Before I could even say anything, she was already crashing into me, winding her arms around my neck.

“We won against fucking Westbridge!” she laughed, her voice slightly muffled against my shoulder. “Did you see their stupid faces? Holy shit. The last time Seven Hills won against them was in 2001!”

Wrapping my arms around her, I pressed a kiss to her temple.

“You were amazing.”

Noelle pulled back, her eyes bright with victory. “Can I kiss you?”

“You don’t always have to ask,” I softly said.

“Yeah, I do,” she murmured before she pushed me up against the lockers and kissed me with so much force my legs went weak.

Noelle was rougher than usual, all her caution thrown over-board as she pressed up against me, teeth biting at my lip and her hands firmly holding me in place. My hands found their way to her hips, pulling her even closer, until I could feel her heart racing against mine. For a few moments, my world narrowed down to nothing but her lips and her hands and the feeling of her eyelashes tickling my cheek—that was until I heard the door opening. My eyes fluttered open just in time to see it fall shut again, followed by the sound of footsteps sprinting away.

Noelle’s head whipped around immediately. “Shit. Did you see who that was?”

The humidity in the room suddenly felt stifling, like there wasn’t enough oxygen to fill my lungs, just barely enough to whisper, “No.”

Noelle turned back to me. “Hey, don’t worry,” she said, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. “It was probably just one of those Westbridge losers. I’m sure they didn’t even think much of it.”

“Probably,” I murmured.

Noelle reluctantly let go of me and grabbed her bag. “Come on, we should go.”

I nodded, quickly fixing my hair in one of the mirrors before I followed her outside, still feeling a little shaky.

Almost everyone was on the bus already, except for a few boys who were still stowing away their things. Mrs. Whitworth and Miss Pepperman were waiting for us when we arrived, both wearing bright smiles.

“Well done, Noelle!” Mrs. Whitworth exclaimed. To my surprise, she pulled Noelle into a tight hug, which she returned after a second of shock. “I’m so proud of you.”

When Noelle stepped back, her eyes were shining. “Thank you, Mrs. Whitworth.”

“What talent!” Miss Pepperman chirped. “Those boys can only dream of playing like you!”

Noelle laughed, a little bit flustered. A moment later, Mrs.

Whitworth shooed us onto the bus. While Noelle sat with her teammates, I slid into the seat next to Amelia. “Hey!”

Amelia didn’t look at me. “Hello.”

“Good game, huh?”

She nodded.

“Is everything okay?” I inquired.

“Of course,” she said. “I’m just tired.”

I had a feeling she was still a little cross because I hadn’t sat with her on the way here, but didn’t say anything. While she closed her eyes, I glanced over my shoulder at Noelle. She was laughing with the rest of the team, still buzzing with energy.