Adrenaline Rush!

It's half time, and we're down by 12.

The school we're playing against may be from the middle of nowhere, but they are huge and tall. They are the perfect example of the country rednecks at their finest. It's not like we are playing bad. They're only playing better.

The band begins their routine, and the squad disperses for a break. But I know the actual game is about to begin, seeing how our football team is all hyped up. I turned to walk away when I heard someone call my name.

"Athena, wait up," Lenny said. She gasped desperately for air before continuing. "Athena, I need your help."

"Is everything okay, Lenny?"

"Yeah. It's just- You're one of my best cheerleaders. The routine Natalie taught you before she left, I need us to do it."

"What?" I exclaimed. Natalie was our head cheerleader last year, and she was a bitch, just to put it nicely. But I won't deny the fact that she is one of the best dancers I've ever seen.

"That routine is too difficult. We won't be able to pull it off." I screeched. I am not lying. That routine is almost impossible to do.

"I know! You are a good dancer. That's where I need you, Athena."

"Me? I can't do it. Only you and Natalie can do that routine."

"Yes! You can do it. I know you can. You are one of the best." She smiled, trying to calm me down. "We need to pull this off. The team needs more motivation now than ever. This is the only way they'll be able to make it to States. I have to help Kent fulfill his NFL dream, and I need your help to do it."

She looked at me with hope and expectancy. I understand that she wants to do this for her boyfriend, but doing that routine is like waking a sleeping lion. One single mistake, and that's it. It's either I break my ribs or my spine. But at the same time, I can't really say no to her. We may not be friends, but she has been an understanding person.

Letting out a sigh, I said. "Okay."

"Thank you." She hugged me before running off to meet her boyfriend.

I'm stretching on the sideline, trying not to pay attention to the fact that I might break my ribs in the next few minutes. I'm not that bad of a dancer, but I don't think I can pull that off.

Out of nowhere, a football flies over and hits my foot, surprisingly not hard enough to hurt. Seconds later, Aiden jogs over an unapologetic smirk on his face. "My bad."

He hit me on purpose.

I roll my eyes, handing him back the ball. Our fingers touch, momentarily breaking my train of thought. After recovering from the mild Aiden's shock, I start to turn away, but he tugs my arm, pulling me close to him.

"What? No good luck kiss?"

I smirk, suddenly feeling confident. After a moment of consideration, I reached up and wrapped my arms around Aiden's neck. He seems surprised at my sudden action but recovered quickly. His hands rest on my hips, slightly lifting me up. My lips are a few millimeters from his, close enough to kiss him.

Almost.

"How about you go kick some ass, and then I'll have to think about you getting that kiss?" I taunt him, ignoring the glimmer in his eyes and the butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

Aiden sets me down, a smirk on his face. "You know, Hazel. You just gave me the perfect motivation."

He runs back off to the field before I can say anything else. I watch him go, getting caught in the act as he looks back. He sends me a wink as he shoves his helmet back on.

What in the hell did I just agree to do?

I heard a squeal behind me. Already knowing who it is, I turned around to Ari and Ash, who seem to be in shock. They begin to fan themselves, joyous grins on their faces.

"Boy, did the forecast forget to mention that it was going to get hot this afternoon?" Ash remarks, daring me to challenge him. I push past the both of them to get some water, ignoring the burning of my cheeks.

I really hate them sometimes.

"Don't you have a game to get back to, Ash?" I asked as I chugged the water down my throat.

"Well, I was going back to my team when a certain something caught my eyes. Imagine my surprise when I saw that my virgin best friend had her first kiss with the hottest piece of candy right in the front of the whole school." Ash exclaimed, a small smile on his lips.

"We didn't kiss. We were t- talking." I whispered, looking away to hide my burning neck and cheeks.

"I can't believe she's all grown. She's even had her first kiss." Ari said, wiping invisible tears from her face.

"Uhh, guys. We didn't kiss, and we ain't going to." I walked away as I saw Eleanor waving us over. I guess it's time.

"You ready?" Lenny asked me.

"If I say no, can we forget about it?" She looked at me like I'm crazy. Everyone has been looking at me like that a lot these days that I'm beginning to think I am.

"No! Come on! It's the nerves. You'll do just fine." She assured me.

We walked to the field alongside the rest of the team. We performed the first dance like we were supposed to. But towards the end of the dance, Lenny nodded at me. I stepped closer to Ella, Stella, and Ari, who will be the ones to throw me up in the air.

Ari nodded at me as if reassuring me that she'll catch me. I know she will. I trust her. It's the other two I don't trust. Taking a deep breath, I let loose and allowed them to suspend me in the air. Putting my arms out, I did the toe-touch arch basket toss.

Looking down, I notice Ella and the rest have stepped back, leaving only Ari. Ohh, no. I'm going to die.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" Ari shouted at the girls.

I closed my eyes, waiting for the impact to the ground. But it never came. Instead, I crashed on a warm surface.

"Am I dead?" I asked quietly, scared to open my eyes.

"I'm not letting you die on me, Hazel." I opened my eyes to meet his green ones. He saved me. I wrapped my hands around his neck.

"Thank you." He nodded before rushing back to the field. How did he know I was in trouble?

"Are you okay, Thea? I'm sorry." Ari wrapped her hands around me, apologizing under her breath. My mind wasn't with her, though.

He just saved me.

**~**~**

I'm going to throw up.

We're down by five in the fourth quarter, three minutes left. We aren't going to make it, losing to a school filled with the biggest assholes in our county.

Their teams have been deliberately taking cheap shots at the players all afternoon. Thankfully, none of our players get too seriously injured. The referees, however, did nothing to stop them.

So much for home-field advantage.

Sean runs down the field in an attempt to tackle the player with the ball when out of nowhere, someone reaches out and grabs his face mask. He's thrown to the ground, other players trampling over him.

I notice one player, number 66, the same guy who pulled Sean down linger. He whispers something in his ear. The referees run over, surely about to blow their whistles.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" The entire cheer team and some of the players turn to Sloane, who happens to be standing beside Ari. She's not on the cheer team, so I wonder what she's doing here.

"Sean is her twin brother," Ari whispered. Ohh, I guess that explains it. I turned back to the field just in time to see Sean back out on the field. He wants blood.

We get a touchdown.

With 15 seconds on the clock, we have one more chance to get on the board.

Our side is completely silent, no one daring to breathe. The other side takes the silence or defeat, hollering ever louder cheers our way.

I felt someone grab my hand, but I'm too engrossed in the game to check who the person was. Everything moves in slow motion. Aiden throws the ball to Kent. Sean proceeded to tackle the players who tried coming close to him.

Right before the line, someone trips Kent over. I refuse to blink. Did we get the points?

After what feels like an eternity, the referee blows his whistle, holding up his arms to signify a touchdown. Our side erupts in cheers. States championship, here we come! Sloane is the first to run to the field, enveloping her brother in a hug.

"Come on!" Ari pulled me towards the field. Before I could question why she brought me out here, Aiden lifts me in the air, spinning me around like a mad man. I look down at his sweaty, dirt-smeared face, his green eyes shining with happiness I've never seen before.

The smile on his face slowly disappears as he brought his lips closer to mine, making me remember our conversation earlier. Am I ready for this? Do I even like him? Yeah, he makes me feel things I've never felt before, and he has the talent to annoy me to no end. But I don't think that's enough reason to kiss him. But a part of me wants to kiss him.

"Knight!" The coach yelled, pulling the both of us out of our trance. Aiden quickly put me down, the atmosphere around us thick with tension.

"Uh, I have to go meet the team."

"Yeah! Yeah! Go on." I cleared my throat nervously.

"I'll see you after?" I nodded and watched as he ran over to the field. You did the right thing, Athena. You did the right thing.

"What was that?" Ari asked. I shook my head, walking to the locker room to get my bag.

"I want to go home. Can you take me home?" I croaked out.

"Okay! Let me get my bag, and we'll go, okay?"

I won't think about it. I refuse to let myself think about it. I just need a nice hot shower and my bed right now.