Page 73 of Take Her On

They had a short tour of the grounds, met the organisers, and had a quick lunch in the cafeteria. Their first game was at twelve in the afternoon, and Coach wanted them to get warmed up with plenty of time to spare.

The air had a bite to it, but the sun poked her head through the white puffy clouds. Coach even brought out the pink shades that made her look like Elton John.

The universities were split into two groups of four, with the top two teams playing in a final to determine the winner. It meant they’d all be playing for most of the day, with the final being held under bright floodlights when the sunlight ebbed away.

Maya led everybody in the warm-up. The burn in her muscles awakened her, pulsing endorphins through her body after so long lying horizontal in bed—and not the good kind of lying horizontal. The rest of the team chattered as they thumped the balls to each other, laughter carrying on the breeze. Everyone was in good spirits; they were ready to bring back another tournament win.

The first two games were easy victories. Jamie and Aiysha both scored hat tricks, and Megan, their keeper, didn’t even have to make one save. The third game was more challenging. The opposing team had a couple of skilful players in midfield that Noodle had a hard time keeping up with. Jamie scored the winner, though—of course.

The fourth ended in a draw. No matter how many shots Millton had, the ball wouldn’t go into the net. Coach huffed and puffed, stomping up and down the sidelines, but their team still topped the group and were through to the final.

Their opponents went by the name the Hornets. Though the Harriers weren’t participating, Coach informed everyone that this was their sister university—a sports college situated just north of London.

The team collected their water bottles and gathered in a circle, red-faced and panting, their breath swirling patterns in the crisp air. The Christmas break had done their fitness no favours, but that was one of the reasons for taking part in this tournament—to kick them back into focus.

Maya brushed back some loose hair that was stuck to her forehead and blew out a breath. Sixteen pairs of eyes looked back at her expectantly, but she was used to these talks. The expectation didn’t scare her; it fuelled her, and she deliberately looked into everyone’s eyes as she passed around the circle. All except Jamie, who fiddled with the laces on her new Nike boots.

Maya clapped her hands. “First, well done, everyone. It’s not an easy task to dive straight back in after the break for Christmas. We played well, but we definitely need to talk more on the field. It’s still too quiet out there. All I can hear is the sound of my own voice. And you know how annoying that is.”

A ripple of laughter spread through the group, and she continued, “Focus on using the width of the pitch and getting the ball to Tiny and Leah on the flanks. They say they’re the fastest on the team, so test ’em.”

“You got it, Skip.” Leah saluted, earning a grin from Jamie.

“Let’s crowd the box and get crosses into Jamie and Aiysha. Noodle, don’t be afraid to have a shot, either. I know you have a lucky foot once in every blue moon.”

She spotted a group of red shirts spilling onto the pitch through the doors. The Hornets. They pointed their heads Millton’s way, assessing them curiously, before heading to the other side of the turf. Their whispers and laughter caught the attention of more than a few of the group.

If the Hornets were anything like the Harriers, mind games were their forte. Maya didn’t want to give them half a chance.

“Don’t look at them,” she said. “We focus on us.” Coach gave a nod of approval, and everyone’s attention fell back on Maya. “Jamie,” she said, “do you know anything about the other team that we should know about?”

“I…uh…don’t really know much about them, no.”

“But we know all about her,” one of the Hornets shouted as she passed by. The woman’s sneer passed over the group, before she turned to her friends and cracked out in laughter. Her comments became indistinguishable as she walked away.

“Don’t pay them any attention,” Maya snapped, noticing Aiysha eyeing the Hornets over her shoulder.

“Thomas is right.” Coach stepped in. “Their mind games are a sign of weakness. They’re intimidated by us. Bloody let them be.”

Coach continued her speech then went over the line-up for the game. Despite Maya’s own advice to focus, her gaze kept finding Jamie. Her mouth was squashed into a hard line, the creases between her eyebrows deepening. Anyone else might think she was concentrating on Coach’s words, but Maya knew her by now.

The comments of the other team had bothered her.

Jamie’s eyes flicked to Maya’s. Before she could give her a reassuring smile, she glanced away. A small pit of dread opened in Maya’s stomach. She hated seeing her upset.

They know all about her? What the hell did that mean?

After a warm-up drill in which Jamie misplaced multiple passes and lost control of the ball, Maya caught her elbow. “Hey, are you alright?”

“I’m fine. I’m just a bit tired…from being sick.”

They walked towards the sideline, out of earshot of the others. “You sure that’s all it is?”

Jamie’s gaze stayed cast downwards. “Yeah. I’m just recovering.”

Maya nudged her. “That’s what you get for forcing me into the sea.”

“I already got punished enough with the parking ticket,” Jamie grumbled but gave her a small smile. The tension that was coiled in Maya’s stomach loosened a bit.