"Hey, Rose, can you pass me the sunscreen?"
Rose handed the bottle over. I squirted a generous amount of the white paste into my palms and began lathering up. Between us, Felicity stretched her arms out, putting as much of her tanned skin on display as possible.
"What?" she asked when I raised an eyebrow. "I need to fix this soccer tan before it's too late." She gestured at her knees, which were indeed darker than her feet and upper thighs.
"Did you agree to come out here just to tan during the game?" I asked. I glanced across the field, where Finn and Kieran were warming up.
"It's called multitasking. Besides, I'm still going to watch the game. I need to find a new crush now that I'm officially never talking to that douchebag again."
Rose and I exchanged a look over her head. Sure, it'd been nearly a month since Felicity and Ashton had broken up, which was definitely a record of some sort, but I suspected they would end up running back to each other again. Not exactly the most wholesome of relationships, but then again, it wasn't like I had any room to judge.
I'd invited Rose and Felicity to come watch Finn's game with me, since my parents were busy at the restaurant and wouldn't make it until the second half. Finn had heard that a scout from the University of Virginia might be here, which was both a thrilling and nerve-wracking prospect. I knew my brother was a great player; I just hoped for his sake that the scout thought so too.
My eyes roamed over the rows of people sitting by the sidelines. I recognized several of the family members of Finn's teammates, having gone to many of his games over the years. There were a couple of official-looking people, but no one with UVA gear.
Felicity elbowed me in the side, hard.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"I think that's Marissa talking to your brother and Kieran."
My head snapped up at the name, and I looked out toward the other side of the field. Sure enough, a girl with short blonde hair stood next to Finn and Kieran, both of whom looked less than pleased.
I groaned. "Great. I better go see what she's up to." I pushed myself off the blanket we'd spread on the grass and stood.
"You want me to come with?" Felicity asked, sounding far too eager to witness the confrontation that was no doubt coming.
"No, I got it. I'll fill you guys in when I get back." I started making my way around the field. What on earth was Marissa doing? It couldn't have been anything good.
Marissa had clearly come from a game, if the grass stains on her jersey and shorts were any indication. I noted with annoyance that her long blonde ponytail was perfectly intact; my hair was always a rat's nest after games. Whatever. That was just one more thing to add to a long list of grievances against her.
I sidled up beside Kieran and wrapped an arm around his waist. "Hey, babe. What's going on?"
Kieran seemed to relax slightly, uncrossing one arm and putting it around my shoulders. "Marissa was just leaving. What are you doing here?"
I kissed his cheek. "I wanted to wish you luck before the game. Both of you," I added, as Finn cleared his throat pointedly.
Marissa gave me a smile so fake it made the Kardashians look genuine. Clearly the extra PDA had gotten under her skin. "How sweet. You know, Abby, it's really nice of you to come to your brother's games and support him. You guys must be pretty close. But does he know he's not the only one you're here for?"
What was she playing at? "Yeah, my boyfriend is also on this team," I said slowly. "Kieran? Remember him? He's kind of standing right here." I nudged Kieran, and he lifted his hand from my shoulder in a reluctant half-wave.
Marissa didn't even spare her ex a second glance. "I'm not talking about Kieran." She leveled her blue eyes on me, and I saw vindictive glee in those icy depths. A chill ran down my spine at her expression. Suddenly, I had a feeling that I'd completely misjudged who had the upper hand in this situation.
Finn snorted. "What kind of cryptic bullshit is this? Come on, Kieran, we have a game to play." He started walking away.
"I think you're going to want to hear what I have to say, Finn," Marissa called. Kieran's arm tightened around my shoulders, but I didn't dare risk looking away from Marissa to see his face.
Finn turned and narrowed his eyes. "Then spit it out."
Marissa's lips curled up in a triumphant smile. "Did you know your sister and Maddox have been sleeping together?"
————
Finn reeled back in shock. He didn't know how to react. For one, he wasn't even sure he believed Marissa—she was his best friend's crazy ex, and his sister's mortal enemy, after all. But on the other hand, if it were true, and neither Abby nor Maddox—who he saw damn near every day—had thought to tell him anything...
Before he could even process what was happening, his feet were carrying him toward the tall figure clad in all lime green standing in goal. Anger bubbled up inside him as he strode across the field.
Charlie, the other center back, was passing a ball with Maddox to warm up. He noticed Finn first and raised a hand in greeting, though the smile was quick to fall off his face when he saw his stormy expression. "Hey man, you good?"
"Finn!" Maddox exclaimed. His blood boiled at the sound of the goalie's voice. "You wanna take some shots? I always thought you'd make a decent forward."
Finn shot him a glare, and the other boy fell silent, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. A hand landed on his shoulder. He turned to see Kieran behind him, shaking his head. "Come on, Finn. You know Marissa's just trying to throw you off."
Finn shook off Kieran's hand and looked at Maddox. "Were you ever going to tell me about you and Abby?"
Maddox blanched, dark eyes widening. "What?"
Rage blossomed inside him. He'd hoped that Marissa was lying, but Maddox's reaction had all but confirmed the truth of what she said. He could barely stand to look at his teammate, whose face had turned the same color as the lime green uniform he wore. "So how long have you been screwing around with my sister?"
"Finn, it's not like that," Maddox protested. "I would never do anything to hurt Abby—"
"How long?"
Maddox closed his eyes. "...Since last year."
Finn took an involuntary step forward, but Kieran stepped in between him and the other boy, holding his hands out to stop him. "You need to calm down."
His temper spiked again. "Get out of my way."
By now, the rest of their teammates had noticed that something was wrong. He spotted Cairo peering in their direction with equal parts curiosity and concern etched on his face.
"Can't do that," Kieran said. "Look, it was a long time ago, okay? Drop the issue."
Finn looked up sharply. "You knew?"
Kieran floundered, avoiding Finn's accusatory gaze. "I— no, I only—"
"Don't bullshit me, Kieran," he snarled. "Did you know?"
Slowly, the other boy nodded. Finn felt like he'd been sucker-punched. His teammate, sister, and now his best friend. Was there anyone who wasn't lying to him?
Charlie looked between the three of them in confusion. "Okay, what is going on?"
Finn scoffed in disgust and turned on his heel, shaking with anger. The rage intensified when he spotted Abby still standing on the sideline by the rest of his teammates. She watched him approach with her hands on her hips.
"I don't want to talk to you right now," he ground out through gritted teeth, trying to reign in his temper as he stepped off the field.
"You're being ridiculous," she said. "This is exactly why I never wanted to tell you, because I knew you'd react like this!"
What little control he had left splintered apart. "And you went ahead anyway, because who cares what Finn thinks, right? Glad to know my opinion means so much to you."
Abby's jaw dropped. "What I do is none of your business! This has nothing to do with you."
"I don't care that it happened, I just wish one of you had the decency to tell me instead of letting me find out like this!"
"Right, because we wouldn't be having this exact argument if that were the case." Sarcasm dripped from every word. Abby shook her head, clearly trying to tamp down her anger. "Look, you need to get your head in the game. We'll finish this conversation later."
"Don't bother," he snapped. "I don't want to hear anything you have to say." He turned and joined the rest of his team, who had obviously been eavesdropping but were trying—and failing—to look inconspicuous about it.
Finn had no idea how he made it through the rest of warm-ups. Every time he caught sight of Maddox or Kieran, heat rushed through his veins and reignited his anger. Even the sight of the UVA scout couldn't help him focus, even though he knew he needed to play his best if he wanted that offer.
The ref blew the whistle to start the game. Kieran sent the ball back to Nick, one of their center midfielders, who passed it in Finn's direction. It was a straight, simple pass—and Finn nearly lost the ball to the other team's forward, who had rushed forward at the whistle to put pressure on the defense. A hasty pass toward Cairo barely kept the ball in their possession, and even then the sandy-haired boy had to lunge forward to keep it from going out of bounds.
Finn swore under his breath. If he kept making mistakes like this, no team in the country would want him.
The rest of the first half wasn't much better. Finn's usual style of play was controlled and precise, which was crucial as a center back. He couldn't afford to take the same risks as midfielders and forwards, considering he was the last line of defense before the goalie.
Today, however, he was playing more aggressively than usual. It worked in his favor a majority of the time—he heard the sidelines roaring in approval after a particularly risky tackle—but when he wasn't successful, the other team had come dangerously close to scoring. The mistakes he made frustrated him to no end, especially because he knew he was better than this. It didn't help that Maddox seemed equally as distracted, fumbling the ball on saves he could've made in his sleep.
Near the end of the first half, a beautiful cross from one of the wing midfielders sent the ball soaring in Kieran's direction. He had a difficult angle on goal; not impossible, but not an easy shot to make. For any other player, Finn would have given them 60/40 odds of making it. Since it was Kieran, he bumped the numbers up to 80/20. He may have been pissed at his best friend, but he could acknowledge that Kieran was still a damn good player.
Kieran didn't take the shot. He leapt in the air and headed the ball back across the box, where their teammate Jamal was wide open. The other team's defense didn't stand a chance. With a single well-timed touch, Jamal sent the ball spinning into the back of the net.
Finn whooped and celebrated the goal with his teammates, congratulating Jamal but keeping his distance from Kieran in spite of the assist. He could feel the other boy's dark-eyed gaze on him, but he ignored it as he jogged back to his position in defense.
The other team wasn't pleased about the goal. Before long, one of their forwards was rocketing toward Finn, preparing to receive a pass from his teammate. It was the same forward who had been hounding him all game; he'd stopped most of this kid's attempts to score, but there had been a couple of opportunities that were far too close for comfort.
This forward had dark hair and dark eyes, and Finn was inexplicably reminded of both Kieran and Maddox. His anger peaked again, so when the kid darted past him in pursuit of the ball, he couldn't stop himself from retaliating. Before the forward could reach the ball, Finn rushed at him, missing the ball by a fraction of a second but sending the other boy sprawling on the grass as they collided.
The referee blasted the whistle, sprinting toward them. Finn was hardly surprised when the ref pulled out a square of yellow plastic and brandished it at him. "Number 15, another stunt like that and you're out."
The other player glared at him as he got to his feet, but Finn didn't care. He'd fouled the forward just outside of the goal box, so it wasn't a penalty kick, but it was a prime free kick spot for the other team.
Finn, Charlie, Cairo, and Nick stood shoulder to shoulder, making up the wall in front of the free kick. "What the hell was that, Finn?" Cairo hissed at him as the other team set up for the kick. Nick and Charlie murmured in assent, and Finn knew they were all wondering what was going on with him.
At this rate, he would be walking out of the game with no friends left.
One of the other team's midfielders was taking the kick. Finn held his breath as the boy backed up, then rushed forward and sent the ball rocketing through the air. All four of the boys in the wall jumped, but the ball arched over their heads.
Finn craned his neck just in time to see the ball soaring into the upper right corner of the goal. Maddox landed on the ground, having just missed the ball as it shot past the tips of his fingers.
The other team erupted into cheers as the referee blew the whistle for halftime. Finn trudged back to the sideline with his teammates, preparing to face the wrath of his coach.
After their coach chewed them out, Finn was in an even more sour mood than before. He sat on the grass and drank his water, ignoring the concerned glances from several of his teammates. He was frustrated, tired, and his face felt overheated, which was a surefire sign that he was getting sunburnt.
So when someone doused him in ice cold water, he swore loudly. He looked up with a glare, fully prepared to tell whoever it was to fuck off.
The protest died on his lips as he registered who it was. Eden stood over him with her arms crossed and a frown on her face, holding an empty water bottle. She was still in her soccer uniform, the pale blue jersey and shorts contrasting against her tanned skin, though she'd changed out of cleats and into a pair of Birkenstock sandals.
Finn climbed to his feet and shook the water out of his hair like a dog. He shivered as a drop rolled down his back, under his jersey. "What are you doing here?"
"Snapping you out of this funk, apparently." She leveled him with that golden gaze. "You need to get your shit together."
His jaw hit the floor, but she kept talking. "You're better than this. That foul that got you carded was ridiculous and unnecessary. And you've been getting lucky with a lot of those tackles, but that isn't you."
He stared at her in shock. Eden Sayed was the last person he expected to give him a halftime pep talk, and yet here she was. The entire situation felt like a giant question mark above his head, but all he could think to ask was, "How long have you been watching?"
"Enough to see that something's up. Cairo's my friend, you know, so I've seen your games before. This, today—" she gestured at the field "—is not the kind of player you are. Is that really the impression you want to leave for this UVA official?"
"Well, no, but—"
"Then don't let it be. Whatever drama is happening in real life, you leave it on the sidelines, and you play a solid second half. Okay?"
"It's not that simple," he protested weakly.
"Now you're just making excuses. Come on, if you can keep a lid on your shit when Seth is around, you can handle this. Just focus on the game." Eden looked over his shoulder, where his coach was preparing to deliver the starting lineup for the second half. "I need to go, but you got this."
"Wait." Finn's hand gently latched onto her elbow as she turned away. "Are you staying to watch?"
She gave him a smile, and he felt his heart skip a beat. "Wouldn't miss it. Good luck, Finn."
He watched her go, feeling considerably lighter than before. Eden was right. He couldn't let this derail his chances at his dream school; he just hoped it wasn't too late.
"McMahon." Finn turned at the sound of his coach's voice. The man was approaching him, a stern expression on his face. His heart sank. "I don't want to cut your playing time, especially with the representative from Virginia here, so I'm giving you another chance. But if we have a repeat of the first half, I'm going to have to sub you out. Is that clear?"
He exhaled in relief. "Crystal, sir. I won't let the team down again."
His coach jerked his head at the field. "Good. Then get out there and prove it."
Finn saluted the man and jogged out to his position as center back. Despite the cold water soaking his jersey, he felt invigorated. This half was his, he was sure of it.
✰✰✰
AN: chapter got super long so I split it into two parts. also, I'm attempting NaNoWriMo (again lmao) so we will see how that goes. anyway, hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween!! 👻