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The teaaot there fiveinto the stadiu lot It looked like at least two thousand people froht No pressure Elliott… On all accounts I walked into our locker rooear piled into a locker with my name printed on a piece of paper tacked to a broken na up Gray," Coach Miles said sarcastically
"I’m sorry Coach I have no excuse"
"Lombardi time, Gray! If you’re not fifteen minutes early, you’re late!"
"I know coach I’m sorry"
"Well? Don’t just stand there like a buear on!"
Half an hour before the ga up I tossed the ball back and forth with the tea up and there was still no sign of Jules I’et pretty frustrated I searched row by row, tiht my parents’ eyes on the fifth roard the middle and aved to each other Hi mom Hi dad Ohhh, Yup I see you there My dad deliberately and dramatically tucked his hands inside the pockets of his sweatshirt Yup, I’ll keep my hands warm dad I nodded Sheesh
We only had five ive up on Jules co to feel foolish If she hadn’t found the note it was going to be e her up for our library date the next day because I would have had a heck of a ti to steal it back I especially didn’t want to think about how e it would be if she had found it and decided not to come
Suddenly I wasn’t so sure of what I had felt earlier that day That was only a fleeting thought My subconscious casting shadows on the truth like a flock of birds trying to drown out the sun It never works There’s never enough birds to e the cause, the sun always finds the earth I knew I’d have to give into the catch twenty-two and just come out and ask her about it before we even traveled to Charleston the next day and I dreaded that conversation I ishing I had never put the stupid note in the bag in the first place I thought I was being so clever I tried to stop thinking about it I needed a distraction or I was going to lose the game I threw on my iPod and started Muse’s ‘Map of the Problea to refocus when I looked up and through the corner ofbehind the bleachers
"Ohotacross the ceh the gaps beneath the seats She finally turned onto the ra into the stands and boy did she ever prove to be the distraction I had asked for She wasn’t wearing anything close to what she had worn to school that day My jaent slack and fro hed at me and shook her head but I barely noticed, too absorbed in Jules’ every step
Her hair was down, as usual, and ht as corn silk, her bangs across her forehead instead of swept to the side At the top of the raht out the outline of her flawless face She had done herand her lips were a dark red She had a cashmere sweater dress on that covered almost every inch of her, from the scoop neck that ed her body like it was painted on She wore her flat brown ain that met the middle of her shins If there were any doubts in any of the uys in the stands that she was drop dead, this outfit would erase them all
She kept her hands at her side until she reached the bleachers but lifted thehtly to balance herself as she stepped onto the first bleacher raising her heet where I was It lefthow anyone could dress so ly beautiful It permanently altered my definition of sexy Once she sat, she slowly looked across the track separating the field from the bleachers and sht and smiled back
She blew ht it, to be goofy, and tucked it into a pretend pocket She laughed and I pointed toward ht and up four rows She smiled and nodded, stood and walked up the bleachers toward my parents
Each step she took she passed by at least a dozen classmates I furrowedSawyer Tuttle on my enemies list Tut’s name was now on their twice You can close your mouth now Tut
My faed bothpast theave ling Julia Jacobs?" The teaer asked me
"Are you?" I joked
He just set ame and now that I had both of my own personalmyself for the win that caa our first victory The dru their finest and it really revved up the team and crowd I ran off the field over to the fence near Jules and thread h the chain link
"Yoko!" I yelled at Jules
Her back was turned to me but when she hearddown the stairs toon the concrete and wound her fingers through the fence over ripped tightly Our charge lit up the fence like a net of burning ember
"You did well Gray!" She yelled over the drulad you caot your note!" She sht eyes