My heart squeezes to death, nails digging into my palm to the point that it may draw blood. It hurts so much, so badly, that my insides constrict, and my eyes feel itchy. But I hold all these emotions inside as my gaze collides with Adrian's right before he places a shot from the center of the box into the bottom left corner of the net, landing that extra point on the scoreboard to win the game.

As the evening sky darkens, we're able to keep buckling down defensively and stifle Costa Rica's potent attacks. When the full-time approaches, they nearly score off a spectacular off-balance shot which our Keeper Noah parries off to seal our win.

Olivia almost jumps out of the bleachers into the track, but I pull her back on the seat.

Some of the tension from my limbs dissipates as Adrian flashes one of his charming, sunshine smiles in my direction before calling his entire team for a group hug. The crowd is already crazy with the cheers of victory, chanting his name, screaming their lungs out, and among them is Charlotte, going an extreme length of wild.

"That was so hot." She squeals in my ear as Noah pulls off his gloves with his teeth and winks in her direction. "God, I might kiss him right now. Do you mind if I leave "

"Go for it, girl," I mutter, my eyes still searching for his green ones. I was able to pull off my 'I'm doing fine' face in front of Olivia, or she would be spending the rest of her evening with me instead of going out with Noah, and I don't want her to do that so, I say, "Maybe, try to take his consent first."

Both of us look over to Liam sitting on the bench with a tight jaw and disdain itched on his red face, and we break into a fit of laughter. He didn't get a chance to play in the first home game of the season. As Olivia kisses my cheek and strides off to Noah, my mind goes back to Adrian, the boy who now stands surrounded by his team and coach.

I let myself capture the frowns on his forehead as he sips bottled water and runs a hand through his sweaty brown hair. He looks so young yet authoritative and totally in control of his responsibilities as a captain. A sudden urge to smoothen his frowns and run my hands gently on his tense shoulders forces me to look away from him.

As the crowd in the bleachers starts dispersing, I make my way towards Adrian, who leads his team out of the ground. I'm holding on to a thin thread of breaking down, and the only person who can prevent me walks towards me, with equal desperation as if he can see through my façade.

Covered in sweat and dirt, he heads right for me, side-stepping the spectators swirling around him. The exertion from scoring three goals in a single game is visible on his face, but that's what serves as a magnetic pull for the girls who appear to be dazzled by him. The headband makes him look drop-dead gorgeous, in his jersey and athletic shorts. He has always been this charismatic and insanely breathtaking.

He's just an arm's reach away from providing me my dose of comfort when Charlotte sweeps in between us. A knot forms in my stomach as she rises on her tiptoes and places her customary kiss on his cheeks. That kiss burns my throat, my eyes, and practically every inch of my insides. I want to push her away from him, and I'm sure Adrian won't even step in between if I did that. But why would I do that? I'm his friend, and friends shouldn't feel like this if a girl kisses their best friend. I instantly look away and head to the side doors making a hasty exit.

"V!" Adrian's muffled voice echoes through the stomping feet of the crowd and my own heart thudding wildly, but I don't stop until I'm out of the stadium.

I head straight for the washroom and spend the next fifteen minutes inside one of the stalls, letting out all that pain I've held in all this while.

My dad has gone through another test, a biopsy for the tumor. Both my parents hid it from me that there's a chance of cancer. If Daisy hadn't called me in the morning crying over how sick dad has been over a month now and how mom cries every night, I would be living in the dark for another month or maybe till it was too late to conceal. I should be there with my family. They need me. Mom, dad, and Daisy, they're going through their pain without me. I ball my fists in my hair and let the ugly truth settle in.

I can't lose my father.

Be strong, Violet. Tough girls don't cry. You've to be Daisy's big sister, your dad's support, and your mom's strength.

Tears wiped and hair finger-combed, I take a deep painful breath and step out of the bathroom stall. I take support of the sink, pressing a fist against my chest as my heart kept knocking rapidly. A girl with swollen red eyes and flushed cheeks looks back at me through the mirror. Damn! The dark circles around my eyes remind me of Adrian's messages.

Those dark circles under your eyes, I hate them. They look kind of sad on your happy face.

I'm always here, V. You don't have to be lonely. We could be sad together.

I groan and look away as the need to hear his voice crawls back. But I can't give up on pushing those needs away. They can never renew, not when I know they can never mean anything more than a friendly buzz. Straightening my spine, I wash my face and practice my go-to smile before stepping out. I'm halfway through my escape when I get accosted.

"Violet!" Charlotte's shrill voice catches me off guard. Her long blonde hair drops perfectly on her shoulder. She engulfs me with her perfume even from a good one arm's distance. She smells like bubblegum, and if it's so appealing to me, I can only imagine what effect it had on Adrian when she was just an inch away from him. "Why do you look so pale?" she asks.

Charlotte has never once talked to me in three years. But ever since Adrian and I started having problems in our friendship, she takes on every chance to show off her connection with him.

"I'm good, thanks for asking," I say, still contemplating her nice gesture. She's not checking in on my mental health or my health in general.

She leans in to whisper. "A little bird told me about you and Adrian being friends with benefits, fuck buddies, you know. Of course, it might sting to be his side dish when he chooses me to be his main course. I would've let him go if I were you."

Her sly comment has me clenching my teeth, and the urge to punch her beautiful face gnaws my skin. I knew it was doomed to happen. Liam wouldn't just take the punch for me in his house party and not talk shit about me. Other's opinion of me doesn't matter, but that smug smile on Charlotte's face is damn infuriating to let go.

"I never let go of people who are important to me, Charlotte. And Adrian is damn important to me." I give her a warning look before shoving her shoulders out of my proximity. "It doesn't matter what you or the entire college think about our friendship, but my Adri is not a player. He doesn't do the stuff your little bird mentioned. If he chose you, then it will be just you."

She gives me a bored expression and opens her mouth for another comeback, but I don't wait for it. I'm not going to behave like her. I've nothing to be ashamed of or feel even the slightest bit of embarrassment.

With a deep breath, I swing open the door to the fluorescent-lit hallway, still buzzing with the crowd. I take a nervous glance in the direction of locker rooms, subsiding the need to meet the boy with brown hair and green eyes. Charlotte's words ring in my ear, making me take a beeline to the side exit that leads directly to the parking lot. I pause a moment to glance across me as Olivia throws her head back and laughs at one of Noah's jokes. They look so good together that it makes me crave the same connection, the one I wanted to be with you, Augustus but never had.

I'm so lost in my head that my heart almost lurches out when Adrian sneaks up behind me. I swivel around and look up to meet his grinning self. His smile fades away as instantly as it came and replaces it with a wary look.

"V," he whispers. We're close, not touching, but I can smell his aftershave and get consumed by the unique scent of his cologne. He draws closer, examining my face, looking through the poker face I've put up the moment I turned around, and he is so close to breaking it down. He's shirtless, his jersey tucked inside his pants, hanging low on his left hip. The outline of his pectoral muscles and the perfect contours of his abdominal muscles makes it almost impossible to step away from him. I gaze at the intense expanse of his neck, and I am still trying to settle my choppy breaths. Then, butterflies start flapping inside my stomach, along with a simmering hot feeling that startles me. "What's going on in your crazy little head?"

I lean an inch away from him and brush away the hair falling on my face. I trip backward, stepping away from him and that hot feeling he set inside me. I look over his shoulder at Charlotte as she steps out of the washroom and joins the group of girls. She whispers something to them, all their eyes in our direction, and they all crack up, not even trying to be subtle.

"Nothing you should be concerned about," I say, looking back at him and swallowing the lump that forms in my throat. "You were on fire tonight, Adri. I'm so proud of you."

"Oh, You are?" He grins, then his palm flattens against my forehead in the most gentle of touches, and he frowns. "You're burning up, V."

"I'm heading back home." I pull his hand away from my forehead, keeping my eyes on him. He looks concerned, lips parted, lashes bobbing as he blinks rapidly at me. Too much. Everything is too much. I need to run away from this while I still have a hold on my emotions. I turn and run towards the exit, rushing past the crowded concourse.

"Wait, V!" Adrian grabs my arm, stopping me. "Don't do that."

"Do what?" I ask, spinning around with a glare.

"Step away from me every single time when you need me." The words are hard and desperate, gnawing at my heart.

"I'm sorry, Adri. But what I need is to be alone right now," I snatch my arm away, and he lets me.

In quick strides, he's crowding me. Muscles tense, and my eyes follow down the ripples from his chest to the soccer shorts hanging low on his hips. A bunch of red flags waves inside my head, and I squeeze my eyes closed. "Know that it doesn't matter what they say. I can break each of their faces if they are the reason for your long face, but I'm trying to be a better person. You make me want to be a better me, and that's a goddamn special bond we share."

"I should..." I step backward with my breath stuck in my throat. "I need to go home."

"I guess you're right. You don't even want to share your feelings with me. So fine. Just go home." He shakes his head and releases a dark laugh before jogging away from me. I don't fail to capture the defeated look in his disbelieving green orbs.

I also don't fail to recognize my erratic heartbeat caught in the heat of his eyes.

Oh, God! I'm attracted to my best friend, and the truth is I've been attracted to him before, only this time it's ten times intense. It's ten times worse than before because deep in my heart, I still wish for you to come back, Augustus.

Do you even think of me while you're away? The way you kissed me when we parted had to mean something to you too, as it means to me. I always believed that living in the memory of the one you love is a choice we make.

Then one look in Adrian's soul reaching eyes, and I know there are feelings beyond our choices.

What's happening to me? Am I falling for another man?

***

Author's Note: Okay, so I have so little knowledge of any games in general, but I've tried my level best to make it work. So, share your votes and comments if you like the chapter. Your thoughts always encourage me to get to the next chapter as soon as possible.

Do you think what Violet feels towards Adrian is love or just an attraction?