Page 7 of Take Her On

She headed up the stairs, feeling the heat of Jamie’s stare burn her back. What the hell just happened?

She opened and closed her door with a creak and crept back along the landing to eavesdrop. Unfortunately—and fortunately—the Mellors were already leaving. Jamie’s mum thanked Grandma for the tea and insisted they had lots of unpacking to do before they returned at five o’clock.

Maya pulled her phone from her jacket pocket and lit up the screen. Three hours. That would give her plenty of time to mentally prepare herself.

For dinner. With Jamie.

She wanted to scream.

When the last Mellor had left, she ran downstairs and into the kitchen. Grandma and her mum glanced at her in surprise.

“I thought you were in the shower,” her mum said, eyeing her dirt-stained legs.

Maya ignored her comment and gritted her teeth, feeling anger spill out of her. This would never have happened if her mum paid more attention to her life. Frustration had been building for months, and today had amplified that feeling tenfold.

“What’s wrong, dear?” Grandma asked, setting down the empty mugs in her hand.

Maya let out a haggard breath. “Do you know who Jamie is?”

They both looked at her, faces blank and unmoving.

“She’s a Harrier. Like the Harrier that stopped us from winning last season. The most arrogant and frustrating person I’ve ever played against.” Mum’s continued empty expression made her press on. Anger bubbled in her gut. “She’s their top striker. The one I always get stuck with? Our arch rivals?”

Mum rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Maya, the way you talk about football, it’s like a soap opera. Why does it matter?”

Her stomach twisted, the rage erupting over the surface. “Forget it. I don’t know why I’d expect you to care.”

Her mum’s mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”

Maybe coming back home was a mistake. Maya had thought she was doing the right thing for her grandparents, but all she and her mum did was clash heads.

“Why does it matter? It’s important to me. I’ve worked so hard to earn my place as captain. Winning this championship is what we’ve dreamed about for years. It’d give the players the chance to play professionally, open up doors for after graduation, and above all, make us fucking happy. Not that you care about any of that.”

“Maya,” Grandma warned.

She wanted to get out of there. To run and just push all of these thoughts and feelings aside. If only she could drive, she’d be at the Globe in ten minutes with a cold pint in her hand.

Tears pricked her eyes. She looked away from her mum, seeing hers glisten, too. But she wasn’t asking for much. Just some interest, to feel like her mum cared, even just a tiny bit. Not for her mum to insist that Maya was wasting her student loan on a dead-end career, or inviting her arch rival into her house for tea and biscuits.

Like what the actual fuck?

Grandma took a step closer. Maya towered over her, though at 5’6 she wasn’t exactly a giant herself.

“Please, don’t fight,” Grandma said, taking Maya’s hand. “I can’t stand it.”

Her hand felt cool in Maya’s. Grounding. The anger in Maya’s gut slowly trickled away, replaced by sadness.

She didn’t want to make her family sad. The whole point of sacrificing her last year living at uni was to help them. Not to add more to their plate. She just hadn’t expected to see Jamie Mellor in her living room. In her space. There was something about her that made Maya’s insides boil.

That aggravating smirk. Those calculating blue eyes.

She squeezed her own eyes shut, and Grandma squeezed her hand tighter. “How about a cup of tea, love?”

* * *

Maya and her mum were barely speaking to each other, other than to pass the various bits of cutlery as they set the dining table. A tension hung in the air, like a storm cloud had billowed into their house, smothering them with a heavy sadness.

Is this what the rest of the year is going to be like?