Teams | A Jamie Johnson FanFiction

Part 22 - The Last Training Session

A/N: sorry I haven't published anything in a while I have been really busy. Anyway thanks for reading and please vote if you like it! 😂

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BELLA'S POV

"Are you okay Jamie?" I asked as he stood, looking completely shocked at the end result as if he had never truly believed we could win.

"Yeah." he replied with a smile, and I returned it. Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed Dillon talking to the one person I hoped I'd never have to see again: Jethro. Without thinking, I bounded over, the grass crunching beneath my feet.

"What are you doing here, again?" I asked.

"Minding my own business, which is more than I can say for you." He said and I flinched, taken aback by his sharp response.

"See you later." Dillon said, giving Jethro a dirty look before jogging off to the side of the pitch. Whatever they'd been talking about it wasn't good.

"What was all that about?" I asked.

"Nothing. Just business with Dillon." He replied.

"What sort of business?"

He smirked. "Stuff about the final. Congrats by the way, you're up against us." And he walked off, smiling to himself.

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The day before the final, we had one last day of training. Hansard said he had a surprise for us, but it turned out it was just a load of tacky tracksuits. I couldn't concentrate the whole way through the session, thoughts of what Jethro and Dillon were talking about before swimming through my mind.

But those thoughts were being pushed to the back of my head by the increasing realization that the next day, I would be playing in a football final; every time I started thinking about this, I got annoyingly stubborn butterflies that wouldn't leave, even when around Jamie, whom normally I could act completely natural around.

"Excited?" He asked as we walked home together after training; I was careful to go the long way home, in hope that nobody would spot us.

"Er...NO!" I practically yelled at Jamie; how could he ask such a stupid question. "I am not excited! I am terrified!"

Jamie couldn't help laughing.

"It's not funny Jamie!" I said, playfully hitting him. "I hadn't played football before a few weeks ago!" My voice wavered at this, "And now I'm supposed to play in a final? At St. George's Park?" I said, emphasizing every single word.

"Calm down, you'll be fine." He said still smiling and taking my hand subtly. I had a sudden sense of Déjà Vu, but the face in front of me wasn't the same.

I smiled back at Jamie, but inside I was still freaking out.

We carried on walking - we didn't notice the boy lurking in the shadows.

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When we arrived at St. George's Park, Thornlake, Jethro's school, had already pulled up in their fancy coach and matching tracksuits, and were filing out onto the pavement. The look of the players in their school uniforms brought forwards some memories I'd have preferred to forget.

Jamie must have caught me looking in Jethros's direction subconsciously, and tapped me on the shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah." I replied, trying not to sound too distracted, but inside, I was once again freaking out.

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(about) a year ago

Bella walked up to the pitch with a smile and leaned against the metal netting, watching the focused players on the pitch. She longed she could go inside and see him, the boy who was always in her head, who she'd found out liked her as much as she did him. She longed to play, but girls weren't allowed on a team as prestigious as this.

"Bella!" He ran up to her, a smile on his face.

"Shouldn't you be training?" Bella replied, their faces inches away through the metal netting.

"I've just come over here to let them catch up with my skills; they're not quite on my level." He said with a smirk.

"And here I was thinking you just came over to see me." Bella replied.

"That too of course."

When training finished, they walked home together under the setting sun.

"It's so unfair we can't play on the same team." He said.

"I know, but what's the point in even having a team if you're out of the cup?"

"Next season, Bella. Next season we'll make it to the final, and then we'll win."

"If it was a competition on who was the most confident you would certainly win." Bella replied with a smirk.

"I mean it Bella. And I won't let anyone stand in my way." He said, and took her hand, but it was cold.

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Back to Present

In the changing room, already changed into my kit, nerves were starting to get the better of me; I was flinching at every little sound or movement, butterflies still present.

"Okay everyone." Hansard said. "Gather round."

We obeyed, gathering around a table in the middle of the room with a tactics board placed in the middle, notes scribbled all over it.

"Now. Forget everything else. Focus on the game. Get your heads straight, and we can win this." Hansard said, and I noticed Dillon looking down at the floor.

My phone suddenly buzzed and I looked at it, earning a disproving look from Hansard. I muttered a quick "sorry" and read the message. It was from Dillon. But how had he just sent that? He was only a few feet away from me! Then I realised, he wasn't looking at the floor, he was looking at his phone. He sneaked a look at me and then turned back to Hansard, still giving a pep talk.

The message read: 'Need your help. Meet me outside." As soon as I read it, Dillon's hand shot up. "Can I go to the toilet, Sir?" He said quickly.

"Fine. But quickly, Simmons." Hansard said.

My hand shot up too. "Can I go outside?" I said without thinking.

"Why?" Hansard said, looking confused.

"Umm, I need to go...sort out my nails." I said, thinking of what Indira would say; she was the best at excuses.

Hansard looked at me, perplexed; he had obviously never had this excuse before.

"Ok, but quickly." He said again.

I darted outside to where Dillon was waiting.

"What do you want?" I asked.

He paused. "I need you to help me throw the game."