The game that weekend is one hell of a match. The scoreboard is frozen at a draw ever since the first quarter.
With only minutes remaining on the clock, we need one winning touchdown. Everything goes silent when Dylan's eyes connect with mine over the field.
His arms bend at the perfect angle and the ball shoots in the air. My heart thumps with all the adrenaline in my system.
Before I know it, the ball lands in my hands, and everything fades into one blur of motion.
All I remember is dashing to the final line. Players fall around me like dominoes.
And finally, with the longest leap of my life, I throw myself on the line.
The final whistle solidifies everything. The bleachers erupt in roars, chanting loudly. Dylan rushes towards me, his helmet dangling beside him.
"That was a good one, man!" he shouts in my ear against all the thundering noise around us.
I pull my helmet off my face and give him a victorious whoop. He returns my enthusiasm with a broad grin and a fist bump. High on adrenaline, it feels like I am on top of the world.
The other teammates gather around me, patting my back.
The bleachers reach a climax in their chants and the whole stadium fills with cries of victory.
Not long after that, all hell breaks loose.
First a few, then many, then all - the whole ground fills with students, all rushing to the center.
I look around, spinning left and right. She has to be somewhere.
My eyes land on her in an instant. Her hair is pulled back into a ponytail. Her eyes reflect off the bright lights in the stadium, and her grin makes my heart spark.
Kara slips past the crowd, pushing her way towards me.
"We won!" she screams, pouncing on me.
Her arms coil around my neck, as she pulls me in for a hug. Her frame seems delicate in my arms.
The drops of sweat spilling around my face make me hyper-aware of the fact that I am sticking badly. Nevertheless, I throw my arms around her waist and pull her off the ground twirling in a circle.
Her grin broadens as I set her down, her eyes dancing with excitement. "We won!" she says again, as she releases me from her hug.
"Yeah, we did," I say, grinning at her.
Her excitement is contagious as she hops excitedly on the spot, her hands clasped together.
"Do you realize what this means?" she asks me.
"Yeah," I say, a wave of excitement flowing through me, "We are in the finals."
"Yes! Isn't that awesome! This is the first time in over a decade."
"Yeah, it's awesome," I agree.
The weight of qualifying for the finals doesn't hit me, or any one of the guys on the team until after everyone has showered and settled down for Coach Harrison's speech.
His head is held high and he beams like a proud parent. It's the first time that the team has sat down to hear his victory speech - the special one he is rumored to save for the finals.
After Coach Harrison has arranged extra hours for practices, and the team has fist-bumped each other, I join Dylan and Noah as they make their way to the parking lot.
A few students linger, taking selfies before hopping onto vehicles, on their way to the after-party. This time it is at Wayne's place and he has left early to begin.
Usually, I would go home to cool off before an after-party, but when Dylan asks if we should just head straight, I don't miss a beat to agree.
I don't know if it is the thought of a party or the thought of seeing Kara that prompts me, but I blame it on the adrenaline that is still swirling around in my system, making me feel over the top.
The party is ablaze with colorful lights when we arrive. The furniture in the living room has been shifted to make a dance floor which is already in full swing.
"Let the fun begin, brother!" Wayne approaches us, his hands full with bottles of beer.
I take one off his arms as he distributes the rest among Dylan and Noah. Clinking our bottles together, Wayne toasts, "To the team!"
"To the team," we chorus back and gulp down the beer.
While Noah breaks into a grin toasting to each member of the team and drinking in their name, I let my eyes wander around.
I feel a palm press on my shoulder and turn around to find Dylan wearing a smirk. "Looking for someone, Jenkins?"
My face heats up. He's so good at reading me that it pisses me off. His eyebrows raise when I don't answer right away.
"Well, you don't have to hide that from me," he laughs.
I tell my brain that Dylan is drunk, but sadly he isn't and my brain knows that.
"Alright fine, I was looking for Kara," I say.
My stomach burns with the feeling of a kid under the watchful eye of an adult. I blame it on the beer.
Dylan chuckles, taking another sip of beer. "Go find her dude," he says, "What are you doing here? Waiting for her to show up?"
His eyes travel to a group of girls that walk by us heading outside.
Hailey Palmer has her hand looped through that of the baseball captain, Nick. I can't be sure if it's the crazy, disco lights, but I think I see Dylan's nostrils flare.
At the side of Hailey is Kara. They pose for a selfie outside, shouting "cheese" at the camera.
"There she is," Dylan says, his eyes on the group. I know that he means Kara, but his eyes are fixed on Hailey.
I decide against talking to him about it.
Instead, I clink my bottle against his, "See you later, man."
"Later," he agrees, walking away towards the kitchen.
I saunter outside, idling by until Kara is done with clicking pictures with Nick and the cheerleaders. Her eyes catch me and she smiles broadly. I return the smile without thinking. It has become an almost involuntary activity, like breathing.
She walks over to me, eyeing the bottle in my hand. "Celebrating, huh?" she says.
I raise the bottle in the air, "For the team."
Kara lifts her eyebrows, speaking with mock sophistication, "Good. Totally healthy."
"Thanks," I follow her lead in adopting the tone in my voice.
We walk mindlessly towards a wooden bench just outside the house. Kara takes a seat, patting her hand on top of it. I take a seat beside her.
"It's great, isn't it. Everything feels so magical," she says.
"Magical? How so?"
"Well, this is magical isn't it?" she gestures to the space between us. When my brows snap together in confusion, she breaks into a laugh.
"I mean us," she explains," I never thought this was possible."
A feeling of unease springs in my stomach. I am not ready to have this conversation yet. Especially when my mind springs into calendar mode, reminding me that the month is almost over.
For a fraction of a second, I hope that time freezes, at this moment - Kara beside me and everything is alright.
But Kara takes a deep breath, glancing at me. Her eyes gaze deep into mine.
"Would you mind if I ask you a question?" she asks, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.
I've studied every inch of her face to know that the look in it right now is screaming nervous. She smiles nonetheless, conjuring a sense of warmth deep inside me.
"Sure, go ahead," I prompt her.
My heart picks up a little speed when she hesitates. But she finally opens her mouth, "Why did you go for me, Brian?"
For a second, I feel like my stomach is on fire, spreading all over to my chest. I find it hard to look into her eyes. What the heck am I supposed to say?
She's asked me the question that I dread the most. I can't tell her why I chose her. My mind chooses to go numb right at the moment. I don't know what to say.
Kara decides to speak, thankfully shunning the creepy silence that has begun to hang around us.
"I mean, we never talked to each other before. I mean I've seen you on the field, and I knew that you were Dylan's friend, but you never told me why you decided to talk to me at my locker that day," she says.
Her eyes roam around my face looking for an answer. I do not want to appear a fool - like someone without purpose. Someone who can't answer a question.
I turn to her slightly, forcing a smile, which she returns.
"Well, I honestly don't know, why,.." my voice comes out thick with the lies, "but Dylan showed the guys a picture of Hailey and...there you were...beside her."
She smiles fondly and my stomach knots painfully.
My heart races with the weight of the lies. She does not deserve this. But what else can I say?
"Well...," Kara smiles to herself, fidgeting with her hair, "I guess I should thank Dylan for that, huh?"
She laughs softly.
It burns half of my anxiety, wrapping me in a warm feeling. I push my fingers towards her palm, intervening them with hers. The feeling of them in there makes this all a reality. She is here. She is sitting with me, right now.
I don't want to think about what the future is going to be, but she is here now. And that is what is important.
She lifts her eyes towards me, drawing me into the swirl of her coffee-colored eyes. My heart doubles its speed. Her hair frames her face, and she looks beautiful. The crinkles by the side of her eyes deepen and her cheeks tinge a soft shade of pink.
All that I can think about is how beautiful she is and that I want to be sitting by her every day, watching her. Smiling at her.
My eyes fall to her lips. They gloss in the semi-darkness around us. I find myself inching towards them. Her grasp tightens on my fingers.
My heart thumps loudly in my ears, and the bottle in my hand slips to the grass with a soft thump. My face lingers so close to hers. I wait for a few seconds waiting for her to withdraw, but she does not. I move in closer.
Somewhere inside the house, a glass smashes onto the floor, ringing loudly over the music.
We jerk apart, my heart thundering like a stallion.