Page 40 of Scrum Heat

Then I look at Frankie.

It’s not a glance. Not a flick.

Alook.

She’s still sitting on that kit box, phone in her lap. Wide-eyed, but steady now. Watching.

She catches it; and this time, she doesn’t look away.

Her mouth parts as though she’s about to say something—a wish for luck, maybe, or a joke, even a warning.

But she doesn’t.

She doesn’t need to. We both know something’s shifting.

I stand, and my shoulder lightly brushes hers on the way past.

I don’t say a word, but the tension?

It says plenty.

*

South Harwich is already on the pitch when we step out.

They’re loud and posturing, all teeth and swagger as they pace around like caged animals.

Their captain—number 4—makes a performance out of slapping backs and barking plays, then stares us down like we’ve already lost.

That’s cute.

They’ve been top five in the league the past two years. Lost the final last season, decided it was everyone else’s fault, and haven’tshut up about it since—including online. Rory hates them. Theo calls them the the loudest team with the weakest follow-through. Finn tries to be nice about it, but even he rolls his eyes when they start sprint drills in front of us all, yelling “DOMINATE.”

That tells you everything.

They’re an all-alpha squad, and proud of it. They’ve built their whole identity around strength and intimidation. They look at our team and see what they think are weaknesses: betas in the back line, a kicker who makes jokes, and an enforcer who doesn’t talk.

But they don’t see what we are.

Our betas aren’t benchwarmers, they’reworkhorses. Scrappy, relentless, and smart; they each had to train twice as hard just to earn space on a squad that leans alpha-heavy, and they earned every inch.

I clock the way South Harwich’s front row eyes Jamie—our beta winger—with the kind of amusement that says:soft.

Whatever. Let them underestimate him—they’ll regret it.

Their entire team has got one strategy: run through.

Ours is: don’t let them.

That’s where I come in as the enforcer. It’s not an official position on paper, but every team has one.

I don’t score points. I don’t kick goals.

I keep order. I handle problems.

“Fourth’s too narrow,” I murmur to Rory as we line up.

He gives a short nod. “Saw that too.”

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