Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

MAX

The cheer of the crowd carried me away as I ran across the field in the hot weather. I had no clue who decided that Nevada, the middle of the desert, was a great idea for a soccer cup final, but here we were, sweating our butts off in December.

I was naive to pack a long-sleeved jersey because I was debating changing my soaked short-sleeved one just past halftime. I panted as Ridoc U's team, which had never made it to the final before, gave us a run for our money.

"Their defense is top-notch," Maddox muttered, jogging closer to me, and I nodded, assessing the opponent's formation.

Sweat trickled down my forehead and neck, and I needed to come up with the best strategy for us to break through their defensive formation. We always kept our 4-3-3 formation with a strong attack and defense balance and rarely had to change it up, but with Dex gone, we had to rely on other players in the midfield to get the game moving. Our new formation of 3-4-3 was working well in the first half. But now, with the opponent not attacking, we had a good chance of changing it further.

I called a timeout, and gathering the team, I glanced at both coaches. "Let's do 3-5-2," I announced, removing one more defender and strengthening the midfield more. "We've already done this once; we can do it again. I know we haven't practiced, but everyone knows their job. Micah, you're in, replacing Nico. Sorry, bud, this isn't personal." And it really wasn't, but he was the weakest in our defensive line, and both Hudson and Aaron were needed. Our other defender, Maverick, was already benched, so Nico got a great chance at least playing. "Let's move the ball in the midfield, and if you have the shot, take it. Seb, position well in case you're needed. Midfielders, do not lose the ball, do not let the midfield break up. Show them why we are better, and let's fucking score."

The guys cheered, minus Nico, who looked pissed off as hell, but I couldn't find it in me to care.

"We need defenders who can play midfield too," Coach Parker said to an annoyed Nico, who shrugged and walked off like the childish asshole he was. "You made the right decision, Aarons."

I wasn't doubting my decision, not even close, but it was good to get feedback. I didn't second-guess myself or worry about what people might think of me. At that moment, my only thought was winning, and I was willing to make whatever decision was necessary to achieve that.

With a nod, I glanced at the team. "Everyone good with their position and assignment?" I asked, looking at every single one of them.

They all nodded as I held their gaze, and I let out a satisfied grin. "Let's go, then!" Liam clamped me on the back as we jogged to the pitch, and he flashed me a wide grin.

"What?" I asked, not daring to look at the stands. I knew Ivy might have been there watching me, as Nova told me she talked to her. But I hadn't even dared glance toward my parents or friends, not wanting to lose my newfound cool calmness and confidence.

"You're really growing into this captain role, captain."

"That's the point, isn't it?" I asked with a grin and focused on the ball that was being played between two of our players. "Or am I supposed to keep sucking at it?"

"It just felt like..." Liam shrugged as he caught the ball, and we both made our way toward the opponent's goal.

I didn't look for Derek, as he wasn't there. I didn't seek out Sebastian. I saw Maddox from my peripheral vision move in, and Liam passed the ball to him, moving it toward the goal.

I picked up my pace, and running faster felt easier thanks to all the running I did with Ivy. I was less tired, stronger, and I even enjoyed it.

Positioning behind one defender, I made sure I wasn't offside as I signaled to my teammate to make the goal-pass.

Maddox moved around his own defender and kicked the ball in a nice, curved line straight to my feet.

I pivoted in place, and as soon as the ball touched the grass, I kicked it toward the goal. I didn't need to pull any tricks, and I didn't stop to overthink or second-guess.

The worst thing that could happen was I'd miss, and we'd try again.

But there was nothing worse than not taking the chance.

And as I watched the ball land in the net, I felt the heaviness settle onto me, my chest aching.

We basically won at that point; there was no way their defensive strategy was going to score unless we fucked up the last ten minutes.

The whole team celebrated as they all jumped on me, doing our usual celebration after the goal. But my head was already somewhere else, onto the next task.

And as I turned toward the bleachers, scanning the crowd, looking for the familiar blue jerseys, I passed my cheering parents and stopped at the girls standing up and screaming. I watched their happy faces and their silly little dances. I saw Rosie screaming her lungs out, Nova hugging Brooklyn, and Paige standing on her seat trying to talk to Alfie. They were all there, cheering us on and supporting. All but one.

That one empty seat cut me deeper than anything else as that uncomfortable weight suffocated me.

"You did it," Maddox shouted. "We basically won!"

I cracked a soft smile, but it wasn't close to what I was supposed to feel.

"I was going to say... it felt like you stopped pleasing everyone and used a different strategy," Liam finished his sentence as he approached me, and the game resumed, all of us settling into comfortably passing the ball between us just to kill time as the opponents ran between us.

"Yeah, maybe I just stopped giving a fuck about what everyone thinks," I muttered as I kicked the ball away when the defender approached.

Liam scoffed, and we watched as Oliver caught the ball and passed it to Maddox. It was a fun little game to play, but for the first time in my life, I wanted the game to be over.

I was expecting a more exciting or tougher final. Yeah, breaking through their defense was not easy, but it wasn't impossible. The game against the Lions was way more challenging.

Maddox jogged over to me, playing the ball between his feet with some cool foot movement before he passed it on.

I took a deep breath and played the opponent a bit, moving the ball at impossible lightning speed, doing my favorite tricks, and confusing him before I laughed and moved the ball to Micah.

That was why I loved soccer—the adrenaline rush I got when I moved the ball like that. There was nothing better than it.

"Ivy isn't here," I muttered to Maddox as I walked over to him. I should have probably run, pretended like this game was still ongoing when we all resigned and believed in our win. "I just looked up."

Maddox swore under his breath and stopped next to me. "Listen, I know you are upset over it, but you practically ghosted her. And while Nova went to talk to her, I doubt she felt welcomed to come. But after the game, I can help you write a message and—"

My eyes caught movement behind Maddox, and I narrowed my eyes at Coach Parker. I didn't even realize both of us had stopped to chat, and Coach seemed pissed off about it.

"What?" I shrugged, staring at him, just as Maddox grabbed my shoulder and turned me toward the game.

Micah lost the ball, and the opposing team was running away with it toward our goal.

"Fuck," I swore as we both broke into a sprint to catch up with the other players. Liam and Andrew were closing in on the guy with the ball, while Aaron and Hudson did their best to position and block. But by changing the strategy, we only had two defenders, and our whole strategy was built on the midfield not letting go of the ball possession. Micah clearly fucked up, which happened because he wasn't as used to playing as we were. He was never a starter.

It happened because I stopped to discuss my non-existent love life with Maddox. Both of us were more focused on what to do with Ivy than on the finals.

"Max to the right," Maddox shouted ahead, his voice reaching me as I rounded the other players to the right. I was surprisingly damn fast, and while my thoughts about Ivy might have doomed us, she helped me improve tremendously.

I was in line with the guy who was about to reach our goal line and score. And with no defense there to stop it, it was up to me to somehow take the ball.

The distance between us was getting smaller as my thighs burned from the incredible speed I pulled from my reserves, but I was still far from catching up and kicking the ball from him. There were not that many options—just one that I had never pulled off.

I tried it once and almost ended up in the hospital with an injury, but it was now or never.

I almost won the finals for the team, but if I lost it because I lost focus—the one thing Ander wanted for me to do—I was never going to forgive myself.

With a deep breath, I pumped my legs as fast as I could and pushed off the ground, landing headfirst on the grass right next to the ball and sliding it away from the opponent.

His foot connected with my abdomen as he tripped over my body, not having enough time to register me lying there, and he rolled over me.

The whistle sounded as I lay in the grass and groaned, looking up at the red card held by the referee.

I was expecting a yellow one, but hey, at least I did my best.

Liam and Oliver bent over me and offered me their hands. "That was sick, dude."

"How the fuck did you run so fast?"

"Not fast enough," I muttered, twisting my neck from side to side.

"You could have broken your neck," Maddox said, blowing out a long breath as he caught up to us.

I shrugged and grinned. "Guess I went out with a bang."

They all laughed, and I saluted them. "Try not to lose the ball again... I can't leave you guys alone for a second without adult supervision."

"We'll try our best, Captain."

I walked off the field, my entire body aching from the impact I took, and I tried to hide my grin as I passed the very pissed-off referee, opponent, and Coach Parker.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Coach Parker shouted at me, and I winced despite my shit-eating grin.

"You always told us to use our heads, Coach. I did just that."

I caught a glimpse of Coach McCarthy turning away to hide his laugh as Coach Parker shook his head.

"Get off the field."

"Yes, Coach," I saluted him as I walked off the field, laughing to myself.

I was totally going down as the worst Captain of the year, but I didn't really care. All that mattered was that I really did try my best and made impulse decisions without overthinking too much. And it felt fucking liberating doing that.

"Did you just repost all your photos with Ivy?" Nova screamed as I exited the changing room to meet up with the girls and our fans and hopefully get some dinner.

"Congrats on the big win, Max, your goal was so impressive, and your slide tackle was the best I have seen. You are truly an asset to this team, and we are so lucky to have you as captain," I corrected Nova with a grin. "That's what you meant to say, right?"

"No." She grimaced, not even giving me a hug—just crossing her arms and staring at me. Maddox's jersey was way too big on her tiny body and looked even more ridiculous as she put a coat over it.

"Yes, I did," I replied to her question, confirming what I did during the last minutes of the game instead of watching my team win.

"Why?" she asked, her face a mix of confusion and surprise. "Like, why now?"

"Something Maddox said on the field got me thinking—"

"You mean when you guys were supposed to be playing soccer instead of asking for dating advice," Nova interrupted me.

"Not exactly how it happened." I narrowed my eyes at her, still grinning. "But it did end in a kind of advice until we were rudely interrupted by... you know... the game."

"What the fuck did you do to Maximilian Aarons?" She stared at me like I had gone completely crazy.

And maybe I had.

I didn't consider that possibility, but it was a real possibility.

"I think he's been replaced with a clone." Liam appeared behind me, his arms around Brooklyn already. They'd been dating since freshman year of high school, and they still acted so madly in love it was disgustingly sweet.

"Definitely," Maddox agreed, his mouth curving into a grin as he carried the trophy. "You forgot it in the changing room because you were too busy staring at your phone."

"Keep giving me shit." I shook my head, unbothered. "I don't care."

"You unarchived all but the one where your hair looked bad," Alfie jumped on the let's-make-fun-of-Max train, and I grimaced.

I had great friends. Truly.

"I did post a photo of all of us with the trophy," I muttered in my defense. "I even tagged you all as collaborators or whatever that shit is."

"Look at you, buddy, all grown up knowing how to use social media. I'm so proud of you," Liam cooed, making me want to punch him.

Instead, I rolled my eyes.

"Fuck off."

"You only posted that so people would go to your profile and see all the Ivy pictures," Dex said, leaning on his crutches. His grin was wide as he joined us, and we made sure he was included in the trophy team picture. After all, we owed him this win too.

"If you're all done with whatever this is." I motioned around our little circle. "I'm starving."

"I like this new Maximilian," Maddox observed. "You are cooler."

"Less of a softie," Alfie nodded.

"Maybe even a bit of a dick," Dex added.

I sighed as I looked over all of them. "Can we get pizza or burgers?"

Everyone laughed at me, and I couldn't even be bothered anymore. The pressure in my chest didn't ease, and I honestly didn't care about anything anymore. Winning felt great, but without Ivy there to share it with, it felt bittersweet.

I glanced at my phone; she had probably received thousands of notifications of me tagging her again in all the old pictures, and she could hopefully understand that was step number one for me to start winning her back.

But no message awaited me.

Frustrated, I opened up our text message chain and typed:

Sorry for the spam, but it was way overdue to unarchive our pics. I hope you don't mind.

"Smooth, but no," Nova muttered from behind me and took the phone from my hand, reading the message to everyone.

All my friends snickered.

"Missed you at the game today and wink emoji," Dex offered.

"That sounds like I'm booty calling."

"And her screaming your name sounded like you already bumped uglies, so don't act all innocent and holier than thou." Maddox rolled his eyes.

I almost gasped, but then I remembered I did make her come as loud as possible the day before the semi-finals, and there was not one ounce of regret within me for doing it.

"Fair point," I nodded, glancing at my phone. "So, shall I write, ‘I'm sorry you missed the game'?"

"No, write, ‘I missed you at the game,'" Dex repeated himself. "Do you want me to type it?"

"You have crutches," I scrunched my nose, looking at him.

Rosie slid the phone from my hand and threw it at Derek. "We will deal with this opening. You clearly suck at it. I hope you are better at flirting in real life."

Was I? Probably not.

My face must have given me away as everyone laughed again.

I seriously needed to reconsider my choice of friends.

"Hey, Max!" someone called my name from the shadows, and I turned to glance at Eric McCarthy rushing toward me, his friend-shadow Zoya behind him. I never asked him what their relationship was, but clearly, I sucked at this whole romance thing, so it was better I didn't meddle in other people's business. "Great game! Congrats, guys!"

"Thanks, Eric." The guys grinned at Coach McCarthy's son, and I stepped to meet him.

"What's up?"

"How's your head?" Eric laughed, and I shrugged. "Seriously, that was insane. I don't get why you got a red card when there was no intent to injure."

"I think this referee was pissed off at me since the semi-finals and was looking for an excuse to send me off." I lifted a shoulder as I pocketed my hands.

"Can I see the trophy?" he asked, glancing at Maddox behind me.

"Sure, go ahead," I waved him off and stared at the shadow appearing behind him and turning into someone I had never seen live in my whole life. I felt a little starstruck as a legend stood in front of me. "Holy shit..." I whispered, staring at Aiden Hitchings. An American prodigy who played for the better part of his life for FC Barcelona and made the American National Team the best in history. His blonde hair still looked as messy as in all his team shots, and he was still as fit as if he came off the field just yesterday. He also happened to be married to Coach McCarthy's mother, which kind of made him his stepdad.

"I'm Aiden Hitchings," he introduced himself as he extended his hand to me.

"I know who you are." I gaped at him like an idiot before grabbing his hand and shaking it. "Sorry, I'm Maximilian Aarons."

"I know who you are too." He flashed me a half smile, and I almost fainted. He knew my name? "Sky won't shut up about you, and I have to hand it to him—you have some sick footwork when you actually focus."

"Yeah... thank you." I ran my fingers through my hair and gave a shy smile. Was he actually complimenting me? "I don't usually get distracted, but I got a bit caught up in some stupid shit. It was the first and only time, sincerely. I usually take this very seriously."

Aiden hummed, looking over me. "I sure hope you do. It was great to see you play live finally. You've got good technique, and I'm impressed with your speed as well."

I grinned at him like an idiot. Sure, sounded like he was complimenting me.

"You run for fun, I presume?"

"Yes, sir." I nodded with a stupid grin. "My girlfriend loves long runs, and we run together."

As soon as the words left me, I realized I forgot to use the past tense, and it was too late to take them back.

Shit.

"You have a girlfriend?" Aiden arched his brow, and I shook my head.

"Ex-girlfriend, actually. The whole fake dating fiasco that ESPN loved reporting?" I sighed as I dug myself into a deeper hole.

A ghost of a smile hinted at Aiden's lips. "I presume that was the pressing matter you and your teammate were discussing in the middle of the game?"

I blew out a long breath and chuckled. "Yeah... not my finest moment, but I looked up, and she wasn't there, and I don't know why I was expecting her to be there. Well, clearly because I love her... but you know... I should probably shut up."

Aiden let out a low laugh. "Oh, to be young and in love."

"Yeah, not so great," I shook my head.

"Come on, Grandpa, have you seen the size of this?" Eric shouted, and I almost choked on air.

Did he say Grandpa? I sure as hell heard that.

Looking back, Maddox and Dex both looked equally horrified as we all glanced back at the soccer legend in front of us.

"Listen, it was really great to meet you," he said, nodding to me, unfazed by the Grandpa part. "I'm sure I'll see you around."

"Thank you for coming," I nodded back with a wide grin. "It was amazing to meet you in person."

Aiden clamped my shoulder as he passed me and stood next to Eric to take a look at the trophy before congratulating my very starstruck team.

"Gosh, he is hot," Rosie gaped after him. "Blonde hair, incredibly blue eyes... I don't care how old he is, I love him."

"I literally look the same," Dex commented, his voice offended. "You don't say that about me!"

I laughed at his disappointed puppy face, but my happiness was short-lived as he threw my phone back at me.

"Asshole," I muttered as I caught it at the last minute before it hit the pavement and swiped, checking my messaging thread with Ivy.

Missed you at the game today, Blossom. I wished you were there.

"The words you are searching for are ‘thank you,'" Dex corrected me with a grin. "Now, wait for the magic to happen."

I stared at the chat for several minutes, where there were no dots, nothing appearing at all, before I pocketed the device and rejoined the conversation.

"Since we're not driving back today, I vote we get drunk," I announced to my friends.

The season was over. My National Team career was over. I could be just Max until next August and not worry about soccer and my image anymore.

"Look at this—Max is learning to let go of things he can't control," Nova jumped on my back as I headed toward the parking lot and our cars.

"Letting go? Not yet. Rather drinking them away as step one."