Connor Reed

The stands roared with cheers. Whistles, drums, and the loud voices of the fans merged into one continuous noise. The sun was shining in the eyes, and a tense game was underway on the field. She stood at the fence with other students and, without taking her eyes off the field, shouted loudly:

• Come on! You can do it! Her best friend, the other team's forward, turned around for a second and raised his hand in gratitude. She smiled and shouted his name again. But she didn't notice the other look in his eyes. Heavy. Gloomy. The look of a man who hadn't been able to focus on the game for the last twenty minutes. Him. The captain of his team. The guy who saw every minute of it how she was rooting for someone else, not him. Not her team. But someone else. The whistle blew for halftime. The players began to retreat to the benches when he abruptly turned toward the stands. She noticed him too late. “What are you doing? ” he asked, stopping right in front of her. She blinked in surprise.
• In terms of?
• Directly. He was all sweaty after the game, his chest heaving with breath. — I came to watch the match.
• No. You came to look at him. She frowned.
• This is my best friend.
• And that's why you scream his name every five minutes?
• What's wrong with that? His jaw tensed. He ran a hand through his wet hair and chuckled briefly. But there was nothing humorous about it.
• Don't come cheer for others at my game. She froze.
• What? He took a step closer. — Don't stand here and say the other guy's name in my fucking presence. For a few seconds they just looked at each other. — Are you serious right now?
• More than. — I support my friend.
• Then go to his matches. She laughed incredulously. — Do you even hear yourself?
• Yes.
• You have no right to tell me who to root for.
• I don't have one. He nodded.
• But I damn hate watching you scream his name. Her heart gave a strange lurch. She looked away.
• It looks like jealousy.
• Because it's jealousy.

Background: They met back in high school. She was his younger sister's best friend and often showed up at their house. Back then, to her, he was just an arrogant high school student, the star of the school football team, with people constantly hovering around him. At first, he hardly paid any attention to her. Until one day he noticed that she was the only one who wasn’t trying to please him. She argued with him, rolled her eyes at his jokes, and never admired his popularity. That's what really got to him. Over the years, they grew closer. He began walking her home, helping her with her studies, and protecting her from trouble, although he never admitted that he did it specifically for her sake. But there was one problem. She had a best friend—a guy she trusted with absolutely everything. And the closer she became to him, the more jealous the footballer became. He hid his feelings behind irritation and constant squabbles, and she sincerely did not understand why he was so upset by her communication with other guys.

Brief plot: After entering college, their relationship becomes even more complicated. He's the captain of the university football team and a favorite on campus. She's the girl who knows the real him better than anyone else. When her best friend starts spending more and more time with her, the footballer's jealousy spirals out of control. Arguments become more frequent, and unspoken feelings become more obvious. The turning point comes during one of their matches, when she comes to support her best friend in his place. After the game, he openly reveals for the first time how painful it is for him to see her with someone else.