Page 87 of Take Her On

She laughed, and Maya turned away, focusing on the play of the ball in the midfield. Robyn was doing everything she could to distract her, and she wasn’t going to let it work. She sucked a deep breath in through her nose and exhaled out her mouth. She’d already let her emotions get the better of her today. It wasn’t going to happen again.

As Robyn snaked her way around her, she held her in her peripheral vision, ensuring the rest of the defence were in an even line.

“Not me,” Robyn scoffed. “Jamie. I bet she’s got her claws in you already. Pretty. Just her type. I can see you looking at her.”

Maya missed her old rivalry with Jamie. This woman was purely vindictive.

“Why don’t you just shut up and play football?”

“Winding you up is too much fun. And you’re defensive, which is interesting. Have you fucked her?”

Maya gritted her teeth, trying to zone her out. Her annoyance was building.

“You fucking have. And you don’t even know her, do you?” Robyn laughed, giving Maya a shove when the ref wasn’t looking. “That’s hilarious. You’re clueless.”

“Don’t touch me.”

The Harriers’ keeper kicked the ball. Maya followed the trajectory in the air, timing it right so she beat Robyn to the first touch with her head. It cleared the midfield, and Leah chased it.

“Did she not tell you why she left? They were in it together.”

Maya froze. What the hell is she talking about now?

Robyn cackled, and heat spread up Maya’s neck. “Didn’t you wonder why her dad doesn’t come to watch the games? He’s banned.”

Jamie’s dad? Maya’s spine prickled. It had crossed her mind, but she’d assumed Jamie’s parents were busy. Or didn’t care, like her mum.

“They should both be in prison, really,” Robyn continued, her voice teasing. “Taking advantage of young women that way, auctioning off places in the squad like a brothel.”

“What are you talking about?”

Robyn grinned, and the sight made Maya seethe. “She’d lay down the charm, dissolve your defences, then bam…in swooped her dad. Our ex-coach.”

“You’re lying.”

That made no sense. Jamie would never be involved with something like that. She knew Jamie. Despite what she’d said earlier, she trusted her. This was a new low for the Harriers’ trash talk.

Robyn let out an amused grunt. “She didn’t tell you? That’s embarrassing. Hardly surprising, I suppose, with the plays she’s capable of.”

“Don’t talk about her like that.”

“She’s good, isn’t she? You wouldn’t expect it. But they’re the ones to watch out for.”

“Just shut up, Robyn.”

She clicked her tongue. “Don’t believe me? Pah. Ask her yourself.”

Taking advantage of young women? Jamie’s dad was the Harrier’s ex-coach? What else is she keeping from me?

Maya had thought Jamie’s dad looked familiar when the Mellors came over for dinner all those months ago, but she couldn’t place him. She pulled at her memories. As a coach, he always wore a baseball cap covering his face, so it was hard to tell if they were the same person. Could Robyn be telling the truth?

Nausea crept into her throat, and Maya moved down the line. Robyn followed her, her voice buzzing around her like angry wasps. The noise of the supporters grew louder too, every sound magnified as her pulse pounded in her ears. She didn’t know what to do with this information right now. Her mind struggled to focus on what was happening on the field.

“Maybe you’re in on it too.” Robyn snaked a hand around her waist. “Wouldn’t surprise me what people would do—”

Maya turned and fisted Robyn’s shirt in her hands. “Shut up! Just shut up!” She needed to make her stop, but Robyn flashed a wicked grin that only riled her more. It made no sense. Jamie had never mentioned her dad. Or anyone on the team. This was too nasty a rumour to be true, right?

She knew Jamie, didn’t she?