Page 13 of Spring Awakening

“I’m not the prick,” they mutter again. Mali finds him this time. Toby Lightman. She’s not a fan. Not because of this, but it hasn’t helped.

“Enough,” Frankie says. Both listen to her. Mali wonders why she didn’t say anything in the first place, if she has the authorityshe so clearly has. “Put your dicks away, shut up, listen to Mali, and don’t embarrass me.”

“Hello,” Mali starts. She feels her voice tremble a little, but she’s not sure it’s noticeable to anyone else. If only she’d stood directly in front of Frankie, she could look at her and feel more at ease. Instead, she flits her gaze over the group of people staring at her. None of them give her the comfort she’s hoping for.

She notices a few of the younger players. They’ve all got potential, but they’ve only been on the field one season. Then she sees Kai Johnson. He’s her second-favourite player of all time, and he’s barely a fully grown adult (which just means he’s younger than her). He’s adorable. Like stupid, shouldn’t be allowed on a rugby field adorable. And he’s crazy fast. One moment she’s watching him toss a ball to Zach, the next he’s halfway across the field making sure no one can touch him. He looks like a kid in a candy shop, a smile on his face as he waits for her to talk, but the nerves simmer in her stomach as she looks at Toby again. He’ll probably do great with an energy-drink sponsorship something. He’s got such a footballer face. Mali takes in the rugby team, and yet, her gaze falls back on Zach.

She lets it linger.

“Uhm, I’ll be doing some publicity work for the team. I’m hoping to get some team sponsors and individual ones as well. So—”

Toby interrupts her, as she was expecting. “You’ll have your work cut out for you with Azan.” What is he, five?

Zach speaks before she does. “Shut up and let her fucking talk, man.” His voice is deeper than it ever has been when he’s spoken to her. Toby glares at him but ultimately does what he says. Mali wonders how often Zach sticks up for himself in these situations. She looks at Zach for a beat too long, then lets her gaze slip back to Toby.

“Lightman, right?”

He sits up straight, a cocky smile on his face. “Yeah.”

“Sponsors don’t like it if you’re rude, so try and work on that.” It might have been a mistake, because he looks murderous—like he truly might walk over and hit her. “For everyone else, you can let me know if there’s something specific you’d like, and I’ll try and get it for you. I also have ideas and suggestions for what sponsorships might suit you all individually and as a team.”

“Azan won’t get you anything but trouble.” Toby is right there, and Mali ducks her head with a light groan. Toby looks at her like he’s waiting for her to laugh, but no one says a word.

When she’s ready, she asks, “Are you obsessed with him?” There’s a couple of snickers, but ultimately, people are waiting for her to continue to talk. “Because you needn’t worry. Zach already has more line-ups than anyone else here. So why don’t we try and keep ourselves to ourselves unless someone asks for the opinion of others.”

“Well—” Toby starts.

But there’s a chorus of “shut up” from Zach, “Oi!” from Ezra, and what she thinks is a vague threat at running laps from Frankie. After that, the team slowly leaves the office, and Mali feels the shake in her fingers. She hopes it wasn’t obvious to everyone. She walks over to her desk and sets her briefcase down.

“Putting Lightman in his place within ten minutes,” Frankie says. “Tight.”

“Is he always like that?”

“He’s mad because of what Azan said at the end of last season.”

“Are you sure it’s not because Zach’s a better player than him?”

Frankie laughs. “It’s probably eighty-twenty. Do you need time to settle, or do you want to talk to someone now?”

“Are you free?”

Frankie smiles brightly. “No, I have to coach. You can have a player, though I do enjoy that I was your first thought.” Her bright orange whistle swings from her neck.

Mali hums. “I’ll take Zach, then.”

Frankie attempts to hide a scowl, but she’s not good at it. Mali wonders if she knows how much money people are going to pay for him to stand near their products.

“Is the whole team mad at him for the press thing?” Mali asks, quickly tacking on another question so it doesn’t seem like she’s judging them (she is). “Because I’ll need to do something about team sponsors if the team don’t like each other.”

“Not the whole team. Just the loud ones.”

“And you?” Mali asks. “Are you mad about the press thing, or is he as annoying as Toby? If I’m allowed to ask.”

“You are.” Frankie sighs. “It’s mainly the press thing. He’s a great player, you know that, but I don’t think he has any loyalty to the team, and I don’t wanna let him get away with being disrespectful towards me, for him to then ditch and go. Just between us,” Frankie says quickly, like she’s forgotten Mali isn’t a close friend.

“’Course. I get it.”

“Okay. I’ve got practice, but I’ll send Azan back. You wanna get lunch later?”

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