Fake Dating My Childhood Friend To Get Back With His Ex

Chapter 4

The Friday home game was a rowdy one.

The bleachers were packed with Northwood students in school colors, shouting and cheering until their throats were sore. The marching band paraded proudly across the field with shiny brass instruments, and a group of cheerleaders practiced their pom-pom skills in a square near the concession stands. The Northwood Sabertooth mascot shuffled around to entertain the crowd of grinning, giggling freshmen.

I stood at the edge of the field nearby, snapping photos of the game for the yearbook. My digital camera weighed heavily in my hands, the lens set to focus on the harsh stadium lights in the distance. It was a nice camera, one that I saved up for over two summers of frosting cupcakes and boxing pastries at Sugar & Spite, and it made me feel especially proud whenever I caught my subjects well on film.

"Amelie! Get over here!"

I turned at the sound of the voice. Marcus Chen waved enthusiastically from the sidelines, his editor-in-chief clipboard tucked securely against his chest.

"What do you need?" I asked him, lowering my camera to take the folded-up note in his hands.

"Get some shots of the student section going wild," he said. "Capture the feeling of the school spirit, the excitement, the passion, the-"

"The screaming teenagers losing their minds over a ball?" I supplied dryly.

"Yes. Exactly that," he said, eyes bright with determination.

I sighed, but nodded nonetheless. "I'll get right on that. Anything else?"

"Cheerleaders at halftime, and a few shots of the team running out onto the field." His gaze flickered down over the edge of his clipboard as he skimmed through various notes. "Also, capture some candid shots of the fans, too. Hugging, punching air. Ms. Reeves wants the yearbook to have an authentic feel this year."

"Authentic high fives? Really?" I repeated. "Fine."

Marcus hurried off to berate a confused sophomore with a malfunctioning camera, and I turned my eyes toward the bleachers. The student section was a riot of color, waving handmade signs and chanting along with the Northwood fight song that the marching band was currently playing. Red and blue painted faces with intricate tiger mask designs jumped up and down enthusiastically to the beat. NORTHWOOD was plastered all over their clothing, and I could see students laughing and shouting and having the best time of their lives.

I raised my camera to snap a few favorite shots.

The shutter clicked rapidly as I captured the images- a group of shouting seniors with their arms slung over each other's shoulders, the face of a grinning freshman who had painted an entire tiger mask on his face, two girls shrieking over a tangle of strings of beads. I liked getting shots like these, candid shots of people who weren't expecting it, because I could see the real people through their eyes, not the manufactured smiles and poses that so many people wore in picture.

The fighting band struck up the fight song, and the student section surged to their feet. I edged along the sideline, snapping pictures of the marching band who were taking a break, and the cheerleaders who were practicing their cheers. Jessica Alverez was especially enthusiastic, her blonde ponytail bouncing with every movement. I managed to snap a few nice shots of her.

The game announcer's voice crackled over the loudspeaker system. "Northwood Sabertooth versus... Crystal Falls Cougars." He paused, and the student section roared. The team ran out onto the field, and the noise from the stands seemed to swell tenfold. They had such an amazing entrance, all of the team members running out in a single line formation. With my camera poised to take photos, I focused on the group. The players were dressed in red and blue jerseys, their helmets glinting in the artificial stadium lights. I caught them in mid stride, the hard muscles of their bodies tensed and coiled like springs.

There he was. Number 12, leading the pack and raising his arms triumphantly to shout and wave to the student section. Weston Pierce had such a magnetic smile that half the female population of Northwood was hopelessly, devotedly smitten with him. The student section had gone feral, chanting his name in a rhythmic, pounding cadence.

I focused my lens on his face, peering through the metal bars of his helmet. He looked incredibly pleased with himself, his usual infuriating grin in place. His eyes searched the stadium, taking in the mass of people who had risen to their feet to cheer him and his team on.

Click.

The shutter captured his face for the camera, and I lowered my camera to inspect the shot. It was a very good picture. The lighting was perfect, as were the other settings, and the subject was simply annoyingly photogenic. I made a mental note to inform Marcus of the good shot, and turned my camera back to the game.

The first quarter was a complete blur. Northwood scored early, and the student section went absolutely feral. I wandered up and down the sidelines, snapping pictures of everyone I saw. Players on the bench, coaches barking orders, the water boys sprinting back and forth. By halftime, I had taken over three hundred photos. My arms were sore from holding up my camera, and my eyes felt dry from staring through the lens.

The marching band was parading across the field, dressed in their matching uniforms, bright and eye-catcaching. They played an array of popular songs as they walked. The student section was fairly rowdy, but it wasn't hard to see why everyone was having such a great time. Some people had gone to the foodtrucks to get refreshments, and others simply sat and watched in their seats. It was a relaxing sort of time, before the second half of the game began.

"Getting some good shots?"

I turned to see a girl from the yearbook staff, I think her name was Hannah, standing nearby. She had a notepad in her hands, and was one of the new juniors that had joined up.

"Yup. I think so, at least." I replied. "Marcus wanted some candid shots, so I've been snapping whatever I can get."

She bobbed her head enthusiastically. "That's awesome! I'm adding captions to all the photos, so I'll be writing everything down." She paused, glancing over at my camera. "That's a really nice camera, by the way."

"Thanks. I saved up for a while," I replied, adjusting the strap over my shoulder.

"Do you want to be a professional photographer someday?"

It was a strange question. "I mean.. yes. It's the dream, I suppose. Go to art school and get a degree in photography, maybe work as a freelancer or for a magazine. Something like that."

Her face lit up. "That's so inspiring! I don't really know what I want to do yet. My parents want me to be a doctor, but I'm not sure."

I almost laughed at the sheer absurdity of it. "You've got plenty of time. It's okay, really."

She smiled, looking relieved, and glanced over at the game. "I should probably go back to Marcus. He wants me to do all these captions right away."

"He's always like that." I said. "You'll get used to it."

Hannah walked off, and I raised my camera once again, focusing on the game. The second half was about to begin, and Northwood was winning soundly by ten points. If they continued like this, the game was sure to end by the fourth quarter.

I crept back toward the sideline, and found a good spot near the fifty-yard line. The team was all huddled together, whispering orders and giving each other pep talks. The crowd roared, chanting the school fight song.

The whistle blew, and the game resumed.

I spent the next hour focusing on the game, my camera snapping pictures of touchdowns and tackles. Weston Pierce was so amazingly good, he scored twice. I took pictures of every little thing, my finger flying across the shutter button.

By the time the final whistle blew, Northwood had won by a score of 28-14. The student section erupted into cheers, spilling out onto the field and celebrating the big win. I stood back and took it all in, documenting the event on film.

It was almost beautiful, almost peaceful, despite the chaos. I lowered my camera and let out a long sigh. The first game of the season was finally over. Now all I had to do was go through and edit all the photos, upload them to Marcus, and do it all over again the next week.

I turned toward the parking lot, my camera bag heavy at my side. The night air was so very lovely as it nipped at my skin. One game down, and many more to go.