Page 33 of Take Her On

Fuck! She landed on the floor, and pain throbbed in her ankle, pulsing up her calf. She grabbed it, rolling on the grass and cursing under her breath.

“Ref, that’s the second time in the last ten minutes.” Someone crouched next to her, and she opened her eyes to find Maya assessing the damage. She must have sprinted the whole way up the pitch. “Are you okay?” she asked.

Jamie gritted her teeth and rolled onto her side. “My ankle.”

Maya put her hands over hers, brushing off a big clump of dirt. Jamie’s whole body reacted.

“Let me have a look.”

She let Maya move her hand out of the way.

“Did you roll it?” Maya asked. “Or was it the impact? Did you hear a crunch at all?”

“I think it’ll be fine. Just a bad bruise.” Their eyes met, and Jamie let out a breath. “I thought you didn’t care, anyway.”

Maya’s hands stilled on her ankle. “I didn’t say that.”

“So, you do?”

Her eyes flicked away. “Like a captain does, yeah.”

Jamie inhaled, faking a wince. “Ooh, now that stings more than my ankle.”

They both let out a small laugh as Coach came over with the team’s physio, the red first-aid bag in her hand. Coach puffed out her cheeks, out of breath from the run.

“Is it bad, Mellor?” she asked.

Maya helped Jamie sit up as the physio checked her over.

She flexed her ankle, feeling a little sore but nothing severe. “I’ll survive, Coach.”

“Thomas? What do you think?” Coach asked.

“Take her off and see how she feels,” Maya said. “I wouldn’t take any chances.”

What? “No, I’ll be fine.”

Coach eyed the physio. “Anna. Thoughts?”

“It’ll be a nasty bruise, but nothing to be concerned about.”

Coach glanced at Maya and then Jamie. “It’s the first game of the season, Mellor. No risks.”

Despite Jamie’s protests, Coach subbed her off the field. Maya was going to get an earful about that later.

After a few more intense minutes, and a Cravenview free kick that sailed over the bar, the referee blew his whistle, and a sigh of relief echoed across the grass. Even though Jamie hated being subbed off, the first win in the bag felt freaking amazing.

While the teams shook hands, she took a big swig from one of the water bottles by the touchline. They’d warmed a little under the sun, leaving a strange taste in her mouth. She collected high-fives as the rest of the Millton players strolled over, unable to shake the smile from her face. Any apprehension she’d had over joining the team had already dissipated. They weren’t like the Harriers. She just had to figure out the captain now. Then it would be plain sailing to win the championship. I can do that.

She found her packing the balls into the bag and strolled over. “I said I was fine. Why did you tell Coach to sub me off?”

Maya didn’t look up. “It wasn’t worth the risk.”

The rest of the team were making their way inside, their conversations buzzing with the win.

Jamie picked up the last ball and dropped it in the bag, zipping it up. She forced herself to look at Maya, her pulse quickening, despite her better judgement. “Are you still talking about the game?”

Maya lifted the bag up onto her shoulder and nodded at the empty water bottles. “Can you carry those?”