Part 02 - Post-Game Celebrations
At the Toyota Park Stadium cheers were echoing throughout the entire complex. Filled stands were getting increasingly excited as they watched the soccer match unfolding. It was a packed house that had gathered to see the game between the home team, Chicago Fire, and the away team, the New York Red Bulls.
The visitors were also the league leaders, who came to visit the team that lay second to last on the table. The mere presence of the New Yorkers was enough to bring out the crowd, the stadium virtually packed. They went with low expectations, but they were being excited by something unexpected.
One of the home players had been entertaining the crowd with some spectacular moments of skill. Kevin Howard, a 19 year old youngster, was making his first appearance for the senior team. He was lifting the entire team around him, making great runs with the ball, exploring the gaps in the opposing team's defence, and just generally creating havoc.
As he got the ball at his feet from his teammate, Howard started jogging forward, a defender marking him right in front. Another defender tried to sneak behind his back, but he saw him and instantly spun with the ball, managing to get away from him, and then used a fancy trick to make it go between the other player's legs.
Amused interjections filled the stadium again, and Lana just watched with a smile on her face.
Now he's just showing off...
She was seated in one of the sideline seats watching the game unfold. Well, kind of. Her phone rarely left her hand, as she was constantly texting back her uni colleague.
Quickly responding to her previous message, Lana looked up in time to see Howard sprint quickly next to the sideline before making a perfect cross to a teammate, who headed it just wide off the mark. A disappointed "Oh" filled the stadium. The player who missed gave Howard a thumbs up for the good game vision.
The youngster made a wry smile, using his hand to push back his hair.
'Oh my God, does everything he do have to look hot?' A woman in front of Lana asked her friend.
'Right? I heard Tania knows a friend of his. I'm calling her. I want to be set up with that.' the friend said, looking suggestively at Howard.
Lana rolled her eyes, even though neither of the two could see it.
They're practically drooling...
There were definitely reasons to, though. He had body to die for, his muscles visible underneath his tight kit, and a face to match it. His cheekbones were perfectly defined and covered with light stubble. His straight long blonde hair was probably his best feature. It just made her want to put her hands through it and play with it.
Feeling her phone buzzing in her pocket, Lana made her way away from the mass of people in the stands and answered on the way to finding a quiet-ish place.
'Hold on.' she mouthed quickly onto her phone.
Finding a more secluded place in the stairway of the stands, she continued the conversation.
It was one of her classmates from college, telling her about the progress of the extracurricular project they were both enrolled in.
'That interview needs to happen, Kate.' Lana spoke. 'We need to get all the prep work done before the end of the semester.' she listened for a few seconds. 'Kate, I need this done today! I've worked my ass off to get him to grant us that interview! We are not going to blow this! Okay?' Kate replied. 'Okay, I got to go now, I'll see you later. Bye.'
Making her way back towards her seat, Lana couldn't help but get annoyed at the lack of seriousness her colleagues were handling the interview with. She'd managed to arrange an interview with a corporate big-shot through sheer persistence (and annoying the fuck out of his PR people) for the uni newspaper. Her friend's complacency was beginning to irritate her, though.
She took her seat once more, taking her mind off work. The big screen showed there were only 2 minutes remaining and the teams were tied at 1-1.
Howard was at it again. Tackling his opponent, he instantly got up again and started to run with it, beginning the counterattack for Chicago Fire. There a few possibilities for him to pass it off to, which the Bulls were trying to cover, having been caught out with too many players forward.
With his head always lifted, the youngster appeared to be preparing to do so, but instead he used a burst of speed to leave an opponent behind. Then he dribbled past another, who fell flat on the ground. He continued advancing and prepared the shot... No, he faked the shot and changed direction leaving another player on his ass.
There was only one man standing in front of the goal, the keeper, who was determined to stand firm. With quick feet movements, Howard managed to open up a gap to shoot, an almost impossible one. He finessed it, curling it beautifully. The keeper jumped but failed, and the ball went into the goal just beneath the crossbar.
A collective scream filled the stadium, as Howard went to celebrate near the fans at the far side of the pitch, a look of pure joy on his face. Lana was celebrating along, the happiness of everyone around her proving to be contagious.
The game finished shortly after, the new Yorkers not managing to flip the result back. Lana made her way towards the tunnel again, trying to get the jump on everyone else leaving the seats. Making her way quickly around to the bottom floor, she searched for the door she knew would lead to the corridor of the dressing room.
Oh, the joys of having handy "sources"...
Waiting next to a side door, Lana let every player pass, the visiting team looking gloomy, whilst the winner's were almost jumping with excitement after greeting the fans.
You better have had the decency to be a smug bastard and take your time, Kevin...
she thought.
And he did. Looking shiny from the sweat he'd poured and with his long hair hanging everywhere, Kevin was shirtless, one Red Bulls shirt on his hand, having swapped jerseys with an opponent after the end of the game.
Opening the door, Lana grabbed him by the arm and pushed him into the access corridor. A look of surprise crossed his face momentarily before recognition. As she closed the door again, he smiled broadly at her.
'And how may I help you, Miss?'
He was taller than her, so she had to look up at him.
'Don't "miss" me, young man.' Lana replied with mock indignation. 'I've just had to sit behind two drooling girls in the stands who were very vocal about what they wanted to do to you.'
'So you want me to apologize for that...?' Kevin replied amused.
'Well, it wouldn't cost you anything.'
'Except my dignity and sanity.'
'Like you still have any of those two left.'
