Page 85 of Take Her On

“Do you have any idea what today means to me? You speak so much bullshit about family, and how we’re important to you, but when was the last time you took an interest in what I was doing? In what Grandma was doing? Or spent any time with us?”

Her mum pursed her lips. “I work so—”

Maya scoffed. “You’ve got your head shoved so far up Hunter’s arse, I’m surprised you don’t chew his food for him.”

Her mother stabbed a finger at her. “I’ve done so much for this family. Worked long hours and far from home—”

“You did that for yourself. That’s what you wanted to do. Don’t pretend that was for us, when all I wanted when I was a kid was for you to be here.”

Her mum glanced at Grandma, then back at Maya. “What are you talking about?”

Maya exhaled, feeling suddenly shaky from the adrenaline. She didn’t know where that last part had come from. “It doesn’t matter now. It’s already clear where we come in your pecking order of priorities.”

“Stop being so childish, Maya. You’re an adult now. Start acting like one.”

“Hey. Hey. That’s enough,” Grandma interjected, but her mum continued to glare at her.

“I had to grow up a long time ago. It’s just getting harder to pretend we have anything in common anymore. Or any relationship other than an empty title.”

Her mum flinched, her perfect eyebrows pinching together.

“See ya,” Maya said to Grandma. “I’ll be back late.” She kissed her cheek, grabbed her bag, and stormed out of the door, even though her first lecture wasn’t for hours. She just needed to get away before she said anything else she’d regret.

* * *

When game time finally rolled around, Maya was pacing the changing rooms, checking her watch every few minutes. Where the hell is Jamie? She was supposed to meet her early to help set up, but Maya had already finished everything, and the nerves were tangling her stomach like hissing snakes.

The door swung open, and Maya’s eyes were drawn to Jamie’s leg as she hobbled into the room. Her heart sank.

“What happened?”

Jamie grimaced. “I was doing some strengthening exercises this morning and might have overdone it a little.”

Heat ran up Maya’s neck. She’d told Jamie to rest up until the game, and she’d done the opposite. Had she done it on purpose?

“Can you play?”

“I don’t think so.”

It was like a punch in the face. Everything was going wrong today. If Jamie was out, then that was it. Game over. Maya’s head started spiralling. They might as well throw in the towel now. She was their advantage, their top scorer.

She didn’t want to let the team down again; she’d sworn year after year that they could do it. The last few weeks, she’d worked tirelessly to try and get Jamie back into form. Jamie was going to impress the scouts. Maya was going to boost her chances of securing the job she wanted. The team were finally going to get the title they deserved. Everything had been coming together. She’d had it under control…but now it had all shattered in front of her.

She tried to squash her frown into a straight line, but Jamie reached over to trace the creases between her eyebrows.

“It’s okay,” she said. “It’s okay.”

Maya forced out a breath. The building pressures constricted her chest, making her light-headed. “That’s easy for you to say. You’ve already won this championship twice. What kind of a leader am I if we never make it? I promised them. How bad does that make me look? It’s all for nothing.”

“Don’t take it to heart. At the end of the day, it’s just football.”

Her words punched her in the gut. “Just football?”

Her mum had rehashed that to her a million times. It was always just a game. Just a sport. A waste of time. It didn’t mean anything. But it mattered. It mattered for her job prospects, it mattered to the team, and it mattered to her. Maya couldn’t believe Jamie had said the same thing. What about the scout?

“You know what I mean,” Jamie said with a small shrug.

Her nonchalance upset her. Maya’s hackles raised. “I don’t. I thought you understood what this meant to me. To everyone on the team. What have we been working so hard for if none of it matters?”