The girls watched as Trevor and the other soccer players clamped hands on Bent’s shoulders. They shouted out words of encouragement.The announcer came over the loudspeaker. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience. It seems the situation has now been handled. The game will resume in the next half. In the meantime, please enjoy refreshments…”Sarah turned her attention back to the field. Bent was still talking with a few guys on his team. Every so often, he would glance up at the stands and catch her eye. Sarah could only stare blankly back at him. It wasn’t that she didn’t care that he was checking that she was still there. It was more that she didn’t know how to respond to his attention. Elly was busily gossiping with her friends. The girls pretended to hit each other, mimicking Bent’s fight on the field, giggling uncontrollably. She could go from sad to happy in the blink of an eye.”What I’d give to be Bent Prince’s girl,” someone said behind Sarah. She tilted her head slightly to see who’d spoken. A group of girls — they looked like freshmen or sophomores — were huddled together. They wore big puffy sweaters. Sarah didn’t know who they were, as they weren’t in her grade. But their expressions sent a shooting pain through her. She could relate to exactly what they were thinking. Not less than a year ago, she, too, had felt completely invisible to boys. She’d always marveled at how Elly and Trish could flirt at ease with the most beautiful boys at school. “Is Bent still dating Elly Woods?” one of the girls behind Sarah asked. “I think so,” the girl with the blue sweater said. “I mean, how can he not? Elly’s like a goddess.” The other girls nodded their heads. “It stinks, right? I mean, how can he go for Elly? She’s so mean,” another girl in a yellow sweater said. Sarah checked to see if either Pam or Erin had heard the gossip behind her. But Pam was talking to someone she recognized in the stands, and Erin was busily texting into her phone. “Do you think he’ll marry Elly?” the girl in the blue sweater asked. Sarah couldn’t listen to the rest. For some reason, their conversation was really getting to her. And it shouldn’t even matter! She had Kurl. He was probably one of the best catches she could ever hope for in her entire life. Yet…he wasn’t Bent Prince. As she made her way down the bleachers, she noticed Bent’s uniform had the number two on the back. Wait…he was NEVER number two. He’d ALWAYS been number seven. But there it was. Plain as day. Bent, for whatever reason, had suddenly changed his uniform shirt to her favorite number. Number two had always been her field hockey number. Was it just a coincidence? She traipsed over to the concession stand and stood in the long line. She wasn’t really hungry. Or thirsty. She wanted to escape the gossiping girl group behind her. Deep down, she knew a part of her feared she would fall back into that life. A life where Kurl and Bent didn’t exist. Where boys looked through her instead of at her. She’d just decided to get a hamburger, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. When she turned around, she nearly burst out laughing. Maybe it was from feeling sorry for herself. Or maybe it was because she was so relieved to see he was okay. “You know you’re always there,” she told Bent. He lounged behind her with a devil-may-care expression. His hair had bits of grass, and his previously crisp uniform was sweaty and stained with dirt. His face was bright and remarkable. He didn’t look like he’d been in a fight. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked. He chewed his bottom lip, his dark eyes flashing. Sarah’s nerves felt all jammed together with different, competing emotions. “I don’t know. It just SEEMS like every time I’m somewhere, like shopping on the Avenue or digging through the lost and found bin, you appear, out of nowhere, behind me. You’re just always THERE!” “Always behind you? Well, maybe I can’t get enough of the view?” he snickered.