AndyMy dad always said that using your words first, in a fight,over using your fists, will most likely result in less pain and as I stepped in between Sebastian and Adrian, I hoped that Dad was right on this one. Don't get me wrong, I can fight and I'm no stranger to throwing the first punch but Sebastian's my friend and I wanted to avoid this coming to blows.I place a hand on his shoulder, just to hold him back and look him square in the eyes. I can see the fury that is radiating inside of him, itching to explode, but I have to talk him down, I have to make him see that he's got this all wrong. Behind me, Adrian is still being held in place by Kyle, with Nate standing guard, two of my new teammates on the Bulldogs. I didn't even realise Claire had invited them.Where was Adrian's support? I'd spotted Clive and Elijah straightaway when I entered the party, but now they'd disappeared, right when they were needed. There's no way Clive would shy away from a fight; he lived for a good t
ClaireI can't help but wonder if he's been looking at Jupiter's social media and seeing the new flurry of likes and comments that have been coming from Adrian. Sebastian doesn't have Instagram himself or any social media platform, claiming that it was under his dad's recommendation to keep a clean reputation for when he applies for university next year. I highly doubt, though university administrators would be able to find any dirt on clean-cut Sebastian; he doesn't drink at parties, opting to stay sober to drive the drunks home safely, he has never touched drugs, rarely swears and maintains a strong grade point average."I didn't know you had friends from Claremont High." Seb comments, not taking his focus off of Adrian."Yeah, they're Andy's friends, they're really nice, actually," I tell him, feeling the urge to defend the boys. "How did you know they went to Claremont High?"Sebastian breaks his focus on the boys, shifting it back to Jupiter and me. The cold, hard look he had bef
ClaireMy family and I had spent all afternoon decorating our living room in preparation for the party tonight. Even Heath, against his wishes, had been given a task of blowing up the silver and purple balloons to hang around the room, and Dad had set up some awesome coloured lights and a makeshift dance floor. I looked around the room and was so excited for my party to begin, until I spotted the clock on the wall and realised that I had only an hour left until my guests were due to arrive, and I was in no way party-ready yet. Samantha had gifted me a swing dress for my birthday, it was off the shoulders, holographic purple and shimmers when the lights hit it. It was the most beautiful piece of clothing I'd ever owned, and I couldn't wait to show it off tonight, especially to Andy. I wanted to make his jaw drop when he saw me for the first time in the dress.I quickly showered, coating myself in the fancy, French body wash that I only use on special occasions. I'd washed and straight
AndyIf I'd learnt anything in life, it's that whenever things appear to be going great, there's always something lurking in the shadows, ready to fuck up everything. It's like I'm forever waiting for the other shoe to drop, for my happiness to be snatched away, so I never fully allow myself to get too comfortable, but with Claire, I feel like I'm finally discovering true happiness that can't be destroyed.Claire coming along to watch and support me play tonight was something I'd never had when I was with Pia. It made me feel like a superstar, out there on the field, scoring goals while my girlfriend cheered me on. I also liked that Claire was making an effort to get to know my friends, not trying to separate me from them.What surprised me more than anything was how comfortable she was with sex. I'd prepared myself for there to be an awkward, shy stage from both of us, hers steaming from her lack of experience with sex and mine from not wanting to frighten her off, but I couldn't hav
Adrian stayed with us until the end of the game, cheering loudly for Andy every chance he got, in between sneaking glances at Jupiter every time she cheered on Sebastian. When the siren sounded out to signify the end of the match, the scores were 4-3, with Brixton narrowly taking home the win, and Andy being congratulated by his teammates for making it happen.Dad looked disappointed in the result, but as his team exited the field, he gave each one a pat on the back to show them that they'd played a good game in his eyes. He never holds his team responsible for losses, believing that yelling and berating them would only serve to destroy their spirit.I left Adrian and Jupiter and made my way over to where Dad was on the field, feeling a pang of guilt that I had cheered on the team that had just stolen the win from him."They played a good game," I tell my dad, hugging him tightly."I knew they would, now that they have Andrew on their team, he's a machine," Dad admits, giving credit t
ClaireClaremont and Brixton had a long-standing rivalry when it came to soccer, dating way back to when Dad first reformed a Claremont team. According to Dad, Brixton were undefeated champions because they scouted other schools for the best players, offering scholarships in exchange for joining the winning team. Being invited to play for Brixton was a huge honour, and it opened so many doors for the players after their final school year, with a majority going on to play for national and international teams, but all that changed once the Claremont Bears won the school district championship, their first year of playing as a team.Parents of budding soccer players soon realised that they didn't have to fork out money for Brixton's overpriced tuition fee, just to get their child onto the Bulldogs. They had an equally superior team that was available at a public school, one that was being coached by a former professional player. Dad dropped the team fees that all schools have that cover u