A playful smirk blooms on his lips.“Coming from me?Again?Oh, Kyle…” he literally purrs.This fucking guy.This brilliant, amazing guy that I’m head over heels with.If only I had the words to tell him how I feel.
Training the next day is great, just what I needed, especially after the verbal abuse I got from Trish this morning telling me how uncultured my taste buds are if I prefer anyone else’s shakes rather than hers.I told her she sounds a little conceited,as a joke!But she took it poorly.She said she’s going to feed me nothing but edamame beans for the rest of the week and hung up.
Banter is going around still about AJ’s look, and from what I can tell, it’s all good spirits.I’m in awe of him, how he exudes confidence in everything he does.Why do I feel the need to close myself off from the world and build my walls ten feet high.I have no idea how AJ has reduced mine, but he has.And I’m pretty sure he always has—even when we were younger, I could be myself around him, my true self.Is that what love is?Being authentically you with the person you choose to let in?
Reality drags me away from warm, happy thoughts as the boss has us doing burpees.I still want to destroy the person who invented them.Total cock, is what that person is.They should be forced to do ten thousand of them in the baking sun.
“Right, everyone, huddle up.Quickly now,” the boss calls out, cutting through the general chit chat in the cold morning air.
“As you know, our next friendly is against Brazil, so I want your A game.All of you.I want your hunger.How you perform in this game, along with your club form, will help me decide who plays in the Global Cup.And don’t forget,” he says, and I swear, he’s now burning a hole in AJ and me.“Best behavior outside of football too.I don’t want to see your faces splashed on the front pages of the red tops.”
So, that message is crystal clear then.
“Team sheets will go up in one hour.Until then, I want you all doing laps around the field followed by shooting practice.”
Running—now we’re talking.I quickly break ahead of the rest of the pack, letting the wind play with my hair.I look behind me, and the closest people to me are AJ and Bradley, battling it out for second place.If I wasn’t a footballer, I would have become a runner, that’s for sure.
Once I wait for everyone to catch their breaths back, I head over to the nets where the goalkeepers are and start banging balls into hard-to-reach corners.I’m feeling great today, like there’s an extra spring in my step.I can feel the boss’ eyes on me.I don’t dare turn around; I just hope he likes what he sees.AJ is also putting on a show, and that makes me smile too.I put all the extra shit in the back of my mind.Whatever this thing with AJ is, it is bringing other stuff to the surface that I haven’t dealt with in forever.Perhaps with him by my side, I can confront it.I just don’t want the world to bite my family.They can take chunks out of me, but please, not them.Being with AJ puts them directly at risk.
Chapter 23
AJ
I can’t believe it.Our names.Both on the starting eleven for England against Brazil!This is nuts.Everyday my life seems to get better, and I am eternally grateful.
The roar of the Wembley crowd is mesmerizing.I look out to them, a sea of white, and the famous yellow shirts of Brazil.Both bands competing for top billing somewhere in the stands.I remember being near that very trumpet when I was younger, watching my heroes on the pitch.
This is what dreams are made of.I look over and see Kyle, and he’s almost smiling.
The game is more stretched than the last one, and as a striker, I keep having to drop back into the midfield to help out.I don’t mind using my taller frame to my advantage.My headed flick-on’s to Kyle are catching the defense off guard, but he is thwarted at the last hurdle each time by the impeccable goalkeeper.
In the eightieth minute, there’s a breakthrough.One of their players delivers an uncharacteristic short pass to their teammate, and Kyle, who is somehow still full of energy, pounces on the mistake and runs toward goal.
I bust a gut to get into the area and find myself unmarked at the back post.I scream for it; he looks up and delivers a sensational cross that loops over the goalkeepers outstretched hands and onto my noggin.The ball hits the back of the net.I wheel away with Kyle and the rest of our teammates to celebrate.Unreal.
Back in the dressing room, the boss is congratulating us on a hard-fought 1-0 win.I’m still on cloud nine, and that’s what scoring the winner against Brazil with a goal set up by your best…frienddoes.I look over to him, and there’s a hint of a smile again.The rest of the team are celebrating, and this is the last time we will see most of them before the Global Cup.I hope it’s not the last time I see Kyle for a while.I know we’re in the same city now, but with our football commitments, it might be difficult.
“Drinks out in town, lads, to celebrate?”Rockwell asks the dressing room.There’s an almighty roar and banging and all sorts of other things, like inside jokes that Kyle and I aren’t a part of yet.
“You guys are welcome too.The new leaders of the revolution and all that,” Rockwell says, and I think I detect a tone in his voice.
“Nah, I’m good.I don’t drink,” I say.
Rockwell sits himself down next to me, arm around my shoulder like we’re best mates all of a sudden, and says, “You can still have a good time without drinking.As Vice Captain of the squad, I’m ordering you both to come out with us.It’s one evening for a few hours.And besides, it’s what we do.It’s our tradition.And youhaveto have at least one drink.It’s another tradition.”
Well, fuck.I look over to Kyle, and he seems less pleased than me.
“Fine, I’ll go.I’m not staying out late, though.”
“That’s the spirit, Kyle…” He slides over to him with the slickness of a snake hunting its prey.“Kyyyyle, come on.I need to see you loosen up.I need to see a smile from you tonight.And I know how to do it.I’m gonna get you some women.One on each arm and a third on your lap.That’ll make any lad smile.”
I shift uncomfortably in my seat and watch Kyle’s face.He’s not giving anything away.
“I’m in,” he says, and I don’t know why, but my heart sinks a little.Surely, he doesn’t want what Rockwell has proposed.I attempt to communicate with him telepathically, but to my utter surprise, it doesn’t work.I text him instead:
AJ
You okay with this?
