Page 17 of The Secret Of Us

“That’s enough from you,” Mr. Reid says, stepping in front of him. “Let’s start with some warmups and then we’ll go into a quick match.”

The others move into various spots on the field, settling into groups and passing balls back and forth to each other. I stay off to the side, stretching my legs and hoping both of them won’t notice I’m not taking part.

“Noah.”

Maybe I should stop hoping for things today. Luke approaches me with a ball in his hands.

“Do you want to warm up with me?”

“Sure,” I say, although I don’t think I really have a choice.

Luke drops the ball to the ground, kicks it over to me, and I pass it back to him. We do that for a couple of minutes, and Luke tries to make light conversation. He asks how my first few days have been and whether I like Coates or not. I answer him with short replies, but it doesn’t deter him, and he doesn’t seem offended by it either.

After that, he sets up a few rows of cones and tells us all to take turns dribbling through them before taking a shot at the goal. I find a place somewhere in the middle of the line, not wanting to be the first or last to do it.

When it’s my turn, I try to ignore the prickle I can feel on the back of my neck from the stares of the other guys. I don’t feel like I have anything to prove to them, but I don’t want to embarrass myself either. Luckily, I played a bit with the younger neighbourhood kids in Korea so I’m not too out of practice. I manage to complete it without touching a single cone, and the ball glides into the goal effortlessly.

“Great job, Noah,” Luke says, and I give him a tight-lipped half smile before standing off to the side.

The others complete the drill, and then Mr. Reid splits us into two teams. I don’t know if it’s a blessing or curse that I’m not on the same team asRowan?because he seems to want an argument with me.

We all get into our places and Luke blows the whistle to start us off. I stay to the left of the goal, following every movement of the ball with my eyes so that I'm ready to intercept it once it comes anywhere near me. They all play pretty well, cleaner than I thought they would, too. None of them try any dirty tackles but maybe that’s because it’s only the first practice of the year and they’re all taking it easy.

Someone comes running toward me, guiding the ball with his left foot to get closer to his target. I sprint toward him, ready to get the ball away from him and the goal. I’m only a few feet away from him when I’m knocked off my feet, my back hitting the ground so hard that it takes all the air out of my lungs. I roll onto my side, my eyes squeezed shut as I try to take deep breaths, but it feels like nothing’s going in. A hand on my arm stops me from moving around.

“In through your nose, Noah. Out through your mouth.”

I follow Luke’s instructions, and breathing starts to feel easier after a couple of seconds. He helps me to sit up, one hand on my shoulder while the other rubs up and down my back.

“You good?” he asks.

I nod, looking up to see half of the guys staring at me, and the other half watching Mr. Reid talking to whatever his name is from earlier. They’re far enough away that I can’t hear what they’re saying, but Mr. Reid doesn’t look too happy.

I didn’t even see him coming toward me. I was so focused on the ball that he completely caught me off guard. I want to believe it was accidental, but there was no reason for him to be coming at me that fast or to even have contact with me in the first place.

I push myself up, dusting off my clothes as I stand. My arm stings a bit from where I fell to the ground, but apart from that, I think the rest of me is fine.

“Alright, let’s finish up early,” Mr. Reid says, walking away from the guy who now looks even more annoyed than before.

No one protests the fact that there’s still meant to be twenty minutes left of practice, they all just gather their things and start making their way up the stairs. I wait for most of them to leave, particularly the one who hit me, so I can keep as much distance between us as possible. Luke stays by my side, shifting back and forth on his feet.

“You were doing pretty well out there before that.”

“Just trying my best,” I tell him, shrugging my shoulders.

“I can tell.” He turns his head to look at me then, his blue eyes catching mine and I feel like he’s talking about more than football. “That was a dirty move. I’m sorry that happened to you.”

I don’t say anything. I want to pretend it was just part of the game and not because of anything else.

“Don’t pay too much attention to some of those other guys. I can see their type a mile off. Stay focused like you were, and you’ll be a better player than them any day of the week.”

“Thanks.”

I appreciate his words and the small amount of confidence he seems to have in me.

“I’ll be around school tomorrow, too. If you need anything, just come and find me.”

“I will,” I tell him, my heart warming slightly at his kindness.

---