Scoring Wilder(82)

Kinsley: So I shouldn't tell you that I'm about to hop in the shower? Oops, there go my panties.

Liam: ... you're coming home with me after the game tonight.

Kinsley: Maybe I have plans with the team after?

Liam: Had. Cancel.



I smiled at his smug confidence as I threw my phone onto my bed. I'd lied about showering. I was going on a run and then I'd shower and get ready for the game later. I dragged Becca out with me knowing the exercise would make her feel better. I had no clue where her head was at. She'd told me that Penn had called her several times since last night, and she'd ignored them all.

"I'm just not ready to talk to him yet. I keep going back and forth between being angry and sad, and I don't want to cry when I finally face him," she explained as we started our cool down after our run.

"That makes sense. Give yourself a little time."

She sighed and propped her hands on her head so she could take deeper breaths. "I just wish I wasn't going to see him at the game tonight."

"Maybe it'll be good," I pointed out. "You'll see him, but you won't be able to talk to him since he'll be on the field. You can prepare yourself for when you do actually come face to face with him again."

After that, I decided to keep my mouth shut. Becca was torn; she'd have to figure out what she wanted to do on her own and I'd support her decision no matter what. Unless, of course, she wanted to swear off men and join a convent. Nun robes were just a short slippery slope away from her current onesies.

…



"What's with the oversized purse?" Becca asked as we got out of her car at the soccer stadium.

I blushed. "Um, Liam wanted me to come home with him after the game. I'm not 100% sure that I am, but I figured I should be prepared just in case." I hadn't packed much, just a change of clothes. It all fit discreetly in my bag so that it hopefully didn't appear too desperate.

"He's a good one, Kinsley," Becca offered with a timid smile.

The rest of our team was waiting in the designated spot outside the stadium, and once everyone had arrived, Coach Davis led us down to our seats in our matching black shirts. The stadium was huge and already packed with crazed fans, but we were given priority seating just behind the player's friends and families.

We were close enough to the field to see the players from both teams warming up. I spotted Liam right away and I couldn't help feeling giddy and proud. Penn was warming up near him as well but neither of the guys had seen us arrive yet. Becca sighed and fell instep behind me so she couldn’t be seen.

We all shuffled into our seats, but the instant we sat down, a line of little girls quickly formed to get pictures with us. They were aspiring soccer players and one girl even knew my name.

"When I grow up, I'm going to play soccer at ULA just like you." She beamed up at me as I signed her shirt.

"You definitely will. I can already tell you're a great athlete, and uh, you know… don’t forget to eat your vegetables." I smiled and handed her back her Sharpie. I glanced up to the girl’s mom that was standing a few feet away with her iPhone at the ready. "Would you like a picture?"

"Yes! Please!" the little girl squealed and wrapped one arm around my back. I smiled toward the phone all the while feeling like I was having an out-of-body experience. The fact that even just one girl knew my name and recognized me was something I’ll never forget.

By the time the line of girls died down, the players were done warming up and they'd disappeared into the locker room to get game ready. I took my seat next to Becca after she'd finished signing one last autograph. She was wearing a smile that hadn’t been there before the girls had come over. Maybe she finally had a break from thinking about the Penn debacle.

We didn’t sit there for much longer before loud dance music started pounding from the speakers. The entire crowd jumped to their feet and starting shouting and clapping.

It was finally time for the players to make their debut.

The announcer introduced the opposing team to a mixture of cheers and boos, but then he took his time announcing the LA Stars team. Each starting player was named individually while their picture was flashed on all the jumbotrons. One by one the starters were called and they ran out from the locker rooms to a cheering crowd. Penn was named and the crowd kicked it up a notch. Becca’s claps halted altogether. His handsome face appeared on the jumbotron, and I couldn't help but sneak a peek to see her biting her lip in contemplation.

Liam was the last player called. The announcer dragged his name out and the crowd’s screams seemed close to shattering my eardrums. The ladies went wild, even the girls on my team, and when his face popped up on the jumbotron, my heart melted. He looked so handsome with his killer smile. I scanned quickly to where he was running out, waving his hand toward the crowd and turning in a circle to acknowledge all of the fans. He was the crowd favorite and most of these fans felt like they owned a part of him; they'd watched him carry the team through some intense games and he’d made them proud season after season.

I clapped and cupped my hands around my mouth so that my shouts would carry toward him. I was only four rows up from the field and the team's bench was directly in front of us, but he still felt so far away. He ran to his team and his eyes scanned the crowd, but he didn't find me before the announcer started the pledge, and then Penn and Liam took the field for the coin toss.