Heart Attack

2

Jesse

When I got there, the team was standing around one end of the kitchen island while Bryn's sister stood on the other side, looking at the team. I still didn't have a clue on what her name was. I hid somewhere in the back, wanting to know what was going on without disturbing them.

"So-" She started. "I wanted to start by saying I'm sorry that you didn't win the match." She looked them all in the eye. "We all know the keeper gets a lot of backlash if one loses but Tristan did an amazing job today." How the hell could she know? She didn't even watch the game! She was right though. "The first goal against you was obviously off-side, the referee really should get his glasses checked." A mischievous smirk played on her lips. Maybe I was a bit too fast thinking she was a simple bookworm. "I already emailed him a list of the top ophthalmologist in the area."

She was joking, right? The whole team laughed, and Bryn gave her a look that said more than words. Like 'again, sis?' She definitely did just that.

"But the second goal-" She said and they all fell quiet. They didn't even listen to me like that, and I was their captain. "Was largely the fault because of our defenders. Louis, James -" She sighed tilting her head a little. "I know you two are on rocky grounds right now -" What was she talking about? Did I miss something? "But you two should have had that worked out by now and if you can't, try to leave it off the field. You don't want to lose the championship over some girl, do you?"

They both murmured something incoherent as they shuffled their feet. "Jake -" She smiled at him. "You played amazing today. The goal you made was a bit too much showmanship for my taste, but a goal nonetheless." Jake puffed his chest with a proud grin. "But if -"

I couldn't stand it anymore, I needed to say something. I stepped forward and interrupted her. "I'm sorry, but who do you think you are?!"

The heads of my teammates snapped towards me with their eyes big, looking like they were busted. Except Jake and Bryn, they leaned back against the counter, their intense stare fixed on me. Bryn's sister turned her head slowly. Not an emotion on her – damn! Now that I saw her up close, she was stunning. She had the same hair colour as Bryn, the same straight nose, even the same small birthmark just below their jawline. But her blue eyes were a shade lighter and her face rounder, her hair curled around her jaw.

I cleared my throat, looking past her beauty. "In case you forgot, I am the captain of this team. And I tell my team what went wrong or what went well. I was in the game; you had your head buried in a book!"

She leaned her elbows on the kitchen island and looked up at me totally unfazed. That's when I saw a rose-gold necklace hanging over her lace top. "If you were truly 'in the game'-" She actually used air quotes. "Then you might have won. When Bryn passed you the ball in the 67the minute, you were a few seconds too late which made you miss the open space to make the goal. But the other team was already in place by the time you paid attention."

"Do you know why I was distracted?"

"I wouldn't know." She said calmly, twirling the necklace between her fingers. The way she said it made my blood boil a little. Because she knew damn well what had happened.

"You almost blinded me with that metal bookmark of yours." I growled.

She shrugged. "Then you could have just looked away, but instead you kept looking at me until Bryn called for you."

"I -" She was right, but I couldn't let her win this. Of course, she noticed I had watched her as she apparently, by some magic goo-goo or something, could watch the entire game while reading. "This is my team. My place to go over the game, my place to encourage them or let them see what went wrong, how to do better."