Chapter Forty - Playing

The moment I sat down on the bleachers the next morning, my eyes started scanning the area for Matt.

There he was, right in the middle of the field, talking to a teammate. Upon observing him, he appeared to be instructing him as the player gave a quick nod and sprinted back to his position. Matt did a quick scan of the rest of the players around him, eyes inadvertently falling on the bleachers—on me.

Caught off guard, I waved at him unsurely, but he immediately looked away like he hadn't seen me at all. My jaw dropped.

Did he not see that, or did he just deliberately ignore me? It was hard to tell from such a distance.

Maybe he really didn't see you, Becks.

Oh yeah? Then how come he looked everywhere but here throughout the rest of the practice?

"Trouble in paradise?"

I turned my head just in time to catch Mack yawning. The players had started to leave the field, so I was thankful for the distraction before I could've started to chase after Matt.

"What?" I raised a brow.

"I saw that coming from a mile away. There was no normal for you guys after what happened yesterday."

"Mack, words," I snapped, irritated.

He turned his head and looked me dead in the eye, calling bullshit on me being oblivious.

"The kiss, Becks."

Just the mention of it had my mind flooded with flashbacks of the kiss, making my cheeks turn hot as I opened my mouth slightly. "Oh, that. The kiss, right."

"The moment you guys locked lips, I was like, 'Oh shit. There's no going back from that'."

I swallowed. No going back from that? What was that supposed to mean?

"That kiss didn't mean anything," I scoffed loudly, but my words didn't seem to suffice my own self, so I added, "to either of us."

He exhaled, then leaned back, lazily pointing his thumb between me and the field. "So, what's this?"

"What's what? He's practicing, and I'm watching the game. It's literally what we do every day."

"Sure."

My eyes narrowed. "What are you even doing here? Since when do you watch the practice?"

"Since you were so freaked out about the kiss and desperate for a chance to talk to Matt, my girlfriend instructed me to get us all to school in time for you to watch the practice."

Another yawn. His eyes became watery as he tipped his head back half sleepily.

I chuckled. "I swear she was more stressed out for me than I was. Where is she and Meera, by the way?"

"Coffeeshop."

"And you're here because?"

"Sometimes..." He grinned. "I love drama."

I rolled my eyes, almost smacking him in the head, but my hand was stuck mid-air when Matt began to walk off the football field.

I hadn't come prepared to not get a chance to talk to him. And the sight of him turning his back on me, both literally and figuratively, made me do what I'd just stopped myself from doing a minute ago.

"See you later, Macky."

I stomped down the bleachers and raced across the field to catch up with him. He was already heading inside the building, so I picked up pace, dashing through the entrance and down the corridor, and right before he could disappear in the changing room, I jumped between him and the door.

"Hey!" I blurted, a little breathless from my sprint.

He came to an abrupt stop, a little v forming between his furrowed brows as he gave me a once-over.

"What are you doing here?"

"Just wanted to say hi." I offered him a smile.

He folded his arms over his chest, stared for a few seconds, then finally deigned to give me a straight forward, "hi."

"I also waved at you from the bleachers, but maybe you missed that."

I carefully studied his face for recollection or guilt, but there was none. He stood there with a glazed look in his eyes, matching my stare.

"Maybe," he answered.

I took in a deep breath, crossing my arms too just to mirror his tall, intimidating frame. "You left me behind this morning."

"Left you behind?" One of his brows perked up. "You haven't been riding with me since a week."

"R-right." I blinked. "I just meant that I was looking forward to watching the practice today."

He cut a glance down the corridor impatiently before snapping his eyes back to me.

"Next time, drop a text."

He started to step to the side dismissively to enter the changing room, but I quickly lifted my hands beside me to the doorframe and blocked his way.

A sharp exhale emitted from him as his eyes turned cold.

"What are you doing, Rebekah?"

I flinched. Still not Becks.

"I just need to talk to you for a minute."

"Well, I need to get into the changing room so I can change before I'm late for class. So, if you don't mind..." He cocked his head to the side, motioning for me to move.

I could feel my cheeks heating up with anger at his indifference. He stood there like I was some gum he couldn't wait to rub off his shoe.

"Fine." My hands dropped to my sides, and I cleared the doorway.

Without a word, he pushed the door open to head inside.

"So, this is it," I deduced. "You want me to believe I did something wrong, but you won't tell me what it is because you just wanna use it all as an excuse to...what? Get rid of me?"

He stopped in his tracks. "What?"

"You didn't train me yesterday. You're clearly avoiding me. I need to know why."

For a moment, it appeared he was going to talk, but it passed very quickly, and his stern demeanour was back as he took a step past me.

"If you wanna make up scenarios, be my guest. I really don't have time for this. Besides, you said it yourself, it's not like we greet each other with a high five. So, I don't see what's really bothering you here."

I opened my mouth to speak, but he had already pushed the door open and was walking inside.

Sighing, I flipped around and made my way to class.

The classroom was mostly empty except for Kimberly and her friend Sasha, who were busy talking and laughing at probably some memes. They looked up, and we exchanged smiles before I settled in my seat. Since I had quite some time to kill, I decided to catch up on reading. Five minutes later, the room slowly started to fill up.

"Oh my God! Did you hear what happened at the game? I thought you and Matt were together."

I looked over my shoulder to find June and some other girls from class talking to Rebecca, who was now glaring my way like she wanted to kill me. I sighed and looked forward.

"We are." Rebecca chuckled. "We totally are. It was a kiss cam, for God's sake. He had to. I'm happy he'd rather kiss a loser than be called a loser."

I hadn't been able to stop thinking about that kiss all night, and now people were talking about it in class? Great!

"Kiss?" June scoffed. "You were there, weren't you? From what I've heard, it was a full-blown make-out session."

I tapped my pen on the table impatiently. Could the teacher just show up already?

"Please! It was not. I know he regretted it. He showed up at my house later in the evening and apologized to me."

I froze. So that's where he had to go after the gym? Awesome! I swallowed, trying to tune their voices out by focusing on my reading.

"Really? He apologized to you? That is so sweet."

"Not with his words." I could hear the smirk in Rebecca's voice. "I could feel his apology last night."

"Damn, girl!" June let out a deafening cackle.

Rolling my eyes, I shut my book and plugged in my earphones until the teacher arrived, and Rebecca and her gang had finally shut up.

Thankfully, I didn't get to hear about the kiss for the rest of the day, except a few people whispering about it during lunch, but that was it. At least I had my friends with me to take my mind off it.

When the final bell rang, I heaved a big sigh of relief and started heading to the parking lot. I couldn't wait to go home, curl up on my bed, and forget all about it with a nap.

*****

I was lying on my stomach, alternating between solving a math problem and watching a conspiracy theory video on my phone. Not the most efficient way to get homework done, but I was getting there.

About an hour into that, a text popped up on my phone. My heartbeat quickened once I read the contact and the message.

Sean: Hey, Becks. Heading out for drinks with the guys tonight. Would love for you to join. Pick you up at 7, okay?

My eyes snapped to my nightstand watch. 6:30 p.m.

Shit! I jumped out of bed, briefly sprinted back and forth between my study chair and bathroom door for some unhinged reason before finally panic dialling Meera.

"Hey!" she answered. "What's up, Becks?"

"Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!" I paced across my room frantically.

"Oh...kay. This does not sound good. What's the emergency?"

"Sean's invited me for drinks with the guys. It was so sudden. One minute, I'm doing my homework, and the next minute, I get a text from him saying he'll pick me up at 7, and I don't know what to do. Help me!"

"Oh my God!" I heard some shuffling before she whispered, "I'll be right back."

"Shit. You're on that date with Chad. I completely forgot. Sorry. How's it going?"

"Awesome. And it's okay." The soft music stopped playing in the background like she'd just stepped out of there. "This is a good thing, Becks. Sean wants you to hang out with his friends. Have you replied to him yet?"

"No."

"What the hell are you waiting for?"

"Right! Right!" I muttered and half mindedly sent Sean an 'okay'. "Done."

"What are you gonna wear?"

I looked down at my clothes. I was still in the jeans I'd worn to school, but I'd changed into a loose t-shirt after coming home. "I can change into some tank top."

"And footwear?"

"Um...sneakers? They're comfortable."

There was a pause.

"Are you the same Becks who was about to wear one of those vintage puffy dresses to the dance last year so Sean would notice you? You don't sound excited, Becks. Do you even wanna go?"

"Of course, I do. Sean asked me."

Another pause.

"Do you want to go?" she stressed.

"I—yes—no wait, I don't know. Should I? I'm kinda nervous about this."

"Understandable."

Why didn't Meera ask me that before I'd sent Sean that text? I don't know if I would've refused then, but I was definitely considering it now.

"Maybe I should ask Mack and Cher to come with me."

"I was just talking to Cher an hour ago, and she told me they were going for a movie."

"Oh." I scratched my head in thought.

"But you can still ask her."

"It's fine." I sat down on the edge of my bed.

"Um..." she sounded hesitant. "You're kinda friends with Matt. Is he going to be there?"

My heart picked up at the possibility, and suddenly, I wasn't so repelled about going if it meant I could see him.

"I don't know."

I hope he is.

"But none of it matters if you don't feel like going. In that case, just tell Sean no. There's no point if you're not gonna be comfortable there."

I should've just gone for practice to Matt's house.

"I guess I'm just nervous because I've never hung out with his friends before. What if they don't like me?"

"His friends, a.k.a, the school football team, and when have we ever heard of those guys not liking a girl?"

I nodded, letting out a breath. "You're right."

"Besides, you can't please everyone, so if they don't like you, well, who cares?"

"I'm going," I decided.

"Good! Just remember, you know all those people. You've hung out with most of them. Just stay calm and go with the flow. Tell me how it goes, okay? Good luck."

"Thanks for the pep talk, Mee."

"Anytime. And put on those sneakers." She hung up.

I smiled.

I didn't bother putting anything fancy on; I just changed into a navy blue tank top, and after throwing on sneakers, I was good to go.

Just as I walked out of my house, Matt walked out of his. He was wearing a black leather jacket over a gray t-shirt paired with black denim jeans. I could easily make out his broad shoulders under those layers and found myself recalling the M stamped on his well sculpted torso.

By the time my eyes made up to his face, he was already watching me, and I blinked away, embarrassed over caught checking him out so leisurely.

Please be coming for the drinks with us. Please, please, please.

I stole another quick glance, and that's when he started making his way across the street towards me. I turned my head to the side dramatically, pretending he didn't have every bit of my attention.

"You didn't come for practice."

My eyes snapped to his. The audacity.

"Oh, I wasn't sure we were practicing today. Thought you'd be sweating off at the gym again, you know... avoiding me."

His lips pursed. I waited for his response, but all he did was stare as if asking 'you done?'.

So, he didn't even deny avoiding me.

"Going somewhere?" I asked as I looked down at my nails casually.

"Yes. Out for drinks with the guys."

Ah, thank God!

"I thought you didn't drink. You said it messed with your voice." I raised a brow.

"Occasionally, I do. You're coming along, by the way."

I frowned. "What?"

"Since you live across me, Sean thought it would be 'time-saving'..." He used air quotes. "...if I drove you there. Save him the ride."

I blinked, confirming, "Sean asked you to give me a ride so he doesn't have to?"

"Yes." He folded his arms and spoke with a straight face, "it's not my fault your boyfriend doesn't know shit about treating you right. Nice choice, Becks."

My jaw dropped. "Excuse me? You can't just say—okay first, Sean is not my boyfriend... yet." His eyes narrowed. "Second, that's rich coming from you. What do you know about treating people right?"

"I know enough," he stated and turned around to walk back to his car, saying over his shoulder, "I haven't got all night. Anytime now."

"Right. You're too busy throwing around apologies all night." The words left my mouth involuntarily, but there was no regret. Furthermore, I had to resist the urge to suggest him to go and fuck her again if she showed up at the club.

He probably will.

And that thought made me furious.

"What?" His brows pulled together.

I took in a deep breath, holding my chin up. "Nothing."

His eyes lingered on my face for a moment before he turned around and started walking to his car.

"Are you sure you wanna give me a ride? It's okay. I don't mind getting myself a cab. Wouldn't want my presence causing you any inconvenience."

He stopped in his tracks and since he had his back to me, I couldn't read his face but when he placed his hands on his hips and threw his head back, I could easily picture the most tired expression on him.

Then he turned around with a sigh and advanced towards me, taking me by surprise when he took my wrist and started dragging me across the street.

"You know, sometimes you're a real pain in my ass," he grumbled.

I have no idea why I smiled to that.

He opened the passenger door for me and I got in. It was barely a fifteen-minute drive to the place. I didn't play any music. We were both silent and it was the kind of silence where you're on the edge of your seat, just waiting for the other person to say something. But Matt said nothing.

So, neither did I.

But the silent car ride with Matt still beat the awkward small talk car ride with Sean.

As we made it to the bar and he parked the car, I considered my decision. I didn't even want to go but only did because I didn't wanna say no to Sean and he couldn't even come pick me up.

With a sigh, I started to get out of the car until a strong grip on my arm stifled me and tugged me back in.

Matt had a scowl on his lips as he cut a glance between me and the bar. "Just remember that if you get hammered and attract attention, the guards are more likely to ask for your ID and kick you out for being a minor."

Even his advice had sounded condescending.

"Attract attention?"

"You know what I mean."

I did.

"Do elaborate." I tilted my head.

"We both know this is your pattern. Not even an hour into a party and you're absolutely smashed. I think the maximum you've ever stayed at a party is seventy minutes, tops, after which someone is dragging your ass home back before you can knock your head on some furniture and seriously injure yourself."

My jaw dropped. "That's—"

"True. We both know that, so don't bother denying it, unless you just wanna lie to yourself because you're not fooling me."

Even if it was true, there was no way I was admitting it to him.

"Alright, enough of the lecture, grandpa. I'm gonna prove you wrong today."

He raised an incredulous brow.

"That's right. Watch me be right here till closing time." With a sarcastic smile, I pushed the door open, but not before saying over my shoulder, "sober."

"We'll see."

"Oh yeah you will. You're gonna be begging me to call it a night and just go home already and that's when I'm walking out of that bar. Not a second before that."

He let out a condescending scoff, not believing a word of it. But when he saw the determination in my eyes, a little smirk formed on his lips. "You're on."

With a sweet smile, I stepped out of his car and we walked inside the bar together. It wasn't hard to locate a large group of guys getting wasted even in the dark quaint bar. They were being too loud, cheering for the ones downing shots one after the other. Sean was one of them, downing his last shot when he saw us, smiled big and walked over while waving.

"Hey, Becks! I'm sorry I couldn't pick you up. Thanks for letting her tag along, man!" He turned to Matt but without so much as a response, Matt gave him a cold glare and walked away.

"W-what happened to him? Did you guys fight on the way here?" Sean slurred over a few words. He was probably more drunk than he looked.

"No. He's always moody like that." I shrugged.

"Unbelievable!" A shrill voice cut through the air and I flipped around, grimacing at the sight of the person in front of me.

"What are you doing here?" Rebecca scowled at me.

"I invited her. Problem?" Sean raised a brow at her and I smiled smugly.

"You're really lowering your standards, Sean? You can do so much better. You're the quarterback for God's sake." She cut me a sharp glance.

"What?" he spat ridiculously. "Rebecca, just leave her alone, okay?"

"Whatever," she scoffed, giving me the cold shoulder and turning to Sean. "Have you seen Matt? Is he here yet?"

"Yeah—"

"Yes, he is," I cut him off to answer her. "We just arrived. He should be over there with the guys."

Her face was priceless. All colour drained from it as her jaw hit the floor. "You-you came here with him?"

"Of course I did. We're neighbours. So, he gave me a ride."

She pursed her lips, swallowing hard. "Well, what matters is who leaves with him. And that's gonna be me."

You little bi—

"She really doesn't care, Rebecca," Sean answered, turning to me. "Right, Becks?"

Swallowing, I nodded. "Why would I? Let's go."

I was caught off guard when Sean wrapped an arm around my waist but smiled at him nonetheless. Satisfied, he inched me closer and started walking us to the bar. He was wearing a shirt with the top button undone, exposing his toned chest, and he smelled so great. And despite being so close to him, I wasn't hyperventilating. Something was wrong with me.

"Becks!" Chris wobbled out of his seat and made his way towards us, which made Sean loosen his grip to give him a fist bump. A little thankful for that, I found myself stepping out of his reach while smiling at Chris.

"Hey, Chris."

"Where have you been? We're hammered already. Your turn." He patted on his seat and held up a finger to the bartender.

I settled down. "What are we celebrating?"

"We don't need an occasion to meet up for drinks," Sean answered. "Wish you and I had started hanging out sooner. You could've been here before."

"Yeah, me too."

I looked up just in time to catch a look of distaste on Chris's face, which he smoothed away as the waiter brought my drink.

"Thank you," I muttered as he placed it in front of me on the island. It was the only shot I was going to have since I had to remain sober to make a point. So, I picked it up and downed it in a go.

"Are you gonna get drunk and dance again?" Chris chuckled. "You rocked my party, you know that, Becks? All eyes were on you when you were on the dance floor."

I blushed, pointing to the shots. "I tend to lose it after getting this in my system."

A sudden commotion on the side made us turn our heads. A few guys were repeatedly banging their fists on the counter and I straightened up to find them cheering for Matt as he downed about four shots in a row like some careless wild freak, beating another guy who'd stopped at his third and was now cringing at the aftertaste.

"Aw, baby." Rebecca threw her arms around Matt's neck and gave him an annoyingly long peck on the cheek, leaving a bright red lipstick mark.

I made a face. Even Matt didn't look that amused once she pulled back.

"Who even invites her anymore?" Chris muttered behind me.

"Come on, dude," Sean smacked his shoulder. "You know the code. We accept our bro's girl in the group. If he likes her, we respect that."

"Oh, he does not like her," Chris and I said in unison.

Sean looked between us in confusion and for a moment, I just blinked. Why the hell did I have to sound so confident about it? When I looked up at Chris, he had a small smirk directed towards me.

"He's not really into her," I explained, downing another shot and cringing at the taste. Two wouldn't get me drunk.

"Definitely not," Chris backed me up.

"Then who invites her?" Sean frowned.

"I don't know, maybe Ashley?"

"Ashley's here?" I asked, failing to hide my disappointment.

"Somebody miss me?" We turned around to find her in a sleek black short dress, showing off her long legs as she took a few strides forward, heading straight for Sean and folding an arm over his shoulder to lean against him and face us.

"Sorry I'm late. Did I miss anything good?"

"Nope," Sean answered, ducking to get her arm off his shoulder but not before his eyes had subtly taken a sweep at her plunging neckline. She frowned at his move but said nothing.

"We were just heading to the dance floor," Chris said. "Right, guys?"

"Right." I nodded.

"You guys go ahead. I haven't even had a drink yet. Sean can stay back and help me with that."

"What? You have trouble lifting the glass or swallowing the drink?" Chris winked at her when she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Let's go?" I asked Sean.

"Sure." He almost started walking until Ashley placed her hand on his shoulder and squeezed, pouting. "Please. The bartender might not know me like he knows you guys. What if he asks for an ID and kicks me out? What am I gonna do?"

Sean considered her for a moment, then sighed. "Fine."

"Great." She smiled, averting her eyes to us. "You guys go ahead. We'll just take a minute."

Rolling my eyes, I got up and made my way to the dance floor with Chris.

It had been more than a minute since Ashley had captured Sean back at the bar. She was sipping on her drink while watching him through her lashes with sultry eyes and running a finger along his forearm.

"Let me guess. You need another drink. Want me to get it for you?" I heard Chris say and turned to him. He was smiling but I could see the pity in his eyes. That was when I realized he was expecting me to feel sad about that.

"I got it." I smiled. "Can I get you something too?"

"Nope I'm good."

"Okay. I'll be right back." I made my way to the other bartender since I did not want to walk up to Sean and Ashley.

Hoping he wouldn't ask for an ID if I came off confident, I leaned against the counter and held up a finger. "I'd like a margarita, please."

He started preparing my drink with a nod and I grinned, sitting down on a bar stool. After a few minutes, he placed the drink in front of me and I took a sip before heading back to the dance floor.

The moment I turned around, I bumped into someone and swiftly swung my glass to the side to save the drink as I fumbled back a step in surprise.

"You've got to stop doing that." Matt looked down at his t-shirt to make sure I hadn't ruined it. I hadn't. "This is getting old."

"I know. I'm sorry." A chuckle escaped my mouth.

He scrutinized my face, then as if he realized something, a little smirk formed on his lips. "Let me guess, sixth drink?"

Clearing my throat, I squared my shoulders and snapped myself out of the slight daze I'd fallen into by those two shots. "Third. I'm all good."

"For now."

I threw my head back and took a swig of my margarita. That's when something caught my attention.

Squinting my eyes on his face, I let out another unruly chuckle. "Come here, Casanova." I took his hand to drag him towards the bar and set down my drink on the counter all the while he watched me, baffled.

Then I shuffled through my sling bag for a second until my fingers caught what I was looking for.

"What are you do—" Matt stopped mid-sentence when I leaned up on my tiptoes and started rubbing the face wipe against his cheek.

"You've got a bit of Rebecca there."

He was taken over by silence while I readily erased Rebecca's lipstick mark from his cheek. In quick and soft strokes, I carefully rubbed it off and smiled with satisfaction once done. But the smile disappeared when I lifted my gaze and found his intense eyes on me.

Clearing my throat, I took a step back and held up the smudged red face wipe to show him. His eyes averted to it from my face, narrowing. "I've been walking around like that?"

"You're welcome." I blinked innocently while grabbing my drink from the counter and lifting it to my lips but before I could take another sip, he snatched it from my hands and downed it all in a go.

"You're welcome." He licked his lips and set the glass on the counter behind me.

I gasped, finally processing that my drink was gone. "Why would you do that?"

"You've had enough."

I pouted and leaned against the counter lazily. "You're such a dad sometimes."

I tensed up when he stepped closer. "I'm just helping you prove your point."

"But that makes you lose."

"I didn't know we were playing."

"Aren't we always?"

He took another step towards me and I stopped breathing. His tall frame towered over me and I found myself involuntarily arching my back against the counter. He was so close, yet my hands were aching to grab him by the collar and pull him closer.

"Yes. But I'd like you to stop," he muttered.

"Getting too much for you to handle?"

"Yes."

I bit down at my lower lip, making his eyes stray to it. Oh, you're definitely drunk, Becks. But I didn't let that realization hinder me. I wanted to kiss him again. I wanted him to kiss me like he did at the game again.

"Matt..."

I brushed my fingers against his t-shirt over his torso, feeling his hard muscles. When he inhaled sharply, I leaned up against him in anticipation of his move. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, giving me a hard look. I inched closer, only to be disappointed when he pulled away.

There was a struggle in his eyes. He cursed under his breath and stepped back. And just like that, he walked away.

My eyes followed him. I was a little surprised to find him veering from his path and walking up to Rebecca. She was dancing, having the time of her life when he pulled her off the dance floor, said something to her, to which she grinned at him with excitement and they walked away, disappearing in the crowd.

What the hell?

"Another margarita, please." I smiled sourly at the bartender. Too busy, he nodded and I ran my eyes across the entire room, searching for Matt. I don't know why I was a little restless to know what he was up to with Rebecca.

It's none of your business, Becks. They're probably fucking again but none of your business.

My phone buzzed and it was a Facetime call from Cheryl.

"Hey, Cher!" I answered. "Oh, Mack's there, too. Hey, Mack!"

"Becks, we're sorry we couldn't come along. Just checking up on you. How's it going?"

"Don't worry about it. It's awesome. I'm getting drinks." I held up the drink that was just placed in front of me and whispered, "they're not even asking me for an ID."

"Oh God!" I heard Mack say. "Are you alone?"

"Nope." I spun my phone in a full circle once, giving them a quick view of the room while sipping my drink. "It's crowded."

But I am alone nonetheless.

"No, I meant—"

"Shit!" I cursed out loud when some careless freak bumped into my glass on my way to the dance floor and spilled some drink on my clothes. He didn't even bother to stop and apologize for it.

"I'll talk to you later, guys. I gotta go clean this up."

"Wait!" Mack called. "Stay with someone you know. Do you need me to come and—"

"Yeah. You too. Bye!" I hung up.

Cursing under my breath, I stomped to the bathroom and swung the door open in annoyance. But I wasn't expecting to find two people beside the sinks making out and clinging onto each other like it was the end of the world.

And I certainly did not expect to know both of them.

It was Sean and Ashley.

Hey,

I know I'm late in wishing you guys but still, Happy New Year!

Hope you have an amazing one ahead and spend it reading your favourite books haha. Now that we're on the topic, what did you think about this chapter?

Do let me know in the comments.

Love,

Feisty❤️