Troy was totally exhausted but he knew all that training had been worth it. His team had qualified for the finals of the state soccer championships. Troy simply could not ask for anything more.

"Hey, man. That was a great game", Alex said.

"Yeah. I'm just glad we didn't play penalties. They're so unpredictable", Troy said.

"Yeah. I know right", Alex said.

Troy couldn't wait to leave the locker room and celebrate the victory with Brenda. He just hoped that she had not left yet. When he had finished changing, Troy went to the bleachers and found her in the exact spot where she always was.

"Congratulations, Troy!" Brenda gushed with excitement.

"Thanks so much! Do you want to celebrate? Let's go to our favourite diner. Food's on me", Troy said.

"Do you really want to celebrate with me? What about your teammates?" Brenda asked.

"You know I always celebrate with you. You've always supported me and I'm grateful for that", Troy said.

"Aww...thanks so much but you don't have to do that all for me".

"I actually do".

Troy was half-afraid that he had stayed out too long, but when he glanced at the clock in the sitting room, he breathed a sigh of relief. His curfew was 10:00 p.m. and it was 9:58 p.m. Worn out from the day's activities, Troy fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.