Chapter 13 Maya
Maya
‘Maya.’ The familiar sound of Dina’s voice, loud and commanding, is not what I expect to hear during football practice.
I half expect to wake up from some kind of dream.
Not that I dream often about Dina (only sometimes).
But I turn around, and there she is. Dina Chowdhury, in the flesh, glaring at me as if we’re back in school and I’m back to being her worst enemy.
‘Dina,’ I say, noting her tracksuit, the whistle around her neck, the clipboard that she’s carrying in her arms. I remember what Jen said when I ran into her and Dina in that cafe around the corner: Dina is helping Jen with coaching a football club.
That must be why she’s here. ‘How … are you?’ I’m at a loss for words, unsure of what to say or what to do.
‘How am I?’ Dina asks, like that’s the stupidest question she’s ever been asked.
‘Well, it’s been a while since—’
‘Are you aware that your team have been harassing mine?’ Dina interrupts.
I frown, glancing at my team, who have now stopped their game to look at us. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘I’m talking about the fact that I was trying to run a practice session with my team, but they’re too demoralised to play, thanks to the crap that your team has been saying to them.’
I look at my team once more. Their usually happy and enthusiastic expressions have shifted into something resembling discomfort and nervousness. Of course, they would feel uncomfortable with a random woman marching up to me and accusing them of harassment.
I try to square up my shoulders as I turn back to Dina, meeting her eyes with a glare. ‘My team wouldn’t do that. They’re a little too busy practising for their upcoming match to worry about some other team.’
‘You must not know them very well then, because the girls from my team told me what happened.’
‘Well, maybe the girls from your team were making it up.’
Dina’s eyes never leave mine, and her glare intensifies.
‘Or maybe the girls from your team are not the perfect little princesses that you think they are. They’ve been bullying my girls and …
’ At that, Dina takes a step back, looking me up and down like she’s evaluating me.
The action sends a flush of heat through me.
‘I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, considering who their coach is. They’ve clearly learned from the best.’
I step closer to her, refusing to back down.
I can’t believe she would stoop so low, go so far as to share the speculation and lies that gossip magazines have been spreading about me since I quit the Vikings.
I thought Dina was better than that, but maybe I never knew her at all.
‘Are you serious, Dina? You really think it’s appropriate to come here and call me or my team bullies?
Don’t you think that’s the real bully behaviour? ’
‘Well, I wouldn’t know. I guess I’d have to ask your old team,’ Dina says. ‘And maybe I should speak to Ms Jacobs, tell her the kind of stuff that you’re really teaching the team that she entrusted to you.’
I scoff, at a loss for words. Of course, I know that Dina would never actually speak to Ms Jacobs. It’s all just bluster – it always is with her. But that doesn’t make it any less infuriating, doesn’t make it hurt any less.
‘At least I’m actually qualified to coach football. I have things to teach them. What are you doing as a coach?’ I know the words are cruel even as I say them, but I can’t help it.
There’s a mix of guilt and satisfaction as I watch Dina’s nostrils flare. She steps closer to me still, until the two of us are eye to eye, nose to nose, until I can’t see past her, and everything else falls away.
It’s me and Dina, fourteen years old again, on the school football team, arguing about kit, and matches, and anything and everything else under the sun. It sends a thrill through me that has nothing to do with football, and everything to do with Dina.
‘What’s going on here?’ Jen’s voice pierces through the tension. I blink, and suddenly the rest of the world comes into focus. The park we’re in, where we’re causing a whole scene. My team, and Dina’s team, who have apparently followed her up here. All of us in the throes of some kind of a fight.
I step back from Dina, trying to ignore the strange feeling in my gut. I try to chalk it up to a case of nostalgia.
Dina looks away from me too, and ushers her team away. I try to wrangle mine away as well. We definitely don’t need a physical altercation between our teams – or between us. Because surely that would get back to Ms Jacobs, maybe even the press. It wouldn’t help my already-ailing reputation.
I really should know better than to let Dina get the best of me, but she’s always been able to get under my skin in a way that nobody else can.
‘Jen, what are you doing here? I thought you were still in—’
‘Doesn’t matter,’ Jen cuts off Dina with a strict frown.
This is not a side of Jen that we saw often when we were younger, but it did have to come out a few times – usually when Dina and I were on the verge of killing each other.
‘You two need to explain what’s going on.
I leave for a few days and come back to a fight in the park? ’
‘Maya’s team was antagonising us,’ Dina says. She crosses her arms over her chest and meets my gaze, issuing some kind of a challenge.
‘Dina came bounding over here making wild accusations about us,’ I respond.
Jen looks between me and Dina, her frown deepening. ‘You know, the two of you are supposed to be the adults here. The coaches, setting an example for your teams. You think any of this is a good example?’
Jen keeps looking between us, clearly expecting some kind of an explanation, but Dina just looks to the ground and says nothing.
The seconds tick by, the silence from us growing uncomfortable.
‘We should have behaved better,’ I finally mumble.
I don’t want to disappoint Jen, and I don’t want the team, who have been stellar players and have never misbehaved, to think that getting into fights with people is OK.
‘We could have … talked it out, instead of …’ I wave my hands to indicate the argument and the stand-off between me and Dina that Jen witnessed just minutes ago.
‘Dina …’ Jen says, turning to her.
‘Yeah, I guess I shouldn’t have come over here all guns blazing,’ she says drily, barely getting the words out. It’s clear that she doesn’t mean it.
‘OK. Do the two of you have something to say to each other then?’ Jen asks.
The reprimand from her is enough to make my face heat up. I really do feel like I’m a teenager again. Jen is using the same discipline tactics she used back then.
‘I’m sorry, Dina.’
Jen and I both look at Dina now. She’s still refusing to look up from the ground, and her arms are crossed over her chest. She’s a far cry from the woman who marched over here a few minutes ago.
‘I’m sorry too,’ she finally mumbles, though it’s clear she’s struggling to get the words out.
‘OK, good. Now, girls, why don’t you apologise?’ Jen nods at each respective team.
They mutter their own disgruntled apologies and, for a minute, it seems like that’s that, and we can put this unpleasant interaction to bed.
But then, Hannah speaks up. ‘I don’t know why we have to apologise when we didn’t say anything wrong. We’re actually a proper team and they aren’t. It’s not a crime to say that. And there’s nothing wrong with being amateurs, but they shouldn’t be so sensitive about it.’
I can see Dina clenching and unclenching her hands into fists at Hannah’s words.
‘Hannah,’ I say in a warning tone. ‘Let’s just leave it.’
‘No.’ Dina finally looks back up, her eyes meeting mine. ‘Let’s not leave it. If your team is so confident in their abilities, maybe we should put it to the test.’
I wasn’t expecting this sudden challenge. Pitting our teams against each other is definitely not a good idea.
‘Are you sure you want to do that?’ I ask, raising an eyebrow. I haven’t seen her team play, but I don’t need to do that to form an opinion.
We have the support of the school behind us.
We have kit and a team name. We’ve played matches and beaten other teams. We have access to the Westbrook football pitch for occasional practice sessions.
Dina’s team is run by the council, probably to give the girls somewhere to put their energy during the summer.
They have no kit to speak of and practise in the park.
From what I understand, they’ve never even played a match.
The only thing they have going for them is having Jen as a coach, but I don’t think that will help them beat us.
‘Yeah, I’m sure. Let’s play a match, see what a proper team can apparently do,’ Dina says.
I know I shouldn’t take the bait, that I should be better than this.
Like Jen said, Dina and I are the adults here, the coaches who should be setting better examples.
But even if I know better, I can’t back down from a challenge issued by Dina.
If I do, it’s just going to confirm everything that she already thinks about me.
And I doubt my team will be filled with confidence if I don’t meet Dina’s challenge head on.
This is more than just about Dina – it’s about proving my capabilities.
‘OK, if you can handle us, then let’s do it,’ I say. ‘We can play you tomorrow if you want.’
There’s a flash of hesitation in Dina’s eyes. She recovers quickly, but not quick enough for me to miss it.
‘End of summer,’ she says.
‘Fine, end of summer,’ I agree.
‘Dina, Maya, I don’t know if that’s the best—’ Jen tries to interject, but our teams are already excitedly agreeing to the match.
Dina gives me a wry smile.
I guess it’s game on.