Her Striker by Charlene Raquel
Chapter Twenty-one
The crowd roared and stomped on the bleachers as the last seconds ticked away on the scoreboard. Drew’s team was up two goals to one, and he had possession of the ball once again.
Tom and Drew had developed a groove and ruled the field. Drew slid to the left before kicking the ball diagonally between two players speeding up to him. Tom was there to stop the ball and take it closer to the goal. He was in a better position to score than Drew, so he went for it, bringing his foot back and giving it a short kick to the bottom left corner of the goal. The goalie dove for the ball catching it with the tips of his fingers and denying Tom the score.
Everyone ran back to midfield, awaiting the goalie to kick the soccer ball away from his team’s side of the field. A few players fought for possession before the buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the game.
Drew and his teammates celebrated their win on the field with fist pumps and high fives. A few of the guys did chest bumps.
Drew hated that Gwen’s tennis tournament was at the same time as his soccer match on Saturday afternoon. Even though he knew she was across campus, he couldn’t help glancing into the stands to look for her. He loved seeing her cheer him on in his last game and couldn’t wait for her to be there again. It was crazy to think that just last week, he would have been annoyed to see her there. Things had definitely changed for the better.
He jogged over to the benches to gather his stuff. He needed to grab a quick shower before meeting Gwen over at the tennis courts. He hoped he would get to see her last set. He always loved watching her dominate the court. His woman had one hell of a serve.
They had planned to meet up with Dean, Sam, and Jeff for dinner at Gwen and Sam’s apartment. They needed to go over some last-minute plans before the initiation that night.
Drew rushed through his shower and dressed quickly, pulling on his t-shirt as he made his way into the hallway. His mind was on Gwen and her short tennis skirt, so he didn’t see the three figures dressed in all black come up to him from behind.
Arms circled his body as a needle was inserted into his neck, and everything went dark.
~*~*~
Gwen was riding an adrenalin high. Somehow, she managed to win the entire tournament, securing her first-place ranking. Even though she didn’t need the scholarship anymore, she still played her best. There was something about working her butt off and playing her best that made her feel like she could do anything.
The only thing that was missing was Drew. She had hoped that his game would get done before her tournament was over so he could catch some of her last match. It had been a long time since she had glanced over to the stands and saw him watching her.
His eyes would intensely track her movements, making her tingle. She hoped Drew would make her whole-body tingle after dinner and they could forget about the initiation. She could convince Sam to hang out with Dean at the guys’ place.
Grinning, Gwen grabbed her duffle bag, swung it over her shoulder, and made her way toward the parking lot. Sam had to work the lunch shift at the diner, so she would meet her at their place. They were going to order out because they didn’t want to waste time cooking.
The parking area around the athletic complex was not as crowded as it had been. She glanced toward the soccer stadium, wondering how Drew did in his game. She loved watching him own the field and dominate the other team. She couldn’t wait to see him.
The sound of squealing tires made her glance back to the parking lot. She jumped backward as a black van barreled down the aisle toward her. The side door slid open as it screeched to a stop. A dark-haired man reached out and yanked her into the van, closing the door as the driver sped away.
