57

During practice, Aiden throws me grins every chance he gets. My cheeks flame at the attention he draws towards me. Even the girls on the track team — who rarely talk to me — nudge me a few times. They were never mean to me, but they never bothered with me before either. Once practice is over, I linger back and glance one last look at the football pitch. I don’t need to search for Aiden since he’s running in my direction. He has such breathtaking athletic ease when he runs. His form is taut, graceful, and full of so much confidence. He reaches me in a few seconds, his jet black hair sticking to his forehead with sweat and his breathing controlled. Almost everyone in my immediate surrounding grows silent as if they’re watching the show. I fidget, feeling uncomfortable with all the attention. It’s different from bullying, but it’s attention all the same. Being under the spotlight causes my skin to prickle, but since I’ve gotten involved with Aiden, I should’ve known that he comes with att