Rain raced down the bus window you were adjacently gazing out of, counting each blur of green and brown you passed until you lost count or was cut off by the loud soccer chants behind you. You and your soccer team were on the way to one of your final games, determining if you were all to go to nationals or not; So of course, your stomach was a knot of nerves and earliers lunch threatening to come back up.

You’re number 8, central midfielder, so essential to game. You were also relatively new to the team only having moved to Wiskayok just under a year ago now, but you slotted in especially well with the teams centre back, number 5. Charlotte Matthews. Well, Lottie; the teams party hostess. You guys hadn’t officially..warmed up to each-other yet though. You had been planning to try catch up with her for a while now but chickening out every last second for a reason you had no idea of. Maybe nervousness? Or maybe she was just..cool.

A quick tap on your shoulder from behind startled you back into reality, quickly slipping your walkman headphones off your head and whipping around. “Hey, sorry I didn’t mean to startle you—“ Lottie chuckled awkwardly, peering over the back of your bus seat. “So, uh, are you going to that thing after the game?”

Thing? What thing. Lottie quickly caught on to your confused expression, interrupting before you questioned. “Party, I mean. At my house again.” She smiled almost ..nervously?