I sighed in relief as Finn jogged on the field after a rough first half. I was afraid he would get subbed out, but his coach seemed to be giving him another shot. He may have been acting like a little bitch, but that didn't mean I wanted to see him blow a chance at his dream college.
Felicity sat down with a huff as the referee blew the whistle to start the second half. I gave her a weird look. "Are the bathrooms here really that bad?"
"No, I just ran into my mortal enemies on the way there. I forgot that yearbook bitch is dating Nick whatever on your brother's team."
I looked at the field, where Nick Athanasios was currently sprinting down the field with the ball at his feet. "You mean Max Buchanan?" Max and I had never really interacted, though I heard she was a bit of a spitfire. She and Felicity hated each other, apparently—some sandbox rivalry from years ago that I had never gotten the full story of.
"Ugh, yeah. Her friend Kennedy's here too, taking more pictures for the stupid school newspaper."
Rose perked up. "Kennedy Stanton? That girl is a genius. She's saving my life in physics right now."
Felicity scowled. "Well, I still hate both of their guts."
"Speaking of people we don't like..." I glanced down the sideline, where one dark-haired girl in a Blue Devils uniform was heading our way. "Incoming."
Eden's face remained carefully neutral as she approached the blanket that Rose, Felicity, and I were sitting on. Before she got to us, however, I heard two very familiar voices calling my name.
I turned to see my parents speed-walking from the parking lot. They had definitely rushed here from the restaurant; both of them were still in formalwear, though for some reason my dad's tie seemed to have a wine stain on it. I brushed myself off and stood to greet them.
"We haven't missed too much, right?" my mom asked. "How's Finn doing?"
"No, the half just started. Finn is doing okay, but he's definitely had better games."
"He's probably just nervous," my dad said. He tried to wave at my friends—a failed task, considering he held a lawn chair in both hands. "Hi, Rose, Felicity."
"Hi, Patrick!" they chorused.
My dad turned and caught sight of Eden, who had started to back away in a failed attempt at being inconspicuous. "You're Finn's friend, right? He went to talk to you after Abby's game a couple weekends ago."
Eden blinked in surprise, likely at being addressed as 'Finn's friend.' "Yes, that was me. It's really nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. McMahon. I'm Eden Sayed."
My mom broke into a wide grin. "Nonsense, call me Linda! I didn't realize you were Eden. Finn's mentioned you a few times, but he's terrible at describing people." She nudged my dad. "Patrick, she's gorgeous!"
Patrick nodded. "And a damn good soccer player, if that game against Abby's team was any indication. Congrats on those goals."
Eden smiled, cheeks pink. "Thank you, sir."
"Alright, save the rest of the embarrassing comments for when Finn is actually here to be embarrassed by them," I said. "If you guys don't sit down soon, you'll miss the rest of the game."
"Eden, I'm sure you would rather sit with Abby and her friends, but you're also welcome to sit with us. We'd love to get to know you better. Maybe you can tell us about how the internship is going; Finn always just says 'fine' or 'good' when we ask him." My mom shook her head. "It's so difficult getting actual sentences out of him."
"I'd like that too," Eden said, looking genuinely appreciative of the invitation. "I just need to talk to Abby real quick."
My parents headed a few feet away, toward a patch of open sideline where they could situate their chairs. Eden turned back to me, the smile disappearing from her face faster than cotton candy in a bucket of water. "I know we don't like each other, but for what it's worth, what Marissa did was shitty. Finn had nothing to do with that drama and she knew it; he's just collateral damage in this feud between the two of you."
"I'm well aware of that," I retorted, crossing my arms. "But she's your best friend, so why don't you say that to her instead?"
She rolled her eyes. "Believe me, I've tried. God forbid anyone tell Marissa what to do."
Eden really didn't seem like the kind to be outshone by someone else, but that was exactly how her friendship with Marissa appeared. Not that I was going to be the one to say that to her. "Anyway, I guess... Thanks for talking to Finn. You're probably the only one he would've listened to at that point."
"I didn't do it for you, but you're welcome." We stood there in awkward silence for a few seconds, where both of us looked everywhere except at each other.
"We should probably get back to watching the game," I said, finally. "I guess you can sit with us, if you want."
She snorted. "Thanks, but no thanks. I don't think we're close enough for that."
"No offense, but I was kinda hoping you would say that."
Eden laughed. "Whatever, you bitch. I'll just hang out with your parents instead."
She walked off, and I rejoined Rose and Felicity on the blanket. Rose looked mildly surprised, while Felicity was looking at me like I'd grown a third head. "What?"
"Did you just have a civil conversation with Eden Sayed?"
When she said it out loud, I realized how absurd it sounded. Hell must've been freezing today. "Yeah... I guess I did."
————
Finn watched in satisfaction as his pass found its way to the cleats of one of his teammates. Since he'd stepped up and gotten back into his usual rhythm, their team had been dominating the game. It only took a few minutes into the half for Kieran to raise the score to 2-1, sending the ball into the back of the net with a powerful shot from a solid 30 yards out.
He was lucky the team they were playing hadn't capitalized on his mistakes earlier. They had come close, but their forwards lacked the precision to finish and had fumbled several opportunities to score. If they were playing a better team, Finn knew his first half performance would have cost his team at least another goal or two.
He ran a hand through his hair and grimaced as he felt the sweat matted in the red strands. The water that Eden dumped on him had long since evaporated; the only thing soaking his jersey now was his own perspiration.
"Heads up, Finn, it's a corner." Charlie, their other center back, called out. "You want to cover or should I?"
"You got it," he replied. "I'll help out up top."
Finn jogged toward the goal box as Nick set up to take the corner kick. He and Charlie often alternated who went up to provide support on corners and who would stay behind to cover, in case the other team managed to clear the ball away from the goal.
Cairo grinned as Finn reached the rest of his teammates in the box, holding out his hand for a fist bump. "Glad you could join us."
"You know I couldn't miss out on this." He bumped the other boy's hand and faced the left corner, where Nick was backing up in preparation for the kick.
Finn noticed several members of the other team eyeing him, including the forward he'd fouled earlier. "I got 15," he heard the forward say. "You guys cover the rest."
He smiled. This would be fun. The forward positioned himself right in front of Finn, trying to block his view. Unfortunately for him, he was nowhere near Finn's height of 6'2, so the effort was in vain.
Nick ran forward and sent the ball flying through the air. Finn watched its trajectory and realized it was headed in his direction. The forward who was marking him seemed to realize this too, grabbing a fistful of his jersey to try and keep him from getting to the ball.
Finn snorted. That was definitely an illegal move, but he'd be damned if he let this scrawny twig stop him. At the last second, he jumped up, using the other boy's shoulders to propel himself even higher in the air. He whipped his head toward the goal, sending the ball careening off his forehead with a dull thunk.
The forward guarding Finn collapsed under his weight. Finn fell with him, but not before seeing the ball spin under the goalie's outstretched arm and into the goal. He landed squarely on the ground amidst cheers from his teammates.
Cairo thumped him on the back, having extricated himself from his own defender. "Hell yeah, that's what I'm talking about!"
Finn grinned and high-fived his teammates. Then he came face to face with Kieran, who was also holding out his hand, tentatively. The two of them stared at each other for a long moment. Finn could see the unspoken apology in his best friend's eyes.
He grabbed Kieran's hand and pulled him into a brief bro hug. They still needed to talk, but for now, they were okay.
The rest of the game passed in a similar fashion. By the time the referee blew the final whistle, the score was 4-1. The fourth goal had come from Kieran, again. During a series of dizzying passes around the goal box, the ball reached Kieran's feet. He performed a clever stepover, faking out the goalie, and slotted the ball squarely into the net.
The Sporting Academy team celebrated their victory with a lot of yelling and cheering. Cairo slung an arm over Finn's shoulders and whooped like it was going out of style. His energy was infectious, and Finn found himself grinning as well. 4-1 was a nice final score, especially considering the first half he'd had.
After bidding the other team good game, Finn headed toward the sideline, where his family was waiting. To his surprise—and unexpected happiness—he noticed Eden was with them, though his mood soured when he saw his sister.
A tall, imposing woman intercepted him before he could reach them. She wore a polo with the UVA v-sabre logo embroidered on the left chest. He drew up short and tried to hide his apprehension.
The woman nodded coolly at him. "Finnegan McMahon?" Her eyes seemed to pierce right through him. Finn would rank her gaze just below Qadir Sayed's in terms of intimidation factor, which was no easy feat to achieve.
"Yeah, that's me," he said. Behind the woman, he could see his parents watching with wide eyes, which didn't really make him feel any calmer.
"I'm going to be honest, Finnegan. Today's game was not your best. The first half, especially, was not the player I was expecting to see when I came out here." The scout's voice was flat, betraying no sign of disappointment or excitement. Finn felt his heart beginning to sink, but she kept talking. "However, your second half was extremely admirable. That said, based on what I've seen today and previous performances, you have an enormous amount of potential, and I believe you would make a great addition to our squad at the University of Virginia."
He could hardly dare to breathe, afraid that this was all a dream. "You mean—"
The woman finally broke into a smile. She handed him a card with her name and email address, the UVA logo stamped on the bottom right corner. "Welcome to the team."
"Thank you so much," he said in awe. "I look forward to being on campus next year."
"We look forward to having you," the woman replied. And with that, she turned and left.
Finn tried to keep his composure, he really did, but as he approached his family, he couldn't stop the grin from spreading across his face. His mom was crying tears of joy, and even his dad looked a little choked up.
"We're so proud of you!" his mom said, in between sniffles. She reached out and pulled him into a hug. "My children are so grown up and successful. I can't wait to see what you and your sister get up to next year!"
Finn stiffened at the mention of Abby, but he hugged his mother back gratefully. His parents had always been their biggest supporters, and he was thankful they were here to celebrate with him today.
When his mother finally let go, his dad gave him a solid pat on the back. "Well done, Finn."
"Thanks, Dad." He smiled at the older man. "I couldn't have done it without you guys."
He felt bad when his mom started crying even harder, but she waved him off and walked a few paces away with his dad. Eden approached him then, a dazzling smile on her face.
"Congrats, Finn," she said. "You got your shit together."
Finn laughed in spite of himself. "Thanks to you. Have you ever considered becoming a motivational speaker?"
A horrified expression crossed her face. "Absolutely not. Besides, I think the ice water worked better than anything I said."
"That might be true, but thank you anyway."
Her smile widened. "You're welcome."
Footsteps sounded on the grass behind him, and he turned to see Abby approaching him. Rose and Felicity stood a few steps behind her, but his attention was solely on his sister. The grin faded off his face as she shifted awkwardly.
"Congrats," she offered. "I'm really happy for you."
He knew she was being genuine, and he could hear a slight apology in her tone, but he couldn't bring himself to act like everything was normal between them. "Thanks. I appreciate it."
Abby blew out a breath. "Right. I guess I'll see you at home, then." She headed for the parking lot with her friends behind her.
Finn turned back to Eden, who was looking at him with pursed lips. "What?"
"Nothing, that was just... a little cold."
A faint spark of anger lit up inside him again. "Well, I'm not thrilled that she's been lying to me about hooking up with one of my friends."
Eden shook her head. "You haven't even given her a chance to explain her side of the story."
"I thought you didn't like Abby, and now you're on her side?"
"I'm not on anyone's side, Finn, I'm just saying. Besides, Abby was the one who asked me to talk to you at halftime, so keep that in mind when you guys hash things out later."
He didn't want to admit that Eden had a point, so he remained stubbornly quiet. She rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine. I won't say anything else about it."
Finn's phone buzzed, and he grinned as he read the message. "I have the perfect distraction—Cairo's throwing a party tonight. You in?"
"Mmm, I had a hot date with pizza and Netflix, but I guess I could always reschedule. A party does sound like a good time." She gave him a wicked grin, and he knew she was thinking of the last time the two of them had been at a party together. The rest of that night may have been a vague blur, but that was one memory that was seared into his mind permanently. "Round two?"
He raised an eyebrow in amusement. "I think we already passed round two that night. And three, for that matter."
"Alright, dickhead, reel in the ego."
Finn laughed as Eden walked away with a huff. "See you at Cairo's!"
"Yeah, whatever!"
He turned and strode toward his car, still chuckling. A party was exactly what he needed, both to celebrate the Virginia offer and to get away from all the drama. All in all, (at risk of sounding like a Black Eyed Peas ad), he had a feeling tonight was going to be a good night.