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Hope detested football. She had successfully avoided being drafted to Salvatore’s small team since returning and playing for MFHS the previous year. However, unfortunately, Alaric had begun to use a new manipulation tactic to get her to participate in school events.
Graduation.
He dangled it in front of her as if it were a prize to be won rather than an expected milestone in every eighteen year old’s life.
“You know Hope, participation in school sports is a graduation requirement.”
“Attendance at school assemblies is a graduation requirement.”
“Interacting with other students is a graduation requirement.”
She was entirely sure he had made up that last one, but she was in no position to argue.
After all the classes she’d missed fighting monsters, the fate of her graduation date rested in her headmaster’s hands, and she would not screw herself over in the last quarter.
She’d been itching to fly the coop since summer and she would not be denied her chance at freedom.
Things had never been peaceful at her school, but the end of junior year had been the undisputed champion for shittest high school expeiriences ever.
She’d had to kill her own boyfriend in order to stop Malivore. Well, ex-boyfriend. Dead, ex- boyfriend.
The thought still haunted her, although she had secretly prepared herself for this outcome long before it had happened.
Her tribrid blood being the only thing capable of killing Malivore. Landon being doomed to serve as his vessel. It was all just one nightmarish puzzle that fit together too well.
So as devastated as she was when turning into a tribrid had meant having to hurt the boy she loved, she had known that the real Landon had been lost long before that.
Trapped somewhere deep within Malivore, she tried to take comfort in the idea that he’d feel no pain.
Yet this didn’t stop her from feeling any.
Hope was more than ready to be rid of the Salvatore School and all of it’s memories.
So when Alaric proposed a school football game where the winning team received PE credit for the year, Hope leapt at the opportunity.
It meant she could graduate a little earlier, given that PE was one of the only credits she had left.
As Hope walked away from the sign-up board, confident that this would be her get-out-of-jail-free card, she looked up just in time to avoid knocking a particularly stressed looking brunette Saltzman twin to the ground.
“Sorry, Jo. I didn’t see you there.” Hope breathed, embarrassed to be caught signing up for football voluntarily.
She observed Josie’s dark eyes and the way they flitted to the ground after too much eye contact. Josie was also embarrassed to be here.
“No, it's fine. Sorry I was just… are you playing in the game too, then?” Josie fumbled.
It made perfect sense that Josie would want to sign up now. She wasn’t a senior, but getting out of PE would benefit her too.
If Hope remembered correctly from one of their late night talks, Josie was still stuck in a phys ed class with her narcissistic, backstabbing, ex Finch.
Although it was a deeply uncomfortable subject for Hope, she knew the story well. She and Josie had gotten a lot closer since their respective breakups and told one another pretty much everything. The way Josie had explained it, Finch had been secretly using her to get back at her ex Maya.
Thank God for Lizzie figuring it out before they slept together. Hope shuddered visibly at the thought of Finch being with Josie like that.
“Hope?” Josie was still waiting for a reply, of course.
“Right. Yeah. I signed up, you know, cause, senior year and… it’s hectic. It would just be nice to have… one less thing to deal with before I leave.” Hope said her last few words with an exasperated laugh, but there was a tinge of sadness on Josie’s face when she looked up.
Hope didn’t comment on it, for fear she’d only scramble her words even worse than she already had.
It wasn’t like the thought of leaving her friends, leaving Josie, behind thrilled her. But high school wasn’t a five year program, and she had to say her goodbyes at some point.
It was the beginning of the spring quarter, the last quarter of the school year, and Josie and Hope had yet to have a single conversation about her departure.
It was beginning to become glaringly unavoidable, since Hope had had many conversations with Lizzie and Cleo about what lay ahead after she turned her tassel.
Perhaps it was because Josie and Hope both had a unique familiarity with being left behind, but for whatever reason, it was a forbidden subject between the two.
“Of course.” Josie said quickly and shot her eyes towards a clock on the wall. “Well I have to get to class but… I’ll see you Saturday, then?”
Her gaze only briefly met Hope’s but it sent a strange warmth through Hope’s body. That had been happening more often in recent months. The blushing. Hope only nodded in response and watched as the taller girl hurried off towards the stairwell.
Funny, Hope thought. She was almost positive Josie’s classes were in the other direction.
---
“No breaking anyone’s arms this year.” Lizzie chided while pulling her sister’s hair into a high ponytail.
Josie bristled at the mention of her bout with dark magic.
“I’m kidding, obviously. If you want to break someone’s arm, that is totally your choice.” Lizzie teased to try to coax Josie back into the present moment.
Lizzie, of course, didn’t need to play in the game. She had filled up her PE requirements for the year when she went on a hot-yoga kick that winter.
So now she was here helping Josie get ready because she was the queen of FOMO.
Another thought popped into Jo’s head as she ruminated on the upcoming game.
“Do you think Hope will stay? You know, in Mystic Falls after she graduates?” Her words were low, almost as if she was debating talking to herself or to her twin.
Lizzie made a face like she’d just smelled Jed’s gym clothes.
“Well I should hope not. If there’s anything I’ve learned from living in this microbiome of a town it’s that there’s nothing more depressing than a townie.”
Disregarding her sister’s semi-offensive phrasing, she realized Lizzie had a point.
Of course Hope had no reason to stick around this town. Or the school, after senior year was over. She had a whole family in New Orleans, an infinite bank account, and a pretty promising talent for art at her disposal. Not to mention, immortality.
Mystic Falls had always been a pit stop for a person like Hope. Josie frowned at the thought that she was part of that too.
Just one, brief and forgettable moment in her friend’s infinite existence.
“Would you stop brooding and talk to me? Twin time isn’t supposed to be boring. And look! Your hair’s done.”
Lizzie pushed a mirror into Josie’s hands as she examined the perfect, sleek, way it was pinned up and out of her face. Pretty. Not practical for a football game, but pretty.
“Thanks.” She said turning to her sister who looked mildly insulted at Josie’s lack of reaction.
“No one in this family appreciates me.” Lizzie lamented as she sauntered out of the room.
Under normal circumstances Josie would have probably chuckled, but her mind was full with other thoughts.
If today was a normal Saturday, she’d be recovering from whatever sport they had played in PE Friday afternoon.
However this week, she’d been exempted from class to prep for the game, as had the other participants.
Just that one day of not having to see Finch was worth all of the effort, she thought.
Josie closed her eyes and relished in the moment of brief quiet she had. It was hard to get a moment alone when you lived inside your high school. Especially one occupied by kids with supernatural hearing and enchanted pens that read your diary.
Peace was probably not something Josie would ever truly know, but she found deep satisfaction in small moments like this where she could just breathe. Her chest rose and fell slowly, taking in all the air she possibly could and releasing it with all the frustrations of the past week.
She collected herself as she carefully adjusted the loose jersey she wore over her cropped tee and shorts. One last deep breath, and she rose from her seat and walked out of her room, ready to go fight for her life on that field.
---
Hope nervously pulled at the hem of her shorts. Too tight. The jersey was itchy too. Maybe tribrids were not made for organized sports, she thought. Every part of her seemed to hate every part of what was to come today.
She walked onto the artificial turf towards the small crowd of players that had gathered in front of Alaric.
Students were starting to gather on the bleachers, excited to see their peers humiliate themselves all day.
Hope sighed as she realized she would be one of those humiliated students. As she reached the group, they were all dividing themselves up into two teams and Hope realized she had to speak up or she would be the leftover kid that nobody wanted.
As she steeled herself to speak to someone and ask to join their team, Alaric cleared his throat.
“Students. Participants. I appreciate your initiative to take it upon yourselves to make the teams. However myself and your physical education teacher took the liberty of assigning you to teams when you put your names on the roster.” Alaric looked proud of himself. Almost as if he expected the students to be grateful he had lifted such a heavy burden from their shoulders.
The players all groaned in unison, rolling their eyes and looking disappointed.
Hope wasn’t here for friends, so she was relatively unaffected by Alaric’s announcement.
“Alright, I’m going to begin calling out names for the red team first. When you hear your name, please go stand on the left side of the field.” Alaric pointed towards one side of the white line down the center of the terf.
Hope listened with the minimum amount of attention possible. She once again felt the scratch of the polyester jersey and the shorts riding up uncomfortably high.
God, she was really going to hate this.
As she tried to pull the shorts father down to cover at minimum, all of her ass, she felt a soft hand touch her arm, making her jump.
Perhaps it was because Landon had been gone so long, or that most people were too afraid to come near her, but the touch and the proximity of the other person had Hope blushing a rosy pink color.
“Hey did I miss anything important?” Josie said out of breath as she had clearly just run across the field.
Hope didn’t know what was wrong with her, but a thought flitted through her head that she liked the sound of Josie’s voice right then. Out of breath.
Jesus Christ, Hope clearly needed to work out some major frustrations on the field today. She violently dismissed the thoughts from her head and turned to face her friend.
Unlike Hope’s, Josie’s football attire suited her. It looked comfortable and not too tight, although Hope could tell Jo was wearing something more form fitting under the jersey. It was an absolutely appropriate uniform for today. Except the hair. It was like Jo was playing capture the flag from the shoulders down, and attending a red carpet from her head up.
Hope wanted to laugh knowing it was one hundred percent Lizzie’s handiwork.
She leaned over towards her friend to be heard over Ric calling out names.
“He’s announcing the red team now. He hasn’t called our names yet.” Hope said quietly.
Unintentionally, she caught the scent of Josie’s subtle perfume as she leaned in, which made her feel almost dizzy.
She coughed abruptly as if she could forcibly expel the effect it was having on her.
She was off her game today. And that was an issue.
“We’re probably on the blue team then” Josie nodded observing the way almost half the group had now left to go stand on the other side of the field. “Any brilliant ideas for our playbook?” she teased, lightly elbowing Hope.
Just as Hope was about to send a joke Josie’s way, Alaric’s voice cut through again.
“And last on the red team, Josie. Everyone else, you’re blue team, please go stand on the right side.”
They both stilled. Pure shock on both of the girls’ faces.
They were on different teams. Red and Blue.
Hope didn’t know why, but the thought that she might be playing against Josie today never occurred to her.
They both wanted this win. Badly.
And they were both VERY competitive.
Neither girl would accept a loss today.
If it was a battle of wills, Hope wasn’t sure who’s was stronger. Josie was an equal match.
Suddenly they turned towards each other. Their eyes held care, but something new too. They were sizing each other up.
Josie spoke first, with caution. Of course, to any other two best friends, it would have been just a game.
But Hope and Josie were not ordinary people, in an ordinary friendship.
“Good luck. May the best woman win.”
She held out her hand for Hope to shake, and Hope took it with no hesitation.
They shook once, but their hands lingered a moment longer before delicately letting go.
Josie knew the weight of her words when she had spoken them. The two witches were easily the most powerful supernaturals in the school, including Lizzie. Josie had proven that last year. The game was no longer Salvatore versus itself. It was not red versus blue.
It was Hope versus Josie.
And Hope already knew they would both do anything to come out on top.
---
Playing against Hope? It felt familiar and yet entirely different now.
Two years ago Hope wasn’t trying.
Two years ago Jo didn’t remember who Hope was.
Two years ago, Landon had been there.
This was different. Hope wanted it as much as Josie did.
Both girls always got what they wanted.
Josie jogged over to stand next to her teammates as she stared down her competition, mentally preparing herself to win at all costs.
Hope was undoubtedly doing the exact same thing as she stared at Jo from across the field.
It was predatory. Josie might have felt intimidated if she wasn’t giving Hope the same look back.
Hope’s hair was in dutch braids down the sides of her head again. It softened Hope’s look so much you could almost forget she was the most powerful creature on earth. Almost.
Josie had always thought the braids were cute.
But then again, that’s just what she thought about Hope. Although she would never admit it. Josie’s face was beginning to feel warm at the thought of her ever-present and not so subtle crush, but she shoved it back down.
Today Hope was the enemy.
The team had quickly appointed Josie the quarterback given her previous track record in the school’s annual game with MFHS.
Hope on the other hand seemed to have been relegated to defensive end, probably because everyone assumed the opposing team would be too afraid to cross her.
Rightly so.
Unfortunately for Josie this meant her sole purpose on the field was to get the ball past Hope, and Hope’s role was to keep Josie from doing pretty much anything.
Fantastic.
Josie took her place behind the center guard but her eyes never left Hope for a moment. This was her biggest obstacle. She reminded herself why she needed this win.
No more Finch.
Hope moved into her position near the centerline, face to face with a terrified offensive tackler, but her gaze stayed glued to her brunette friend.
Alaric walked towards the center line and explained the rules of conduct for a third time that day.
Josie’s palms were beginning to sweat. She wanted this to start already.
Her father continued to wax poetic about the importance of teamwork, comradery, and school spirit.
She began to shift back and forth, pushing the weight of her hips into her feet and grounding herself on the artificial grass.
The motion seemed to have unintentionally caught the attention of the tribrid across the field, as she was staring at Josie so intensely she didn’t even react as Jo called out “White 80” to her teammates.
Let the games begin.
---
Hope vaguely registered the movement around her, as her teammates began to run. She quickly recovered and made up the lost ground as she ran forwards toward the center guard.
Knocking the trembling boy down was easy, like moving through water.
She barely had to use tribrid strength.
Then she eyed her real target.
Josie was running as fast as she could towards the right end zone, intent on aiding her teammates in scoring as she watched the ball get passed from the wide receiver to the tight end.
Hope couldn't help but get a momentarily distracted by Josie’s sheer determination and ferocity. It was… captivating.
As she focused back in, the realized with horror that Josie had slipped passed her, with the ball back in her hands and nearing the twenty yard line.
Hope used just the slightest bit of her vamp speed to catch up to Josie and immediately tackle her the the ground.
As Jo’s knees hit the turf, Alaric blew the whistle.
Just as Hope’s body was falling after her, Jo twisted around so she was on her back.
They collided with a hard thud.
It knocked the wind out of both of them as Hope braced her arms on either side of Josie’s head to keep from crushing her.
Josie was breathing hard. So was Hope.
“Sorry.” Hope said looking down at her friend but not moving an inch from where she was situated. A satisfied grin spread across Hope’s face as she knew she had just barely kept Josie from scoring.
Josie’s eyes narrowed slightly as she met Hope’s blue irises with an icy stare.
“Let me get up.” She said coolly.
Josie, like Hope, did not enjoy being bested. When Hope failed to move, Josie prompted her again with a light push on the shoulder.
Hope found it hard to concentrate on the words Josie was saying when she could feel the warmth radiating off of her skin and see the way her chest was rising and falling with her labored breath.
So close. Not close enough.
Hope lingered for a barely noticeable moment in contemplation before quickly rolling to the side, letting the brunette stand up.
Josie offered her hand out to Hope who quickly took it, pulling herself off the ground.
Their hands stayed together a beat too long. Josie pulled away first and Hope looked down at herself to assess any damage.
Her shorts had ridden up again. She let out a frustrated sigh and pulled them into place once more.
As she looked up, she caught Josie blatantly staring at where her hands met the seam of the shorts.
Oh.
Josie cleared her throat and adjusted her gaze, suddenly looking vaguely pissed again. Her competitive nature returning instantly.
“Good luck out there.” The brunette clipped.
Hope wanted to roll her eyes. As if she needed luck.
“Right. You too.” Hope returned coldly. She barely smiled as she turned to take her place again, annoyed that she wasn’t already winning the game.
She had kept Jo from scoring, but just barely.
It was going to be a long day.
---
MG was playing fullback in the game, standing just behind Josie. He stepped forward to speak to her as they all resumed positions.
“Hey, you almost scored over there! That was some insane maneuvering Jo, great job.” Hey tried to clap her on the back, but the witch’s eyes were set and she was focused on her goal.
She shrugged him off. “Not good enough.” She mumbled.
MG followed Josie’s eyeline until he landed on the subject of her unwavering attention.
Hope.
He chuckled. Josie didn’t see what was funny.
“Okay Jo, well just… focus on the game, okay? And try to have some fun.” MG got back into position and Josie didn’t turn around to address her friend.
“I am focused on the game.” She rebutted. She chose not to address the “fun” part.
MG dropped the subject and Josie readied herself to play again. Though her mind couldn't help drifting.
Curiously, she had noticed the way Hope had seemed… distracted when she tackled Josie.
And when the game started how Hope had been too focused on Jo to notice.
Almost as if…. Hope found Josie distracting.
Josie was sure this couldn’t be true.
But her need to win the game pushed her to try something.
Experimentally, Josie undid the high pony in her hair, which was definitely earning her a glare from Lizzie in the bleachers.
She shook it out, letting the loose waves fall around her shoulders. Her hair was long and thick now, reaching almost to her mid-back.
She had set the trap, now it was time to see if her hypothesis had been correct.
At first, Hope didn’t notice. The other girl was busy going over a play with a teammate, but as soon as she turned back, it was clear.
Hope definitely noticed. Not only did she notice, she froze.
Even across the field Jo could see the moment that the tribrid’s breath hitched in her throat.
The corners of Josie’s mouth turned up into the smallest of smiles as she revealed in throwing Hope off her rhythm.
A small part of her was also wondering what it meant.
But that was unimportant now.
As if her hair had fallen completely by accident, Josie re-tied it into a lower ponytail and flashed a smile at the tribrid.
Hope’s expression quickly changed to one of indifference.
Game on.
Josie called the play. Everyone sprang into motion.
Josie sent the ball to her tight end, and ran as hard as she could, dodging everyone on defence effortlessly.
The wide receiver threw the ball back to Josie, who was now near the thirty yard line.
Close.
Suddenly she felt arms with super-human strength wrestle the ball from her.
She turned to find Hope now running in the opposite direction.
Josie pushed herself to run as hard as she could until she reached Hope, grabbing the tribrid’s arm and siphoning from her with force.
Hope gasped as she tripped over herself tumbling forward.
Josie released her grip on the other girl’s arm but couldn’t stop herself from falling too, landing next to the tribrid.
Alaric blew the whistle.
Fuck. Now they would switch to offence.
When Josie turned towards Hope, she found the tribrid’s eyes were all gold. Angry.
“You cheated.” Hope hissed at the brunette, black veins starting to appear under her glowing irises.
Josie was unafraid. In fact, she was a little embarrassed to confess that she found Hope’s eyes beautiful when they looked like this.
“You cheated first.” Josie bit back. “You would have NEVER gotten possession of the ball if you hadn’t used your tribrid strength.”
Neither girl was playing nice anymore. And it seemed as if they had also decided that “fair” was overrated too.
“Maybe,” Hope said, standing up and not offering her hand to Jo,”I got possession of the ball because I played better than you.”
Josie attempted to look unphased as she stood up, getting dangerously close to Hope.
Like a flash of lightning, an idea popped into Josie’s head.
Her eyes shifted to a look of pleading, which took Hope by surprise.
Her voice was soft and careful as she took her friend’s hand gently. Hope was frozen.
“I really need this Hope.” She said, noticing the gold fading rapidly from the tribrid’s gaze.
“So do I Josie.” Hope retorted, although it was much calmer than her previous words.
Meanwhile, Josie was slowly siphoning from Hope’s palm, which the tribrid didn’t seem to notice.
Josie quickly dropped her hand and began muttering a spell.
Hope’s face turned to confusion.
“What did you say?” Hope asked Josie, who only smiled in return.
“Nothing. Good work out there.” Josie turned to walk back to her position as Hope stood there puzzled.
The tribrid made it only a few feet before falling face first on the ground. Her shoelaces had been knotted together.
“Josie!!” Hope seethed. The witch did not turn to acknowledge the tribrid as she took her new place as the defensive end in the second half.
---
The game waned on for another hour. Every start was the same.
The girls were using plenty of magic now, both entirely disregarding the rules of engagement.
Josie wanted to play dirty. Fine. Hope was a Mikaelson, she could do that too.
And she could do it better.
She wasn’t stupid. She saw the way the siphoner looked at her when she thought Hope couldn’t see.
Like she was something to be devoured, not a friend.
Hope had pretended that she hadn’t noticed for weeks.
But now? Anything was fair game.
Hope had noticed her shorts riding up again, and decided to assist them further by hiking them up all the way. Exposing her bare upper thighs and knotting her jersey in the back so it was incredibly form fitting.
Hope’s keen senses picked up on the way Josie’s eyes darkened as she watched her.
Excellent.
Hope’s turn to call the play.
She runs.
She has the ball.
Hopefully her little act earlier had thrown the siphoner off just enough.
Alas, this was not the case. And to make matters worse, her jersey was now up around her midsection.
So when out of nowhere, Josie springs and tackles her, the bare skin of Josie’s hands met the soft flesh of Hope’s stomach.
Perhaps Hope’s plan was not well thought out.
She cradled the ball to her chest and Josie tried her hardest to wrestle it from her.
At some point the whistle had blown. The girls didn’t hear it.
Josie paused and raised an eyebrow at Hope as she pressed her hand against Hope’s toned abdomen and siphoned quickly.
Hope’s mouth opened in surprise and she dropped the ball, which Josie immediately grabbed, her hand leaving Hope’s abs.
Hope regained her composure, and using just an ounce of her vampire/wolf strength, flipping them so that Josie was lying on the ground and Hope was now straddling her.
“You’re not playing fair.” Hope growled, eyes angry.
It was impossible to miss the way Josie’s heart rate increased and her breathing stuttered as Hope shifted above her. The ball rolled out of her hands and onto the grass beside them. Hope made no move to reach for it.
Josie’s face suddenly became a mixture of pride, anger, and hurt as she began to realize what Hope had been attempting to do during the game. Using her… affection for Hope against her.
“Neither are you! Stop… stop LOOKING at me all the time. Just play the fucking game, Hope.”
Hope stilled, but did not get up as she glared down at the witch.
“ME? Looking at you? Why don’t YOU try playing the game instead of staring at me like you want to eat me the whole time? Who knows… you might actually score for once.” Hope shot back at the brunette.
Josie’s face turned bright red as she glared back at the auburnette, barely realizing how compromising the position they were in looked to those around them.
The football was long forgotten and the girls were trapped in the most intense stare-off in history.
“Hey, girls.” Alaric suddenly interjected. Awkwardly standing over them, and reaching for the football.
“It seems as if you have some… unresolved issues that might need to be talked out off the field.” He seemed uncomfortable with the entire situation in front of him.
The girls looked at Ric as if he had grown two heads.
“No we don’t” They said in unison.
Hope was suddenly aware that she was sort of straddling his daughter right in front of him, and jumped up so fast it made Alaric take a step back.
Josie was quick to stand as well.
“Girls, your teammates have requested that in fairness to the other students, you take a break from the game for a while.”
Horror darts across both of their faces as they screech “No!”
Alaric looks mildly apologetic, but still mostly uncomfortable as he tries to console them.
“Perhaps we can reevaluate your ability to play in the last quarter.”
Alaric was clearly not going to budge.
Hope looked at Josie who appeared as if she might cry.
All the anger from the competition drained from her body.
“Jo?” She said, not sure how to approach her after their exchange of words.
“I was finally going to be able to be out of that class with… you know what, you don’t care. Sorry I messed up your plans to escape Mystic Falls as soon as possible.” Josie rolled her eyes and began walking quickly to a spot behind the bleachers.
Hope felt as if her heart might drop seeing Josie like that.
She muttered an incoherent “excuse me” to Alaric as she rushed to follow her friend.
---
Josie felt so stupid crying over this. It was just a dumb football game.
But it had felt like so much more.
Especially when Hope had thrown Josie’s feelings back in her face.
A small part of Josie had allowed herself to believe that Hope might have felt the same way. But she was just playing the game.
“Josie, hey.” Hope had rounded the corner and found her behind the bleachers. Any trace of the girl the had been out there on the field was now gone. Hope was all heart and no ego in this moment.
Josie quickly tried to wipe her tears, embarrassed that Hope was seeing her in this state.
“Please leave, Hope. My dad will probably let you finish the game if you go back and tell him I don’t want to play anymore.” Her voice wavered only a fraction, but of course Hope noticed.
She dropped down next to Josie immediately. For a second, Josie thought Hope might hug her, but the aubernette still looked hesitant.
“Josie, I don’t want to go back out there. I don’t care about the game, I care about you.” The last part was quieter, but it echoed louder than the rest of Hope’s words.
Josie still felt wounded.
“Please just go.” She couldn't look Hope in the eyes now. Every bit of fire and nerve she had in the competition had been left in the game. It was just Josie now. The Josie who was very much falling her best friend, and trying desperately not to show how much pain she was in.
“Josette.” Hope said firmly.
Hope never called her that. Ever.
Josie looked up and to her surprise, tears had formed in Hope’s eyes too.
“I’m sorry that I mocked your feelings. It wasn’t really about you. I...I was mad at myself for letting you distract me. For feeling those same things. So I took it out on you when I shouldn’t have and I am so so sorry.”
Hope looked up to avoid the tears spilling from her eyes.
Josie was confused but her heart had swelled in anticipation. “Your…. Feelings?”
Hope looked back at the puzzled girl and almost laughed through a sob.
“Yes, Josie. My feelings. For you. God you could distract me whether your hair was up or down, no matter what clothes you were wearing, on or off the field. I tried so hard not to be obvious about it but all I ended up doing was hurting you and that’s the last thing I want.”
Josie wanted to smile at Hope and tell her just now not-angry she was, that she forgave Hope, that she never wanted to be mad at her.
But something was gnawing at Jo from the inside.
“Hope if you care about me, why were you trying to leave school early in the first place? Are you-”
Josie pauses, it was embarrassing to say the words she’d been thinking since seeing Hope at the sign up board. “-Do you hate it here that much? That you just can’t wait to escape?”
She tried to keep her composure but her bottom lip quivered as she spoke, betraying how scared she was to lose her friend.
Hope instinctively reached up and ran her thumb along Josie’s jaw slowly, tipping her chin up until their eyes met.
“Josie, I might leave this school, or this town, but I will never leave you. You understand me? You are not going to lose me. I will always be here when you need me. And… if you want me to stay in town until you graduate, then that’s what I’ll do.”
Josie searched Hope’s eyes which were so full of sincerity and longing. Why had she never seen this before?
“Jo, I am always going to be your friend. Wherever I am. But right now, I’m right by your side”
Josie’s heart sank a little at the word friend. Hope seemed to notice this.
“Or… you know… however you want me in your life. I’ll be there.” Her eyes held a question.
But Josie wanted her own answer.
“How do YOU want me in your life, Hope?”
Hope lifted an eyebrow as Josie who had a small smile playing on her lips.
A challenge.
Neither girl had ever backed away from one.
A devilish grin spread across Hope’s face as she leaned in closer to Josie, pulling the brunette by her hips until they were body to body.
She waited.
Josie was on offence now.
Josie moved forward and risked breaking her eye contact with Hope as she placed gentle kisses along the tribrid’s jawline, earning her a sigh of content.
She paused and hovered just over Hope’s lips. Moving her hands around Hope’s lower back, but waiting patiently for Hope’s advance.
Hope was no longer playing safety, she was center now.
She moved forward only an inch to press her mouth to Josie’s and smiled at the feeling, which was everything she thought it would be.
---
They went back and forth like that for what seemed like hours.
Offence. Defence.
Playing their positions. Occasionally getting carried away. But there were no penalties here.
Hope had moved Josie into her lap as she peppered Josie’s collarbone with appreciative kisses and Josie caressed Hope’s body carefully, no longer sure where the end goal was.
They had definitely hit their stride in the makeout department and Hope no longer had any lingering questions.
Josie’s mouth tasted as wonderful as every word she’d ever sung.
Touchdown.
Eventually, they broke apart. Both breathing heavily and beaming as their foreheads bumped together clumsily.
“Halftime?” Josie laughed breathlessly. Hope secretly smiled to herself as she thought about earlier in the day. She did love the way Josie sounded out of breath.
She nodded to the other girl and pulled back a few inches more.
“Do you…want to go back to my dorm?” Hope asked nervously, suddenly fiddling with the hem of Josie’s jersey nervously.
Josie nodded.
Hope leapt up from her seated position, pulling a surprised Josie with her.
Jo placed a hand on her arm to stop her.
“Are you gonna play by the rules?” She questioned the auburn haired girl.
Hope’s eyes flashed gold as she smiled at her best friend.
“Absolutely not.”