Celena Holt sat in the bleachers on a cold January day watching a soccer game. She rubbed her mitten-clad hands together, trying to warm them. Her eyes followed a boy wearing a blue jersey that had number 34 and Kempton printed on it in white letters. John Kempton was the star of the local soccer team and every girl's dream guy. This included Celena. John had short brown hair and eyes the color of the Atlantic Ocean. He was tall and muscular, but almost like a teddy bear that one slept with at night and wanted to cuddle with. He was smart, funny, and charming. And rumor had it that he was interested in Celena.
She had followed him around like a puppy dog for the past two years. She helped him with his history homework and often hung out with his crowd. When she heard the rumor, she was overjoyed. John was the stuff dreams were made of and he was coming true for Celena.
The soccer game was soon over, and John walked over to Celena, who was still sitting on the bleachers.
"Hey, Celena," John greeted her. "How did I do?" He smiled, sending shivers down her spine.
"Great! You just barely made that last goal, though," she said. She tucked a strand of short brown hair behind her ear.
"Thanks. I made it just for you," he said. "But I couldn't have done it without Taylor's help." He pointed to a boy with long blond hair over by the bench. He was tying his shoe. "Hey, Tay, come over here!" The blond headed boy looked up and smiled. He walked towards John and Celena.
"Hey, John, great game!" the boy said. He had the most alarmingly blue eyes. Celena felt as though she could see his soul, just looking into them.
"Thanks. You too. Taylor, I would like you to meet someone. This is my friend Celena Holt. Celena, this is Taylor Hanson," John introduced them. The boy smiled again. He had a very nice smile.
"Hi. Nice to meet you, Celena," he said, putting out his hand.
"You, too," she said shaking it. "So, you like to play soccer, too?"
"Yeah, but its just a hobby. I'm in a band with my brothers," Taylor replied.
"Cool," Celena said. "Sounds like fun."
"Yeah. You oughta come hear us sometime," Taylor responded.
"Well," said John, interrupting. "Now that you've met, I was wondering if you and Chrystyne would like to come to the carnival with Taylor and me tonight. We've already asked Chrystyne, and she can come. So, it's up to you. Wanna come? Celena felt her stomach drop.
"Well...uh...I-I guess," she stammered. She couldn't believe he'd actually asked her out on a date.
"Great! We'll pick you up at five," John said. "See you then. Bye."
Yeah, bye," she said, breathlessly.
"Bye," Taylor said.
"Bye." She waved. Celena walked over to the bike rack and unlocked her mountain bike. She climbed on it and rode off towards her home.
Taylor smiled to himself as he got in John's car. Celena was the prettiest girl Taylor had seen in a long time. Her short brown hair curled beautifully around her face. Her pale blue eyes glistened in the winter sun. He was smitten with her.
"How long have you known Celena, John?" Taylor asked.
"Since seventh grade. How was my game today? I almost didn't make that last shot because...," John babbled on about soccer. Taylor was half-listening, thinking about Celena.
"What's she like?" he asked, interrupting John.
"She's a peach. Helps me with my history homework sometimes. She's the nicest girl at Union. Anyway, my foul up reminded me of an incident in eighth grade when I was playing basketball. There were five seconds left on the clock, and the ball was passed to me. I ran to the goal and stumbled. But I regained my balance and made the shot just in time. I won the game for our team. Cool, huh?" John said.
"Yeah. What does Celena like to do in her spare time?" Taylor asked.
"Dunno, actually. She reads a lot of poetry and stuff. Stuff by Akhma-somebody and T.S. Eliot," John replied.
"That's Akhmatova. I've read some of her stuff," Taylor said.
"Yeah, good for you," John responded, uninterested. "You know, I think I may try out for the baseball team at school this spring. I bet I can even make varsity, too."
"Has she ever had a boyfriend?" Taylor asked.
"No, she hasn't. Why do you keep asking about Celena? She's my date, not yours. Who you should be asking about is Chrystyne. She's your date," John said.
"Yeah," Taylor agreed quietly.
"So, what did you think about that goal I made towards the end of the first half of the game?" John asked. Taylor looked at his friend and sighed loudly.
"It was great, John," he said in a monotone voice.
