Page 99 of Bookworm

As the refs and players got set up for kickoff, my gaze was on Bo.

The whistle sounded.

Though I'd watched several games via livestream, this felt different.

Everything was more alive. The air was charged; the crowd was pumped; and as theTrojans ran up the pitch, Bo had possession of the ball. Hecontrolled it like he owned it. Shaking off players left and right, he was unstoppable. Bo passed to his teammates, working their wayto the goal, but he was obviously their captain. Hisconfidence, agility, and sheer athleticism was unmatched. When hegot the ball back, he turned up the speed, andthere was no one but him and the goalie.The side of his foot connected with the ball with a whack, and the next sound everyone heard was the swish of the net.

"Woo!Let's go, Stryker," I shouted.

I didn't know if he'd hear me. The rest of the Chariot fans were going crazy too. But for some reason, I could've sworn I saw Bo look right at me as he ran to the other side of the field, his lips quirking before they went back to a forbidding scowl.

"Jeez," Scarlett said, "I thought soccer was supposed to be a slow game."

"Not when Stryker's playing," I said.

"No kidding. He scored in what? The first three minutes?"

Two-and-a-half, I thought.

But that wasn't the only time he gave us a reason to cheer.

Bo kept scoring, and every time he did, I hooted and hollered my ass off. At one point, Scarlett lookedthe tiniestbit embarrassed. But I didn't care. The other Chariot fans were just as hype.

"Can I borrow your jacket?" she asked about 20 minutes into the game.

"I thought you hated my hoodie," I said.

Scarlett shot me a frown. "It's so I can hide and pretend we don't know each other when your voice gets too loud."

"Then no, you may not."

"Come on, Lotte. I'm freezing," she said.

"Fine," I said, removing my outer layer, glad I'd worn a turtleneck underneath the t-shirt, "but no more cracks about my clothes—which are practical and comfy."

"Sure, sure," she said, tugging on the hoodie.

There wasn't really a nice way to say it. TheTrojans annihilated the other team. Our offense and defense werejust better. At half-time, we were up byfour goals (threeof which had been scored by Bo). He scored two more in the second, and the game was over after that. CHS took the win7-2. I watched asthe players of both teams shook hands, and Coach Stryker pulled his son in for a hug.

"Ah, that's so sweet," I said as we descended the bleachers.

"It is," Scarlett agreed, "oh, and look. There'shis mom and Mrs. Lee."

As they met up with Bo on the sidelines, both his mom and grandma took turns hugging and patting him on the back.

"I didn't notice them during the game," I commented.

"That'sbecause you were too busy geeking out every time your man did something noteworthy," Scarlett said, examining her nails. "Which was a lot."

"Did you see them walk in?"

"Yeah, a little after us."

I nodded. That made sense. Mrs. Lee must've had to close the flower shop, and then theycame straight here.Someone tapped me on the shoulder, and I turned, only to see the smiling face of my cousin.

"Vi!"I said, throwing my arms around her in a hug. "How are you here right now?"

"Well," she laughed, hugging me back and then moving to give Scarlett a squeeze, "I had a free night, so we came to check out the competition."

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