Page 42 of Always on My Mind

Jamie nodded. “And that women aren’t fit for football.”

“If he’s so confident, why don’t you all play a match against each other? You could come after hours, use the practice pitch, and settle the score once and for all.”

“I like that idea,” Jamie said with a smile tugging at her lips. She glanced around at her teammates. “What do we think?”

“I don’t know about y’all, but I wanna shut that man up,” Neriah said.

Murmurs of agreement followed, but they deferred to their captain, Monika. She faced them with a determined furrow of her brow. She nodded, and it was all the permission Jamie needed.

“Oi! O’Riley!” she shouted, and the entire men’s team turned to look at her. She met Peter’s gaze among them. “Men’s team versus women’s team. Tonight. For all the glory. You in?”

Peter smirked. “You’re on!”

The match was set for ten o’clock that night. The September air cooled Jamie’s skin as she walked out onto the pitch. Underthe lights, she always thought it was as if the sun were out, and only the temperature reminded her of the late hour. She and her teammates warmed up the same way they would for a real match. Oddly, Jamie found herself more nervous for this than she was in the opener against Chelsea.

The men emerged from their dressing room, and Jamie could hear them grumbling as they walked out and began their stretches. Behind them came their appointed officials—Tessa and former men’s team player, Ethan Knight. Jordan suggested their former teammate because he was “annoyingly ethical” and Tessa was chosen because well, everyone liked her.

Without the usual music playing, the warm-ups went by in eerie silence. Then Tessa and Ethan summoned the captains to the center of the pitch. Jordan and Monika met them, their teams in school circles behind them.

“Alright, let me lay out some ground rules,” Ethan said in his deep, Southern drawl.

Jamie had seen him in several interviews, but his voice always surprised her. He sounded straight out of a cowboy movie. He played for the Chelsea men’s team, and whenever he scored a goal, the crowd sang “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy.”

“I understand this match is unofficial, but y’all still have your regular seasons, so no malicious play or violent conduct,” he warned. “We don’t need nobody getting injured over this. Also, we don’t have cameras. There’s obviously no VAR or anything. So what Tessa and I say goes. We gotta trust what we see, and so do you.”

“Also, to save everyone some time, we’re only playing two thirty-minute halves,” Tessa added. Jamie took a brief moment to admire Tessa’s legs in the shorts she had on. “Ethan will decide on any stoppage depending on what happens during the match. We won’t do cards, only fouls and penalties. Any questions?”

They all shook their heads, Monika and Jordan shook hands, and then everyone took their places. Jamie watched Tessa jog to the touchline and had to force herself not to stare at Tessa’s ass. Jamie thanked every deity she could think of that Tessa was not a real official. Otherwise, she’d never get through a match.

Ethan placed the ball and blew the whistle for the kick off. Monika beat Peter to the ball and passed it back to Zahra who passed to Jamie. The men pressed, forcing the women back to Eliana in goal. Eliana kicked a straight shot to Jamie, who tucked her shoulder to avoid Luka, the defender marking her. With him out of her way, she had a clear path toward midfield and she dribbled through it as fast as she could. Zahra was ahead of her, so she passed, and Zahra took control easily, directing the ball up the right side of the pitch. Osahar met her but she beat him with a nutmeg and pressed on. Monika made a run up the middle, careful to stay onside until Zahra passed, then the striker sprinted toward the goal. She took one touch, and with her second, she sent a rocket past Jordan into the back of the net.

“Fuck yeah!” Jamie cried, hurtling forward to celebrate with her teammates.

They hugged and high-fived Monika through cheers and laughter. Jamie could hardly believe they’d scored on the men’s team within the first two minutes of the match.

“Offside!” Peter yelled as he charged toward Tessa.

Jamie didn’t even think before she ran after him. His face was within inches of Tessa’s when Jamie arrived, and she yanked him back by his jersey. She planted herself between him and Tessa.

“Don’t you dare start in on her,” Jamie warned.

“What, is she your girlfriend?” Peter mocked.

Jamie stepped toward him. “I’ve put you on your arse once already, O’Riley, I’ll do it again.”

Tessa stepped between them and put her hands out. “O’Riley, I had a clear view, it wasn’t offside. You all agreed to the terms, and I say the goal stands. Question me again and I will fucking lay you out.”

God, Tessa was hot when she was threatening.

“Fuck off,” Peter scoffed, and stalked back toward the middle of the field.

Jamie moved to follow him, but Tessa caught her wrist.

“Thanks for coming to my defense,” Tessa said, and Jamie noticed the way her cheeks got pinker as she spoke.

“Of course,” Jamie replied. “Though you handled him pretty well yourself.”

Tessa smirked and nodded. She released Jamie and then met Ethan’s gaze in the center of the pitch. Jamie jogged back out to join her teammates for the restart, but her skin still tingled with Tessa’s touch. She decided it was good luck.

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