A lone bead of sweat trickled down Kyle's forehead as he watched what was unfolding before him, waiting for his moment to pounce. He'd been waiting for what had felt like forever to spring into action, but he knew that he had to stick to his orders.

The coach was always right after all.

As the sun shone down on him, engulfing him in the feeling of flames, he watched as his red shirted teammates kicked the soccer ball around in their own defensive area. Being an attacking player, Kyle had been told to stay well clear of them, as they'd hope to use his pace to set up a counter attack if the white shirted opposition pressed them. It wasn't a strategy that Falls Peak High School usually attempted but whilst facing one of the top schools in the state, they figured they'd need to try something different.

Still waiting for his opportunity, Kyle glanced up at the scoreboard, towering over the bleachers that seemed completely packed. His team were a goal down and there was only five minutes remaining.

"Come on guys!" He urged his teammates.

Suddenly, it seemed as though he'd spoken some sort of magical incantation as the ball was hurriedly launched up towards him, just as he had asked.

This was his chance.

Kyle took off sprinting, following the ball's flight plan, hoping to time his run perfectly so that it landed right in front of him. Unfortunately, despite the sun, there was still an underlying wind around the field which propelled the ball a little farther than he had anticipated. Kyle was still confident of his abilities though as he charged down the right flank towards the opposing defender.

His opponent grabbed onto his shirt, scrunching the large number seven on his back, in a bid to cut down the speedster but Kyle wouldn't be held back. He knew that if he dropped to the floor now, he'd most likely be awarded a free kick but he didn't want that. He continued running as best he could until his sheer determination broke him free and he quickly galloped ahead of the defender.

He picked the ball up just before it went out of play and looked up to see the cavalry arriving in the form of several of his teammates. The game plan was working. He thought about skimming the ball through the air and into the penalty area but his current body position would mean that he would need to use his weaker foot, which he wasn't as confident with. Instead, he feinted to go to the left of his opponent but then quickly shifted to the right, leaving him in his wake.

Now in the penalty box and ahead of the off-balance defender, Kyle had a clear sight of goal. He could either blast the ball towards the goal in hopes that the goalkeeper wouldn't be able to keep it out, or he could look up once more at the flurry of support he had waiting for him. The expectant roar of the watching crowd was edging him towards the first option, knowing that a goal now would surely end the match as a draw. Although not the most exciting result, it would be a big one for this team considering who they were playing.

After the battling performance from Falls Peak, and his own mental performance and the strain of being switched on without doing much for so long, Kyle decided that his mind was made up.

He was going to be the hero.

He went to strike the ball with his left foot. It may have been the weaker of the two but from this close to the goal he still believed that it would go in. However, out of the corner of his eye, Kyle spotted another recovering defender about to throw his entire body in front of his shot. There was no way that he'd score with this monster diving in front of him.

He had to think fast.

His left foot was fast approaching the ball but he was able to place his foot atop it instead of striking it.

The airborne player crashed to the ground and skidded off the field whilst Kyle and the ball remained intact, however the rest of the team didn't stop. He sensed that someone was fast approaching him from behind; meaning he only had a few seconds before he'd be tackled and the ball (and the game) would be lost.

One last glance upwards showed him where all of his teammates were and Kyle lifted the ball into the middle where they were all waiting for it to drop for them.

Out of nowhere, a tall blonde haired boy rose up and smashed the ball with his head, sending it hurling into the net.

"Yes!" Kyle cried, almost overcome by how big the goal was for his team.

All the parents and kids in the stands were on their feet, jumping up and down.

Meanwhile, the player who'd scored had run off towards the fans in celebration, with the rest of the team following his lead.

"And that's a goal for the Falls Peak Falcons!" Boomed an excited voice over the school PA system. "Our very own number nine and team captain, Danny Chalmers with his fifteenth goal of the season! What a player!"

Kyle stood watching as the crowd chanted "Danny! Danny! Danny!" Over and over again.

"I'm the man!" Danny roared after finally making his way back to his own half for the last few seconds of the game.

"You're welcome" Kyle sighed as he trudged back too.

Once the excitement had died down at the end of the match, Kyle found himself crossing the school parking lot, heading to the furthest corner where he'd parked his old and battered car. The place was nearly empty now, and only a few excited fans were still mulling around. He'd hoped that by the time he'd had a shower and everything that there'd be no one left but he supposed that this was better than nothing.

"Hey Kyle!" The unmistakeable gruff voice of the match-winner, Danny Chalmers called out to him. "A few of us are heading over to my place to celebrate the game. You should come over!" Danny outstretched his arm so that the couple of cheerleaders who were trailing behind him could get that little bit closer. It was as if Danny was a genuine celebrity and it made Kyle laugh on the inside.

"Thanks but uh . . . I think I'll give it a miss today" Kyle said apologetically.

"Come on dude! It's not every day we get a draw with Black Canyon!"

Exactly.

"Maybe next time" Kyle shrugged before turning his back and quickening his pace. The faster he got out of there, the better.

"Suit yourself" Danny laughed before dragging his groupies away towards his own vehicle.

As Kyle reached his car and unlocked it, he noticed in the distance that someone was walking in the complete opposite direction to all of the other spectators, heading for the trees beyond the school grounds instead of the road that led back to the main village. Judging by the bag slung over his back and the curly looking mop of hair told Kyle that whoever this was definitely went to his school. He had no idea why any student would want to go over there after what had happened but he quickly put it to the back of his mind and climbed into his car.

On his drive home, Kyle didn't once wonder what he was missing out on with this party. It wasn't that he didn't like Danny; he just didn't like the idea that he was the star. Of course he was good at soccer, but people seemed to forget all too easily that it's a team game.

"Mom? Dad? I'm home!" Kyle called, as he entered his house, dumping his bag at the front door, wanting to forget about it for a while. The sound of the bag crashing to the ground brought the attention of the family dog, a chocolate Labrador, who came over to sniff the bag and see if there was anything interesting inside.

"Hey boy! How you doing?" Kyle mumbled as he patted the top of its head as it searched.

"You're home!" His mother cried excitedly as she strode towards him from the kitchen, his dad in tow just like Danny's cheerleaders.

"I thought you'd be going to the party" His dad told him, his dark eyes staring, waiting for an explanation.

This was how things were in the Brennan household. No one asked questions out loud. They just stated them.

"How do you know about that?" Kyle sighed, knowing full well what was coming next.

"Coach Chalmers called and said they're having everybody over" His mom explained. "We're just about to head over now if you want a ride?"

"No, I'm good. I think I'll just stay home and catch up on some homework or something"

"I really think you should go" Mr. Brennan told his son. "I know the coach likes you but it doesn't hurt to keep in the good books anyway"

"I get that. I just don't feel like celebrating a draw" Shrugged Kyle. His parents would never understand.

When people looked at the Brennan's, they saw the typical all American couple. His mom, Julie's blonde hair was always left to float down to her shoulders while her tanned, freckled skin and pale blue eyes made her look like the most welcoming woman in the world. Meanwhile, William, his father had a strong physique, usually covered up by his shirt and tie look that he wore to the office every day. His dark hair was beginning to grey around the edges but everyone still made a point of telling Kyle that he had "good genes".

"Look Kyle" William sighed. "I don't think you realise what a big deal this is. It's been a long time since the school got a result like that. And you might not like his son, but Coach Chalmers is the best coach that place has had in over thirty years. He's certainly better than what I had when I was your age and playing for the school"

"I don't hate Danny" Kyle assured them but was cut off almost immediately afterwards.

"The point is, for the first time in a long time, kids at Falls Peak might actually have a shot and getting a decent scholarship. You don't want to pass that up" William finished. His voice was firm but his voice gave away the fact that he'd already accepted Kyle's answer.

"I'll go next time, alright?" Kyle hoped this would give his family the same reaction as Danny had had.

"Fine" His mom confirmed his suspicions, "But only because you're doing homework. I'll see you later" She kissed him on the cheek and walked out the door. When his dad went past there was no such sign of affection, only a disapproving glance.

After watching his parents leave, Kyle caught sight of himself in the hallway mirror, and he look exactly like he felt.

His light brown hair was still sticking to its spiky look despite his shower and his brown eyes peered out of an otherwise pale face that looked like it was melting away. People often told him that he was good looking but he always just thought that his skin was held so close to his face that what people mistook for prominent cheekbones and a masculine jaw line were just simply big bones that were trying to break free. But then he always was cynical. The whole town was.

He made himself a sandwich and watched a bit of TV, trying his best to relax but no matter what position he lay in, the living room sofa just simply wasn't comfortable.

This led him to give up and retire to his room where he fired up his laptop and began looking at anything and everything on the internet, all the while blasting music through his headphones, the hum of Paradise City by Guns N' Roses relaxing him a bit and blocking out all other sounds around him. He'd already grown tired of hearing his phone buzzing, with more of his friends asking why his parents were at the gathering and he wasn't. Hopefully this would provide the distraction that he so badly needed.

His online activity finally brought him to Facebook, where between posts from people at the party and people praising the weather, he spotted a post about the soccer game from earlier on the school page.

Falcons Are Finally Killing It!

"Well that's insensitive" He muttered to himself, his tired mind harking back to the only thing he ever saw on social media from the Falls Peak Locals lately.

As the song he was listening to began to fade out at its end, Kyle heard shouting coming from outside his window. Being on the top floor and at the back of the house only made him more curious.

He slid the headphones off of the top of his head so that they were around his neck like he often saw famous DJ's do and twisted his head towards the window, double checking that there was something there.

"Just leave me alone!" He heard a girl yelling.

As much as Kyle often resented the small town mentality of having to know everything that's going on, he couldn't stop himself from peeling back his beige curtains and peering out into the dark night.

After a few moments, he spotted where the argument was coming from.

Looking at the house directly over his garden fence, a girl and a boy were standing in the driveway, clearly having the most heated of discussions. Kyle couldn't make out what the guy was saying but he heard the girl loud and clear. He knew exactly who they were too.

That, and he was actually a pretty cool guy.

It seemed as though Jess wasn't too happy with him at the moment though. Kyle knew it was none of his business but he continued watching regardless.

"Can't we talk about this?" He heard Duncan pleading.

"I told you already, Duncan. Get out of my house!" She snapped back.

The porch light provided Kyle with the visual of Duncan running his hand over his shaved head whilst his other was to his mouth, thinking carefully of what to say next.

"Look Jess, what I said in there. You know I didn't mean it" He mumbled. Kyle needed to open his window slightly to continue to hear Duncan.

"No I don't!" She yelled back. There was no problem for Kyle in hearing her. "I don't know what you ever mean these days!"

"Jess . . ."

"Just go away!" She snapped, startling the eavesdropper that she was still unaware of. "Just go. I'll talk to you tomorrow" She spoke quieter this time after looking back at her own bedroom window, as if she'd only just realised where she was and that her parents were probably listening to every word.

Kyle was beginning to wonder if he should do something about it. Maybe he should go down there and tell Duncan off for not respecting her wishes? She clearly wanted him gone. Thankfully Duncan seemed to finally listen to her before Kyle needed to step in.

Duncan turned around and slowly walked away, giving Jess as much opportunities as possible to reconsider. She took none of them, and waited until she could no longer see him before retreating back inside. Despite the drama being over for now, Kyle continued his watch for a little while.

Even though he hated Falls Peak, he had always enjoyed watching how still the place could be. There was no doubting that it was beautiful part of the country, even if it wasn't the best place to live. Recently the peace of this small town had been shattered into a million pieces but it was now slowly getting back to normal.

With that final restful thought on his mind, Kyle closed his window and decided to get ready for bed. It wasn't like he was doing anything else, after all.

____________________________________________________________________________ 

Hello! I hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter of the new story! I know not much happened but I like to think that I'm sowing the seeds for later in the story!

Who wants a fun fact about the characters we've met so far?  Kyle Brennan and Jess Martin are actually characters that I created almost ten years ago for a series of stories based around teenagers at high school. Think The OC but with less over the top drama. Anyway, I loved the characters so much that I decided to bring them back for this! Who knows, maybe those earlier stories will one day see the light of day but for now we're stuck with this!

One final thing, I've decided to dedicate every chapter in the story to someone who has helped me since being on this Wattpad journey. So if you've been a hero to me, look out for your name!

Peace out!