“Five goals?”
“Yep. Five goals!” He grinned the cheesiest, toothless smile I’d seen in a long time. Missing his two front teeth, the kid was damn cute.
“Hope you’ve got your running shoes on then.” I winked at him.
After breakfast, we made our way across the road and changed into our training gear. Sitting in the bleachers, I checked my phone finding my messages still empty, and no missed calls. As much as it was bugging me, I tried calling Claire. I might not know everything about the girl, but I didn’t think she was the type of girl who’d just stand me up either.
It didn’t even connect.
Without time to worry about it, Coach blew the whistle and training began. By the time I stumbled from the field, a sweaty, smelly mess all I could think about was a cold shower, food, and a nap. Taking on the dunes before our last full-on hit out session before the season started in only four days time hadn’t been my smartest move. But then again, I wasn’t exactly thinking with my brain when I’d suggested it.
Falling through the door in the locker room, I collapsed on the wooden bench, lying down and dropping my arm across my eyes trying to block out the harsh overhead lights. Sucking in deep breaths, I willed my heart rate to steady as I started to question had I done enough. The truth was until Luca posted the starting roster tomorrow, I had no idea. I’d busted my arse and given it my all, but I wasn’t convinced it was enough. Sure, at first, I’d struggled to gel with the others, but that was normal. The new guy on the team never knew the plays on day one. And of course, I was going to do everything I could to impress them. I had to. It wasn’t a secret, as much as I wished it was, what my contract had been worth. Expectations were high. None higher than my own.
“Nice miss, Rookie.” Hamish chuckled, and I responded with a groan. What else could I say? He was right. It was the perfect shot. One I’d nailed a million times but today, when it mattered, I sprayed it and it sailed through the air three feet higher than the net. Damn goalie didn’t even have to move.
“Give the kid a break,” someone defended, glad they had the energy to. I sure as shit didn’t.
“Why’d you miss, Seth?” a small voice asked that had me cracking open my eyes and sitting back up.
Coming face to face with Kade was a reality shock I wasn’t ready for. Letting my team mates down, sucked. Disappointing coach sucked even harder. Disappointing Kade, a kid, a kid who thought soccer was a fun sport to play with his friends, that felt like a knife being stabbed straight into my back, right between my shoulder blades.
Running my hand through my hair, I looked at his wide, innocent eyes and knew I owed him an answer. A truthful answer at that. He didn’t deserve a lie or some lame arse, bullshit excuse. He deserved the truth. “I don’t know, Kade. Maybe I just need some more practice,” I offered in a way of explanation.
“I can practice with you if you want?” he offered generously.
Standing there in the locker room, stinking and surrounded by my teammates I made the decision then and there that no matter what happened, good, bad, or indifferent, I’d never lie to the media or anyone about my performances or what was going on. There was no point. With my luck, I’d be caught out anyway, but that wasn’t the point. The point was standing right there in front of me, looking at me like I was his god damned hero. There was no way I was going to fuck that up.
“That would be awesome,” I told him, sticking my hand out to shake his. “Maybe your dad could come too?” I suggested, seeing Angus standing there with his chest puffed out looking like the proud papa he deserved to be.
“Yeah! Cool!” Kade bounced where he was standing before turning to Angus. “Dad! Did you hear? I’m going to help Seth ’cause he sucks.”
Angus’ loud laugh bounced off the concrete walls. Not that I could blame him. Kade was damn funny, even if it stung a little that he was right. “Sounds awesome, buddy. But now, I need to shower, and we need to get going.”
“Do we have to?” he whined, right back to being the six-year-old brat we’d come to adopt as our team mascot and our conscience.
“Yep, we do. Now hustle up and get your stuff together please.”
Leaving Angus to have that argument, I grabbed my shower stuff and headed in.
By the time I made it out, most people had already gone. Not watching where I was walking, more focused on my phone, I walked straight into a wall, banging my shoulder on the concrete. “Motherfucker!” I exclaimed, rubbing the sore spot.
“What? Wall jump out and bite you?”
Turning around I saw Luca standing there grinning like an idiot. Shame I was the one who’d walked into the wall not him.
“Very funny,” I mumbled.
“From where I was standing, it was.”
“Thanks. Real supportive coach you are,” I complained, dragging my sunglasses down over my eyes as we stepped out of the tunnel and into the early afternoon sun.
“I’m more than your coach you know. I’m your friend too. At least, I can be if you want,” Luca offered, and I stopped fidgeting with my still silent phone and turned to face him.
“I know. Thanks, man.”
“Anytime.”
“Nah, I mean for everything. It can’t be too much fun having me cramp your space at home as well as having to deal with me here.”
