Page 27 of Take Her On

Wondering if she and Carly had any sort of future.

Or if these strange new feelings brewing in her belly were going to bring on another bout of trouble.

Chapter Eight

Maya

As captain of Millton University’s football team, Maya wholeheartedly supported team bonding. What she didn’t support was her teammates singing horrendous renditions of Beyoncé on karaoke at one in the morning.

It was the last weekend before the start of the competitive season, and with a bit of encouragement from some of the players—and a promise to keep things a secret from Coach Carmichael—they’d spent the evening soaking up the cheap pints at the Globe and then heading to Rosie’s, the only nightclub on campus.

The drinks were more expensive in the club, the lighting a lot darker, but its cheesy tropical décor made it hard not to have a good time. Even if trying to stay away from Jamie Mellor was proving difficult.

Leah and Aiysha screeched out the end of “If I Were A Boy” and the team erupted into applause, as if the pair hadn’t mumbled through half the verses before trying to shatter all the glassware behind the bar. Jamie leaped up to pluck Leah off the tiny stage by the DJ booth, and Maya felt herself frown. She hid it in her drink, finishing the last of her vodka.

No, she wasn’t bothered by seeing the two of them together. Not at all. She was simply being protective of Leah…Jamie was new and…

Maya couldn’t even finish the thought. Yes, through gritted teeth, she was jealous. The question of why she was jealous, though, was taking all of her energy not to answer. Almost as much energy as trying to avoid singing on the damn karaoke.

Aiysha stumbled towards her, shooting finger guns. Her long brown braids, which were usually pulled back in a ponytail, were loose and flowing over her shoulders. Seeing the team outside of football always took some getting used to. Some transformations could rival the TV show Stars in Their Eyes. Leah had gone from looking like a diehard gym fanatic to Margot Robbie in the Barbie movie.

By the looks of things, Aiysha had lost one of her dangly earrings—perhaps during one of Beyoncé’s head flips. “Skip! You’re next,” she said. “You have to. You’re our leader…Lead by example.”

Maya shook her head. Jamie’s nickname for her was fast catching on with the rest of the team. Annoyingly, she didn’t mind it. “Not a chance.”

Aiysha flicked her hair over her shoulders. “Maya,” she whined. “What’s your favourite song? We can sing it together.”

“I’m not nearly drunk enough for that.”

Some of the girls laughed at something behind her, piercing through the music.

Suddenly, Aiysha’s eyes lit up. “Right. Gotcha.” She threw her arms up. “Attention, everybody. It’s my round!”

The rest of the team cheered, and Aiysha steered some other teammates to the bar.

God help us all.

They’d been working tirelessly in training and deserved to let off some steam before pressures intensified. Honestly, Maya felt responsibility as captain to make sure they were all alright, too. Given her state the other weekend, she didn’t want the same to happen to any of them. The bits she did remember from that night weren’t flattering, so god knows what her brain had chosen to black out.

Probably for the best.

Limiting her drinking might also have had something to do with her raging libido and the proximity of a certain blonde, confusing striker. Maya couldn’t trust herself not to do something she’d regret.

Because she constantly found herself looking at Jamie.

And that made her furious.

The Jamie Mellor she knew wasn’t kind or thoughtful. She was cocky and taunting and arrogant. She knew how to press Maya’s buttons and wind her up, reminding her of every single mistake she’d made on the field, pinching her arms when the referee wasn’t watching, rubbing her losses in her face.

In her mind, Jamie was out for herself, self-assured—annoyingly so—and looking to fulfil her own agenda. So why had she shown her so much kindness?

And why did her heart-shaped mouth keep popping into Maya’s head?

It didn’t add up. Despite what Jamie’s dad had said, Jamie hadn’t done anything to suggest she was interested in being captain. She worked hard and got on well with the other girls. Maya’s mind struggled to compute how these two versions of her rival were the same. She’d managed to limit their interactions at training—Coach had kept Maya plenty busy—but in the dim light of the club, she found her mind wandering.

Why was she feeling this swirl of emotions in her presence?

Damned libido. Not her… Just, please, not her.