Emery's pov

The soccer ball is my favourite object to play with. Yeah, a soccer ball. The thing is, I don't just use it for fun. I am pretty damn serious when it comes to soccer.

I'm not just a girl who plays soccer, nah, I play for the best team in our school. Not only that, I'm their best player, an offensive player too.

In only my sophomore year, I'm already the best.

I might be the best but for some reason, my name isn't all too popular. Because maybe I'm not a jock? Eh, the name's Emery Blackwell. Yes, my name is that and as I said I'm the best soccer player who is actually smart. Yeah, I'm just kidding. I'm just moody and sarcastic all the time. I've heard of it too many times from my teammates.

Speaking of them, it's not hard to be the best when the other girls aren't that good either.

Ok, our school is just lucky to have a soccer team for girls. They pride in that. For instance, there's no basketball team for girls. Yeah, no just the basketball team for guys. They aren't even that good! Ok, except Maverick Campbell their captain but that's beside the point!

Even if I enjoy being on the field running with the ball, sometimes being the best player is hard. Yeah, it can actually be hard. The pressure to be the best all the time is not cool at all.

We might be in 2023 but soccer players still get heavily pressured to always be the best no matter what. Even more so girls. Still to this day, some don't believe girls can compete in soccer or whatever.

Because of that, this year I don't want anything more but to win the championships. I want to prove those haters wrong with my team. Though, that's adding more pressure on myself.

Ugh, enough with the pressure stuff. I need to chill a bit.

Classes have yet to start too so I better go chill. Chilling is easy but not the way I do it.

You see, I'm hiding a secret. I actually smoke. It's illegal to do so as a soccer player, at least for my team the Spirits.

I started smoking a few months ago and realized that it helps me to relax a lot.

Through, as I don't want to get caught, I go to a secret place close to the school and ask to smoke with someone else. Who's that person? Oh, well I'm going to see them now.

I leave my locker and ignore the attention on me. I even ignore Maykayla's stare at me. She's been annoying me since yesterday and ugh, just thinking about it pisses me off.

I get outside and walk in the direction of my secret place. It's not at school as smoking is illegal there.

I step out of the schoolyard and walk a bit till I see the one with my smokes behind a tree.

Ugh, I don't even like that person but I have to go either way. Or else I can't smoke.

I arrive and see them. They smile. Ugh, jerk.

"Hey, took you some time to come here."

"How'd you know I'd come here?" I say annoyed.

"Oh, come on, we both know you come every morning to escape your reality." He smiles as he takes a drag of his cigarette.

"Ethan, stop talking about that and give me a cig," I say annoyed.

"Chill out girl. You gotta relax. It's not even 9. Who's got you in such a sour mood?" He says nonchalantly.

"Ethan..." I glare and give a death stare.

"Ok, ok, here's your cig."

He takes out a cigarette from his pack as he takes a drag of his own. Then, he hands it to me.

"Happy?" He says smiling. Ugh...That guy pisses me off.

"Lighter dummy?" I say annoyed.

"Sh*t, my bad."

He hands me his lighter and I light my cigarette. Then, I start taking drags of it and instantly relax.

"Better?"

"Yeah," I say coldly.

We both take drags of our smokes.

While we do, I can't help but look at Ethan.

Ethan White. I don't know much about him but what I do know is that he's a bad boy and a psycho. He's crazy!

I'm pretty damn sure he has money but hides it. I heard rumours that he sells drugs. He probably doesn't know how crazy he is.

Brown hair, blue eyes, piercings on both his ears, half-shaven slight beard, slightly tall, though not done with puberty, slight build, not anything too crazy, jeans jacket designed, designed jeans with holes. Yeah, that's basically what describes him.

He has no friends really or else he wouldn't let me be here. He's an ass that is the bad boy you want to avoid. Nobody messes with him. Through, I know other bad boys, I have names in mind.

"Hey...you have a game tonight, don't ya?" I take a drag of my cigarette.

"Yeah, I do why?" I say confused about what he's hitting at.

"That's what bothers you right?"

"What did I say about personal matters?" I say pissed off. I take another drag of my cigarette.

"There's nothing to talk about!"

"Because I have nothing to say to you."

"Not my fault that you're being boring."

"Oh yeah? Not my fault you're a pest?" I challenge. He takes a few drags of his cigarette.

"A pest...I guess I own that name." He seemed sad at first but now he's smiling proudly.

"Yeah, you totally do."

"Other than soccer, what else do you do?"

"Why the f**k are you asking that?" I take a drag of my smoke.

"I'm curious! Silence sucks!"

"Ugh, smoking does that count?"

"Yeah...Nah."

"You're annoying you know that?"

"And you're boring." He smiles as he takes one of the last drags of his cigarette.

Silence comes back as we both finish our cigarettes but not long through.

We both let the rest of our cigarettes fall to the grass and destroy it with our shoes.

"Hey, I heard a rumour you kissed a girl. Is that true?" He says curious.

"And I heard you sell drugs."

"Fine, we both have rumours about us. Why not we tell the truth since we are smoke bodies?"

"Are you crazy?! No."

"Aw, you know you can trust me. I won't go around telling anything. It's not like I have people to tell either."

"You really want to know about the rumour about me?"

"Yeah, it's not like it's a big deal. I don't care if you like girls. Screw those that think liking girls is a bad thing." Oh? I thought he would be homophobic knowing he's a jerk and a bad boy.

"You really don't mind that?"

"Why would I? Oh, you thought I'd be against it? I'm not. My parents are but I'm not."

"So, would it bother you if you were gay?"

"What?! No!" He says terrified at the idea.

"Then, you're not all that open about gay stuff."

"I just don't want to be gay, doesn't mean I hate other gay people." He says offended and pissed off.

"Sure" I smirk.

"So, you gay or not?" He says annoyed even if he is smirking.

"Do you sell drugs or not?" I say dead seriously.

"So, you're interested in drugs?" He says smirking.

"Stop playing the fool and cut to the chase."

"Well, if I had some on me, I could sell some."

"Nice, I'm next to a criminal," I say faking uneasiness.

"Hey! I'm not that bad!"

"You know I'm just kidding?"

"Emery! Don't scare me like that!" He yells made

"Shh, don't yell my name. Nobody can know I'm with you."

"So, I'm your dirty little secret?" He smirks.

"Not really?"

"You sure? I wouldn't mind doing you."

"First off, ew Ethan and secondly, are you a psycho?!"

"Woah, I didn't know you hated the thought of you and me in my bed that much." He fakes a hurt tone.

"Not interested in rich guys." His smile disappears entirely.

"How do you know I have money?"

"It's obvious! Your last name is known and your clothes scream money!" He checks his clothes.

"Fine...you win. I do live in a mansion or whatever. Don't you ever talk about that again, ok?"

"Why not?"

"I hate it there." He says melancholic.

"Excuse me? I didn't hear that correctly." I tease him.

"I don't like living with money."

"Everyone would kill to have your life."

"Just, forget it."

"Fine..."

Seems like I'm not the only that hates talking about personal matters.

"Speaking of which, you have yet to tell me if you liked girls are nah." He smirks

"I did kiss a girl, happy?" I say annoyed.

"Oh, really? So, you like girls?"

"Nah, I like both."

"Nice" He smiles lightly. Hmm...strange.

I check the time and panic when I notice the bell rang 2 minutes ago.

"Sh*t! The bell rang 2 minutes ago! I have to go!"

"Wait a sec."

"I don't have time for your jokes!"

"Take this." He hands me a bottle of...perfume?

"What's that?"

"It's a perfume. It'll cover up your scent. You still reek of cigarettes."

"Sh*t, I didn't realize that!"

"Then, go."

I put some of the perfume on and run to geography class.

——————-

Luckily for me, Makayla wasn't in Geography class but Maverick her dear boyfriend and oh boy, I might have witnessed something I wasn't supposed to witness.

Maverick kept looking at a guy, Charlie, I believe. The way he looks at him isn't all that friendly, how should I put it? It's quite intense, it's not like Maverick to do that nor to his teammate. He must be really interested in Charlie.

Anyways, Makayla has to watch out because that guy caught her boo's attention.

Eh, why do I care? Drama is not my thing and especially not regarding those two. They piss me off. Especially yesterday.

I don't know why they did that. They never bother me like that. They could mind their own business and then there was Makayla saying she wants to be nice to me. As much as I want to believe her, I don't. I can't trust such a wannabe girl like her. She has ulterior motives for sure.

She's annoying and I hope her new sudden interest in me will disappear.

It's not that it bothers me that a girl is so interested in me, in fact, I enjoy it but not from a girl like Makayla. She doesn't like girls for sure, she has a boyfriend dang it! No interest in that.

I like having some fun here and there. Yeah, what I told Ethan is true, I swing both ways. Girls and guys are both pretty and interesting, though not him, he's a pain in the ass.

I've already gotten involved with some guys but others don't know as much. I'm not that popular see? My personal life is under wraps for some reason. People are way more interested in a plastic girl like Makayla than me, which is fine. I don't want to be popular.

Besides, I like to joke about sexuality but being bisexual is no joke. I'm not officially out but I don't hide it either. Why would I?

People think I automatically like only girls when they see me kiss a girl like the other day, when I kiss a guy they think I only like guys. It's ridiculous! How on earth people still haven't understood that bisexuality is a thing?! Not only gays exist damn it!

Anyways, it's pointless being mad at those haters. It won't lead anywhere.

It's not nearly as bad as my embarrassing family situation I never talk about. My mom is quite distant with me, aloof even, ok maybe just like I am but it's my dad that's the worst.

He's in jail. Yeah, he did some drug deals, fighting and whatnot. Still don't know what it is after all those years. Just know it's some nasty sh*t. He's been in that dumpster for years already and I don't even contact him.

Basically, everyone knows he's in jail as it got into the news a few years ago. There used to be lots of shade and criticism thrown towards my mom and me but I got used to it.

Sometimes I still get compared to my dad, as I'm as fierce as him and strong too. Though, I don't care. If they want to shame me, f**k it huh?

Even if it's that, I don't like speaking about my dark past because it's all in the past, it doesn't matter anymore.

I leave my locker and as I do so I notice Ethan getting into school, then strolling the halls all smugly but I ignore him. Nobody can know I'm associated with him. I'll be damned. The school bad boy? Come on, who knows he skipped the first class after this morning. Eh, he probably did.

Luckily he doesn't notice me but it's another figure I notice strolling around that notices me. It's Makayla and her boyfriend. Automatically, I don't like that at all as soon as she smiles at me. Ugh, what does she want? Can't she go on to before? I only helped once, once! I don't even know why I did it!

The bell rings not too long after unfortunately and I realize that she's in my English class. Ugh, I hope she doesn't try to talk to me.

I take my things and head there. I get in and sit down at my usual place. I expect Makayla to sit next to Maverick as she always does but just like yesterday, she sits right in front of me. Dang it! Just my luck!

"Hey" She turns and smiles at me, I ignore her while staring at her coldly.

"Don't ignore me, Emery, I'm just being nice."

"And what if I don't wish to play nice?" Her smile twitches but remains in place. Wow, such a fake.

"Why are you being so mean to me, Emery? You have no reason to. You helped me yesterday."

"Yeah, that was yesterday, today's a new day." I feel the entire look at us, especially Maverick interestedly.

"Today's a new day? Then, how about I help you today?"

"Cut the crap, Makayla. What do you want?" If she's offended she doesn't show it.

"I just want to be friends with you, you seem so cool." Cool?

"Cool? I'm not that cool."

"I think you're underestimating yourself. You are really cool. Your soccer skills are phenomenal." How the hell does she know that?!

"You watch me play?" I say slightly surprised.

"Oh...uh yeah. I saw you once but I would like to see you play again!" She says embarrassed at first then confident.

I want to say something but Ms. McLeod starts the class.

Throughout the class, Makayla doesn't talk but she steals glances at me. What's her problem? Why's she doing that?

The class ends and I'm ready to leave but she doesn't let me.

"You should eat with Maverick's gang and I's. I'd love to get to know some more about you. You're quite interesting." She says smiling brightly. What is she trying to get at?

"Yeah, I think I'll pass on that offer." Her smile twitches but remains.

Wow, I admire that girl for being able to keep her smile. I would've killed that person already.

"Oh, it's fine then. We'll do it another time."

Before she leaves with her boyfriend, he, Maverick, smiles at me but I glare, so he glares back at me.

They finally leave together, then I leave too and let out a breath of relief.

What was that? Why was Maverick smiling at me despite not liking me all that much? Is he behind this? Is there something I don't know?

Seriously, why would that girl of all people be suddenly interested in me and ask me to eat with her? That's so strange. I'm not new to this school, I'm their best soccer player damnit!

Why could she possibly want? Does she want to hook up or something? What the hell no! Emery! Why would you think that? She's straight and has a girlfriend. She couldn't possibly be into girls, that's ridiculous. Oh, whatever, I better forget about this and go take a smoke with Ethan if I find him.

——————-

It's the end of the school day and luckily Makayla hasn't bothered me since then. It's as if that turning down earlier made her give up whatever this is.

As I have a soccer game, I head to the changing room but before I do so, I notice something strange. Maverick is at his locker without his girlfriend, no he's with that guy Charlie laughing and I believe another guy called Kilian. It's Charlie's friend, isn't it? That's really strange. Did she already leave for Cheerleading practice or something?

"Hey!" I turn around immediately and notice Makayla in her cheer clothes.

"What do you want?"

"Good luck with your game!" She winks and leaves.

What was that? Did Makayla Shewell who has a boyfriend really just flirted with me? What...?