Almost Was

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Allison Monroe had always been told she had a spark about her. Her friends said it was in her unapologetic laugh, the teacher said it was in her curious eyes, and strangers said it was in her easygoing energy. She never thought much about it, however. To her, it was just the way she'd always been. She loved talking to people, loved the art of conversation: pulling stories out of someone else, weaving them into her own, and leaving both of them laughing like they'd known each other forever. Life felt too short to be quiet. Too short to let things pass unnoticed.

Which was why, on Friday night in late September of her junior year, she noticed him. The football field was lit like a stage, the glow of the stadium lights bounding off the silver bleachers. The marching band blasted its halftime show, tubas shaking the ground while the percussion snapped like firecrackers. The smell of kettle corn and nacho cheese drifted through the air, mixed with the faint scent of grass. The student section pulsed with noise consisting of chants, cheers, and gossip shouting over the music. And a few rows down was Cooper Hayes.

He wasn't shouting. He wasn't waving a sign or throwing popcorn at his friends. But Allison saw him instantly, like her eyes were wired to find him in the crows. His posture was relaxed, leaning against the railing. A wide grin stretched across his face as he laughed at something one of his friends said. His laugh carried, not obnoxious or forced, but full. It was the kind of laugh that wrapped people in and made them want to laugh too, even if they didn't know the joke.

Everyone knew Cooper Hayes. He was a senior and the varsity lacrosse captain. Attackman with the kind of stats that made recruiters circle his name in red. He'd been playing since middle school, and people swore he had ice in his veins when it came to clutch moments. But it wasn't just sports. He had the grades, too. The charm. The way he floated through the hallways with an easy stride, tossing a hello to a teacher, a smirk to a friend, a nod to someone he barely knew. Cooper was that guy. The one who seemed to have it all but never shoved it in anyone's face. He was laid-back, witty, and a natural leader people trusted without questioning.

And Allison noticed all of it. Her friends didn't as they were too busy shrieking about the cheer routine and scrolling through Instagram stories. But Allison was watching him, her chin propped on her palm, trying to look casual while her heart tapped at her ribs. She hated to admit it, but she'd heard herself thinking about him before this night. The first time was in the cafeteria the first month of her junior year. She'd been laughing at something Daisy said, and she caught him looking over from the lacrosse table. Not staring, not even long enough to be obvious but just a quick flicker of eye contact. But it stuck with her. And then she heard his laugh in the hallway one morning, loud and unbothered, and for reasons she couldn't explain, she carried it with her through the day.

Tonight though, was different. Tonight she couldn't just notice and move on. The spark was there, tugging insistently at her check saying: Do something.

She wasn't nervous about people. Allison was the type who could walk into any room and find someone to talk to within five minutes. She liked connecting and the thrill of turning strangers into friends. But this was different. Cooper wasn't just anyone.

"Allison, are you even watching the game?" Daisy shouted over the crowd.

"Yeah," Allison said automatically, even though she couldn't have named the score if someone paid her. Her eyes slid back to him. He was mid-story now, hands gesturing, friends listening like whatever he was saying mattered. His presence was loud even when his voice wasn't. Allison's lips curled into a smile without her realizing it. She hated waiting. She hated the idea of going home and thinking, I should've said something. That wasn't her. If there was one thing Allison knew about herself, it was that she would rather be embarrassed than regretful. By the time the band wrapped up its routine, her decision was made.

"I'll be right back," she told her friends, brushing chip crumbs from her jeans as she stood.

"Where are you going?" Daisy asked.

"Bathroom," Allison lied smoothly. She wasn't about to announce that she was about to walk straight into the orbit of Cooper. Her shows clanged against the metal bleachers as she made her way down. The closer she got, the louder everything seemed including the crowd, the chants, the beat of her pulse in her ears. For a second, she wondered if she was crazy. Just marching up to him like this? No. This was who she was.

He noticed her before she spoke. His gaze flickered toward her as she stepped into his row, the corner of his mouth lifting like he was already amused. That easy confidence radiated off him, but not in a way that felt intimidating rather than expected.

"Hey," she said, her voice soft but steady.

"Hey," he echoed, his smile widening, curious now.

"Cooper, right?"

It wasn't smooth. It wasn't clever. But it was honest. And the way his eyes brightened told her it was enough.

"I am," he said, tilting his head, grin never faltering. "And you?"

"Allison."

"Allison," he repeated, like he was testing it out, committing it to memory. He grinned wider now. "I've seen you around."

Her heart did a small somersault at that, he'd noticed her too. For a moment, with a roar of the crowd behind them and the flow of the stadium lights above, ALlison felt the spark shift into something bigger. Something that felt like a possibility. And though she couldn't know it yet, that one small conversation would set the stage for everything that came after. But for now, it was just the beginning.