Chapter 19 #2
Michael slaps me on the back, a rough-looking bruise coming up on his left cheek from where one of the Mossington forwards drilled the ball directly into his face from ten feet away.
It’s worth the shiner that’s already swollen his eye shut.
At least, I think so. The two goals I scored, one in the third minute of the second half and another two minutes into injury time to secure the win, didn’t come with a visible badge of honour but everyone here knows.
I don’t need to advertise my achievements.
‘You too,’ I say, raising my beer to the one thrust into his hand without asking. ‘That last save was insane. How did your arms even stretch that far?’
‘They don’t call me Mr Fantastic for nothing,’ he grins, and I hear a hoot of laughter from behind the bar.
‘They don’t call you Mr Fantastic at all,’ Alice drawls. ‘But well done. It was, according to Jenna, a very good game.’
‘But not according to you?’ I ask, leaning against the old wooden counter.
‘All I know is that you won, which means we’ll be busy tonight. People celebrate harder than they drown their sorrows. Looks like you won one new fan though, isn’t that right, Mia?’
She sticks her head out from the back room, a case of hard seltzer in her arms.
‘Isn’t what right?’
When our eyes meet she colours slightly and looks away. High on the win, I hold steady, take a sip of beer and wait for her to look back. She does, cheeks burning even more brightly.
‘I was just telling the glorious champions that you’re their biggest fan.’ Alice pours several shots of whiskey, splashing liquor all over the bar as she goes. ‘She was well into it, screaming at Mossington, calling the ref a wanker.’
‘I was not!’ She looks outraged as she drops the case on the floor at the other end of the bar. ‘I might’ve suggested he was giving the other team preferential treatment, that’s all.’
‘Exactly,’ Michael drawls, holding his hand out to Alice for a high five. ‘The referee was a wanker.’
‘We still won so who cares?’ I pinch my shoulders together in a shrug and aim a smile Mia’s way. She looks back, suspicious, before returning it in a half-hearted way.
Michael yanks me in for a hug, arm wrapped around my neck.
‘Don’t be so American. It’s all right, you know, you’re in England now. You’re allowed to wish death on your enemies when it comes to sports. Everything is fair game – their upbringing, sexual preferences, whether they may or may not eat rodents. It’s impossible to sink too low, trust me.’
‘There were some pretty interesting chants,’ Mia says as she unloads the seltzers into a low fridge. ‘And why were they telling us to shove our red bricks up our ass?’
‘I’ll explain later.’ Alice chuckles before turning to a quickly growing queue of customers.
Ducking out from under Michael’s arm, I follow Mia around the bar, watching her break down the box and toss it into the trash. I can’t stop staring at her mouth. She’s wearing that glittery gloss again and every time she moves, the light scatters across her lips.
‘You had a good time at the game?’
‘Sure.’
‘You think you’ll come to the next one?’
‘Maybe.’
Tossing her long braid over her shoulder, she looks around the busy bar, getting busier by the second and her face falls.
I can’t believe she’s still working here after that night I took her to the medical centre but then again I can’t imagine Mia giving up on anything until she’s conquered it.
Committed is one word for her. Stubborn would be another.
We should all be glad she’s dedicated herself to working at the bar and not taking over the world.
‘I’d better let you get back to your celebration. Congratulations, Ethan.’
I know when a Southern woman is sending me on my way, so I turn to leave.
Just knowing Mia was at the game, that she saw me score a goal, makes me stand a little taller and I’m hit with an unexpected buzz of anticipation, something I haven’t felt in a long time.
Long, as in way before Breanna ended things.
The realization catches me so off guard, I don’t move for a moment, afraid the feeling will disappear.
But when I look back at Mia, it only gets stronger.
‘O Captain, my captain!’ Assad suddenly swoops across the bar, barrelling into me for a bear hug.
‘That was a masterclass,’ he says, slapping my chest in triumph. ‘Anyone would think you were edging us in the first half.’
‘If there’s one place I don’t want delayed gratification, it’s on the soccer field,’ I reply, leaning back against the bar, watching Jenna lead the student population in a rowdy singalong. She’s Hemden’s very own one-woman cheer squad.
‘How you choose to celebrate is between you and your God.’ Assad stands at my side, surveying the bar. ‘Anyone you’ve got your eye on?’
‘Me?’ I shake my head. ‘Nope. I’ve got the team and my coursework. That’s more than enough to deal with, I’m not looking for a girlfriend right now.’
‘No one mentioned a girlfriend,’ he says innocently. ‘More like a little celebration treat. The froupies cometh. You can have your pick tonight, mate. Anyone you want.’
My gaze sweeps over the sea of girls swarming the rest of the team.
Behind the bar, I see Mia reappear, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand as she turns to a customer and takes their order.
My eyes are drawn to her like a magnet. Wherever she goes, I follow, and as soon as she’s out of sight, I’m impatient to see her again.
But Mia doesn’t even glance in my direction.
‘Not quite,’ I say to Assad. ‘Not quite anyone.’