Try and Catch Me (Published)

Chapter 21: Lucky Charm

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Chapter 21: Lucky Charm

It was a miracle. I felt blessed. Finally, something good happened to me. The sky ultimately opened up above me and sprinkled down little pieces of heaven. Angel kisses littered my body. Nothing in the entire world could've made me happier. It was as if God himself came down and blessed me and me only.

We lost divisions.

I know. I should've been hysterically. While crying, I should've locked myself in my room. Maybe I should have even skipped school for a couple days because of the devastating news. Maddie did. But that was the only problem, I wasn't devastated. This was the best news I had heard since Aspen asked me out.

Speaking of Aspen...

"I'm so sorry you lost," Aspen had said to me over the phone. He couldn't have been there for the game, which I was slightly happy about. It was embarrassing to have him come to all my games to watch me on the bench. Seriously, every time he came I wanted to claw my eyes out and hide beneath the ground with Satan himself. Anything would have been better than seeing the disappointment on his face when I didn't get called in.

"It's okay," I said. "Can I actually tell you a secret?" My voice grew to a hush.

"Of course."

Sitting on my plush office chair, I looked outside at the front yard. The streetlights were all slowly turning on. Soon, the sprinklers would sputter to life as they did every Friday night. I didn't even understand why we had sprinklers. It rained every five minutes in Florida, so what was the need for them?

"I prayed that we would lose. I wished on every star, and I even wished when the clock hit 11:11," I confessed. "Anything to get out of another stupid game."

"Branson," he said slowly. My heart sped up and my stomach did many flips as if it was on a roller coaster. But then, Aspen said the unimaginable. He said, "I totally understand."

"You do?" I swore I had hearing damage from Maddison practically biting off my ear every soccer game.

"I do," Aspen confirmed. "I wished I had the guts to want to lose so badly. But if the guys found out I wanted us to lose, they would kill me." I laughed. "No I'm serious Branson. You wouldn't see me at school the next day, and then when you would go out and look for me you'd find me in the dumpster behind the gymnasium. Dead as a doornail."

"That's harsh."

"I speak the truth."

"Were divisions really that awful?" I asked.

"That's correct," he sighed.

"That sucks, sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Once you go to states it isn't all that bad. You get to room with your buds and eat loads of food for free." He talked with such excitement. I knew that he was smiling, and that made me smile for him. He said he hated soccer, but I didn't think that was true. Deep down, he loved all the attention he got from the game, and he wished that I loved that attention too. If I loved it, then we would have been the best power couple out there.

"Good luck at states," I finally said, escaping my thoughts.

"Thanks. I wish you were coming."

Aspen had asked me to go with him that weekend up to Orlando, where states were being held. They were having it at the Disney ESPN stadium and he said that on Sunday we could even go to Disney. It sounded nice, and Aspen really wanted to go with me. When he asked me, his eyes wouldn't stop shining. His teeth were sparkling as he smiled through the entire conversation. It took a lot in me to say no. The look on his face when I said that word was awful. It was as if the entire life was sucked out of him. The truth was that I didn't feel comfortable going with Aspen away for the weekend. He was the man of my dreams, but when it came to reality, I was frightened. He made me nervous when he looked at me. Whenever his eyes landed on me, it was like I was naked and he was seeing every inch of my creased up body.