Chapter 38
AJ
Game day. Cup final. Dream come true.
There’s a weird knot of tension in me, partly because I haven’t been able to see Kyle in a few days.
We said it would be best to keep apart and focus on the match, in case the media think we’re “throwing the final;” and on the subject of the media, despite all my bravado, I’m a little worried about the ramifications.
The cup final itself, I’m not worried about.
I was built for high-pressure situations like this.
All the preparations are now done, and all that’s left is to leave it all on the pitch.
I sleep like a baby, thanks to putting on my “rain sounds” playlist via my phone.
I wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the biggest match of my career so far.
Kyle is on my mind. His smile. His touch.
His eyes. They were all I could think about in my sleep.
I open my phone up, take off the rain sounds, and shoot him a quick text, knowing he will be up like me.
AJ
Good luck today, Ky. For everything. xxx
He Who rocks My ??
You too. xxx
I put my phone away to avoid any unwanted distractions and hop in the shower.
By the time I get out, it’s a mad dash to get ready and meet the team for breakfast in our private area of the hotel. I’ve never been great with timings, that’s always been Ky’s thing. I make it by the skin of my teeth, taking a seat next to Captain Smith.
“Practicing making a late run into the box, are we?” He laughs.
“Something like that,” I say, getting up and remembering it’s a buffet. I opt for fruit and juices.
The morning goes by in a haze. I don’t remember much after breakfast or how long I spent in my room. All I can recall is Gaffer knocking on my hotel door asking if I was ready. Nothing seems quite so real as I head toward the stadium with my teammates.
The stadium is beautiful, a cylindrical steel bowl that will be holding fifty thousand fans this evening under the lights.
I’ve watched a few games during the domestic season in this stadium, both live and on TV.
The atmosphere is always thunderous. Something to do with the architecture makes each noise much louder.
I walk around the stadium, taking it all in and savoring every moment.
I look across from the other side of the pitch, and by some sort of cosmic force, I see Kyle.
Our eyes meet at the same time, and we smile at each other.
Kyle
Every time he smiles at me, he sends a shiver down my spine.
He pulls a face, and I have to stop myself from laughing.
God, he’s walked back into my life, turned it upside down, and shone a light in the darkness.
I was hoping to see him before kickoff, and knew he would want to take in the stadium like me.
This will be the last time we see each other, though, until kick off later this evening.
I sent Mum tickets to the game, but she hasn’t told me if she could make it or not, and there’s still been no update from Dad.
I need to shake all of it out of my mind and focus on the match.
As horrible as it sounds, I need to close myself off from all distractions.
AJ included. I’m being paid to score goals.
I’m being paid to use my “gift” and I can’t do that if I can’t focus.
Mr. Robins is going over tactics in the locker room.
Everyone is laser focused. There’s no music playing from mini speakers, no phones out, nothing.
“...And this is how we spring the attack,” he says, pointing at his tactics board.
It’s a zig-zag movement we’ve been working on in training.
I personally think he’s watched a little too much The Mighty Ducks, with that Flying V formation.
Sure, the formation is a little different, but the principle is exactly the same.
We’ve executed it well in training, but it is totally different in a real game scenario.
I trust him, though. Nothing he has ever said to us has been wrong.
“Finally, go out there and have fun. That’s why you play football, right?
For fun. That’s why you’re paid what you are.
That’s why you train so hard. That’s why you’ve made all these sacrifices.
You go out there and enjoy yourselves. You’ll have most of the city cheering you on, and millions of people watching you from around the world.
So don’t forget to play with that smile on your face. ”
“Here here!” we chant and stomp our feet.
AJ
Stepping out onto the pitch where legends of the past once made history chokes me up a little bit. There’re dueling chants from the crowd.
“Kyle! Kyyyle Thurston! He’s one of our own!” rings out at a million decibels from one end of the stadium, and “AJ! AJ! AJ! He scores goals and knocks Kyle out!” from the other. Not a huge fan of that new rendition of my song, but I look over at Kyle and see that little smirk of his.
“Champions of England! Chaaaampions of England!” the Union fans chant back.
Wow, the game hasn’t even kicked off yet, and it’s already the best atmosphere I’ve been part of.
I make my way to my position and take a deep breath. The ref blows his whistle. The crowd roar and clap and stomp their feet. This is deafening. This is amazing.
The initial passes from both teams are a little wayward, and both sets of fans jeer the opposition.
As soon as I touch the ball, I’m greeted with boos like I’ve never heard before.
My fans are trying their best to cheer, but it’s to no avail.
I scuff my pass to McIntyre, and the ball goes out for a throw-in.
A loud chorus of “Whhheeyyyy!” belts around the stadium.
Kyle collects the ball from a pass by his teammate, and runs toward my goal.
I put on my afterburners and chase him down, managing to make a perfect tackle just outside the area.
The ball bounces off his shin and goes out for a goal kick.
His fans boo, and mine are lapping it up.
I help him to his feet. “Nice tackle. Been practicing?” he asks and winks at me.
“I’ve been learning how to deal with some pretty big tackles as of late,” I say, winking back at him, and head back to my position.
Kyle
It’s remarkable how someone as tall as AJ can go into a tackle on someone like me and not hurt me at all, and yet still get the ball cleanly. It shows his determination to the game and his willingness to keep me safe. Having dusted myself down, I shout to Shippers to give me the ball.
I take it in stride, and then whip a cross over two City defenders to find Jackson.
He holds the ball up while I run into space and into the box.
He manages to find me from a tight angle, and I get a shot away, but it’s saved by their keeper who then has a chuckle to himself.
I know it’s one of his tactics. I know he does it to incite opposing players and yet…
it still boils my piss. It takes everything in me to not confront him.
Captain Shippers yells at me to get back into position.
I turn just as I see the goalkeeper ushering me away with his gloved hands.
Deep breaths. Don’t lose your cool in the final.
Twenty-four minutes have elapsed, and it’s still goalless. It’s been end-to-end stuff, though, with both AJ and I having a few shots on goal.
Thirty-three minutes go by, and I find myself in a one-on-one situation with the laughing keeper. I put a little extra mustard on my shot, and it fizzes away from him and into the back of the net.
What. The. Fuck.
The stadium erupts. Well, half of it. I run to our supporters and kiss the badge, maintaining distance from them as I don’t want a pointless yellow card.
I’m swamped by my teammates, and we pump our fists in the air.
The fans are bouncing and cheering my name.
I’m in dreamland. I watch as AJ collects the ball from the back of the net and runs to the center circle to place the ball down with a determined look in his eyes.
AJ
I’m happy for Kyle, I really am. But I’ll be damned if this ends up 1–0.
I’m going to write my name in the history books too.
Rodrigo passes the ball to me from kick off.
I run with the ball down the wing, only to be stopped in my tracks by one of his defenders.
I’m booed mercilessly by his set of supporters, and it’s beginning to feel like I’m in enemy territory.
I gain the ball back from an interception, but I’m pushed to the deck by his brute of a midfielder.
My white shorts are now stained with grass and mud.
I love when my kit gets in a state. It shows I’m in a fight.
I give the midfielder props, it takes a lot for someone to knock me off my feet.
I’m reminded again of Gaffer’s words about going down in the box.
The irony is, in the box, that might not have been a foul. As it happens, seeing as the foul is in the middle of the pitch, it’s just a free kick.
The evening sun is making its descent. Thankfully, we’re playing against it, and by the time the second half comes around, it won’t be a problem. The heat, however, is no joke, and I’m thankful I’ve been prepared for it.
The free kick is launched upfield, I use my frame to collect the ball and sweep a pass off to Collins on the right wing. He teases the defenders with some silky footwork before whipping in a brilliant cross.
I meet it at the back post with my head, but Kyle’s keeper manages to get a fingertip to it, and knocks it around the post. The resulting corner leads to nothing. Union are growing into the game, and Kyle almost adds a second with an audacious left footed shot from outside the box.
On the stroke of the thirtieth minute, there’s a scramble in the Union box, feet are getting tangled, shirts are being pulled, and then I see it—an opening. The ball spins on the grass, I manage to seize custody of it, and smash it into the back of the net.