes at them, wondering if she should question Shawn about it or not.