By the time Friday comes around, Keithara could never have been happier. She's been trying to catch up with the school work and getting around the campus. For the first few weeks, she got lost a couple of times. She was thankful when Arielle offered to wait for her at the school's foyer in the morning.
Schools in the states were different from here. Their syllabus was totally different. Keithara had to learn everything from scratch. Arielle lent her notebooks and study guides so that she could quickly catch up in class.
It's been a while since Keithara have last encounter with Wakeel. She barely sees him at lunch or around the school. She had just found out that he was a senior in school. While she is daydreaming on a bench, Arielle creeps behind her and spooks her.
"Oh, mak kau!" Keithara holds her heart. She turns around to find Arielle and falls into a fit of laughter.
"Terperanjat lah, Arielle!"
"Sorry!" She giggles.
"Are you free this evening?" Asked Arielle.
"Why?"
"There's a football match today between our school and the Creek Oak Academy."
"I'm not too sure. I mean, I'm not into sports nor do I enjoy watching them." She shrugged.
Arielle smiled at her. "Wakeel is going to be there. He's in the team."
Keithara whips her head. She widens her eyes. "He's there?"
She nodded her head.
"It's the final match. Whoever wins today's match, they are crowned as the champion. I'll see you at the school field at six in the evening?"
"Okay." Keithara instantly agrees after hearing that he's going to be there.
Once school ended, Keithara rushed back home. She didn't want to miss out on the football match and at the same time, she wanted to clear off some of her overdue schoolwork. She managed to finish off her homework for the day before calling off for the day. She took a quick shower and settled on a white plain t-shirt and washed ripped jeans. She puts on light makeup and looks at herself one last time before slipping into a pair of Nike shoes.
By the time Keithara left her house, it was already five-thirty in the evening. The distance between her school and her house wasn't that far. It takes about fifteen minutes to commute, give and take. When she arrived at the school field, she saw Arielle standing by a pillar of a wall, eyes focused on her cell phone.
"Arielle!" Waved Keithara.
"Ah! You made it!" Arielle ran towards her and hugged her.
They took a seat in the first row of the bleachers. They have a full view of the field as well as the players. Each school team player was doing their warms up in the field. Those who came early could see them. Screams and giggles from their fans could be heard. Once in a while, Keithara would glance up in his direction. When Wakeel looks at her, she instantly focuses her attention on another player or anywhere else other than him.
"You wanna know something?" Asked Arielle.
Keithara looks at her. "What?"
"Our school team was formed by Wakeel and Raziq. They are some sort of the founders of the school team. When the school team was established, they won every match and tournament each year. If they manage to win this match, it will be five years of dominance."
Hearing that, Keithara scoffed. "What is he? The president's son? School dean's son?"
"Rumours have it that he's a royal member. Wakeel is the Sultan's son. But, there wasn't any proof or evidence. He never denies it or agrees to the statement." She shrugged.
"Yeah, right. On another note, I wouldn't be surprised."
Arielle nodded. "He even has fan accounts across different social media platforms."
Keithara narrowed her eyes at her. " Are his fans or something?"
She shakes her head.
"Aku minat cousin dia. Tu, number seventeen. Nama dia Muntaqim. Handsome gila wo!"
"But, you, on the other hand, minat dengan jersey number fourteen!" Arielle shoves her best friend.
✧༺♥༻∞
When Muntaqim scored a goal, loud cheers could be heard through the school field. One particular person was overly excited as she jumped out of her seat and squealed in excitement. Keithara had to cover her ears when Arielle screamed directly into her ears.
"Woi! Over eh!"
"Mestilah! Abe Muntaqim score! We are one point in front of Creek Oaks. Kalau Creek Oaks tak score lagi and our school team maintain, he literally help our team to win! So proud of him!" She said dreamily.
Keithara rolled her eyes.
"Kau cakap macam dia ni tahu kau je."
Right at that moment, Muntaqim did his celebratory cheer for his goal score. He was on the field and facing toward both Arielle and Keithara. He shoots an imaginary arrow in Arielle's direction before giving her a flying kiss. Arielle widened her eyes and stood frozen in her spot. Being acknowledged by her crush made her starstruck.
"Sudah! Kalau kau pengsan sekarang, tak ada orang nak tolong angkat kau. Kau tengok badan aku ni, sekeping je. Tak pasal-pasal, aku tinggalkan kau sorang-sorang dekat sini sampai kau sedar diri."
Arielle shoves her to the side.
"Tak baik lah! Tapi, aku akan remember this moment for the rest of my life." She said as she placed both of her hands over her heart and smiled.
"So, kids, that's how I met your father. Gitu?" Laughed Keithara.
"Shut up." Joined Arielle.
The sound of the whistle being blown by the referee could be heard throughout the school field. It was half-time. Both teams rush into the locker room. Coaches brief the teams with strategies and defense to win the game. Players chugged down the electrolyte drinks to replenish their thirst.
The voice of his coach suddenly fades into background noise as Wakeel is lost in his thoughts. He remembered the beauty that was sitting on the front row seat. He knew that he caught her attention because he felt her burning gaze on him. At one point, Wakeel purposely pulls up his shirt to wipe off his sweats that were forming on his forehead which in return, everyone has a good view of his exposed abdomen. He looked directly at Keithara and seeing how she widened her eyes and blush crept up her cheeks, he got the response that he needed.
✧༺♥༻∞
In the ninetieth minute, the score between Royal Crest Academy and Creek Oaks Academy was two to two. In the last second, Royal Crest Academy has an opening for a goal. Raziq passed the ball to Wakeel and he immediately shot it through the goalpost as it hit the net. Keithara jumped out of her seat and clapped her hands. At that moment, the referee blows his whistle indicating the end of the match. Everyone cheered as Royal Crest Academy dominated the championship again. Wakeel and the rest of his teams celebrated. They made a brief eye contact before Arielle whispered something and both of them left the bleachers.
"I'm going to the bathroom." Whispered Arielle.
Keithara looks away from him. "I'll go with you."
She waited for Arielle outside the bathroom which was located near the locker room. She still could hear all of the screams from girls as they swooned over their favourite football player. Keithara falls her gaze on the floor as she walks around the corridor and kicks imaginary dust. The door to the locker room suddenly opens as someone steps out.
"New student?" Asked Wakeel.
Keithara stopped in her spot as she looked at the person who had just spoken up. She looks deep into his brown eyes before taking in his appearance. Realizing that he wasn't wearing any shirt, she instantly looks away.
Wakeel smirked.
"You okay there? You look as if you've seen a ghost." He added.
"Erm, yes. I'm good."
"So, you're the new student in town."
Keithara still refuses to look at him. "Yup. Congrats on winning today."
Wakeel moved from facing her back and stood in front of her. She cleared her throat.
"Thanks, little girl." He grinned.
Keithara scrunched her eyebrows.
"Why do you keep calling me little girl?"
Wakeel shrugged.
-
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