The video we’d done on the first day of training had performed very well, with a lot of views across all platforms, which had converted to a strong engagement percentage and a solid uptick in our follower counts, so we’d decided to do more of them. And since sweets were still the best form of bribery we had, one of Adam’s jobs had been ordering a wide variety of things for us to offer as prizes.
The lollipops had been popular, but I had a suspicion the Haribo would do even better.
I pinned the microphone onto my shirt, ripped open the box of sweets, took the collection bowl out of the bag, and primed the phone camera, adjusting the tiny ring light that clipped to the top of the case. Now all I had to do was wait for my first victim.
It wasn’t long until Matty appeared with Frankie and Kegan, the three of them deep in conversation about the best way to get slime out of a carpet. Kegan saw me and sighed while Frankie laughed and said, “What’ve you got for us today?”
“Simple really,” I said, holding out the box of Haribo and watching their eyes light up. “Bring me something from your locker for a bag of Haribo.”
“Done!” Kegan said with a grin. “I’ll be right back.”
“I’ve got something too,” Matty said, a slight twinkle in his eye as he strolled past me, quickly followed by Frankie. As they searched, another group of players appeared and I told them the same thing.
“Do these have gelatine in?” Jaden asked, his face falling slightly. “Only I’m vegetarian.”
“Yes, but I’ve got something different if you can’t have them,” I said. In a move of excellent forethought, Adam had also ordered some small bags of chocolate rugby balls and some small silly toys that we could use as an alternative for anyone who couldn’t have the jelly sweets, and there were some in the bag the bowl had been in.
“Score,” Jaden said as he dashed off, almost colliding into Frankie, who’d returned with a small plastic dinosaur.
“Here,” he said. “One of my kids keeps leaving them in everything! My car, my shoes, my training bag. I found one in my tea yesterday—nearly choked on it.”
“Thanks,” I said, offering him the box of sweets and putting the tiny dinosaur in the collection bowl.
“Amazing, thanks, mate,” Frankie said happily.
The dinosaur was quickly followed by a spare pair of rainbow laces from Matty, a dirty bowl from Kegan, who’d apparently borrowed it out of the canteen last week and forgotten to take it back, and a friendship bracelet from Jaden, who asked if he’d get it back later because it was from his niece. I promised him he would.
Soon after that, Jonny brought me a spare charging cable for his phone, and Devon added a roll of sports tape. Bailey’s offering was a clean pair of pants patterned with bananas, which he said were his lucky spare pants, and Hunter brought me a hoodie he’d apparently stolen off Bailey. I smiled to myself as I handed them sweets, watching as Bailey teased him about finally getting his hoodie back.
I hadn’t really noticed the dynamic between them before, but I had to agree with Danny that it seemed like there was more going on than just friendship.
“What’s going on here?” Charlie asked, popping up beside me as Harry handed me a picture of his daughter. Behind him, I noticed Danny lurking and watching me with curiosity. We hadn’t talked about how we should behave around each other at the club, but maybe we needed to. It had to be professional, obviously, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t talk to me.
It might look odd if he didn’t, considering how much of a chatterbox he usually was.
I smiled charmingly and held out the box, which was already half empty. “Bring me something from your locker in exchange for some sweets.”
“Did I hear sweets?” Mason asked as he appeared with West.
“Yes, all you have to do is bring me something from your locker.”
“I can do that,” Mason said, patting West’s enormous chest. “Come on.”
“I don’t know if I’ve got anything,” West said with a frown. “I cleared it all out at the end of last season and I’ve been trying to keep it tidy.”
“This is what I’ve got so far if it helps,” I said, gesturing towards the bowl and the few items stacked beside it, like the hoodie and Kegan’s toxic cereal bowl, which I was sure had grown mould.
Mason snorted. “Of course Bailey would give you his pants.”
“I’m more worried about who’s keeping mouldy crockery,” West said.
“Can’t be Charlie. I’d have cleaned it up,” Danny piped up, sliding between the two massive members of the front row. “Fuck, that is gross.”
“Not you then?” Mason asked.
“Definitely not! Unlike you lot, I’m actually tidy.”
“Yeah, he is,” Charlie said. “His flat is fucking spotless. I’ve never seen anything out of place there. And once he got really mad at me for walking wet mud in on the bottom of my trainers.”
