They all jogged out to midfield when their names were called.
“Now for your starting lineup. Team captain and keeper, number one, Finn O’Brien!”
The crowd went wild as Finn ran out onto the field. He was a fan favorite and those fans were excited for a new season.
“On defense, number nine, Bastian Ramirez.”
Bastian ran out, pulling some kids from the youth soccer league with him. It was a special thing he did every game. The kids he ran out with got to stay on the field with the players during the national anthem. They had smiles that practically filled their whole faces as they joined the rest of the players at half-field.
“At mid-field, number eighty-seven, Pedro Barros.”
Miriam clapped along with everyone else as Barros jogged onto the field.
“On offense, and making his Storm return, number thirty-two, Silas Jenkins.”
Everything seemed to slow down. Miriam held her breath as Silas jogged out to the center of the field. His smile was wide as he lifted his hands above his head. Then he turned toward where she stood mindlessly clapping and winked at her.
Everything sped up and went back to normal. Though normal wasn’t exactly the right word because Miriam’s blood was boiling. That was the same gesture Silas used to make at her before every game—when they were dating.
He’d lost the right to do that when he left. Apparently, he’d also lost his mind if he thought he was allowed to do it now that he was back.
She vaguely registered the announcer calling two more names, but Silas had made it difficult to concentrate on what was going on.
“You okay?”
Miriam’s head snapped toward the sound of Harris’ voice. “Of course” was her snippy response.
“Are you sure? I think I can hear the sound of your teeth grinding over the announcer’s voice.”
A wave of embarrassment washed over her. She took a steadying breath. “It’s just—”
“Hard seeing an ex. I get it.”
Miriam nodded. “Yeah.”
It was hard seeing an ex, but this was different.
This wasn’t bumping into them at the grocery store and missing out on getting Oreos because you didn’t want to go down the same aisle as them. It felt especially hard since this particular ex showed up out of nowhere, technically worked with Miriam, and wanted to pretend like the last two years hadn’t happened.
Not that Miriam could say all that to Harris. Thankfully, she didn’t have to because a local singer was walking out to the middle of the field with a microphone in her hand. The entire crowd stood for the national anthem. Miriam tried to keep her gaze on the giant flag on the wall of the arena—now illuminated by a spotlight. But, try as she might, her traitorous eyes went to where the players were lined up.
At the same time, Silas’ head turned ever so slightly in her direction. His eyes met Miriam’s, and when he realized she was looking at him, he smiled widely. Even with the dimmed lights of the arena as the singer hit the high notes of the anthem, she could see the dimple on his left cheek.
She frowned at him and was thankful when the song finished. The crowd started cheering, and the lights came back on in preparation for kickoff. Players from both teams found their spots, and when the ref blew his whistle the field was filled with a flurry of movement.
It was the fast-paced nature of the game that had caused Miriam to fall in love with arena soccer in the first place. It was a completely different game from MLS or the EPL. It was almost like hockey and soccer had a baby, and that baby got the best from both of its parents. The field was much smaller, there were only five players plus the goalkeeper, and they used the walls around the field to bounce balls to their intended target. Plus, there was a DJ that played upbeat music the entire time.
Besides Silas Jenkins, what wasn’t there to love?
Miriam rested her hands on the board dividing the field from the floor seats and watched the game, trying her best to ignore the strange feeling in her chest every time Silas got the ball.
Vermont—a team with a high percentage of rookies—ran around chasing the ball as the Storm passed it expertly back and forth quickly moving into an offensive position. Bastian brought it upfield, side-booted it to Silas, who took a shot and...goal!
The sirens went off and the arena lights dimmed. Spotlights shone over the crowd for a moment before they landed on Silas and Bastian. All the players ran out in the middle of the field to slap their backs as the crowd cheered loudly.
Miriam’s eyes went to the clock.
14:13
Silas had gotten the first goal of the game—of the season—in less than a minute.
She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to be excited or upset that the golden boy had made such a triumphant return. Her eyes went to the jumble of players in the middle of the field. The ones who weren’t playing, slowly returned to the bench as the lights went back up.
Just like old times, Silas’ gaze found Miriam’s. He wore the same wide smile as earlier, but somehow, he looked younger at that moment. Like a child on Christmas morning who’d just opened the one present he’d wanted more than anything.
Miriam supposed that was a pretty accurate interpretation. Silas only cared about the game, and that play was sure to make the MASL highlights that week. Not only had it been made quickly, but Bastian had set it up perfectly. She kept her face neutral as he continued to look at her, and eventually he turned away.
The crowd settled down as the ball went back into play. It was going to be a long night for Vermont if they let goals like that in all night, but it looked like getting scored against so quickly gave them a renewed fervor. They started moving faster, they tightened up their passing, and they brought it up into the Storm’s goal. A forward from the other team took a shot that Finn easily caught. He then hurled the ball across the field putting it comfortably on the other side. The Storm took possession and took a few shots on goal, hitting the posts each time.
It went on like this for the first quarter, during which the Storm managed to get one more goal. It was scored by Cardosa, one of the mid-fielders, and got the same fanfare as before. When the buzzer went off signifying the end of the first quarter, players from both teams formed small huddles near the benches. At the same time, someone from business development went out on the field and talked about one of the team’s sponsors—a local insurance company.
Miriam struggled to pay attention. As someone who worked in the office, she should have been focused on the short program they’d put together promoting the business. But the players were so close, and Silas was right there.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It didn’t matter where Silas was. Miriam didn’t care. She’d just gotten caught up in the excitement of the game—an easy thing to do—and had nearly forgotten the heartache golden boy had put her through.
Nearly. A mistake she wouldn’t make again.
When her phone buzzed with a text that Allie had arrived, Miriam was relieved for the excuse to leave the arena. She needed a little fresh air. A trip to the concession stand with Allie was exactly what the doctor ordered.
“I’m going to go get some nachos and a soda,” she said to Harris, who had been surprisingly quiet the entire game after their brief discussion about exes. “Want anything?”
His eyes went to the players, still in their huddle, before returning to Miriam. He shook his head. “Nah, I think I’m good.”
“Suit yourself,” she said, a little too cheerfully, before she walked out of the arena.
Once she was away from the loudspeakers, music, and fans, she could think more clearly. Miriam could see how ridiculous the pull she had felt toward Silas in the arena had been. It was the team mentality. Cheering so close to the action made fans feel like they were part of the Storm, and that made fans excited about their victories.
Then why did you only feel the pull toward Silas?
Miriam didn’t want to dwell on that thought and thankfully,
Allie was already in front of the concession stand.
Her friend looked up. “You surviving?”
“If wanting to jump onto the field to kiss and punch Silas is surviving, then sure.”
“Oh, Miriam. Neither one of those says ‘I’m over him.’”
She sighed. “I know.” Miriam wasn’t over Silas. She didn’t think she’d ever completely gotten over him in the time he was gone—not that she hadn’t tried.
Allie jerked her head at the woman standing behind the counter who was waiting for them to order. “Stuffing our faces with nachos might help.”
“If I keep trying to solve this with food, I’m going to gain a hundred pounds by the end of the season.”
“In that case.” Allie turned to the woman. “We’ll take an order of nachos, a giant pretzel, and two churros.”
Miriam’s eyes were wide. That was way too much for the two of them, but Allie was already pulling out her credit card to pay. Once they got their food, Miriam started to walk back into the arena.
Allie grabbed her arm and shook her head. “Nope. You are not allowed to go back in there.”
“I have to be in there.”
Allie lifted a brow.
“Fine, my attendance isn’t actually required at the game. But I can’t just leave either. Someone has to man the Storm table at halftime.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re loyal to a fault?”
Miriam smiled. “My annoying best friend tells me all the time.”
“See?” Allie laughed. “You tell me how annoying I am all the time, and we’re still best friends. Loyal to a fault.”
Miriam shook her head. “There’s nothing wrong with loyalty.”
“You’re right.” Allie shoved a chip in her mouth. “But right now, it’s holding you back. You could totally work for a bigger team—a better team—if you would get past your misguided obligation to stay with the Storm.”
Miriam shifted on her feet. “It’s not misguided. The team has been good to me.”
“Okay.” Allie rolled her eyes. “I’m just saying you might discover there’s a bright and shiny world out there if you look past the things that are right in front of you.”
“Maybe I like the things that are in front of me.”
“Like I said, loyal to a fault.”
If Allie said loyal one more time… “So, if we’re not going back in to watch the game, what are we doing?”
Allie shrugged. “Let’s go hang out at your favorite place, the Storm table. We’ll eat our feelings. And if anyone asks, you can pretend like you were talking to crazy fans who couldn’t get enough swag.” Allie smacked Miriam’s arm. “Come on, it’ll be fun.”
Miriam laughed at her friend’s idea of fun, but relented. Manning a low-traffic table would be better than trying to watch Silas play with Harris on one side and Allie on the other.
She quickly sent a text to Harris letting him know that she and Allie would be watching the table for the rest of the game, dug into her nachos, and tried to carry on a conversation with Allie.
If only her attention didn’t keep going to the cheers that came from the arena for the rest of the game.
Silas
Coach kept his post-game talk short after their eight-to-three win against the Vipers. Once he was done, Silas had jumped up from his seat and rushed out of the locker room and onto the arena for the post-game autograph session. He was the first player on the field, and even though long tables and chairs were already set up in the center, he’d have to wait for everyone else to come out before it could begin.
Signing stuff for fans wasn’t the reason for his urgency. His motivations were entirely selfish. Silas wanted to see Miriam—especially since she’d disappeared after the first quarter. Throughout the game, his eyes kept going to the floor seats reserved for office staff, and every time he was met with Harris’ murderous expression.
As much as Silas had wanted to run over to Harris at halftime and demand to know what happened to Miriam, he had to keep his head in the game. But now the game was over.
Silas’ eyes continued to scan the arena, stopping momentarily where security was holding fans back until they were ready. There were over a hundred people gathered there waiting for the buzzer to sound. Once it went off, kids—and some hardcore adults—would run across the field in a crazed rush to get shirts, jerseys and soccer balls signed by all the players who showed up for the session.
Having no luck with finding Miriam in the crowd, Silas took a seat at the end of one of the tables. He played with the black permanent marker in front of him while he waited for the rest of the players to come out.
Finn flopped down in the seat next to him. “Don’t think that just because you got a hat trick tonight, that I’m going to start singing your praises.”
Silas gave him a tight smile. He knew it would take more than three goals to earn his way back into everyone’s good graces. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
“I don’t trust you.”
Silas kept his eyes trained on the marker as he twirled it around. “What am I going to do, break my contract with the Storm?”
Finn snorted. “I’m sure if the right team came along offering the right price, you’d find a way.”
He wouldn’t leave this time. Even if he wanted to, contracts were pretty iron-clad. He’d asked a lawyer in Wisconsin to look it over after the first year playing for the Wolves. Silas had wanted to know if it was possible to leave before his two-year term was finished, and the answer had been a resounding no. The only possible out was an injury that would bench him for most of the season. The team might have let him go then, but Silas wasn’t willing to risk not playing for a slight chance to break contract.
Silas sighed. “You act like players don’t sign with other teams all the time.”
“It was different, and you know it.”
“Hey, guys.” Bastian put himself between Silas and Finn. “They’re about to let fans onto the field.” He looked down at Finn and jerked his chin toward the other end of the table. “Why don’t you go down there so we keep this fun for everyone.”
Bastian and Finn stared at each other.
Finn obviously wanted to stay and give Silas more grief about his betrayal, but he conceded and stood up. He gave Silas one last hard look before he walked down to the other end of the table grumbling something not so nice under his breath.
Bastian occupied the seat Finn vacated. “Give him some time. He’ll eventually come around.”
Silas looked over at him. “Does that mean you’ve forgiven me?”
“For signing with the Wolves and leading them to the top of the division with a record-scoring season?” He shook his head. “I don’t think so.” The words themselves were harsh, but Bastian’s tone was gentle.
Silas lifted his brows hoping his teammate would elaborate. When he didn’t immediately speak, Silas turned his attention back to the marker in his hands.
Bastian grabbed it. “I know we all make mistakes, but yours was pretty bad.”
“I signed for another team. That’s not some grievous act,” he said, though he wasn’t sure who he was trying to convince. Silas was fully aware of how this was completely different. He turned his head and watched as a few more office staff, including Harris, walked onto the field.
“I’m going to pretend that you didn’t just say that.”
“Whatever.” Silas snatched the marker back. He wished that he could pretend like the whole thing never happened.
The buzzer sounded through the arena, and the crowd came rushing forward. A bunch of kids stood in line in front of him hoping to get his signature. Silas smiled and chatted with each of them as they took turns turning around so that he could sign the backs of their shirts.
A few other children brought soccer balls that were covered with names by the time they worked their way down the table of players. Silas enjoyed interacting with the kids the most. They didn’t care about the drama of his past. They didn’t kn
ow the choices he’d made two years ago. Getting caught up talking with the younger fans, he almost managed to stop thinking about Miriam—or trying to catch her walking around.
“Do you play?” Silas asked the boy standing in front of him as he signed his ball. He couldn’t have been more than eight or nine.
“I’m a keeper, like Finn O’Brien.”
Silas noticed Finn’s signature already graced the ball—along with most of the other players. “I bet you’re even better than Finn.”
The boy beamed.
“And I bet if you were the keeper for the Vipers, I wouldn’t have made a single goal tonight.”
The boy’s eyes went wide. “You really think so?”
“Of course I do. I have a feeling you block shots left and right.”
The boy’s grin grew even wider. “Mom, can you get a picture of me and Silas Jenkins?”
His mom, who was standing just off to the side, obliged and soon the boy disappeared in the crowd once more carrying his soccer ball under his arm.
Silas continued to sign shirts, but as kids started kicking balls around the field, the fanbase started becoming filled with more and more adults. While Silas loved his adult fans, they weren’t able to hold his attention in the same way.
He kept comparing each female fan to Miriam. They always fell short, and then he’d find himself scanning the crowd one more time to see if she’d decided to come out. The guys were no better. A lot of them were ‘experts’ in the MASL and had all kinds of advice for Silas—or theories about why he left the Storm and came back.
As promised, McKensie was there. Silas signed the back of her shirt and stood next to her with a smile when she asked for a picture of the two of them together.
After that, the fans all became a blur. That was until two hands slapped the table in front of him. Silas looked up to see a disgruntled Allie staring down at him. The two had never gotten along, even during the best of times, and Silas had a feeling the tension between the two of them would be even worse with his return.
“Allie.”
“Don’t ‘Allie’ me.” She put her hands on her hips.
Penalty Box: A Second Chance Sports Romance (Love in the Arena Book 1) Page 6
