101

                                    

                                          
The ball sailed between the goal posts with only seconds to spare. Despite the fact I was short of breath after deciding to run the ball, I inhaled and held it, watching the ball drop with a thud half a second before the whistle was blown and the game ended.
Behind me, the rest of my team erupted into cheers. 
I finally allowed myself to release the breath I'd been holding and my lungs wheezed. We'd done it. It was a close game, so close that I'd started to doubt our chances by the third quarter. But we'd won. By only three points. But we'd won. We'd won the high school championship.
A grin overtook my face as I ripped off my helmet and then turned to see my teammates all jumping around, clapping each other on the backs and tossing their shirts into the air. My best friend and my brother were amongst them and Alex looked over at me, his own smile a mirror image of mine.
I charged over to them, throwing my body weight into my brother as I tossed my arms around his shoulders. "You're fucking brilliant," he laughed as he hugged me back. "I cannot believe you just won us this thing!"
I shook my head. I'd scored the field goal that won us the game, but the team had played better than we ever had. Every pass had been executed flawlessly and every single player had been at the top of their game today. It was most likely sheer luck that everything had come together the way it had, but we'd all worked so hard this season and we deserved this win just as much as the other team.
I felt someone's hands land on my shoulders moments before the weight of my best friend nearly sent me crashing to the ground. One hand moved to my head, ruffling my hair while he cheered so loudly it was deafening. "Fuck off," I laughed, but Jay just wrapped his legs around my hips and then raised both his arms in the air.
"We won!" he exclaimed and the boys all hollered back. "We fucking won!"
"Get off me!" I said, trying to shake him off my back so I could shimmy away from the celebrations. Eventually, he dropped off me, finding another one of the guys to climb all over and I slipped away to approach the other team who'd gathered in one corner of the field, wallowing in the defeat. 
Their captain looked up at me as I approached and offered a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Congratulations," he said, taking his helmet off and offering me a hand. I shook it and then clapped the guy on the back, feeling just a little bad about beating them. They were a strong team and they'd played well.
"Good game," I said and he nodded. 
"Enjoy the celebrations," he gestured towards where the boys were all chanting and dancing on the field as though the crowds had vanished. I rolled my eyes at them all, acting like a bunch of kids, not high school graduates. 
"Thanks man," I said, and shook his hand again before heading back towards my team and my coach who was congratulating each player. When I reached him, he held a hand out for me to shake and then pulled me into a hug.
"We couldn't have done it without you, captain." 
I grinned. "Right back at you, coach."
He opened his mouth, as though he was about to say more, but then his gaze snagged on something behind me and he just laughed. "Congratulations, Matt."
I frowned and turned to find the most beautiful blue eyes welled with tears. My heart stopped beating at her smile. "Congratulations," she said, taking a step towards me. She looked so fucking good, wearing my jersey over a pair of jeans, my name and number on her back. Her blonde hair was tied up so you could see exactly who she was here for and it made my stomach dip to see her here.
I couldn't help but look up into the crowds at her during the game. It was like a shot of adrenaline, seeing her seated in between my parents, my jersey hanging off her, a wide smile on her face. I'd heard her cheering and watched her jump up when I'd scored a touchdown earlier in the game. She screamed for Alex and Jay too, and hugged my mum whenever we scored.