Page 9 of Take Her On

All credit to Mum; the lasagne was delicious. Maya had already eaten half of it, the shining example of someone eating their feelings, when Bob decided to jump feet first back into pointless small talk.

He dabbed his beard with a napkin. “So, Maya,” he began, resting his knife and fork at the edge of his clean plate. It seemed the lasagne was a hit for the Mellors, too. Mum would be pleased. “You go to Millton University, right?”

She nodded, chewing a mouthful of creamy lasagne. Seriously, this has been blessed by the cheese gods. She heaped in another heavenly forkful, hoping he wouldn’t ask her anything else. The last thing she wanted was a rehash of every time they’d lost to the bloody Harriers. Sadly, he didn’t take the hint.

“Jamie will be starting there on Monday,” Bob continued, taking a sip of his beer now the prosecco bottle was empty and upside down in the sink. “Won’t you, Jaim?”

That’s odd. Maya looked at her for the first time since sitting down. Jamie swirled a chunk of pasta with her fork, mopping up the sauce. Why would she move university in her last year? Especially when hers was only an hour from here?

A lump rose in Maya’s throat, dread trickling down her spine.

If Jamie moved university, that meant she couldn’t play for the Harriers.

The penny dropped, sinking hard and fast in her stomach. Oh god. Is she going to try and join the team at Millton? Surely, she wouldn’t be so naïve to think she could jump ship like that?

Bob continued, “Jamie was captain the last two years, and I bet you’ll make a fight for it this year too, eh, Jaim?”

Jamie wanted to take her role of captain? Not a chance.

Maya seethed, tightening the grip on her cutlery. She had some nerve. Coming into her house, eating with the family, and casually letting this news slip? Maya wouldn’t let Jamie ruin her last year at Millton University—whether she was with the Harriers or not.

“Changing unis in your last year?” her mum asked, oblivious to Maya’s inner turmoil. “How come?”

“Millton is closer now we’ve moved,” Jamie’s mum answered for her. Bob nodded in agreement before having another swig of beer. Jamie glared at her dad before turning her attention back to her plate.

Interesting.

For the first time since Maya had known her, Jamie Mellor was uncomfortable. All her own years of avoiding awkward conversations were finally becoming of use. She’d know the signs anywhere: avoiding eye contact; fiddling with the cuff of her shirt; the purposefully tight mouth, afraid to give anything away. It was only a few seconds, but she saw it. Jamie’s eyes snapped up and met hers, and she knew it too.

Jamie Mellor was hiding something—and Maya had to find out what. Her final year depended on it.

Chapter Four

Maya

The fresh scent of dew lingered in the air as Maya stepped off the train. Surrounded by rolling hills, the walk to Millton University beat most people’s commutes. Maya’s gaze roamed over the last of the colourful wildflowers, trying to ignore the knots tightening in her stomach with the anticipation of seeing Carly. They’d texted a little since she’d moved, but it wasn’t the same.

Summer was finally over, but Maya wasn’t sad about it. She just wanted to get a bit of normality back—back into her friends and football—before her student years were snatched away forever.

Jamie’s face flashed into her mind. That smug smirk. Her teasing tone. The unusual awkwardness at the dinner table. No doubt she was going to have to face her at football trials this afternoon, but she’d deal with her later.

She pushed thoughts of Jamie to the back of her mind as she strolled through the campus grounds, breathing in the fresh air and admiring the red brickwork buildings. Students were already lounging around on the grass square, drinking coffees and chatting under the huge oak trees.

She dodged a few cyclists, smiled politely at a few familiar faces, and jogged up the main steps to the sports building, her pastel pink shirt fluttering as she pushed through the doors and headed to the common room. Carly usually hung out there before lectures started. Hannah and Maddie too—even though they didn’t often see eye to eye with Carly.

The purple-and-black square sofas were much comfier than they looked, granted, but the space was small, and there was no hiding from anyone. Which meant that when Maya walked in and couldn’t see Carly, her heart sank into the soles of her trainers.

Hannah jumped up immediately, though, pushing aside her revision folders to give her a hug. Maya’s disappointment quickly eased.

“It feels so long since I’ve seen you!” Hannah greeted her in her soft Glaswegian accent, which always seemed more prominent whenever they’d spent time apart. She squeezed her harder, Maya’s arms trapped by her sides.

“I missed you too, Han.”

“You better have.” She pulled back to give her a once over, her auburn hair already coming loose from its bun despite the day only just starting. “How’s your grandpa doing?”

“He’s…the same, really. It’s…”

Hannah shook her head, dislodging more stray hairs around her freckled face. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up straightaway.” She glanced at her watch and collapsed back into the sofa. “We’ve got some time before our Biomechanics lecture. Tell me about your summer.”