▸Game Time

The Offspring blare through my earphones and sweat trickles down to the end of my nose as I push through the final round of push-ups. I stand up and dry the sweat with the hem of my t-shirt before pulling it over my head and flipping it over my shoulder.

Kiara saunters across the back patio and drops into one of the outdoor chairs. She pulls her knees to her chest and exposes the long length of her smooth tanned legs. Kiara has no idea what those tiny pj shorts and her legs can do to a man.

She either has no idea what she's doing, or she knows exactly what she's doing.

I lean against the railing connected to the deck and pluck the earphones out. I shove them into my pocket and settle my gaze on Kiara.

Her beautiful face can disrupt my morning routine, I don't mind.

"Hey, Ashton." She grins.

"Hi, Kiara." I wave.

"It's a beautiful morning today." Kiara's eyes dip to my bare chest and linger for a moment before drifting back up and smiling. "Beautiful weather for the game today! Hopefully, it stays this nice and breezy."

"Yeah, it's good weather and I hope it stays like that until the end of football season."

"Same here, especially from a spectator's perspective." She sighs. "I'm going to make breakfast, do you want something?"

"Thanks for the offer, but I have a pre-game ritual I do before every major game. If I do something different, I feel like everything will go wrong."

She raises her hands and chuckles.

"I would hate to mess anything up then."

Except for her presence and those tiny shorts are throwing me off.

"I think there are leftovers unless the others have demolished it."

"Oh, thanks." She grins.

"Enjoy your breakfast."

"I'll leave you be with the pre-game ritual. I don't want to distract you any more than I already have."

"Thanks."

I shove the earphones back in and race upstairs to my bedroom. I take a couple of breaths to refocus before diving back into game prep.

* * * * *

There's a mixture of rap and alternative music on shuffle which hypes me up for the game ahead. I've memorised every tactic and plays we've created for this game, I just need to remain focused and hyped up which is a challenge in itself for me.

The pressure is on to do well for my team, for Coach, and most importantly, for myself. It's redemption time and it's a lot harder than proving oneself.

Keely broke me, more than she should have, and I never thought it would affect me like this. But I suppose I gave up a lot to make her happy, pieces of myself included.

Somebody taps my shoulder and I look up and find Coach staring down. I take the earphones out and he crosses his arms over his chest.

"How are you feeling?"

"Focused."

"I'm happy to hear this, Ashton." He chuckles. "Your mother and the crew are in the front row, signs ready for you. Cora is very proud of her handy work and they can't wait to see you play."

"I'm sure Lydia and Hunter have better things to do." I chuckle.

"Those two asked to be here, Ash. Don't forget we care about you and we always show up for family things. There's a lot riding on the next couple of games and you're going to need the support."

"I really thought I fucked things up with Lydia."

"She was mad, but she got over it."

"I'm excited to see the sign then." I smile.

Dad squeezes my shoulder before walking to the other side of the change room to gather everyone's attention. I toss my phone and earphones into my locker and turn around.

"Thank you for your attention! It's almost time to head out, but before you go, I just want to remind you of how hard you've all worked leading up to this game and how harder we're going to work over the next couple of months. For the moment, I just want you to do your best. Remember your strategies and work as a team. You've got this."

We stop our feet against the ground to create a rumbling noise.

"Let's go!" I shout, hyping them up.

We grab our helmets before charging into the hallway and onto the field. The crowd goes wild as we enter the field and nothing feels more empowering than the roar of the crowd as you enter the field.

From the corner of my eye, I catch the glittery signs my family is holding and wave. I shove the helmet on before falling into position.

I block out the cheerleaders yelling chants, the roaring of the crowd, and the chatter among the players. I focus on the first play, the ball, and the whistle.

It's game time.

* * * * *

Somebody spear tackles me to the ground, knocking the wind from my lungs. A groan escapes my lips as I roll over and jump to my feet. I look around to grasp my bearings before chasing after the ball.

It's slipped to the other side of the field and our opponents are great at tackling the ball. I'm going to have a few bruises tomorrow after all the hits I've taken today.

Two opponents toss the ball between each other before one takes it across the line. I halt to a stop and brace myself against my thighs. The referee blows the whistle and we go into our first break of the game.

I head straight to the water stand before making a beeline to the stands. Hunter and Lydia are on their phones, Cora is shaking her blue glittery sign, and Mum's talking to Kiara. Apparently cooking together has made them friends. I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Ethan races past and leans over the barrier to kiss Kiara. She wraps her arms around his neck and he pulls her flush against the barrier, closing the space between them. He tugs on her jacket and that's when I realise it's his football jacket.

"I love having my own cheerleader in the stand, plus you look amazing in my jacket."

I need to stop looking because this is making me more jealous than I should be.

Kiara has a boyfriend and that's not me.

I take a breath before leaning against the barrier and forcing a smile.

"Hey, thanks for coming to the game."

"It's a tight game, but you're playing amazing," Mum compliments. "I hate seeing you hurt though. Are you okay after that fall? You looked like you were struggling to get up." Her eyebrows knit together with worry.

"It just winded me, but I'm fine." I brush off.

"Drink some water and stay hydrated."

I roll my eyes and smile.

"You're both playing amazing! I don't know much of what's happening but I can tell you're playing great." She chuckles.

"Are you telling me Ethan hasn't taught you a single thing about football?" I gasp.

Ethan rolls his eyes and pokes her side.

"Kiara isn't interested in it. She prefers sketching and art stuff."

"Art stuff?" She gasps.

"I've been around it for years, plus I'm married to the Coach, but even I don't understand everything." Mum laughs. "But you're both doing great."

"Thanks for the encouragement?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Your father is waving everyone over, you better go."

"Thanks, I'll see you later."

Ethan steals another kiss from Kiara, then we head back. Coach wrangles us into a huddle and we discuss tactics for the next quarter. Once we're done, he sends up back to the field but he grabs my shoulder and squeezes it.

"Whatever's happening over there, forget about it. This game is too important for you to lose focus. You've worked too hard to ruin it this early on in the season."

"There's nothing to worry about, I'm focused on the game and winning."

"You can lie, but don't lie to yourself, Ashton."

I flex my muscles and clench my jaw.

"When I'm on the field, nothing else matters."

"We're behind but I have faith that you and Ethan can bring the score back. Play like there's scouts in the stands watching because soon enough, they'll be here and it's you against all of them."

"I'm ready."

He pats my back and I run to my position on the field.

Perhaps she's the perfect distraction for Ethan. As much as I despise him, he motivates me to train harder and be better at the game. My jealousy over their relationship might send me over the edge.

It's enough now.

Focus... I need to stay focused.

The referee blows the whistle and I spring into action because I'm not going to lose the first game of the season.

I grab the ball and push myself as fast as I can go. I use the pent-up rage of Kiara and Ethan to shove anyone who gets in my way.

* * * * *

Hey there!

Thank you so much for being patient and sticking with this book, I've rewritten this book so many times. Idk, I'm just trying to capture the magic that TWSTH had but a little different. Plus working and writing is hard :(

I hope you're enjoying Ashton's pov, I'm thinking to write Kiara's pov in the next chapter. What do you think? Would you like to see Kiara's pov?