The smell of grilled meat hits me instantly, and the concession stand comes into view. Children stand on their tip-toes to buy some candy for the game. After exchanging five dollars for three candy bars, they run off.
"It's so fludging cold."
I smile, turning to Sarah. Her eyes are a dark blue, meaning she's not too happy to be here. But she's here because she's a loyal friend and I asked her to come. "Thanks for coming. Really. It means a lot."
"Well," Sarah starts, fixing the black beanie that rests atop her head of pink hair. "One of the cons of having a close friend. You always have to be there for them."
We search for a spot to sit in the crowded bleachers. Impatient people complain about how long it's taking as we walk by. Sarah unfolds the wool blanket then sits down. "There they are." I tell her, pointing at the football players.
They jog onto the field, followed by the cheerleaders. Cheers erupt from the stands, along with signs being held up, and bottles filled with pennies being shaken.
Kaden is the first one I see, sandy blonde hair rustled. His brown eyes scan the crowd before landing on... me. Kaden smiles widely, then waves a hand my way.
I'm about to put my hand up, but Beth waves first. I didn't even notice she was in front of me.
Great. So he was waving at her. I hate when that happens.
When they game starts, I pay no attention. "I'm gonna go get food." I simply say.
I stuff my hands into my pockets, feeling them growing clammy. The line is shorter now that the game has begun.
"May I have two popcorns please? And one pretzel? With cheese. And a snickers bar? King-sized. And two cokes? Thanks." I breathe out, handing her the money. What? I stress eat.
Sarah eyes the buffet I'm holding in my arms. I carefully slip past the people on the bleachers to reach our seats, struggling with holding everything. "Good god, woman." Sarah says, taking her popcorn and soda. "Got enough?"
"No." I mumble while shoving the warm, buttery popcorn in my mouth. The game suddenly seems interesting yet I don't understand any of it.
Our school rival, Watson Devils, is winning. Hopefully it's not long before we start to flip the table.
I just keep my eyes trained on Kaden's number, whilst munching on the snickers bar. I remember when I went with him while his team got to pick their football numbers.
"Which number should I get?" He asked, watching as Thomas chose his jersey.
I smiled. "It should represent something important to you."
Kaden grinned back at me, causing my stomach to flip. A mischievous glint was in his eyes. The coach called his name, and he walked up with confident strides.
When he headed back towards me, Kaden kept the jersey behind his back. "Ta-da!" He said proudly, showing the jersey number.
"One? Why one?"
Kaden sat down next to me, then threw an arm around my shoulders. "'Cause that's when my best friend was born."
That's true, I thought to myself. April 1, 2001. So it's important to him?
I sigh, sipping my soda loudly. Sarah slaps my arm, annoyed. "Pig." She says.
"Cow."
"Moose."
"Donkey."
"Luce." Sarah glares at me. "That's an animal, right?"
I shake my head at her before going back to stalking Kaden. Hey, it shouldn't count as creepy because he's my best friend.
"I wish Thomas would fall." Sarah randomly states with a roll of her eyes.
I lean back against the fence on the back of the bleachers. "I wish I could yank Beth's hair off and feed it to her." I comment, staring a hole in the back of her blonde head.
"We're so weird."
I mumble in agreement before finishing off my bag of popcorn. God, this is sad. Watching my best friend from a distance, shoving food into my mouth. And the only girl he notices is Beth.
"Why did he even make me come?" I inquire aloud. By how quiet she is, I can tell that Sarah is thinking about it.
A minute later, she says, "I'm... not sure."
I sigh. "Sorry. There was no point of coming."
The football players leave the field, as half-time starts. Sarah and I gather all of our stuff. As we weave through the chattering crowd, I hear someone calling my name.
"Luce! Sorry- 'scuse me. Luce!"
I turn around, slightly annoyed. Kaden jogs over to me, his face red and moist from sweating. "Yeah?" I say, breathless at the sight of his exposed arms.
"Leaving already?" He asks with an eyebrow raised.
I nod, my spirits lifted just by his presence. "Nothing to do here."
Kaden's name is called from the throng of people. He turns around to be tackled by Beth. She gives him a kiss on the cheek, and I feel my blood run cold.
He looks... happy.
His golden brown eyes shine brightly with adoration as he gazes into hers. I quickly turn around, not wanting to watch, pulling Sarah along with me.
By the time we leave school grounds, I'm in tears. Sarah tugs my arm. I turn around to face her gray eyes filled with sympathy. "It's okay, Luce." She purrs, pulling me into a hug.
I sob into her Star Wars shirt, but she doesn't seem to mind. It takes a few minutes for me to be all cried-out and exhausted. I rub my eyes for the millionth time, feeling them burn in agitation. "God, Sarah, it hurts."
"I know." She whispers quietly, letting me ramble on.
"When she kissed him, it felt like a stab in my chest. He was so goddamn happy. And it hurts to know that it isn't me that makes him happy. It's her," I whimper. "It isn't fair."
I hate that I sound like a little kid crying over a toy that someone else stole. But I can't help it. Sarah tells me, "Nothing is."
We silently walk home. I pull my jacket closer to my body, sniffling. The wet stains on my cheeks feel cold in the chilly air. When we reach my house, Sarah mumbles a sad goodbye, then leaves.
The door opens easily, not needing to be unlocked, and I know that my Dad is home. I sigh in relief then head into the kitchen.
Sure enough, there he is.
His dark brown hair is cut neatly, and short because he refuses to change it. Gray strands are starting to show up. Dad likes to blame me for that.
When he sees me, his brown eyes light up. A smile spreads across his features. "Hey, pumpkin." He immediately frowns at my tear-stained cheeks. "What's wrong?"
"It's Kaden." I choke out. My eyes fill with tears, but I fight hard to keep them from falling.
Dad gestures to the table. He sets the oven mitt on the counter. We sit down, and his eyes stay fixated on mine. "I'm listening."
"This girl, Beth, he really likes her. Kaden's just so happy around her and constantly talks about her. The way he looks at her-" my voice trails off.
Dad placed his hand on top of mine. "The way he looks at you? That's how I used to look at your mother." He says gently.
"Then he sure as hell doesn't know how to show affection," I laugh. "But we're best friends. As much as I wish we could be something more, I shouldn't convince myself that he feels the same way. I'd go crazy."
Dad stays quiet for a moment. "I made cookies. And ordered pizza. Food makes everything better?"
"Food makes everything better." I repeat with a sad smile. "But I just ate a whole restaurant so I think I'll eat a cookie and go to bed."
{•}
Sarah adjusts her overalls, before biting into her cucumber sandwich. We silently admire the beautiful surroundings, eating lunch. You'd almost forget that we're at school.
I run a hand through my long, brown hair. This is our daily routine. Eat lunch, watch for cute guys, and talk.
Sarah's dark green eyes scan the yard before us, which has a few teenagers here and there. Most of them are inside the school, though. When Sarah and I met, we bonded over one simple thing.
Nature.
In fact, she's taking classes in art and photography due to her undying love for nature. Her homework papers have doodles of flowers and such, and she's won multiple contests for her artistic talent.
"Hot guy. Three o'clock."
I turn to my right, looking for anyone who might spark my interests. Sarah's gaze is on a black haired guy. She doesn't seem to recognize him, but I do. "That's Zach. He is so not your type."
"Bad boy?" She says in amusement.
I nudge her for her mocking tone, then nod in his direction. "He's a player. I swear, there's more dick in his personality than in his pants. Zach sleeps around, then ignores the girl completely."
"Challenge accepted." Sarah smirks, eyeing the high schooler. I do admit, he is attractive. He clearly works out, and his confident demeanor makes him stand out.
I sigh, then watch as Kaden exits the school to head in our direction. He jogs over to me, an unreadable expression on his face. It makes me feel uneasy. He normally has a huge smile on his face. "What's been going on with you lately?" Kaden asks once he's close.
"Um," I swallow. "What do you mean?"
His voice drips with an emotion I can only relate to disappointment. "You're supposed to be my best friend. But you keep running away from me. For no reason. Yesterday, you didn't even say goodbye."
"You were to busy playing tongue hockey with Beth!" I hiss at him. I quickly close my mouth to prevent another outburst.
Kaden glares at me, and I squirm under his gaze. "So that's it? What's wrong with Beth?"
I stand up. My feet do all the talking for me by walking back into the school. Kaden easily catches up to me, and his long legs allow him to stop me in my tracks.
"You act like I'm the problem!" I shout in the middle of the hallway. All eyes are on us in an instant. "We're supposed to be best friends! Yet you clearly can't take a hint!"
Kaden still acts like it's no big deal that everyone is watching. "What are you talking about?"
"Nothing. I guess it's not important."