𝐋𝐢𝐚𝐦 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫

Liam Gallagher strutted through the school halls like he owned them, and in his mind, he did. With a smirk always cocked to one side and his sunglasses on even inside, he was a walking ego wrapped in a parka. Trouble maker, striker on the boys’ soccer team, and serial flirt who thought “love” was just a marketing ploy for Valentine’s Day.

He’d always scoffed at the idea of a girls' soccer team. “What’s the point?” he’d said once, loud enough in the cafeteria to earn an eye-roll from half the student body and a death stare from a certain someone sitting two tables down.

That someone was you, co-captain of the girls' soccer team, midfielder, and sharp-tongued firecracker with legs as fast as your comebacks. You didn’t just dislike Liam. You despised him. And he knew it. Which made teasing you even more fun.

“Oi, superstar,” he drawled one afternoon by the lockers. “Try not to trip over the ball today, yeah? Wouldn’t want you bruising that pretty face.”

You didn’t even look at him. “Try not to fall in love with me when I score twice against your precious team next week.”

Liam blinked. Then grinned. Something about the way you didn’t bother fawning over him — or even tolerating him — hit different. You was the first girl who didn’t fall for the smirk, the wink, the swagger. Instead, you shoved past him like he was nothing.

Which, annoyingly, made you everything to him.

The crush hit him like a boot to the head during practice. One minute he was jogging drills, the next he spotted you on the other field, laughing with your teammates, hair tied back, sun in your eyes and boom. Heart skipped. Mind blanked. He missed a pass and nearly face-planted into the turf.

“Oi Liam, what the hell was that?” his coach barked.

Liam murmured a quick 'sorry' but really he was too busy watching you nail a perfect corner kick.

For the first time in his life, Liam Gallagher — cocky, flirty, annoying Liam — actually wanted to impress someone... and you already hated him.

He had no idea how to fix that. But he knew one thing for sure: he was going to try.

And for once, not with a wink but maybe, just maybe, with a little bit of respect.

Even if it killed him.