Rivals
917 Words
Amara returned to the football pitch the next afternoon.
Not because she wanted to see Adrian.
At least, that was what she told herself.
She was there for her notebook.
That was all.
She found it sitting exactly where she'd left it on the stands.
“You came back.”
Amara turned.
Adrian stood a few feet away, holding a football under one arm.
“For my notebook.”
“Of course.”
He smiled.
“Nothing else?”
“No.”
“That's disappointing.”
Amara picked up her notebook.
“You really enjoy annoying people, don't you?”
“Only certain people.”
Before she could answer, another voice came from behind him.
“So this is the journalist.”
A tall guy with dark, slightly wavy hair walked toward them.
Adrian turned.
“Daniel.”
Daniel smiled at Amara.
“Daniel Moretti.”
“Amara Bennett.”
“I've heard about you.”
Amara looked at Adrian.
“You've been talking about me?”
Adrian shrugged.
“Maybe.”
Daniel laughed.
“He mentioned you.”
“Daniel.”
“What? You did.”
Amara smiled.
“Should I be worried?”
“Probably,” Daniel said.
Adrian shook his head.
“Don't listen to him.”
“I wouldn't.”
Daniel pointed at Adrian.
“See? She's already learning.”
Amara laughed.
For some reason, being around Adrian was easier when Daniel was there.
There was less tension.
Less of that strange awareness she sometimes felt when it was just the two of them.
She watched the team begin training.
Adrian became different once he stepped onto the pitch.
Focused.
Commanding.
Serious.
He constantly communicated with his teammates, encouraging them when they made mistakes and demanding more when they became careless.
Amara wrote several notes.
**Leadership comes naturally to him.**
She paused.
Then added:
**But perhaps responsibility doesn't.**
She looked up.
Adrian was watching her.
“You're writing about me again.”
“That's what journalists do.”
“Should I be worried?”
“Probably.”
He laughed.
---
Training continued for almost an hour.
Then something strange happened.
A man appeared near the entrance to the pitch.
He wasn't dressed like a student.
He stood still, watching Adrian.
Amara noticed him because Adrian did too.
The change in Adrian was immediate.
His shoulders stiffened.
His expression became unreadable.
The man said something Amara couldn't hear.
Adrian walked toward him.
They spoke for less than a minute.
Then the man left.
Amara waited.
When Adrian returned, she asked casually,
“Who was that?”
“Nobody.”
The answer came too quickly.
Amara frowned.
“You looked like you knew him.”
“I don't.”
She stared at him.
“You're a terrible liar.”
Adrian smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.
“Good thing you're not writing an article about my personal life.”
“Maybe I am.”
“Then you'll have to find out yourself.”
He walked away.
Amara watched him go.
Something wasn't right.
She just didn't know what.
---
The following morning, Professor Carter called Amara aside after class.
“I've read your first notes.”
Amara waited.
“You have a good instinct for people.”
“Thank you.”
“I want you to go further.”
He handed her another sheet.
“A university feature.”
She read the assignment.
“About the football team?”
“About the players. Their lives, their pressure, what it means to represent Westbridge.”
Amara nodded.
“Okay.”
“You'll work with Adrian.”
She looked up.
“With Adrian?”
“Yes.”
Professor Carter smiled.
“You already have access to him.”
Amara wasn't sure whether that was a blessing or punishment.
---
She found Adrian in the library later that afternoon.
He was sitting alone at a table, laptop open, books scattered around him.
Amara placed the assignment on the table.
“We have a project.”
Adrian looked up.
“That sounds dangerous.”
“Try not to ruin it.”
He smiled.
“Sit.”
She pulled out a chair.
They began discussing ideas.
Amara wanted to focus on the pressure student athletes faced.
Adrian disagreed.
“People don't want to read about pressure.”
“Why not?”
“Because they already know athletes have pressure.”
“That's exactly why we should talk about it.”
“Or we could write about what people don't know.”
“Which is?”
“What happens inside the team.”
Amara considered that.
“That could work.”
“I know.”
She rolled her eyes.
“You're very confident.”
“You noticed.”
They worked for another twenty minutes.
Then Amara said, “We need to talk about you.”
Adrian's expression changed.
“Why?”
“Because you're the captain.”
“That doesn't mean everything has to be about me.”
“I didn't say everything.”
“You're making assumptions again.”
“And you're avoiding the question again.”
Adrian closed his laptop.
“Maybe this project isn't going to work.”
Amara stared at him.
“Fine.”
She gathered her things.
“Wait.”
She stopped.
Adrian looked frustrated.
“I didn't mean that.”
“You said it.”
“I know.”
“Then what did you mean?”
He sighed.
“I don't know.”
For the first time, Amara saw the confident football captain dis
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