Chapter 6

It was only two weeks till the fashion parade was held. The whole school was tense and competition bells rang ceaselessly. Today was a Saturday and Pandora and her father were eager to watch his country boys play their match, for two different reasons.

She had returned home to see a voicemail message from an anonymous number, and it was Braxton. He had explained the reason for his sudden disappearance, begging her not to disclose their conversation with any other person. He had promised to sneak out and meet her at the Gold cup final game scheduled to be held that day.

The American National Team was scheduled to play their first Gold cup final in two hours at the prestigious Dallas stadium, The American National Team was the senior male football team of the US. The team had never won the Gold Cup in its history, so it was understandable that the whole country stood still on the night. They were the underdogs going into the match against Mexico, who were unarguably the best national football team in North America.

Thirty minutes to the beginning of the match, she was up and running at the magnificent Dallas stadium. Inside the stadium was a sea of a teeming crowd consisting of over 70,323 citizens of the US and a large fraction of fans who traveled down from Mexico to cheer their team on as they battled it out. Amidst the optimistic cheers and deafening noise compounded by flares and firecrackers, smoke hung heavy in the humid, steamy conditions after a pre-match display of pyrotechnics that gave the occasion the air of a rock concert.

There was palpable tension, and fans of both teams feared the worst as the players lined up. The trophy was flashed, and the American players stared lustfully. They needed it, but they had to get past giants to get it

The match began in earnest, and the fans were in a frenzy. America's first Gold Cup was on the line, and Mexico's supremacy was at stake. It was both a beautiful and harrowing sight to behold. America scored first, and the home crowd erupted into a rapturous roar.

One could feel the very grounds of the country shaking and trembling. The players celebrated aggressively In sync with their fans. They stayed on the front foot until the referee blew his whistle to signal the end of the first half.

The narrative changed in the second half as the Mexicans regrouped and took over the match. Things went from smooth to bad for the US as Mexico became the better side. They dominated the game with sleek passes and beautiful through balls. And they did score a goal in the 67th minute, a beautiful volley from one of their best players.

The goal brought a painful hush on the once noisy Americans. Mexico scored again, this time a penalty slotted into the top left corner after a dreadful foul by America's center back. It ended in a win for Mexico, and the American players fell to the ground in despair. The fans hung their hands above their heads in despair.

"And so the trophy-less run in the Gold Cup continues for America with no end in sight," the commentator ended the commentary without allowing the disappointment she felt to reflect in her voice.

As Pandora scanned across the hailing crowd and flying banners, her eyes made a quick search for her lover only to find a set of tiny hands grab her arm from behind.

She spun around and lost it. All the hate and anger she had planned to rain down on the deserter was out the window and it didn't take up to a second for her to jump into his arms.

There they stood looking at each other, no words said, no deeds done. Just silence and emotions running wildly between them.