What is your favorite sport. Most people say football or basketball. Mine? Soccer. Soccer is a high intensity sport that requires many different skills. In order to be a successful soccer player there are a few thing you should know. First off you need to be in prime physical condition.Soccer requires an abundance off running, not to mention the occasional sprinting. The next thing you'll need is to master good technique  You need to know how to pass and dribble properly. The last thing you need to master is good team work. Soccer is a team sport. You could be the best player in the world but it you don't get along with you teammates you wont get anywhere.

Back and forth. Back and forth. Thousands of crimson red poppies surrounded Megan as she lay in the grassy pastor. She looked up at the minty blue sky as the wind swiftly blew past her. ‘I’m going to miss this place’ she thought to herself. Suddenly a loud groan awoke her form her thoughts, 
“Ughhhhh”. She looked over to see Oli, the one person she could trust in this cruel world. “Hello there lovely.” he said with his distinctive English accent. Oli was a boy of 19; his upper body was almost completely covered in various tattoos, even though you could never see them because the fool always wore cotton wool sweaters, along with three barely noticeable dots to the side of his right eye. His mahogany brown hair sat easily on his forehead right above his bushy eyebrows. The boy was skinnier then a twig and was taller than most people knew. But the one thing that stood out the most about Oli were his eyes, the big amber colored spheres that reminded you of sitting by a warm fireplace in the middle of autumn.
“We should be getting home soon eh?” He asked. “Yeah” Megan mumbled back. She didn’t want to leave, this was probably going to be the last day they could actually come out her and lay in peace, without any distractions or worries. “I’m going to miss this place.” She added as they walked up the final hill that looked over the pastor as the sun set behind the trees that surrounded it, causing a long luminous shadow through the area. The sky’s orange, pink glow was fading as the indigo night sky began to appear. “Yeah, our meadow.” Oli replied before grabbing her wrist and pulling her towards the street. Our Meadow. Megan pondered the thought in her head for a while. Yes, this was our meadow. Sacred and untouched by the outside world. 
Sunlight streamed through the musty apartment as Megan awoke. Even though summer had only ended a few short days ago, she could feel the crisp fall air stream through a small crack in the window next to her bed. 
Megan slowly stood up running her hand through her long dark brown hair. She look around her room, various clothing items were discarded throughout the red-carpeted room.  The dirty whitewash walls had been covered with multiple posters of music groups and street art symbols. An old box of CD’s and books sat idly next to a caramel colored dresser across the room. On top of the dresser stood, a stereo and various picture frames.
Megan walked over to the dresser and picked up one of the small rectangular frames. She smiled as she looked at the girl and boy in the picture. “Megan and Oli,” read the description at the bottom corner. They had gone through so much together, and now they even had their own apartment in Brighten together. 
Admittedly they had not always been this close. Him being the odd-looking English exchange student, with the tattoos and all, back in high school and her being the awkward social outcast, naturally they became friends. But, it wasn’t until the death of her parents did they really begin to bond. 
By the time they graduated high school they were inseparable, so of course when he asked her to move back to England with him she would say yes. “Oh Oli” she whispered as she set the frame back down.  
Megan walked out into the common area, which consisted of the door to Oli’s room (which was directly across from hers), the living room for the couch and T.V. and the kitchen, which was next to the front door with a bar style counter that cornered the small space form the rest of the larger room. But the thing Megan liked most about the apartment was the large, translucent, dusty window that spread across the large room from her door to Oli’s door. Most people would turn their nose up in disgust when they first saw it but Megan liked the window. She liked the way the light would shine through with and icy glow, on a cloudy day.
Megan caught a glance at her refection in the glass. The cream colored sweatshirt she wore hung loosely on her slim frame, her black shorts barley even clung to her thighs. Her eyes were red and puffy along with deep, dark circles underneath them. She hadn’t always looked this worn out, in fact she was actually very athletic and toned in high school from all the sports her parents had signed her up for to keep her constantly busy “I guess this is what happens when you work two jobs to support yourself” she thought.
Megan walked over to Oil’s room and lightly knocked on the door. As his fist skimmed the wooden surface the door, cracked open. She cautiously peered into the dark room. No Oli. She sighed, this was the third day in a row he had been gone with those two new guys from Vanna (the small club that they both worked nights at). She had thought there was something a little off when she first meet them. ‘What were there names again Conner and errrrr… Brad maybe? Who knows? I just call Oli later’ she thought to herself. She let out a long sigh and hoped that work at the bookstore wouldn’t be as complicated.
As she walked down the creaky old stairs that lead out to the sidewalk, Megan pulled out her phone to call Oli. Ring ring ring SMACK! Her black woven hat flew off her head as she fell to the ground with a thud. “Ugh. Watch where you’re going” she said sharply as she brushed the dirt off her already torn jeans and tattered black canvas shoes. “Sorry” the clearly dazed boy said as he to proceeded to pick himself up from the ground. Megan went to go pick up her hat from the ground.“ Really I am so sorr- Megan!” the crazy loon screamed. Wait. She knew that voice that was Oli’s voice. She finally fixed her hat as she turned to find him standing a mere few inches from her face wearing one of those stupid wool sweaters and filthy jeans. 
Megan glanced up at his face. His eyes were extremely bloody shot and his nose was red and puffy. “What happened to you?” she asked as if he had just been beaten up by a plethora of parents for taking a child’s play toy. “I was with Chad and Brody remember?” He said as if it was no big deal that he hadn’t been herd from in a full three days. “For three days?” she retorted. “Well they have an apartment on the other side of town. You should have called if you were really that worried.” He said nonchalantly. Megan could feel the blood begin to rush to her cheeks as she turned back around to head to work. Oil smiled “Hey did you cover for me at Vanna?” he called after her. Megan, extremely irritated at this point simply responded with one finger. “I love you too!” he yelled back at her.
The day at the bookstore turned out to be uneventful as usual. Rarely anyone ever came in there anyway it was a mystery the place had stayed open all this time. ‘At least Im getting paid’ Megan thought to herself as she unlocked the door to the apartment. “Oli?” she yelled. No answer. Megan groaned with irritation. They needed to get going soon if Ricky (their boss) caught them being late one more time, they would get more then just a smile hot-tempered scolding. “Oil!” she yelled again as she walked in to his room. She opened the door to find three figures sitting in a circle on the floor, hunched over what seemed to be lines of powdered sugar. Except, Megan knew better then as to be so foolish to actually believe that was powdered sugar. The three figure quickly looked up in surprise. 
All eyes were on Megan but the only ones she cared about right now were the golden ones that stared straight back at her in shock. “What is this?” she gestured towards the two other guys and the lines of drugs. “S-nothin.” He replied as he wiped his arm under his nose. She turned to the other two boys that she could only assume where Chad and Brody. Both of the boys looked pretty rough and tired, like they hadn’t slept for weeks. Amazing what good lighting can do to someone’s appearance. 
Both of the boys turned to Oli who nodded his head slowly. As soon as she was sure they were gone Megan turned back to Oli. “Really this is what you were doing for three days? Threes days of me assuring myself that you were okay and you were doing that?” she screamed as tears began to form at her eyes.  “ I thought we promised after my parents died that nothing like this would ever happen again.” She said as a single tear escaped from eye and rolled down her rosy cheeks. Oli looked up at her in shame “I’m sorry.” He whispered as he looked back down at the floor. “Whatever Oliver” she said as she left the room. Megan never called him by his full named. He hated it. Hated the way it sounded so proper and formal.  He hated it because it was what her mother called him. But Megan didn’t have time for that now. She shut the door to her room. As she finally processed her final  thoughts of what happened she leaned against the wall and cried.
That night Megan and Oliver arrived at Vanna at separate times. Megan headed over to the bar to start her shift as she saw Oliver pacing at the side of the stage. That was his job here to perform. Sure he was no professional but he was good enough to have a weekly gig. 
Megan looked around the room for Chad and Brody. Maybe if she could talk to Oli after work, maybe they could fix things. She glanced back over at him he was leaning against the wall staring at her with a sad, apologetic look on his face. Suddenly he turned around who ever it was must have been important because he soon disappeared out of site.  
Megan began to worry. Could that have been Chad or Brody? ‘ I mean it could have been a local fan’ she thought to herself. She tried to take her mind off things by focusing back at the task at hand. Not getting fired. 
Within a few minutes, Oli appeared back on stage. But it didn’t seem like the normal Oli. Normal Oli would have been smiling brightly, interacting with the crowd and prancing around on stage like a unicorn or something outrageous like that.  The Oli that appeared on stage though was not that Oli. This Oli only stood there with a glazed look over his eyes, swaying back and forth, barley even able to play a note.   
Megan saw Ricky glower as he made  his way towards her. He looked like fire could have bursted out of his ears at any given moment.  “Crap” she muttered under her breath as he finally reached her eyes blazing with rage. “What is wrong with your idiot friend! Why isn’t he singing or performing or doing anything!”  He silently screamed at her. “I don’t know! You were the one back stage with him right?” she replied. “No! I was taking care of the door! Personally, I don’t care at this point because as soon as security gets him off that stage he is gone. For good.” Ricky replied as he stopped off. ‘No. No. No. No. No.” Megan mumbled to herself as  she walked over to her friend Stephanie and asked her to cover for her while she take care of Oli.
Megan ran around outback to see Oli being tossed out the back door buy two large men. He stumbled backward with his guitar still in hand. Megan ran over to him. “ Do you have any idea what you just did!” She yelled. “No. What.” He replied calmly and slowly. “You just got fired! How are you going to pay rent or for food?” she asked him furiously.  “ I don’t know” he replied with the same worry free tone from before. “ Well great. Now what are we going to do  even with me working two jobs that’s still not enough to pay for everything. We’ll be out by the end of the month. Ugh why can’t things just go back to the way they were.” Megan ranted. That’s when Oli snapped out of it. “Maybe I don’t want things to go back to the way they were!” he shouted back. Megan stopped pacing and looked up at him in shock. “Maybe I’m tired of living like this maybe I want something new!” Oli continued to yell. “What do you suppose we do then live with Chad and Brody.” She replied sarcastically. “Why not?” Oli responded angrily. “You know exactly why Oliver. Don’t even try to defend them not after that promise we made.” I said. “Stop calling me Oliver and stop reminding me of the promise! I’m done with it and you. I’m moving out do what you want with that disgusting old apartment.” he said. 
Megan just stood there paralyzed by his words. This was her best friend. The one that had always been there. How could a simple seventy-two hours change a person that much? “Bye Megan,” Oli finally said as he walked of into the darkness leaving Megan alone to wallow in her misery.
When Megan awoke the next day sure enough, all of his things were gone. She grabbed her phone to make the needed calls. She called Stephanie arranging to live with her she called the movers, who arrived almost immediately (the sooner the better right) and finally she called the landlord handing over the key and finally leaving the musty old apartment.
The next few days consisted of Megan adjusted to her new home (most of which contained sitting in her room crying as she stared at her phone). After getting situated the next few months carried on like any other. Her going from the bookstore to the club, working with Steph. She even got together a few times with the cute boy from the café across the street. But none of that could replace the hole in her heart that Oli had created.
It was the beginning of November and brighten was getting colder. I had already snowed twice that week along with another storm that was headed there that night.
Megan was about to head to Vanna with Stephanie when she suddenly got a mysterious call from an unknown number. “Hello?” she answered with a giggle as her and Stephanie began to descend the stairs. “Is this Megan?” a husky voice replied in to the phone. “ Yeah. Who is this?” she asked. “Its Chad…. Um I don’t know if you remember me……” he said. “I do. What do you want.” She said curtly. “Um Oli is missing.. something happened yesterday. He left all of the sudden after bringing up your name…. I don’t know where he is all he said was something about a meadow.” Click. Megan hung up the phone. She didn’t know was happening to Oli, all she knew was that she needed to help him. “ Hey something came up can you cover tonight.” She asked Steph. Megan’s friend smiled “Of course, be careful though that storm looks like it could come any minute now.” She called after Megan as she ran off to the meadow. Their sacred place. “Hello? Yes 911 I’m going to need an ambulance off of Thames Street.”
Megan reached the pastor fifteen minutes later red faced and out of breathe. She sprinted down the familiar hill and out to the middle of the field. 
It had already been snowing for a good ten minutes. “Oli!” She called out. “Oli!” tears began to roll down her cheeks. Where was he? “Megan?” a barley auditable voice called out. “ Oli” she turned around to see a patch of the field that was shorter then the rest.  ‘That has to be it’ she thought. She ran over to the spot to find Oli almost completely covered in snow and heavily breathing. “ I’m so sorry” he began to cry. “I’m so so sorry.”
Once the Ambulance picked them up and dropped them off at the hospital, they ran Oli immediately to the emergency room. Steph came by to drop off a few things for Megan while she waited patiently for Oli in his designated room. Hours later Oli arrived unconscious along with a man that seemed to be one of the head doctors here. “Um miss, I’m sorry, there are to many different toxins in his system along with the fact that he suffered from slight hypothermia… There’s not much we can do here that either one of you can afford.” He said. “Once the anesthetics wear off he’ll only last about an half an hour tops.” He said as he left the room. 
Megan couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her oldest friend, her closest friend was leaving and never coming back. Megan began to sob and weep as thoughts of what had just occurred erupted in her mind. “Hey, hey? Why are you crying” a faint voice asked. She looked up sure enough there were those amber colored eyes shinning up at her. A light smile drew across Oli’s face. “ Hey, don’t be sad this was my fault. It was all my fault.” He said as more tears rolled down Megan’s cheeks. After a few second of silence, Megan spoke “I have something for you.” She pulled out the red and gold picture frame from her old dresser and handed it to him. He laughed “This was the day we made that promise for your parents. A promise that we would never make the same mistakes as they did.” He said. “Yeah” she mumbled back. “ I’m sorry I broke that promise. I should have listened. I wont break it again. For you because were all each other has right us against the world.” He said as his eyes glossed over with tears. “Right.” She replied with a teary smile. He reached out with a shaking hand, intertwining their fingers as he closed his eyes. “Looks like we’ll be best friends for never”.