25. Unexpected

It was game day!

These event were actually quite big at our school and through the entire week, that school spirit really gets to you.

My mood had lightened up a bit because of this and I looked forward to this night.

I also didn't really think that the fact that Holden was picking me up and taking me to the game, was such a big deal. I mean, I would be going there anyway, he just invited me to go with him.

It's pretty normal for friends to go to stuff together, right?

Okay, so I didn't think that Holden and I were that good of friends, but then maybe he wanted to be and was being polite.

However, everyone apart from me thought otherwise.

Currently, I was standing in my living room with my parents, whilst they were talking to Holden. They looked confused as ever when he came to pick me up, even though I had explained it all beforehand, and now they just seemed interested in him.

The correct word to explain how my Mum felt was shocked.

When Holden walked in, she pulled me to the side and whispered, "What is this?"

In her mind, she 'shipped' me and Liam together.

It was weird enough that my Mum used the word 'shipped', never mind what she meant by those words.

I didn't really dwell on it so much, since it probably stemmed from Liam and I being neighbours and friends when we were little. She probably thought it was cute and all, from a mother's perspective, so I didn't think much of it.

My Dad, however, took a different approach.

He had a way of saying really serious things as a joke, and he did just that. My Dad joked about 'if you try anything with my daughter, I have a gun'. The way he said it seemed as if he were being silly, but it was anything but that.

My parents just couldn't accept that Holden and I were just friends. Of course, Holden wasn't helping in the slightest, by not saying anything.

"Alright, that's enough guys," I looked at my parents. "We've got to get going," I said.

"Fine, fine," my Dad nodded at with me with a smile and then looked at Holden more sternly. "Remember what I say, boy," he threatened...again.

"Yes, Sir," Holden replied.

He probably thought I was a lunatic, along with my family.

"Okay, we're off. Bye guys," I gave my Mum and Dad a kiss on the cheek, and practically shoved Holden out the door, as if there were a trail of fire behind me.

I could hear my Mum shouting about texting when I reached, even as I walked out the door.

"I'm so sorry about that," I apologised as I sat in Holden's car. "My parents are crazy."

He chuckled at my words. "They're nice.

"You're kind," I smiled at him.

In all honesty, I loved my parents, as crazy as they are. They could be too much but then they did it all for the love of me, so it was acceptable.

"Thank you for coming with me," Holden then said, glancing at me briefly, before keeping his eyes on the road.

He's so polite.

"That's alright. I'm glad you asked," I told him, noticing the smile that came over him after I spoke, including the redness on his cheeks. He blushed easily, I couldn't help but think.

Just before he could say anything, my phone ringing interrupted the two of us.

"Oh, one second," I said to Holden and answered the call.

It was no surprise that it was Sara on the other of the line, asking where I was. Last year we were so early, we probably looked like the most eager fans. However, since Holden wanted to pick me up today, we had to go separately.

She was already there and was now trying to rush me.

"Sorry about that," I apologised to Holden, after ending the call. "Sara's a bit of a nutcase."

"Is she already there?" He asked.

"They all are," I nodded. "Last year, we got there really early, so we could get good seats. This year we were going to do the same."

Holden glanced at me, with a surprised or confused look. I couldn't really tell.

"Wait, you were already going to go?" He asked.

"Yeah, of course. Not just because attendance is marked, but more for the food," I said.

Our attendance wasn't strictly marked for a purpose, but it was a made of a note of if you bought a ticket and actually came to a game. It would look good on you as a student, being a team player and all.

I couldn't let easy credit such as that slip away now, could I?

"Oh," Holden then said, and I swear he looked a little disappointed. "I thought you didn't go or I-...am I keeping you from your friends?" He then questioned me.

"If you knew, would you not ask me to go with you?" I then asked him, raising a brow.

Holden must've thought that I was serious, because suddenly he looked all panicky.

I then let out a chuckle. "I'm kidding. I am happy you asked me, Holden. It was really sweet of you."

He seemed to smile at my words, but then frowned. Had I said something wrong?

"About why I asked you..." he trailed off.

I waited for him to say something, but when he didn't, I honestly thought he forgot we were mid-conversation.

"You were saying something?" I asked.

"Nothing," Holden quickly said and then carried on to keep his eyes on the road.

'That was weird,' I thought. But then I had come to realise that Holden could be weird sometimes or get a little flustered.

I didn't question it. I guess if it really was something, he'd tell me.

***

Compared to last year, the experience of watching this game was a lot different, it was actually more fun.

Usually during these games, I didn't really see a lot, mostly because we didn't really watch it properly, instead I'd be scoffing down the food and missed out on why people were cheering or groaning.

However, this time, I actually paid attention.

I'm pretty sure I looked like a lost puppy, which is why every now and then, Holden would tell me what was going on.

He did ask me early on, probably seeing my clueless face, if I understood anything. When I sheepishly shook my head, he laughed and began to tell me things. It helped a lot, I actually cheered with everyone, knowing why they were doing that.

It was kind of adorable to see Holden's more intense reactions.

I usually see him more shy, quiet and calm. But during the game, his demeanour was anything but that.

He was shouting, yelling, cursing, everything. I was laughing at his reactions.

However, what really made me feel like Holden was the cutest, was when he bought me nachos. It was so sweet. Of course, I wasn't completely mean and shared them with him too.

Halfway through the game, Julie came and sat next to me, probably getting tired of Mel groaning about the game.

It was her first time at a game like this and she looked like she was enjoying it - despite understanding nothing. I thought it was hilarious that I had begun to explain things to her.

I would also point out Liam, in between all the players.

It was a little funny to me, that I could always spot him out of everyone. Find him amongst the crowed.

But when I did, I reminded myself every time, I was finding Liam for Julie.

***

After, I don't even know how many minutes that was, the game was over.

We - and I count myself in that, because I bought a ticket - had won.

Everyone went wild in the stands, drinks, food, shirts, everything was thrown about in celebration.

I was not ashamed of the fact that I tried to hid myself using Holden as a shield, tucking myself into his side.

It was surprising that he didn't just move away, but rather covered me. If it were Max or Danny, they would use me as a shield instead to cover themselves.

One of the guys on the team threw a party since we'd won. Pretty sure he decided this whilst already drunk, but that's not my problem.

We all hung out there for a bit, since Liam, Andre and Chris were a part of the team, quite a vital part, and had to 'make an appearance'.

Instead of staying there, we all went to grab some food instead.

Sara took us to this cute restaurant and we put three benches together, sitting outside to eat. It was a nice evening, so we thought it was a good idea.

Whilst everyone was talking, Holden leaned towards me slightly. "I'm glad you came."

I turned toward him and smiled at his sweet words. "I'm glad you asked me," I replied.

"Yeah, you finally got the guts to ask her out," Andre then chimed into our conversation, which a smug smile on his face.

I was really confused.

Everyone's attention was suddenly on us, which didn't made me feel any better.

Then table then shook a little and Andre yelled out, sounding like he was in pain.

"Ask me out?" I questioned Andre.

My mind was still stuck on what he'd said, mostly what he meant by it.

As if I was the one who'd said something odd, Andre was looking at me in confusion. He was practically staring at my face, and then started looking between Holden and I.

"You didn't!?" He suddenly exclaimed.

I really wish someone would clue me into the conversation right now.

"No," Holden spoke up, seemingly between gritted teeth, as if he were forcing the word or saying it in anger.

"He asked me to come to the game," I then said. That's what he means by asking me out, right?

Andre shook his head. "You're an idiot."

Okay, seriously. What was I missing here?

"Holden?" I turned to look towards him, but he didn't face me. He actually looked like he was trying avoid eye contact.

There was a hushed silence amongst us, before it was broken.

"He likes you, Rena." Andre said, bluntly.

As soon as he said those words, my jaw dropped.

I could even laugh when I heard Sara choke on her drink, I was just that shocked.

The table shook once more and Andre yelled out in pain again, after which I was convinced he'd been kicked.

"No," Andre looked at Holden, making me realise it was him who'd kicked him. "You've had ages, I'm just going to do it for you," he said and narrowed his eyes.

There was so much going through my mind right now, I don't even know where to begin.

I then tried to start with the main question.

"You like me?" I asked Holden, waiting for his response.

Instead, all I got was silence.

"He does," Andre then said. "He's actually liked you for some time now but he's just a pussy when it comes to telling you."

Again, Holden didn't say anything, which confused me furthermore.

"It's true. He always seems to chicken out," Chris said, another person who was confirming Holden's feelings for me, except the actually guy in question.

I glanced back towards Holden, seeing his lips move as his muttered something, but I couldn't quite hear it.

"Will you go out with him, Rena?" Andre asked.

At this point, I can't tell who's asking me out, Andre or Holden.

I felt speechless. Who was I even meant to answer, because Holden still hadn't asked me anything, he was keeping up his silence.

To be honest, I felt like a joke.

It was amusing to my friends and to be honest, if I were in their place, I would also find this hilarious. However, being the centre of it is not fun.

Some were telling me to say yes to be with Holden, whilst others were kind of just cheering or supporting him.

I listened for a second, before I ignored everyone and just looked at the person who really needed to speak up.

"Okay, at some point I'm going to need Holden to talk," I said.

Finally, he turned to look at me, but still not a word.

When all everyone started telling him to say something or just telling me to accept this all, I felt like I couldn't breathe. This was all getting a bit too much for me.

"Everyone, enough!" Liam shouted, causing all our friends to stop talking and look at him. "You're overwhelming her," he said.

It was comforting to know he cared or could at least tell how I was feeling, without me having to tell him.

But still, his words were true. I was feeling really overwhelmed and I felt like my mind was just processing everything right now and it was a lot to take in.

"Excuse me," I then said, got out of my seat.

Despite being outdoors, I still needed air.

I didn't think I was oblivious...well, not as much as some. But I must be, if I couldn't see that Holden liked me, for what seemed like a while.

Now that I actually thought about it, his weird behaviour around me suddenly made sense. He was an oddball, because he liked me...yeah, that sounds about right.

"Rena," I then heard my name from the guy who finally seemed to have broken his vow of silence.

I turned around and looked at him.

"Is it a joke?" I asked him, getting straight to it.

He looked stunned at my question.

"Is this some kind of cruel prank? Are you messing with me? Because if so, then I really won't talk to you ever again," I said.

"It's true, Rena. I've liked you for ages. You're so kind, caring and sweet, and you're so beautiful. I've wanted to ask you out so many times, but every time I try, I can't seem to find the words. I get tongue-tied around you," he said and looked at me, as if trying to sense my reaction.

My eyes widened at his words.

He then continued. "Rena, you're amazing and I don't want to just be friends with you."

Just when I was started to think I had just dreamed up this entire evening, Holden stepped forward and held my hand.

"Rena, will you go out with me?" He asked.

This really was unexpected