Stealing for Keeps (Frost Lake High Book 1)
Stealing for Keeps: Chapter 41

It feels like the entire town is here to watch the game. Lacey and I are standing because the bleachers were full by the time we got here. Parking was insane. Frost Lake High has gone to state the last two years, and during that time, the community support has grown, latching on to the success like it’s their own.

It might be slightly delusional, but the truth is, people like to be a part of something great. And the Frost Lake High soccer team has been phenomenal since Coach Collins became head coach.

I bounce on my toes as the teams take the field. Austin scans the crowd briefly, tipping his head to his family. The entire Keller family is in the front row, wearing Frost Lake colors. Even Torrance is clapping as her brother gets ready to play. Austin continues glancing around the stadium like he’s looking for someone else. I stare at him, willing him to spot me standing in a crowd of hundreds.

I thought he might call last night after the back-and-forth in the sketchbook. It’s dumb, I know. I should have just gone over to his house or texted him. The truth is that I was scared to put myself out there after everything that happened.

It’s my fault we aren’t together. I pushed him away because I didn’t want to ruin things for him. I should have at least told him how much he means to me. I don’t know how I would have survived the past few months without him. He showed me that there was so much to look forward to still. And I don’t want to survive the next month or year just being friends.

“Let’s go, Knights!” I yell loudly as Vaughn prepares for kickoff.

Lacey smiles, bumping my shoulder. “You sound like a cheerleader. Good volume and clarity.” Her smile turns down at the corners in an impressed expression.

“I learned from the best.” I bump her back.

The intensity of the game from the start is like nothing I’ve witnessed. It reminds me of some of my biggest skating competitions. The air crackles with tension. Even the weather seems to be taking its cues from the field. The temperature has dropped, and the wind is brutal.

Neither team lets up as the minutes tick by. It’s back and forth from one side of the field to the other. Ralley is fast, and their defense is mean. The crowd yells at the ref as one player throws an elbow that gets Vaughn in the lip. To his credit, Vaughn doesn’t react except to send a glare so icy that I swear the temperature drops another few degrees.

The response by Frost Lake is to dig deeper. I can see it in their expressions and the renewed energy as they race down the field. They are a different team with Austin and Vaughn out there working together.

They set up for the play. Rowan has the ball, and he dribbles, weaving through players and then passing to Vaughn. Vaughn immediately sends the ball to Austin, who takes it toward the goal, passing it back to Vaughn at the last second when the goalie is focused only on him. The ball soars into the goal, just beyond the goalie’s fingertips as he tries to leap back into position to stop it.

“Goal! One-zero Frost Lake.”

Screaming, Lacey and I jump up and down, grabbing on to each other and smiling. It’s only one goal, but it feels so monumental in the shift of energy in the team. Austin and Vaughn celebrate on the field, hugging and yelling things we can’t hear from here.

The rest of the first half is all Frost Lake. They don’t score again, but the momentum at halftime is in our favor.

Lacey and I get hot chocolate and crowd around a heater to warm up. A light rain has started to fall, but no one has left.

“You seem more nervous than the players,” Lacey notes as I toss my empty cup in the trash, then rub my gloved hands together. She smiles.

“I’m not,” I argue. “I have the same level of nerves as everyone else.”

She chuckles lightly. Having a best friend who knows you better than you know yourself is annoying sometimes.

“I want him to win. His entire family is here and…” I trail off. “I guess in some twisted way, it’ll feel like the breakup was worth it.”

She lets her head fall to one side and sticks out her bottom lip. “You miss him.”

“Of course I do.”

“You haven’t said. You’ve been all woman on a mission. New job, joining the hockey cheer team, studying like you’ve never studied before. I thought maybe you were moving back into your single girl era with me.”

“Keeping busy was easier than sitting around sulking. I’ve done enough of that for a lifetime. Besides, I needed the time to figure things out. That part wasn’t a lie. I want to be good for…” I start to say Austin, but it wasn’t just about him. “…whoever I’m with next.”

“You are the best friend I’ve ever had, and you are so talented in so many different ways. I’m glad you took time for yourself, but, babe, you don’t need to be perfect to be ready for love. You just have to be willing to let people see you. You let Austin in, which is incredible all on its own, because you were in a bad place. And guess what? He liked you exactly as you are. He saw all the incredible things you are, not the amazing things you think you need to do with your life to please your parents or anyone else.”

“I know,” I say, because I do know, even if it’s hard to wrap my brain around it.

“Tell him how you feel.”

My throat tightens, and I swallow thickly.

Applause close to the field draws our attention. The team must be back on the field.

“I will,” I say. “But right now, let’s go watch them beat Ralley.”

She nods, tosses her cup, then slips her arm through mine. We walk back huddled together closely.

This time, when I take my spot along the sideline where the team is back on the field preparing for the start of the second half, Austin looks up, and we make eye contact. I will all my feelings to him telepathically. And when he doesn’t seem to understand that, I smile and lift a hand in a wave. He grins back. The rain makes his dark hair stick to his forehead. My breath catches in my throat.

He has no idea how I feel, and it’s physically painful stopping myself from running out onto the field and telling him right now. I want him to know that I want to be one of the people in his life who always shows up. He has this great family and friends that he can count on, so he doesn’t need me to have his own personal fan club, but I want to be a member of it anyway. Even if it’s too late to be more than friends.

The second half starts with the same intensity as the first. Ralley has a renewed energy and determination. Not two minutes in, they score.

“Goal. One-one, Ralley,” the announcer says.

The crowd groans as the red jerseys on the field celebrate.

The minutes that follow are painful to watch. The other team looks stronger and more rested as our guys make silly mistakes and turnovers that have Coach Collins looking angrier by the second.

Both teams are unable to score, as it’s back and forth with close calls several times. Barrett and the Ralley goalie are ready and working hard to defend their goals.

With two minutes left to play, a Ralley player trips Eli behind the play. Rowan, always ready to stand up for his teammates, gets in the guy’s face. Unfortunately, the ref sees only Rowan’s actions and not what led to them. The ref pulls a yellow card and the crowd gets to their feet to show their support for Rowan. All day, Ralley has been pushing us around, so it’s hard to blame Rowan for losing his cool.

Hunter is subbed in for him. Austin’s jaw is clenched as he walks with Rowan toward the sideline. The two exchange words, and then Austin holds out his hand in a fist bump. Whatever he said, I know he’s trying to reassure Rowan that he didn’t make a massive mistake.

There’s a hum of excitement as we watch the guys pull themselves together and see a new determination take hold of them. Losing Rowan is a huge loss, but it’s fired them up. They want this so badly.

Lacey and I hold hands, squeezing each other’s fingers tight as the seconds tick down. The score is still tied, and the rain is coming harder. Extra time in these conditions isn’t a guarantee, and there’s a chance they’ll reschedule if they think it’s too risky.

Hunter kicks the ball into play from the corner. Austin dribbles by players, scanning for his teammates. Less than a minute to go now.

Ralley has two guys flanking Vaughn. I can see the irritation all over his face. But even two defenders aren’t enough to keep him from breaking free. In a pass that seems impossible, Austin kicks it up into the air to Vaughn. Ralley immediately shifts toward our best player. Everyone is expecting him to take the shot, so when he jumps up and headbutts the ball, sending it back to Austin, who’s moved to the wing, the other team isn’t ready for it.

I hold my breath as Austin kicks the ball toward the goal. Silence falls over the crowd, the only sound is the steady patter of rain. Time ticks by slowly as the ball soars through the air, cutting through the downpour, before finally slamming into the back of the net seconds before the buzzer sounds.

My heart lurches in my chest and then chaos erupts like I’ve never seen. People are hugging and yelling and jumping around. The team is one big huddle on the ground. Even the players from the bench have joined in.

My pulse races with the excitement of it all. They did it! They won!

I bounce up and down with the rest of the Frost Lake fans. The celebration on the field is broken up only long enough for the two teams to shake hands. As soon as the Ralley players leave the field, the bleachers empty and the crowd walks out to congratulate the boys.

“Come on. Let’s go.” Lacey pulls me, but I’m just as giddy and eager to get to Austin. It’s not easy. He has quite the fan club.

Lacey and I hug Rowan and the others while Austin’s family showers him with love. Torrance looks proudly toward her brother and Wyatt beams with excitement. When Austin and his dad hug, I can almost feel his happiness. His dad finally got to see him play.

Rain falls like endless confetti. Water seeps into my shoes as I stand there waiting for him. I lose Lacey as she gets swept up in the crowd. A group of girls from the soccer team runs past me toward Austin. Their excitement is palpable.

I stand on my toes and lean to either side for any small glimpse of him, but they crowd around him in droves. I want to push all of them out of the way and go to him, but there’s a part of me that feels like I’ve lost some of that right.

I ended things so he could have this, and showing up now to tell him that I miss him and I don’t want to go another day without being with him suddenly feels selfish.

I back away and then turn to leave. My steps are slow as I wonder if I’ve made the right decision. Waiting one more day won’t kill me, although it feels that way with every step I put between us.

“Claire!”

I turn at Austin’s voice. He’s running toward me. The rain is coming down so hard it’s difficult to make out his facial expressions. The crowd parts for him, and a few people reach forward and pat him on the shoulder or back as he goes by. I stop and turn as he comes to a halt in front of me.

There are so many things I want to say to him, but the only thing that comes out is “Congratulations!”

“Where are you going?” he shouts back over the rain. His smile is so big, like a guy who has just secured a conference title.

“You were celebrating with your family and the guys and everyone. I was going to text you later. You were unbelievable. I’m so proud of you.”

“That’s because my favorite cheerleader was here.” Drops of water cling to his dark lashes.

My stomach dips. I have spent a lot of time over the past several months trying to decide what I want. I don’t have all of it figured out, but I know I want Austin.

Surprising us both, I throw myself into his arms. He catches me, cocky smile sliding into place as his hands grip my waist and mine settle around his neck.

“You’re my favorite everything,” I tell him.

His lips crash down onto mine in a kiss that feels as good as stepping onto fresh ice. No, better.

Happiness spreads through me until I feel like I could float away.

He pulls back far enough that he can see my face. “I didn’t see your note in my sketchbook until today.”

“But I gave it to Blake yesterday right after school.”

“He didn’t see me, and then he put it in his locker and forgot…” He trails off with a shake of his head. “Thank you for cheering me on.”

“Always.”

“I wasn’t sure if you still felt the same. I’m still not, but I’m hoping.” He looks almost bashful as he grins down at me.

My heart flutters in my chest as his hands reach for mine. He links our pinkie fingers. Even through my gloves, the contact sends an electric current up my arm.

“I know that we’re both still figuring things out, and I don’t want to hold you back from discovering all these new things about yourself, but I don’t want to miss it either,” he says. “I am in love with you. I’ve been in love with you.”

All the air in my lungs leaves with a whoosh that makes me feel lightheaded.

“You are?” My lips curve, and I can’t seem to do anything but just smile up at him.

“Completely.”

His hands come up to my face. Cold fingers rest along my cheekbones, and his light green eyes stare back at me with all the love and adoration I’ve felt in every action and word of the past three months. He has shown up for me time and time again. It’s his day, and he’s still showing up for me.

“I love you too. I’m sorry I pushed you away. I should have fought harder to show you how much you mean to me. I just didn’t want to risk everything you’ve worked for. You’ve worked so hard, and you’re so talented. You deserve to have everything you want.”

“Even if what I want is you?”

“Even then. I’m done running away from you and my feelings. You are one thing I am absolutely certain about. I love you too.”

“Thank fuck.”

His lips cover mine again. I drape my arms around his shoulders, and his circle my waist and then pick me up. While he spins in a circle, my lips pull into a smile. I’m grinning so big it’s hard to kiss him, but neither of us moves away as we laugh and smile with our lips pressed together.

When he sets my feet back on the ground, I’m dizzy with happiness. We stare at each other, the rain still coming down in sheets between us.

“Should we get out of here?” he asks.

My head is still swimming with excitement and anticipation, but I glance toward the field. I can make out the Frost Lake team and fans still celebrating.

“Not just yet.” I take his hand and pull him back toward his teammates so he can celebrate with all the people who love him.

Including me.