Rumor Has It I'm Dating the Football Captain

Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Hold the Line for Me

The stadium was deafening.

It was the first round of the playoffs. The freezing air bit Audrey’s cheeks. The packed stands buzzed with electric energy. Students wore bright blue and gold body paint.

Audrey stood on the touchline. Her heavy winter coat was zipped to her chin. Underneath, safely hidden from the campus, she wore Mason’s oversized black jersey. It kept her incredibly warm.

"They are getting sloppy!" Ben yelled over the crowd. He lowered his camera and looked stressed. "East State is playing dirty. They know Calloway is not here to bully them back."

Audrey bit her lip and watched the pitch.

The match was tied 1-1 in the eighty-fifth minute. East State shoved, pulled jerseys, and made late tackles. Without Mason anchoring the defense, the Westbridge backline panicked.

"Leo is trying," Audrey defended. "He is holding the center."

"He is exhausted," Ben pointed out.

Audrey looked to her right. Daisy stood a few feet away. The freshman was completely focused. She stopped pointing her camera at Leo and tracked the ball perfectly, snapping action shots of the strikers.

Daisy had cried for two days, but she showed up to work like a total professional. Audrey felt incredibly proud of her.

The referee blew his whistle.

An East State midfielder shoved Jackson to the ground. Jackson jumped right back up and got in the player’s face.

"Jackson, back away!" Coach Miller roared. "Do not get a yellow card!"

"I said back off!" Jackson yelled, shoving the East State player back.

"Are you blind?!" a furious voice screamed from the front row. "That was a blatant foul! Give him a card!"

Audrey froze and turned around.

Chloe was standing in the first row. She gripped the metal railing. She wore a massive gray Westbridge hoodie that definitely belonged to Leo. Her face was completely red with rage as she pointed at the referee.

"Do your job!" Chloe yelled.

Audrey stared in shock. Chloe hated sports. A month ago, she called football a sweaty, pointless game.

Now, she was ready to fight a referee.

Zoya sat next to Chloe and calmly read a book. "Breathe, Chloe. You are going to pop a blood vessel."

"He tripped him!" Chloe argued. "It was entirely obvious!"

Audrey smiled. She snapped a picture of Chloe yelling and sent it to Mason.

Audrey: Your defense might be struggling, but Chloe is ready to fight the ref. I think she actually likes football now.

She turned her attention back to the match.

The clock hit the eighty-ninth minute.

Westbridge lost possession. An East State player intercepted a sloppy pass and kicked the ball hard up the left side of the pitch.

It was a fast counter-attack.

The East State striker sprinted past the Westbridge midfielders. He headed straight for the goal.

"Oh no," Ben groaned. "We are going to lose."

Audrey held her breath and gripped her clipboard.

Leo was the only defender left back.

Leo was breathing heavily. His jersey was covered in mud. But the second he saw the striker break free, his eyes narrowed.

He did not panic.

He remembered Mason’s instructions. He stayed low and forced the striker to run wider, cutting off the direct angle to the goal.

The striker faked left and tried to cut inside.

Leo stepped firmly into the path. He threw his massive body sideways and executed a perfect slide tackle.

Smack.

Leo’s boots hit the ball cleanly. He kicked it entirely out of bounds and stopped the attack instantly.

The entire stadium erupted.

"Yes!" Audrey cheered.

"What a tackle!" Ben yelled.

Leo stood up and wiped the sweat from his eyes. A massive smile broke across his face as he looked at the front row.

Chloe was standing up and clapping. She looked incredibly proud.

Leo pointed a quick finger at her before jogging back to his position.

The whistle blew. The match ended in a 1-1 draw. It was enough to advance them to the next round.

The Westbridge bench rushed the pitch.

Audrey walked onto the grass.

"Ellis!" Coach Miller called out.

"Great job today, Coach," Audrey said.

"We survived," Coach Miller grunted. "Calloway called me this morning. He said you had some thoughts on East State’s weak side."

"He called you?" Audrey asked in surprise.

"He did," Coach Miller said. "He told me to actually listen to my senior intern. Write up your tactical notes by Monday morning. I want to see what you noticed."

Audrey smiled. Mason was miles away, but he was still making sure people respected her voice.

"I will have it on your desk at eight in the morning, Coach," Audrey promised.

Coach Miller nodded and walked away.

Audrey looked around the pitch. The players were heading toward the dressing rooms.

She spotted Leo. He walked toward the low metal fence separating the pitch from the stands. Chloe stood on the other side.

Leo did not care that the entire stadium was watching. He leaned on the metal fence and smiled down at Chloe.

"Did you see my tackle?" Leo asked. He sounded like an eager puppy asking for a treat.

"It was acceptable," Chloe lied smoothly. She offered a genuine, soft smile.

"Just acceptable?" Leo teased. "I saved the entire match."

Chloe rolled her eyes. She reached over the metal fence, grabbed the collar of his dirty jersey, and kissed him right in front of everyone.

A few players whistled loudly. Jackson yelled from the tunnel.

Leo kissed her back, completely oblivious to the rest of the world.

Audrey smiled and walked away to give them privacy.

She reached the quiet shadows of the dressing room tunnel and pulled her phone out.

She hit the video call button. Mason answered on the second ring.

He was standing outside in the dark. He looked tired, but his eyes lit up the exact second he saw her face.

"Did we survive?" Mason asked.

"We drew 1-1," Audrey beamed. "We advanced. Leo made the best slide tackle I have ever seen right at the end."

Mason let out a relieved laugh and ran a hand through his dark hair. "Thank god. I have been stressing out for two hours."

"You need to trust your team, Captain," Audrey teased. "They can hold the line."

"I trust them," Mason said. "I just do not like being away from the action."

"Coach Miller told me you called him today," Audrey said softly. "You told him to listen to my notes."

Mason smiled that slow, confident smile that always made her heart race.

"I told him he would be an idiot to ignore the smartest girl on campus," Mason corrected smoothly.

Audrey felt her cheeks turn warm. She unzipped her heavy winter coat just a few inches to reveal the black fabric of his jersey underneath.

Mason noticed immediately.

His eyes darkened. The playful smile melted into something much more intense.

"You wore it," Mason murmured.

"It is freezing here," Audrey defended with a smile. "I needed layers."

"You look perfect in it," Mason said. "Keep it on."

"I am going to sleep in it," Audrey admitted.

Mason closed his eyes for a second. "You are making this long distance thing incredibly difficult, Ellis."

"Good," Audrey laughed. "I want you to miss me."

"I miss you constantly," Mason said. "Five months and one week. I will be home before you know it."

"I will hold you to that," Audrey promised.

She stood in the quiet tunnel. The physical distance was terrible, and the six months felt like an eternity.

But as she zipped her coat back up, feeling the warm fabric of his jersey against her skin, Audrey felt completely safe.

He was coming back to her. She was never going to hide from the world again.