The Alpha’s Dynasty

Maya

“Pass the ball!” I yelled. We were in a small soccer pitch in one of the city suburbs where our soccer club members practiced every Saturday. The club was not a professional one but a group of soccer enthusiasts. None of the members except the two of us had arrived yet even though it was time. Even the coach who was always here first had not yet come.

“Not until you promise to tell me why you’re so angry,” Anna said, hitting the ground with the ball and grabbing it when it bounced. “I hope it’s not about Kim. I don’t want her to turn you into a hateful person because you’re not like that.”

“That’s it,” I said, running towards her while she broke into a run with the ball. I sprinted after her for a minute before giving up. She had always been faster than me though I was a few inches taller. I guess height didn’t matter when it came to speed.

Playing soccer was my passion and a lot of people said it was weird because I was a girl. Some didn’t believe that I actually liked it and thought I was faking it just to appear cool. I loathed the fact that a lot of people believed soccer was a man’s game. Why is it so hard for some people to believe that a woman can love soccer as much as a man can? Also, I found it really annoying when other people acted like they had a right to decide what another should like.

It was our mutual love for soccer that brought Anna and I together when we were in the University. I remember it clearly. We were seated side by side on the bleachers, attending a match between my university and another. Our university had scored and we stood up to cheer simultaneously. Then we glanced at each other and for some reason hugged. That was the birth of a lifelong friendship.

“Seriously, what’s going on with you?” She asked, sitting next to me. “Is it Kim again?”

“No, it’s Harry.” I told her.

She placed her hand around my shoulder. “What’s going on between the two of you? You’re always arguing.”

“I think I’m falling for him,” I said. There was no point in hiding anything from Anna because she’d find out anyway. Besides, she was the most understanding person I knew. “He can be really annoying at times but sometimes he’s the sweetest person. I like being around him and I think I’m getting too attached.”

“I think Harry feels something for you. I’ve been watching him lately and he always seems so happy when he’s with you. I think he cares about you.”

“I know he cares but that’s because we’re friends. Although I love being his friend, I want to be more than that. But I don’t think that’s what is really bothering me.”

The image of Kim and Zane coming out of the elevator and walking to his car together flashed in my mind. The way she had looked so smug and happy, while he looked content was not siting well with me. I didn’t understand why I was feeling jealous when he was single and could be with whoever he wanted. Maybe it was the fact that it was Kim. Anna was right. My hatred for that girl was turning me into a horrible person. I was sure I wouldn’t minded if it was someone else.

“Anna! Maya!” Tina’s voice made us turn. She was the only other girl in our soccer club of eighteen members. She was a very tall girl with dreadlocks and played better than Anna and I combined. She jogged over and knelt behind us, putting her hands around us. “Hey darlings.”

“Hey,” we said in unison and looked at her.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Someone’s wearing too much make up,” Anna said as we inhaled Tina’s strong perfume. Anna and I barely wore any make up when coming for practice but Tina always had full make up on which was also okay. To each his own.

“You don’t see me complaining about you guys not wearing any,” Tina said. She held my head and Anna’s then gently knocked them together before quickly standing up.

“What was that for?” I asked, laughing.

“Talking about my looks. Hey, what are we waiting for? Let’s kick some ball. I’ve had a stressful week and I need to let all the stress out.”

“Same,” Anna said, rising. When she was on her feet, she offered her hand. I took it and she helped me up though I could’ve done it by myself. Sometimes true friendship is about helping a friend even though she may not need it.

I looked around and saw that most of the members had arrived. It seemed that the coach was successful in getting more members, judging by the new faces. I was disappointed to see that all the new members were male. It’d be fun to have more girls around. We were a small club that had never played a professional game before. We were always playing friendly matches with other teams because we formed the club mainly for fun. A few people in the club wanted to play professionally in future but some of us already had careers in other fields.

After mutual introductions with the new members, I sauntered towards my bag to get some water and found my phone ringing. It was Harry.

“Hey,” I said, smiling involuntarily.

“Hi! What are you doing right now?”

“Why do you ask?” I inquired.

“I was wondering if we could catch a movie.”

“I’m not doing anything,” I lied because I really need some time with him. Lately, I had been enjoying his presence more than usual and I really needed someone to distract me from the thoughts of Zane and Kim. Those two were driving me crazy. “I’m free.”

He chuckled. “Why are you lying to me, Maya Bennett?”

I looked around and spotted him on the bleachers. Cringing, I closed my eyes. The ground should swallow me up already. I didn’t think I had ever felt that embarrassed since I became an adult.