I could see our entire future in her eyes, even though she was across the field and I was getting into position.
I watched her face turn pink as she looked away from me, and I shook my head to clear it.
It was one of the only times I almost lost focus.
Thank heavens for Rhodes. He grabbed my helmet. “Dude, get your focus back on the game.”
He hadn’t seen the girl, hadn’t known why I lost my focus for that second, but he kept me safe on the field.
I wanted more than anything to find out her name. To find out who she was, because for the first time in my life, I was floored by a girl. I doubted it would ever happen again. I knew she was meant for me.
Just one thing was wrong with my plan to know about the girl who was now mine. Her brother. Creed Burkheart. He was the quarterback of our rival team and a legend in his own right. He was only my age, but he was meant for big things.
He was ruthless on the field, playing as if his life depended on it. As if college scouts, or scouts for the big leagues, were watching us play. It took everything we had to play against their team and be victorious. I was worried, but I knew my team would do what they did best, and we did.
We won that day. Barely. It took all of us working together to come out on top.
But our victory had come at a price to Creed. He refused to let his team come in second place, but that was exactly what happened. We played better than them, only just by beating them by three points.
Creed hadn’t taken that loss well. He threw his helmet, raging at his team at his coach over the loss. Finally glaring over at me since I was the one who had sacked his player, who was supposed to get the ball to the end zone, and I could see that we weren’t going to be friends.
I didn’t want him to be my enemy, but that was where he landed.
He walked over to my girl, her eyes wide as he gestured for her to get her things.
She did as he asked, and it bothered me that he was rude to her.
I started to make my way over to them, but my coach stopped me. “Not a chance, Benson. You don’t want to do that.”
I looked up at him, “Why? He shouldn’t boss her around like that. I don’t like it.”
The coach shook his head, “Rumor has it, the Burkheart twins are inseparable. Don’t do it. Leave them be. Creed is pissed. You played a hell of a game today.”
I nodded, “Thanks, Coach.”
I walked back to the bench, cleaning up my gear as I watched Creed bully his sister into getting her stuff ready.
Twins. I hadn’t been expecting that. They were as different as night and day. Creed was huge. And his sister? The girl who now held my heart in her hands without me ever even speaking to her was tiny.
She barely came up to his shoulder, and they had to be my age at least.
She dropped her water bottle, and Creed growled, “Damn it, Kresslee. We gotta go. Dad is pissed. He isn’t thrilled about the last throw. He already messaged me.”
Kresslee. My girl. That was her name. Kresslee Burkheart.
She was meant to be mine. I knew it as much as I knew that football was in my blood.
I just had to figure out a way to make her mine, but seeing as I was only thirteen, I knew it would be a while. It bothered me for years. I only wanted her, and I gave up a lot in my years in school because I was already taken. I hadn’t looked at another girl, never gave any the time of day. I had no regrets on that front. The only regret I had was that Kresslee wasn’t mine yet.
Sighing, I shook my head. That game and those days were long gone.
Kresslee was all grown up now, much to my dismay. She was as sexy as ever, also much to my dismay.
But thankfully, Creed kept all the males around her at a distance. I heard from several men on my team that she wasn’t allowed to date players.
Creed wouldn’t allow it. He had done great things with his life, as I had predicted. Becoming the quarterback of our biggest rival team in the state.
He was still as focused as ever and still hated my guts. Throughout junior high and high school, we always playedagainst each other, and my team somehow always came out on top.
