I was told by my coach in the hallway that I needed to come back to practice, even though there wasn't much left in the season, but I did just that. I showed up on the field right on time to find my entire team huddled together, the smell of BO from a whole lot of sweaty boys overwhelming me from the start. I debated running back inside and pretending like I was never there, but coach saw me and called me I've before I got the chance.

        I jogged over, each step bringing me closer to the judgmental faces on every single one of the boys.

        "Welcome back, boy. Your mates have something they want to say," he began before turning to the awkward yet intimidating group in front of me.

        After a second of silence, Oliver let out a very loud groan and stepped forward. "Sorry for making fun of you, Eli. It was inappropriate and out of line. Please come play with us again," he said, his deep voice the most robotic and bored I've ever heard it.

        Still, I forced a smile on my face and nodded stiffly. "Okay." I was in too good of a mood to care. Adam and I were fine, Grace and I were over, and I felt like I was surfing on a cloud. It was a good feeling. Comfortable.

        I didn't realise how much I missed football until after we started up practice. For the first time since the beginning of the school year, I felt like normal.

        The only thing that was missing was Blake.

        After practice, I packed up my stuff and sped out of the locker room. I didn't trust the boys at all, and I don't think I ever would again, no matter how many half assed apologies they gave me. But as I walked out, I heard my name called and I turned back to find nobody.  Second later, a hand wrapped around my bicep and pulled me into an abandoned room. The light turned on above me and Blake, who was still gripping my arm so hard he was cutting off circulation.

        "We need to talk," he demanded.

        I ripped my arm away from him. "No we don't,"

        "Wait!" He shouted as I reached for the door. I stopped suddenly and watched him out of my peripheral vision as he took a deep breath and relaxed. "Please, Eli."

        "I don't want to sit here and take the blame for tearing us apart. I know it wasn't me," I said, the last bit more for myself than anyone else.

        "Listen, mate-"

        "We're not mates," I spat out. Blake's head shot back, his brown eyes wide. He opened his mouth to say something else, but nothing came out. So, I continued. "All you've done this year is make me feel like I'm a burden to you. What happened to the Blake that I've always known?"

        "I-I don't know," he admitted.

        I scoffed. "That's it?"

        He put his hands over his face and groaned. "I'm trying, Eli. I don't want to hurt you at all. When those guys were telling me that you were holding me back or that I'd be better off without you, I didn't agree with them."

        I shook my head. "You're lying."

        "I'm not."

        "Yes, you are."

        "I'm not! Christ, Eli, why don't you believe me?"

        "Because I heard you!" I shouted, "you said I was a head case and that you didn't want me around. You said that you were only nice to me all these years because you felt bad for me. How am I meant to believe that all those things you said weren't true?"

        "Because you know me better than anyone else ever will. Because you know how easy it is for me to get swept up in the crowd-"

        "I thought I knew you," I snapped, cutting him off.

        He grabbed my shoulders and looked intensely at me, his eyes locked on mine. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said any of those things. I shouldn't have agreed with them, I shouldn't have stuck around them, and I shouldn't have let you go. I don't even care if you believe me, but I need to say that I didn't mean a single fucking word of it. That day that you heard me say I was gonna leave you or whatever, that was just for show."

        "For show? You were impressing the team by ditching me?"

        He ran his hands through his messy hair and squeezed his eyes shut. "It sounds stupid."

        "Yeah. It does," I snapped. I pivoted on my heel and went to leave, but I stopped in my tracks when Blake spoke up.

        "I tried to fight him," he admitted, his voice cracking a bit.

        "What?"

        "Oliver. Right after you heard us saying that shit. When you walked outside, I was right behind you. I called out to you but you didn't say anything. And then Oliver came up and made some comment about how I'm 'better off' and... I don't know."

        I walked over to where he was sat down, hunched over with his head in his hands. "You could've gotten hurt."

        "I know."

        "No offence, but Oliver would kick your ass."

        "I know."

        I sighed and leaned against the wall behind me before sliding down to the ground next to him. "I don't know if I want to thank you."

        "You shouldn't. I was a prick."

        "Sort of."

        "Mate," he began, letting a second pass to make sure I wouldn't reject the title. I didn't. "I'm really, genuinely sorry. I know that you don't want to forgive me and I get it. But still... you didn't deserve all that bullshit. You're a really good guy and... I love you, Eli. You're like my brother. "

        I tried to find something to say that would give us some sort of closure, but I decided the comfortable silence enveloping the room was enough. Blake leaned back like I was and stared up at the ceiling, his expression giving nothing away but his puffy, bloodshot eyes showing how sincere he really was.

        I struggled to keep my jaw from falling to the floor. "Are you crying?"

        He snapped out of the sad trance he was in and hastily rubbed at his already red eyes and nose. "What? No. Piss off."

        "You haven't cried since... was it when Mandy Parker broke up with you in year seven?" I asked, letting out a tiny laugh, the first in a while. I couldn't help but feel a little better seeing him like that. It wasn't like I wanted him to get a taste of his own medicine— though, it was a nice bonus— I'd just never seen him feel so strongly about something, or at least enough to show anyone his feelings.

        He pushed me away lightly and laughed. "You'll never let this go, will you?"

        "Nope," I told him with a cheesy grin I couldn't hold back.

        We stayed like that for a while: our heads resting against the cold brick as we tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill in an attempt to stay cool.

        Things are normal

        Things were normal. For once, my mind wasn't playing tricks on me. Things really were normal, if not, better than that.

        "So what have I missed?" He asked.

        I chuckled to myself, thinking back on he past few months. "A lot."

        "Really?"

        "Yeah. I broke up with Grace."

        "What? Why?"

        "Because I kissed Adam."

        He whipped his head around to face me, a smile playing on his lips. "No shit," he laughed.

        I did the same, covering my face with my hands. "Yep."

        "Well I shagged that girl who lives down the street from me a few weeks ago at a party," he bragged, trying his best to be nonchalant, when in reality I could tell he was more than excited.

        "Isn't she in Uni?"

        "She was home for a visit."

        I couldn't hide my smile as it grew. I knew eventually we'd have to talk about Oliver and Izzy and our parents and all the other issues we still had hanging over our heads, but in that moment, it was just Blake and Eli against the world.

        Just like old times.

<><><>

This is good :)

Anyone still hate blake? Perfectly valid if you do he was an asshole for a majority of the story oops

Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying this storyyyyyyy

~Teddy