Page 3 of Matched Up

‘Let’s go!’I passed the ball to Niall and we played for an hour.No breaks.By the end of the match, they were winning, and Niall had taken to holding back Megan, ignoring her half-hearted protests.

We sat on the pitch, exhausted, although when I glanced at Megan she barely looked out of breath.Unlike me she hadn’t missed a pass, hadn’t hit the ball wide and still managed to smile, when all I could do was try to get my breath back.

‘You’re such a cheater,’ Megan said to Niall.But it was light-hearted.

Hunter walked over to me and offered his hand to help me up.

I took it.‘Good game,’ he said, ‘except for the fact Niall cheated.’

‘I don’t see a ref.’I grinned.‘Go get that Coke can.’

‘Oh yeah, sorry,’ he said, like he’d dropped it accidentally.And by the time he got back, Coke can in hand, Megan and Niall were standing up too, passing the ball between them.

‘You ready to gonow?’Niall asked Megan.

‘I’ve been ready to go for an hour.’She stuck out her tongue at him.

‘I can take her,’ I said, between gulps of air.‘Meg, you don’t have to go with them, don’t worry.’I was looking forward to driving her home.When we were in the car alone, we’d turn up the music and sing-scream until our throats ached, then piss ourselves laughing at how bad we sounded.

‘It’s OK, Lex, I don’t mind,’ she said.

‘You look like you need a shower anyway,’ Niall said, jingling his car keys in my direction.‘Bet you’ve sweated all over my hoodie.’

‘Good!’

‘Bye, Lex,’ said Hunter with a little wave, which wasn’t like him.Usually, he and Niall were throwing jokey insults in my direction.

‘Bye, Hunter,’ I said with exaggerated enthusiasm.

‘See ya tomorrow!’Megan called, and the three of them disappeared.

But I hadn’t finished yet.

This was it.Final thirty seconds of extra time and Lexie Ryan, star defender of Westing FC, is taking it up the wing.What’s this?She’s beaten three of Crusaders’ defenders.She shoots, she sc–

‘Fuck sake!’The ball hit the crossbar and rebounded back at me.I kicked it as hard as I could against the fence.I bent over, hands on thighs, hot breath disappearing into the night like cigarette smoke.The shadow from the floodlights stretched me out, taller, thinner, like Megan.Megan who didn’t have to train like this.Extra hours on top of practice, working onmy touch, working on my fitness.She had it all.Naturally.I wasn’t jealous.OK, I was.Even though I hated thinking bad thoughts about her, but comeon.I booted the ball towards the net again, hoping I’d sink it into the top corner and it would be a sign from the gods that the talent was there, just hidden really, really well.But no.Wide.

I went back upstairs, had a shower, did my skincare routine, and put on the new Victoria’s Secret pyjamas that Mum had bought me.Then I put on the football and picked up the Doritos that we’d left on the bed.

I stretched out my aching muscles, then opened the new leather notebook that Megan had bought me for Christmas.My heart swelled for her.How well she knew me.How she knew how much I loved to make lists.New Year, new list.

Practise for at least two hours every day.

Study for at least one hour every day.

Eat, sleep and breathe football.

Start on the first team.

Tick, tick, tick, no tick.But I was working on it.And I would work as hard as I had to until Sadie started me.I fell asleep watching Barcelona vs Sevilla, the sound of the chanting crowd infiltrating my dreams.

2

I got up an hour before everyone else to get ready for school, because my need to be flawless didn’t just apply to football.Hair, make-up, uniform.And the Blackport uniform was so ridiculous that it needed its own thirty minutes.Sometimes I even re-ironed the shirts that Mum had sent out because I needed them to be absolutely perfect.

Dad was away for work, and this time Mum hadn’t gone with him.Over the last year, since me and Niall turned seventeen, she’d started going away with him on his work trips, spending time walking around European cities.And shopping, of course.But occasionally, she stayed behind, and when she did, she was always up early, like she was scared we’d forget something if she wasn’t hanging around the kitchen making sporadic comments about things that happened weeks ago in school.I came down to her making crepes in her satin dressing gown.

‘Morning.No sign of Niall yet?’she asked over her shoulder and giving a little yelp as she turned a crepe.

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