“Hey,” I say to my kid, but my grin falters when I realise he’s on crutches. “What happened to you, bud?”
He shrugs. “Fell from a tree.”
“Woah,” I say, whistling. “You’re a real daredevil, aren’t you?”
“That’s what my mum always says.”
I chuckle. “I bet.” As they ask us to form a line, I lean toward him and say, “Hope you’ll still enjoy your summer.”
“Oh yeah.” He nods, adjusting his weight on his crutches. “Me and my mates are going wasp hunting—trying to find the biggest nests and see who can get closest without getting stung.”
I shoot him a wide-eyed glance, thinking he might be joking, but he’s dead serious. And here I’m scared to death of spiders. Maybe I should take a crash course with this kid before my trip to Uganda.
Our last match was a banger. We won two-nil with goals by Wade and Finn, plus several outstanding saves by yours truly. As always, my friends and I head to my place for a round of drinks, our post-game tradition. I have the pleasure of hosting since my flat is only a few minutes from the stadium—when you know the shortcut, that is.
I park in my designated spot before taking the elevator up. It stops at the lobby, and to my utmost displeasure, Katherine Lennox, my posh neighbour, saunters in beside me, immediately putting a damper on my victory buzz.
She acknowledges me with a pinched lip, then glances down at the Regents FC bag I’m hauling.
I roll my eyes. “Yeah, yeah, we’ll be quiet,” I mutter, knowing what’s coming next. She’ll whine that she has to wake up early and that we need to keep the noise down. Then, an idea comes to mind. “Or not,” I add, a grin escaping. “It was the last match of the season for us. A match wewon, so you might want to use those earplugs I got you last Christmas.”
The door slides open, and I storm out, marching straight into my flat without awarding her another glance. I’m tired of this woman. The guys and I don’t even talk that loud, and we never play music. Not to mention the walls are thick in this place. That’s why we pay such outrageous rent. Katherine is just one of those people who complains about everything. This trip is long overdue.
My phone rings as I step into my flat. It’s my mum.
“Hey! How is my boy?” she asks with her usual cheerful tone. “Great match tonight, Archie.”
“Thanks, Mum.” I drop my keys in the entryway bowl and kick off my trainers. “Nice to finish the season on a win.”
“Are you excited for your trip? You are still going, right?”
I rake a hand through my hair and lean against the counter. “I am. A bit nervous, since I’ve never done this kind of thing before, but it’ll be okay.”
“Of course it will. You’re a good man, and you’ll help so many people. I wish I could have done something like that when I was younger.”
A smile touches my lips. “I know.”
My mum would have been traveling the world if it hadn’t been for Noah and me. In fact, she wanted to be a flight attendant, but then she met my dad, and everything changed.
“But I get to live it all through my beautiful children. What better gift is there? Oh, speaking of,” she continues. “Have you received your suit for the wedding?”
“Yes.” I roll my eyes. I swear, this wedding is all she talks about. Sure, I never expected my big bro to get married—like, ever. But still. “I got it.”
The doorbell rings, and I open the door for Finn.
“Listen, Mum, the guys are here, but I’ll try to give you a call when I get there, okay?”
“Okay, Archie. Have a safe trip.”
“Bye.” I hang up.
The rest of the guys quickly follow suit. Next comes Millie, the team’s social media manager, who’s dating Callum Murray, one of our defenders. She’s the only girl tonight. Fallon, Finn’s sister, never joins us after evening games. And Wade, who usually comes with his wife, Roxy, went straight home to their three-month-old baby.
I grab an ice bucket of drinks and an armful of snacks, and we settle into the living room.
“I tell you, I’m not cross about the summer break,” Finn says, massaging his thighs. “Long overdue.”
“Agreed.” Cameron nods. “I’m catching a flight two days from now.”
