“Pretty good.” I turn toward the mirror. “Very good, actually.” It’s a clingy fabric, and you can see everything through it, but I don’t feel uncomfortable.
“Looks pretty good too,” he mumbles, then walks around behind me. I see our reflections, and in this moment, it hits me. Henry in this dark polo-neck jumper and tight-fitting beige chinos, his long legs. His hands on my waist. We’re buying a dress for the New Year Ball in the middle of January, and we’re going to it with our friends. This is actually real. Edinburgh, Dunbridge Academy. This is my life now, and I wouldn’t swap it for my old one for anything in the world.
“How about brown, Tori?”
“That’s not brown, that’s sand.” I watch in the mirror as she takes another dress from Sinclair. “But yeah, not bad.”
A smile twitches at Henry’s lips as he watches them. His brown curls are falling into his face—they’ve got rather long, and I hope he doesn’t get a haircut over Christmas. The holidays begin next week, and we’re going to be apart for a while. I’ll be in Frankfurt and Henry will be with Theo and their parents and grandparents in Cheshire. I’m going to visit them there before term starts again. The thought of meeting his family makes me nervous, but I’m really looking forward to it too.
“I have to get this one,” I decide, tugging at the dress slightly.
Henry seems a little absentminded as he studies me. “You definitely have to get that one.” He runs his hands over my hips and his eyes meet mine in the mirror. I want to kiss him.
“Bloody zip.” Tori’s voice comes through the curtain.
“Want any help undressing?” Sinclair asks.
“Ha-ha, very funny, now piss off.”
I laugh, look apologetically at Henry, and flit back to join her in the changing room.
Epilogue
Henry
“We’ve trained hard for today, lads. All the sweat, tears, and discipline will pay off. When you go out there now, I want you to look around and remind yourselves that you’re representing this school, the team spirit.” Mr.Cormack’s eyes sweep over us. “Today, we’re not playing for our own sake. We’re playing for the whole school. We’re playing for your parents, brothers, and sisters who’ve come to watch. You’re going to make them proud. I’ve no doubt about that. So keep calm and focus. We’ll build up the pressure right from the start, and then we’ll get a result from this game.”
Mr.Cormack steps back, and Valentine launches into the team chant. The words echo off the changing-room walls, and they’re transformed into pure adrenaline, coursing through my veins. There’s a tingling in my fingertips as we finally run out onto the pitch.
It’s February, the last match of the season, and the time since Christmas has flown by. I’ve been allowed to train again for a couple of weeks now, and my shoulder isn’t bothering meanymore. Luckily, I was free of the sling in time for the New Year Ball after the holidays. It feels like half a lifetime ago.
I breathe in the cold air and breathe out little clouds of white. The last few days have been frosty, but the temperature’s risen a little in time for the match. The pitch is no longer frozen, and the game can go ahead. Despite the cold, every last seat in the stand is filled. The sky is blue, the sun is shining, and there’s music blaring from the speakers as the spectators cheer and we run out.
I don’t know if I’ll play today. Mr.Cormack’s keeping me on the bench for the time being, but who knows what will happen? He got Dr.Henderson to tape up my shoulder in advance so that I’ll be ready to go on at any time.
The others slip off their tracksuit tops, and I join the lads on the bench. I glance over to the crowd. It’s not easy to find Emma among so many people. But then I spot her. She’s toward the front with Tori and Sinclair.
Emma’s wearing a navy-and-white school scarf and matching gloves. When we kissed earlier, a few strands of her blond hair were peeking out under her cap with the school crest on it. When she sees me looking over, she forms her hands into a megaphone and joins in the chants of encouragement. It makes me smile.
Theo and Harriett are here too, standing on the sidelines with a few other old Dunbrigonians. They came just to see the match, but Theo checked that I was OK with that. I’m more than OK with it. It means the world to me that he’s here for me, and maybe that’s why I’m hoping a tiny bit more that Mr.Cormack will let me play.
Omar and Gideon are on the pitch with the rest of our boys. Hollington are not to be underestimated, but we’ve got the home advantage and we’re off to a good start. It doesn’t take us long to grab the lead, and for all of us to have jumped up off the bench.
I forget the icy temperatures. I forget everything as I yell the others on. The ref is fair, and by halftime Hollington are still miles behind.
“That was a strong first half, but we can’t sit back now,” Mr.Cormack urges the team as we form a circle. I look into red, sweaty faces. “We have to do the same thing again. Build pressure, stay patient and wait for our chance. Don’t let them get into their stride, everyone clear?”
Mr.Cormack doesn’t bring me on. I’m not sure whether he doesn’t want to unsettle the others or whether he doesn’t have confidence in me to play yet, but it frustrates me more than I’d been expecting. The team is what counts, not me getting to stand on the pitch, I know that, but Theo’s here and I want to make him proud. I want to prove to myself that I can do better than last time.
Gideon limps off with a nasty injury, but Mr.Cormack still doesn’t bring me on. I’m itching to my fingertips to get a chance, especially when we miss touch from a penalty and Hollington catch up further. Twenty minutes from the end, they’re in the lead.
Mr.Cormack comes over to the bench. “How’s the shoulder, Bennington?”
“Fine, sir.”
He eyes me. “Good. Warm up, then. You’re going on for Ward.”
“For Val?”
