Soccer Camp

The Hangover

I groaned as my head continued to pound, something pulling me out of my sleep. I sat up and rubbed my forehead in agony. I took more than a half of beer last night. I wasn’t entirely sure, but I took more than three shots of tequila. Matt was too much in his own world to notice and I didn’t want to discuss my mistakes.

I rolled off the bed and wobbled to the washroom to get ready for my day. As I got on shorts and a t-shirt and was ready to go, someone knocked on my door.

“Morning” Matt smiled as he handed me two pills and a bottle of water. “Sam told me you took your fair share of liquor last night. You might be more fun drunk, who woulda thought?”

I took the pills and a sip of water. When we walked outside and the sunlight hit my vision, I shied away from it. The light was more painful than usual, almost unbearable.

“Here” Matt took the sunglasses from his hair and handed it to me. “Try not to break them today. Where you off to?”

I handed him my schedule and he pointed behind us “Team D. Just go straight down, they are near the administration building.”

“Thanks” I muttered as I placed the glasses over my eyes. I walked slowly and cautiously down the path, the sun beating against my skin. There was no way I was going to wear leggings today; I learned my lesson the first time. Even though I wasn’t too comfortable with showing my legs, it had to be better than dying of a heat stroke.

When I got there, there was already a couch and a supervisor.

“Hi, sorry I’m late.” I mumbled quietly.

“And you are?” the couch asked as he instructed his kids to continue.

“Amber” I replied, unable to remember my last name. I really didn’t want to think too hard today.

“Oh, the old schedules are no longer valid. You should pick up the revised ones” He pointed to the administrative building. “They called the rooms this morning.”

So that’s what woke me up… I knew I didn’t have an alarm. I was just in too much pain to realize what was happening.

I nodded and headed over to the larger brown building. Thank God it was just a few feet away; I really couldn’t handle moving from one place to another.

“Amber” I said as I entered into the building. All this talking was messing with my head. “New schedule”

“Ah” the person behind the window said in realization. “Here you go sweetheart. You should take off those glasses when you’re on the field today, wouldn’t want them to get broken” she advised. “Would you like me to point you in the right direction?” she asked as she watched me stare at the new schedule in confusion.

“Why does it only say Team A?” I asked in confusion.

“I was also wondering that but I guess you’re with one team this whole summer. Really lucky in my opinion.” She smiled.

I thanked her and headed towards the field I got pummelled on a few days before. The bruise around my eye wasn’t aching any longer but it was still visible. My skin wasn’t as light as a few people’s here but you could still see the bruise.

“Good morning” he smiled as he saw me. He pulled me into his body and kissed my forehead. The sudden action completely threw me off. My heart rate picked up immensely and my pulse quickened. His scent was heavenly, like honey and snickers. Snickers? I’m craving sweets.

“Morning,” I muttered against his chest, my head rising to look up into his eyes. He looked down at me causing our nose to brush against each others’. My nerves kicked it and I hurried to look away, hitting my head against his chest.

“Ow,” I groaned as it added to my headache “Sorry.” I whispered as I rubbed my head and his chest at the same time. The feeling of his Abs against my pawn felt good. I began to massage them rather than rub over his shirt in surprise. When I realized what I was doing, my hand fell from his chest in haste, only to make contact with something else.

“Oh God,” I cried as I backed away from him with my head down and my hands by my side. When I heard him begin to laugh, I looked up through the glasses. I was grateful to Matt yet again for loaning me his glasses. I couldn’t blame Matt for putting me in this position, I drank that tequila willingly.

“Que esta bien” It’s okay. He chuckled as he held my hand. “Come, the kids have been waiting for you.” He pulled me behind him as we walked to the field where Team A and B were practicing.

“Sorry about last night” I grumbled quietly.

“Now that,” he said, his face completely serious “Was not okay.”

My eyes opened in surprise as my attention moved from his hand holding mine and to his face. What the hell did I do last night that was so bad? I might have shouted at him and appear a little crazy, but I didn’t embarrass him in anyway, only myself.

“What?” I asked in confusion.

“You could have hurt yourself, and you could have been sent home if you were caught drinking.” He retorted.

“That wouldn’t have been so bad,” I rationalized as we got to the field. The thought of going home wasn’t as appealing as it was when I first got here, but it still seemed pretty damn good. “At least I would be out of your hair.”

I waited for him to smile but it never came, he just stared down at me as if I was missing some important detail.

I was pulled out of his gaze when I heard Yale shouting my name. I groaned as the noise went straight to my head.

“Did you take something for the headache?” Jesse sympathized as he raised my chin with his finger, his thumb caressing my chin and lightly brushing against my lower lip. Why was he touching me this much? And why was I being affected like this?

I nodded slowly because my voice was not working at the moment. He was rubbing my lip! Yale hugged me enthusiastically and I forced a smiled on my lips.

“Hey, you ready to play soccer?” cause I’m not.

“YES!” he screamed. I was truly being punished!

“Alright, let’s see it” I urged as I patted his butt, pushing him towards the field. I thanked the heavens when he took my hint and ran off towards the other children.

“Why don’t you take it easy for today? Just give them water, I call you when I really need your help, and we’ll go from there.” Jesse suggested.

“Thank you” I squeezed his hand gratefully which made his smile return once more. He rubbed my knuckles with his thumb before he jogged off to the field. And what a sight that was!

When I finally snapped out of my gaze, I tried my best to keep up with them. Jesse would warn me when before issuing a water break and I would try my best to get ready for the pushing and screaming. I would awkwardly comment on how good they were doing and when asked if I could help, I tried my very hardest not to fall on my face.

When I began passing the ball back and forth with Oliver, a flawless looking girl skipped her way onto the field. She had long dark brown hair and bright eyes. She looked much better in shorts than I did and she wore a crop top that highlighted her flat stomach.

“Jesse” she sang as she hugged him.

“That’s his girl friend” Oliver whispered to me as I continued to stare at her. “She is so mean” he frowns

I smiled at him as we continued to pass the ball back and forth. “They always are.”

“Nicole, what are you doing here?” He asked, returning her hug.

“I was just surprised when I found out I wasn’t partnering with you today. What happened?” she asked as she peered up into his eyes through her long eyelashes. Jealousy and pity ran through my body as I watched her wrap her arms around his neck.

“No lo se” He muttered. I don’t know.

“I love when you speak to me in Spanish” she cooed, causing him to laugh, his hand finding her waist.

“Can we talk later?” he asked her as she continued to smile up at him.

“Later” she promised, kissing his cheek. When they released each other and she walked away, our eyes met. I looked away as quickly as possible and pretended to focus on what I was doing. After the session was over, I helped clean up the soccer balls and the plastic cups lying around the field.

“I’ll take those” Jesse took the ball bag from my hand as I passed him. I made an effort not to look at him as I handed it over and retrieved the water cooler.

As we walked in silence towards the supply room, he held my arm, stopping me in my tracks. “Nicola and I…” he began.

“No,” I stopped him in an effort to not seem so desperate that I needed a break down of their relationship to get the message. “I get it. I have a boy friend too.” I lied.

“You do?” he asked in surprise. “Who?”

Why was that so unbelievable? I mean I didn’t, but it wasn’t impossible. I needed to think and think fast. If I made up the name, I would probably look pathetic so I said the only name I knew. “Matt”

“Matt? Isn’t he gay?” Jesse asked in disbelief.

“He’s bisexual. Like Channing Tatum” I snapped, pulling away from him and heading to the supply room. I had to get away from him. I had a feeling this lie might end up biting me in the ass. I hurried away from him and headed to the cafeteria for lunch. When I looked around the hall, Matt was nowhere to be found.

I grabbed my lunch and headed to my room to avoid sitting by myself and looking pathetic. Half way through my sandwich, someone knocked on my door. Matt entered into my room and closed the door.

“I’ve been asked at least a million times on my way to lunch whether or not we were dating.” He announced as he sat on my window ledge.

I stared down at my half eaten sandwich and suddenly lost my appetite. What am I suppose to tell him?

“Even my ex came up to me and asked,” Matt continued “What happened this morning?”

“I lied” I admitted in shame. “I didn’t know what to do” I mumbled.

He stared at me passively before a smile graced his lips. “I’m proud of you”. He straightened his pants and fixed his shirt as if everything was alright.

“What? You’re not mad?” I asked in confusion.

“I was a bit thrown when people kept asking, but most of them thought I was gay; Even my friends which seriously pissed me off. It seems like no one understand the concept of bisexuality! This could be good for both of us.” He acknowledged. “How’d you come up with that?”

“Jesse’s girl friend showed up on the field and he caught be staring at them so I freaked.” I sighed in embarrassment. I was not proud of my actions.

“Well, my ex seemed a bit jealous about me dating someone else, so I’m down for your lie, Bambi.”

“Why do you call me that?” Wasn’t that an elephant or a deer? I am called a lot of things but they were still offensive.

“Get use to them, babe; they’ll be coming at you like bullets.” He chuckled

“Great…”

“But there is one thing I don’t understand, whose Jesse dating? And why would you tell him you have a boy friend. I though you like him.”

“Nicole I think her name is. And I do, or at least I think so. I don’t know! My head is spinning and today was a bad day. The minute someone told me they were dating I freaked out”

Matt shook his head at me in disapproval. “They break up at the end of every summer and get back together in the middle of the next one. They are not together yet, Amber.”

I sighed and rubbed my forehead, my headache returning. “Does that mean I have to tell him the truth?”

“Oh heavens no. you’ll only look pathetic. My guess is that since he was the only one you told about ‘us’, he had probably told his friends about it and his friends told everyone else.”

“Why wouldn’t he tell his friends?” I asked in confusion. My name was never to come up in conversations until it was something bad and no one knew me here, so it’s unlikely. I had no idea how Matt came up with that theory, but then again I didn’t know much so…

“He must be talking about you with his friends” Matt said as if it was obvious.

“Why-” I began but he cut me off

“He likes you Amber”

I snorted and returned back to my sandwich, my appetite returning. “If he thinks we are actually together, he definitely doesn’t like me now” I muttered out loud.

“On the contrary, that makes you more desirable. If we play our cards right, he might try and take you from me. If you didn’t have a chance with him before, as you think, you definitely do now.” He was not making sense. I have learned two things since my time at this camp. One, people actually took soccer seriously and two, there was no point in trying to figure out how Matt’s brain worked.

“We have a bit of work to do, but we can make this really fun.” He promised.