Page 101 of Ryan
I take a deep breath and decide to follow them, trying to clear my mind for the next ninety minutes and do the best I can. That’s what I’ve been called up to do, and it’s what everyone’s expecting from me.
* * *
We jog backinto the changing rooms after the match, shouting and jumping around like monkeys, high as kites. Saying I’m excited would be a euphemism. I’m ecstatic, proud…I’m happy. I feel it again after so long, and for the right reasons.
Sport: that’s what I really needed. Just rugby. Ian was right, maybe I should’ve listened to him before – but better late than never.
“Ah, little Ryan,” Jamie leaps onto my back. “You gave us a hard time, but it was all worth it in the end.”
“Oh, fuck off, Jamie.”
“You wish…” he says, poking fun at me.
I shake him off, pretending to be annoyed, when I immediately feel someone else jump onto me.
“Fuck, Ryan!That’show you play!” Ian thumps my back enthusiastically. “There’s nothing better than winning next to your brother.”
“Oh, leave it!”
“I’m emotional. I’m fucking proud of you! Seriously. I knew that sooner or later you’d do something great. All those training sessions in the garden have finally paid off!”
“Hey, don’t take credit for things you don’t deserve,” I say, even though Ian’s right about everything.
If it weren’t for him, I’d have quit years ago. If he hadn’t listened to me, encouraged me, sometimes taken a few blows for me. If he hadn’t been secretly training me, giving me advice. If he hadn’t given me all the support I needed, I wouldn’t be here now.
“Hey, hey…”
His voice immediately darkens my mood.
“Little Ryan, you’re full of surprises!”
I turn around, ready to tell him where to shove it, when I see Evan beside him.
“Oh…er…hi,” I say.
I was so happy I almost forgot he’d come.
“Wow, Ryan! I didn’t know what I was missing.” Apparently, Evan’s as excited as we are. “You’re all…you’re just…wow!”
I give him a small smile.
“It was wicked, mate. Really.”
“This boy had never been to a match,” Nick says, placing a hand on his shoulder. “He doesn’t even know the rules, for fuck’s sake. We have to fix that.”
“Don’t get too carried away…wait, what the hell are you doing in the changing rooms?”
Nick laughs smugly. “I’m everywhere.”
“Please!”
“Besides, Evan couldn’t miss the rest. Just seeing the match isn’t enough – he has to live the moment, know what goes on in the changing rooms! He needs to feel part of something.”
“Are you trying to convince him?”
“Me? Nah, he’ll convince himself. You’ll see,” he says, ruffling his hair. “Come on, Evan, I’ll take you home.”
“I’ll take him,” I say suddenly. “Just give me twenty minutes.”
