Winter sucked. But what sucked more than winter was fall when it acted like winter. Getting robbed of fall days. And even worse than that? Having a soccer game during a day in fall that was acting like winter.

It was our last game of the season- championships. It was almost freezing outside but it was the championship game so we couldn’t just postpone or throw out the game. Instead, the two coaches and the referees of the game agreed to hold the game at an indoor field instead of at our school where it was originally planned.

The field that we were stuck using now was turf instead of real grass, which was weird, and the bleachers were a lot bigger. Which I guess was suitable for the championship game. All of the Fishers were going and even Randy said that he’d come watch the game. Even though our dinner didn’t go well last week, I still wanted to work on that so I invited him to the game.

“We’re going against the Vermont Badgers,” Sophie told me in the locker room. “And they’re really good. Obviously.”

“They’re not even from Vermont,” Paige added. “And their high school makes no sense. Why are they from Idaho with a school called North Vermont?”

“The city is Vermont,” Rikki, who was overhearing our conversation, added with a roll of her eyes as she passed us and joined her group of friends on the other side of the lockers.

“The city is Vermont,” Sophie imitated Rikki’s snobby voice and both Paige and I laughed. Ever since I’d met Rikki and she knew that I lived with the Fishers, she didn’t like me. But when she found out that I was together with Carter, she’d not only ignore my presence but I got a lot of glares and snippy comments whenever we were in close vicinity of each other.

“Anyway, the point of this conversation was that we really have to kick ass tonight,” Paige told me as I changed from the shirt that I wore to practice into my red and black jersey with my favorite sports bra underneath.

“We always kick ass,” I said with a grin but in all honesty, I was pretty nervous about going against this team. Just like us, they were undefeated during the whole season. One team that night was going to go home very disappointed with a broken record and a broken ego. I prayed that it wouldn’t be us.

“Right, but so do they,” She said in a humble tone. “I’m not saying that we’re going to lose, I’m just saying that we can’t get cocky now. Stay focused.”

“Totally focused,” Sophie nodded with a grin. “And we’re totally going to kick their asses back to Vermont. Go Jags!”

The locker room erupted in eager shouts and game time faces. Looking at the clock in the locker room, it was almost that time too and I mentally pumped myself up. We could do this. We were going to win. We’ve got this. Totally.

“Okay, ladies, gather,” The coach announced from the center of the locker room so we all left our lockers and gathered around where she was standing. I adjusted my left shin guard in my long sock as she gave us our big motivational speech.

“Well, I’m sure that you’re all aware that this is our last game of the season. After this, it’s all over and for some of you, it’s the last time that you’ll be playing on this team at all. So make sure that your last game is one to go down in the books. Nothing matters if you aren’t proud of your game. So play your best- be your best. We’ll kick it out of the park, I’ve never been prouder of a group of girls before. No matter what happens tonight, this season was definitely one for the scrapbooks.”

Sophie, who was a senior and this was her last game forever, was tearing up beside me. A few of the seniors were crying, actually, but I nudged her shoulder and she quickly sobered up before we pushed all of our hands into the center of the pile and the coach counted down from three before we all shouted ‘Go Jags!’ into the air.

It was go time.

We all made sure that our shin guards were comfortable, our cleats were tied tight enough. Everything was ready. I tightened my pony tail and then we were all jogging out onto the field. For a brief moment, I glanced up at the bleachers to attempt to find the Fishers but the bleachers were completely full of cheering sports fans supporting our team. Well, the Badgers had a small part of the bleachers in the center of the right set of bleachers but they were so far from home that it wasn’t much of a fan section and I kind of felt bad for them.

When the game was about to start, I was standing to the left of Brenda, just like always, and Sophie was in front of me at center and Paige all the way at the front as a forward.

My blood was racing through my body with adrenaline as the crowd was still cheering but it turned into a dull buzz in my ears. The whistle blew and then the game was starting. I stayed on the right side of the field, prepared to defend our goal from the offense of the other team.

However, for a good five minutes, the ball stayed on the other side of the field. Brenda went up to assist with the forwards but I stayed back with the other defender, Hattie, just in case there was a sudden twist of events. Paige had the ball and passed it to Cleo but as Cleo tried to go for the goal, the goalie on the other team caught it midair and sent it flying in our direction. There was a forward from the other team with a white jersey coming toward me to get the ball and kick it to the goal but I wanted the ball and I was determined to get it before she did.

Instead of waiting for the ball to get to the ground, I leapt forward, toward the opposing team’s girl but I only brushed against her shoulder as I head butted the ball away from her and toward Hattie, who caught the ball with the inside of her ankle and passed it to Sophie, who passed it back to me. I had some open room so I dribbled it up the field a bit until they started closing in on me so I kicked it above their heads to Rikki. She bumped the ball with her knee and then started dribbling it toward the goal yet again.

She passed it to Cleo on the other side of the field, who passed it to Paige. This time, she went for the bottom corner of the goal and it went in with a victorious swishing sound. The crowd went insane around us but I wouldn’t let it get to me. We gave ourselves a moment to cheer with high fives and quick sweaty hugs before it was time to get back to the game.

By the end of the game, we were tied 3-3 with two minutes left on the clock. If we tied, we’d go into a sudden death thing but I didn’t want to let it get that far. We just had to score once in two minutes and the victory was ours. We could do it, I was sure.

“Their goalie is weak on the right side,” Amber told us in our last huddle.

“And the forwards don’t put enough focus on the center,” One of the girls who’d been sitting out of the game due to an ankle injury told us. “Go for the center.”

We returned to the field and the game resumed. A minute went by with our team wrestling with the other team for the ball but neither one of us made much progress until one of their forwards got the ball all the way back to me. Brenda was able to distract the player while Hattie snuck in behind her and grabbed the ball from between the other player’s feet. She was getting surrounded quickly by the other team though, so she quickly passed it to me.

I didn’t see anybody open but just like Regan had said earlier, the center was weak. With a big breath, I started dribbling the ball as fast as I could down the center of the field. Their center fielder tried to knock the ball away from me but I latched onto the ball between my ankles and then jumped and spun around, keeping my back to the girl as I spun around her and kept going for the goal. I didn’t want to be the one to go for the goal but I none of the forwards were open. I noticed as I was over halfway to the goal that instead of trying to get the ball, my team was barricading the other players so that they couldn’t come for me.

They wanted me to take the shot.

I had to dodge two other girls but I did that with ease, faking left the first time and then taking a risk by kicking the ball in between the girl’s open legs and then catching it on the other side. Can’t go around? Go under, I guess.

The crowd was crescendoing, cheering me on as I got closer to the goal and then it was just me and the intimidating goalie staring right back at me. I remembered what Amber said about the goalie and tried my best to use that to my advantage. Just as I was about to make the shot, I heard the crowd start counting down from five, which made me panic but before I could let the tension of the last five seconds of the game really get to me, I lifted my right leg and swung. I hit the ball and it flew toward the right side of the goal net. The goalie flew for it but she was too late.

The swish of the net came along with the buzz of the end of the game. We’d won. We were champions. The whole team crowded around me in a celebratory huddle and then we were made into a line to shake hands with the other team, who looked very bitter and almost surprised that they’d lost. I would be bitter too if I’d come all the way from Idaho just to lose.

Once we were released, we all celebrated in the locker room some more with a lot of sweaty hugs, laughing, grinning, and the coach telling us how proud she was of how well we played the game. We earned our championship title that night.

I got dressed in jeans, sneakers, my long sleeve t-shirt, and a heavy jacket, and then I made my way to the exit of the building with Sophie and Paige so that we could meet the guys and go back to the house to really celebrate. Thanks to me, that didn’t mean some outlandish party, which was Will’s idea, but instead just a nice dinner at the house. Me, Carter, Will, Andy, Tommy, Anna, Sophie, Paige, and Ethan. Tom and the little boys had gone to the game but he had to leave early to make a flight to Ohio for business and took Ace and Alijah with him. Small and cute.

I’d met my father outside of the locker room and he congratulated me on the win and I thanked him for coming but that was the extent of our conversation. It was awkward, but I was trying.

At the house, I sat between Carter and Paige with Ethan sitting across from Paige and then Andy and Sophie sitting across from Carter and I. Ethan and Paige hadn’t really talked at all but I knew that Paige still had a crush on him even though he didn’t ask her to homecoming. I wasn’t going to pry or anything, it was just sad that he didn’t seem to pay much attention to her and she was too shy to initiate a conversation.

Hastings served our food, which was a gourmet lasagna, one of Hastings’ best dishes, and just as I started digging in, I felt Carter’s hand rest on my knee. I glanced over at him but he was just eating his lasagna like he wasn’t doing anything at all.

“So when do you start signing autographs?” Andy wondered jokingly.

“Monday,” Sophie giggled. “But you’ll have to wait in line and pay a million bucks just like everybody else.”

He nodded with a small shrug. “I’d say that you’re worth a million bucks.”

She blushed and shoved his shoulder a bit, only causing him to laugh at her and Paige and I cooed at their adorableness.

“You really did look amazing out there,” Carter told me, his hand moving just a little bit up my thigh and I wondered if he was trying to seduce me. It was working. “But I thought that defense wasn’t supposed to try to score?”

“We aren’t,” I confirmed. “They set me up.”

“We did,” Sophie confirmed. “Not on purpose though. We saw that it was our best option because you were already lined up in the center and none of us could get away from the other team enough to be safe with the ball.”

“So we just went with it,” Paige finished. “And it was awesome.”

“It was very awesome,” Carter confirmed with a nod. “And incredibly hot too.”

I gave him a look and then said, “Well, when does your season start and I can start objectifying you too.”

“The week after winter break,” He said with a charming laugh.

“Well, Paige and I will be at every game,” I told him with a nod. “Since Sophie can’t objectify as well now that she has a boyfriend.”

“You’re planning on checking out the whole basketball team?” Carter wondered with raised eyebrows.

I just teasingly shrugged and kissed his cheek.

“Shoot, I’d check us out,” Ethan said with a joking shrug. “We are pretty awesome.”

Paige coughed down a giggle as she ate her lasagna and Sophie and I exchanged a knowing glance.

“Do you like basketball, Paige?” Ethan asked across the table at the girl sitting across from her.

Her cheeks went bright red and I felt a bit bad for her because she tended to panic in situations like this. “Yeah, I guess. It’s kind of confusing, I think.”

“Right? That’s exactly what I said,” I added, completely agreeing with her.

“Maybe you’ll grow to like it,” He suggested with a small smile. “Once you understand what’s going on and everything.”

“Yeah,” She breathed. “Maybe.”

“Maddie’s tried learning,” Will interrupted. “And she still has no idea what’s going on. It’s hopeless.”

“She’s just too hard headed,” Carter said, offering me a joking grin. His hand on my thigh gave a small squeeze and I glared at him. “But I’m sure Paige’ll get it.”

“When is your winter break?” Tommy asked from the other end of the table.

“Just a few more weeks,” Will supplied.

“Yeah, our breaks are at the same time,” Andy confirmed with a nod as he finished his plate of lasagna. “Speaking of school though, I do have an essay to write that’s due at midnight tonight so I should go write that.”

“I’ll be up soon,” Sophie piped, motioning toward her lasagna that wasn’t finished yet. He kissed her cheek before saying goodnight to us all and then disappearing upstairs to finish his homework.

“Tommy has some good news,” Anna said randomly when there was a silence in conversation.

“Really, what is it?” I wondered curiously.

“Um,” He cleared his throat. “I was going to wait until tomorrow- I didn’t want to ruin your big victory night by taking the limelight away. But, I guess Anna ruined that. The job search has finally come to an end.”

“You found a job?” Carter wondered with raised eyebrows. “Where?”

“The manufacturing company downtown,” Tommy announced. “The pay is nice and I start next week.”

“It’s about time,” Will teased his brother. “Congratulations, man.”

“That really is pretty cool. What are you going to be doing?” Sophie asked, taking a bite of her delicious lasagna. Mine was almost finished and I was pretty full so I probably wasn’t going to go for seconds.

“It’s really complicated engineering talk,” Anna interrupted with an amused shake of her head. “I tried to understand but it’s even more confusing than basketball is to Maddie.”

They all laughed at my expense and I sarcastically pouted. The rest of dinner went by pretty quickly and once all of the lasagna was finished, we all bid each other a good night and started to get up to leave for our respective bedrooms.

Paige’s parents wouldn’t let her stay the night during a school night and since it was only a Thursday and we had school the next day, she had to leave and Ethan followed suit, heading out as well. We had a big day tomorrow with everybody congratulating us at school and stuff. When we’d win our normal games, we’d get a lot of applause on Fridays so I couldn’t even imagine how much attention we’d get the Friday after winning the championship.

Once I was alone with Carter in my room, I didn’t waste any time with small talk or anything, I just locked the door behind me and then pressed my lips to his with an urgency that I could tell he wasn’t expecting. With the adrenaline of the victorious game and the energy that his hand had filled me with as it rested on my thigh all the way through dinner, I was being driven crazy.

Carter kissed me back with as much urgency as I was giving him and I only severed the kiss to get my shirt over my head but I still had on a tank top as well that I kept on. For now. I changed my underwear after the game because I had planned on this happening tonight, so I was wearing a nice matching set of bra and panties instead of my sweaty workout underwear.

“You’re in an awfully good mood tonight,” He observed with a boyish grin.

“Complaining?” I breathed, peppering kisses against his jaw and down to his neck.

When I bit down lightly on the side of his neck, he grinned and pulled me closer to him. “Not at all.”