I've decided to post this story here now on Tapas and it is on Wattpad as well. I hope you enjoy it as well. Also if you want please check out Aston my other story as well.
“There are very few who have the heart enough to be really in love without encouragement”
My eyes scanned over the finely typed words over and over again, the spine of the book creaking as I decided to finally close it, allowing the words to disappear from view. Elizabeth’s cousin, Charlotte, really had a way of speaking when it came to being a hopeless romantic, her insight on love becoming something that could only be described in a painfully true way.
Relatable.
Painstakingly relatable.
So relative that I had used Jane Austen’s most famous book— and my favorite novel of all time— Pride and Prejudice as a form of escapism, mostly to drown out the fangirls from the other side of the bleachers. The way they constantly swooned and giggled were like nails being run down a chalkboard, and it was all for nothing; they were always ignored. They would point out into the vastness of the soccer fields and point out a guy or two that they thought was hot, making sure to do a grand gesture in hopes they would be noticed. Alas, they still failed.
My eyes followed their fingers, scanning over the sweaty bodies of the soccer players. Hearing the roar, that I had tuned out while I was reading, of the players calling out commands and adhering to the yelling of their coaches. Soccer, on the other hand, was an enigma to me, something that my uncoordinated body would never dare to even try or comprehend. The memories of my failed attempts at the sport flashed through my mind, sending shivers down my spine at the atrocity that had been my so-called ‘athleticism’. I had made sure to keep those memories locked away in the deepest darkest parts of my psyche, the key being thrown into a figurative shadowy lake in an unknown far away land.
My younger self never stood a chance.
The giggles of the girls had snapped me out of my train of thought, the image of the players coming back into my field of view. The afternoon sun was beating down on all of us, reminding everyone that fall in Texas was in full swing— better known as Hell's Front Porch. It was the pseudo fall that most Texans had come to know and love, unconsciously reminding the bible thumpers that satan’s playground might have been closer than they thought.
A chuckle escaped me as I was reminded of the small mindedness of Brindlewood, the town that I had become too familiar with since birth. The thought tickled me, having known everyone in town for the majority of my life, never having the opportunity for something or someone new. They had made it hard to keep secrets or, better yet, have the ability to maintain a comfortable level of privacy. Escape from Brindlewood, in regards to me, would be into the open embrace of college. A sweet caress that the snickering girls next to me would never experience.
“Who’s that, Jodie?” One of the girls pointed out into the soccer field. Her attention focused on the group of guys chasing enthusiastically after the checkered ball.
She pointed at him.
He stood tall, slightly peaking over the rest of his teammates. His strawberry blonde hair glowed angelically in the sunlight, large amounts of hair products causing it to stand in many directions towards the sky. Underneath his navy uniform hid a lean muscular body that drove the girls next to me wild; a few guys on the team even stared at it hungrily.
He was a walking adonis.
His smile formed on his face slowly as he teased his teammates with the ball, the simple act taking my breath away and making my heart pound in my ears. A subtle heat crept onto my face as I stared at a guy that could compete with the statue of David, his handsomeness standing out amongst the other players. God was he beautiful.
“That’s Gage” Jodie sighed, “Isn’t he dreamy?”
My eyes strained to keep themselves from rolling out of my skull, the other girls agreed wholeheartedly with her question. They stared in a daze at the attractive guy before them, the girls, in that moment, only having eyes for him. The other players might as well have been chopped liver. I watched as Gage’s body moved across the field, his bright voice interacting with the rest of his teammates. The way that his muscles moved with each action of performing the act of soccer, actions that had been more distracting than I thought they would have been. Maybe soccer wasn’t so bad after all.
Gage traveled quickly down the field, leaving his teammates in his dust. He dribbled the ball expertly with his feet, his eyes honing in on the goalie like a battleship locked and loaded to fire upon the enemy. With a swift kick of his foot he launched the ball towards his target, the ball slightly curving as it made its way towards a part of the goal post that was out of reach of the goalie. His teammate sprang into the air, the player’s hands outstretched to catch the soccer ball that made its way towards the empty space. The ball skimmed the edge of the goalie’s gloves as it crashed into the net of the goal.
Gage pumped his fist in the air in excitement, his body lifting off of the ground from the force of it. A smile appeared on my lips so wide that it threatened to rip my face, pulling at my cheeks in a hurtful way as I couldn't contain it. His teammates rushed to catch up to him, their hands patting his back in congratulations at the amazing goal. It was like I could feel the adrenaline that Gage seemed to radiate from across the field, the toothy smile never leaving my face as I felt the pride of him having made the goal. He was an amazing soccer player, even going as far as being the star player and captain of the team, his teammates following his lead with ease. He was a walking dream and those of us in the audience never wanted to wake up.
The rest of his team wandered over to a series of benches that were situated in front of the bleachers, picking up water bottles to hydrate themselves as their team captain followed suit. Gage stood in front of us, tilting his head back to take a drink from his water container, the bobbing of his adams apple catching my utmost attention. He was a sight to behold, the sweat dripping down his face and underneath his clothing made me and the girls blue with jealousy. Then he did something unexpected. With a one swift motion of his hand, he picked up the bottom of his shirt to wipe away the water dripping from his lips.
Multiple breaths hitched.
The girls and I acted in unison like we were in sync, as we were blessed with the sight of Gage’s perfect body. His stomach muscles rippled with each intake of air into his godly form, our jaws mentally dropped so they could be picked up off the figurative floor at the sight. His sun-kissed skin, evidence of the hours spent from training this past summer, glistened in the sunlight from the sheen of his sweat. I had never wanted to be a water bottle so bad in my life.
“Jodie, is he single?” the girl asked, snapping out of her stupor.
“Samantha. Girl.” Jodie answered, her face never leaving the sight that I was also transfixed on, “As far as I know, he is so single that it should be a crime. No girl in school has snatched that fine boy up.”
“Well hot damn, looks like soccer is my new all time favorite sport” Samantha proclaimed, her eyes devouring Gage from beside me. With that proclamation my eyes rolled hard, my vision still being filled with the immaculate specimen that was Gage, my inner and outer self refusing to look away.
Gage’s head looked in the direction of the bleacher’s as if he had heard Samantha’s words, all three of us being caught in the act of gawking at the guy. His eyes locked with mine, my body froze in that instant. We stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, a well known grin playfully coming across his lips. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach at the sight of his smile, a smile similar to his own formed on my lips pointed right back at him. He raised his hand to wave in our direction, the girls silently freaking out that Gage Alexander had just acknowledged them. I shyly waved back at him, a warm feeling setting into my stomach calming the fluttering of the butterflies inside it, my heart still beating a mile a minute.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw the girls trying to be subtle as they fixed their appearances, our eyes looking forward to realize that Gage had jogged over to the fence that had separated us from the field. The girls started to squeal in excitement, my food from lunch a few hours earlier threatened to make an appearance— not really best suited for my current audience.
End of Part 1
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