Page 93 of Matched Up

‘I’ll be back when I have a bit of time, wee man.And maybe my friend Lexie will help me.’Shane looked at me, his eyes sparkling.

The gang of kids looked at me.Sizing me up, scrunching up their faces.

‘But she’s a girl,’ one of the boys said.

Shane pointed to our teammates who were lying exhausted on the ground.‘She’s better than any boy on that team.’

It was nice of him to say it, but I was still buzzing over how much I’d enjoyed the match.

‘Fine then,’ the boy said.

It was beautiful watching Shane coach the kids’ team.He was so invested, telling them where to stand, encouraging them, giving them team talks at half-time, and you could see how much they loved him.

But not as much as I did.

We went for a walk after the matches.Hands twisted in each other’s, we walked into Ferndale.

‘Oh my God, is that a milkshake bar?’I spotted it a mile off.Fairy lights all round the door frame with a big luminous ‘Maggie’s’ sign glaring neon-pink.

Shane shrugged.‘Yep.The Birch High kids kind of claimed it as theirs.I never go in.’

‘Until now,’ I said, pulling him towards the door.

‘Until now,’ he repeated, smiling.

The place was packed!It was full of teenagers, in groups, in couples, staring at phones, laughing over the music.Niall and Megan would love this place.I reminded myself to tell them.

As we stood in the queue, I read the noticeboard, my eye falling on a poster of some kid with a top knot.Massive smile.

Reigning Champion of Maggie’s Challenge

Michael Crawley

‘This guy has tried every flavour of milkshake.Every single one.’I scanned the never-ending list of flavours.

‘Very impressive,’ Shane agreed.Then I noticed him look at his phone, read something, then put it away again.He saw me looking.‘Oh, that’s just Mum asking when I’ll be back, but she said no rush.’

‘Shall we get them to take away?’

‘Sure, thanks.’

We left with my winter berry milkshake and Shane’s sugar cookie.

‘So where now?Do you want to go home?’I asked.

‘No, I want to show you something first.’

I thought right then that I’d follow him anywhere.

We walked down the street and then Shane turned us up an alleyway where we went into an arcade.

‘I love arcades,’ I said.

‘My dad used to bring me here all the time when I was a kid.He used to give me loads of two ps and let me work away on the machines.It was, like, my favourite thing.’

‘Let’s do it,’ I said.I changed a tenner into pennies andShane stood behind me as we put coin after coin into the machine, losing every single one.

‘I’m usually better than that,’ he said.

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