VIRAGO

mamihlapinatapai

mamihlapinatapai (n.) - a look shared by two people, each wishing that the other would initiate something they both desire which neither want to begin

For the rest of the week, Samantha Reed was the talk of the school. Her goal was spreading like wildfire in social media around Michigan, and she could not go anywhere without someone mentioning it. It started to get annoying, but she won them their first district title and now their first ever regional title, and they were playing for the state title that coming weekend. Since the game was twice the drive than that of Saginaw, they were getting bussed down the night before and staying in a hotel for the night.

The other gossip of the week was that Nash had finally broken things off with Rachel, and from what he had told her, it was not pretty whatsoever. He had even found out that she had been cheating on him with someone from another school. It was a small school so word got around fast, and now they were both under the spotlight for two completely unrelated things. Luckily he had not spilled about the fact that he had kissed her months ago and how he was still in love with her, or otherwise walking through the halls Thursday and Friday would have been a nightmare.

"Alright you got everything? Is Nash still picking you up?" Dana asked her as Samantha zipped her backpack up. She was wearing a pair of leggings and her team jacket over a sweatshirt, she had packed her uniform, a change of clothes for the night, and anything else she might have needed. It was an overnight trip and they were not even going to be in the hotel for long.

"Yeah, and I double checked everything, I'm all good to go." She answered as she put her soccer bag and her packed backpack by the front door. She put enough ice in her water bottle to last for the next day and a half, and she was all set to go.

"I'll be down in the morning if you do happen to forget anything." She said, and it made her chuckle.

"Thank you, but you know they're streaming it again, right? You don't have to drive all the way down there." She responded as she heard Nash's truck pull up outside.

"Oh there's no way I'd miss this. Plus, I won't be alone, and it'll be worth it." Dana responded as they both heard the horn outside. "Good luck tomorrow, not like you'll need it."

"Thanks Dana, I'll see you tomorrow!" She told her after giving her a hug. She grabbed her bags and opened the front door to find Nash's truck decked out with their school colors and balloons and streamers. Even though it was going to sit in the parking lot for the night, it was still nice to see him getting in the spirit already. She gave a final wave to Dana as she threw her bags in the backseat then hopped in the front, Nash playing his country music, which made her roll her eyes.

"Fine you can have aux." He said, and she chuckled.

"Nah, it's alright. I'll survive fifteen minutes." She chuckled as they got back on the road.

"How are you?" She asked.

"I'm actually doing pretty good. Rachel is blocked on everything, and it feels nice not to have to listen to her bitching in my ear twenty-four seven, and the fact that you're sitting in my front seat instead of her makes it ten times better." He told her, catching her off guard. She raised her eyebrows and looked over at him as he adjusted the worn down hat he wore anytime they were outside of school and soccer. Nash looked like the classic country boy, always wearing jeans, boots, and either a t-shirt, flannel, or sweatshirt. Every once in a while he would wear his cowboy hat when they went out as a group, but most of the time it was this faded white and navy hat that she could tell he has had for years with how many worn spots there were. The curly brown hair that stuck out underneath was an unruly mess and his deep brown eyes kept stealing glances at her. When he caught her looking at him, she saw a smirk play on his lips, and the hint of his award-winning smile snuck out. "You know, you look like a completely different person outside of school."