Sketches

3. Stains

Baring

I looked up at the stands, Kira was there. Of course, she was. It  was the biggest game of the season so she would obviously attend, regardless of who she was dating. Not me that is. I squinted my eyes and did a quick scan of the stands. Nothing stood out. Everything was in place. I just had to score this goal and we would be one point closer to winning. I looked away from the stands and focused on the ball.

I was sweating which wasn't a big thing when you were running around a soccer field at 3 pm under the blazing sun. I swiped my wrist across my forehead momentarily removing the salty moisture from my face. The heat radiating from the sun was not doing me any favours but I didn't have time to waste. I needed to focus. It would be embarrassing if the star football player lost the match after failing to score from a free-kick. My team was one point away from victory. The first victory of the term and I would be damned if I messed this up. After all, I had already messed up yet another relationship. At least soccer was my department, nothing could go wrong there.

Kira, my girlfriend of three months, had just dumped me. Not the first either. I was used to people dumping me but I really thought Kira was my forever partner. The whole ride of die people talk about but I guess that wasn't happening. What was another break-up anyway? None of my relationships passed the three months line, no matter how much I tried it just never worked out. But I thought Kira and I would last but I guess I was wrong. Kira was my longest relationship to date. I thought this one would last but boy was I wrong, again. So now all I really had was football.

I closed my eyes for a second and when I opened them all I could see was the winning goal. The smell of fresh mud and wet grass clung to the edges of my skin and despite the sweat dripping down my temples and the sun glaring in my face I felt alive, nervous,  jittery ready to take the championship home. I raised my left palm to shield my eyes from the harsh sunlight and with one final exhale I dropped my hand and backed up to create enough momentum for a winning goal.

Everyone was silent. I could feel their anticipation as my heart thundered in my chest. It was silent enough to hear a pin drop but at that moment nothing else mattered besides the ball and the goal post. With one final push, I propelled my body across the grassy field towards the soccer ball. I mastered enough force to push my body forward with precision and with sweat trickling down my forehead I kicked the ball towards its target.

Anticipation crawled up my skin in the short few seconds it took for the ball to reach its target. And despite curving inwards the ball managed to enter the goal post past the goalkeeper, giving my team the winning goal we needed. The cheerleaders on the sidelines cheered louder than they had the past few minutes. The crowd in the bleachers erupted into a frenzy of cheers and joyful noises as my teammates ran towards me. The crowds around us cheered with vigour and haphazard excitement.

Adrenaline was buzzing below the surface of my skin and a certain type of energy coursed through my veins. It was an exhilarating feeling and I absorbed it all with a wide grin on my face. The attention, the cheers and that million-dollar feeling it all just seeped through my pores and made me the happiest person on that field.

The cheerleaders erupted into a victory dance as my teammates huddled around me. I received several claps on my back from my happy teammates and some just seemed to shout out nonsensical happy words. I couldn't help the wide smile that was permanently stuck to my face. After all, I had scored the winning goal of our first match and nothing compared to the high of winning, nothing.  Especially in my small uneventful town of West Kingsley. 

My teammates cheered around me in celebration of our first win of the season. This was going to be a good term. I could feel it throughout my whole body. My last Term at West Kingsley High and everything was already going according to plan. Well, everything besides Kira. But the buzz I was getting from post-game endorphins was just enough for me to forget her.