Teams | A Jamie Johnson FanFiction

Part 29 - Persuading

"Pleaseeeeee!!!" I begged Hansard in the middle of the corridor. "I'll do anything!"

He sighed. "Look. With the merging of the schools, there was a lot of competition." he said in a melancholy tone, pinning up the names of the people who had made the team.

"I know, but you've put Jethro on the starting line up!"

Hansard turned around slowly. "And?"

"He...!" I stopped realising Hansard didn't know about Jethro trying to throw the final the year before.

"Look. He did something that I can't tell you because then Dillon will probably beat me up after school because in involves him too, but if you knew what it was you would definitely not let him play." I said hopefully, but in my mind I was doubtful.

"If you think that's an acceptable excuse to kick a talented player off the team, Isabella, you're deluded." Hansard said with a chuckle to himself.

"Did you just call a student deluded?" I was getting desperate now. "That's an offence punishable by sacking."

He looked at me sceptically.

"Probably." I added quickly, but Hansard just shook his head and began walking back down the corridor to his office, me close behind.

"If you want to keep your job, all you have to do is let me back on the team!" I said sceptically.

"Look, you're a reserve. the only way you'll get on the team is if someone can't make it, and as far as I know, everyone will be there tonight..." he said, but turned around to no one: I was already late.

________________________________

I ran into English, trying not to draw too much attention to myself, but my plan failed when everyone's heads turned in my direction.

"Sorry i'm late Miss." I said, sitting down in my seat next to Jamie. Damn it! I thought. Jamie! I'd forgotten I still didn't know where I stood with him.

I spent most of the lesson staring off into the distance, trying to block out the boy sat next to me, but nothing worked.

Eventually, when our teacher said to turn to our partners to discuss part of a poem, I awkwardly turned to face Jamie.

"Hi." he said with a slight smile.

"Hey." I said awkwardly.

"I haven't seen you for ages." he said with a tiny laugh.

"Yeah...not that I've been avoiding you or anything." I said with a laugh which came out more awkwardly than anything I had ever said before, and I quickly put my head down, pretending to stare at my blank exercise book.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." I answered a little too quickly, and tried to correct myself. "I mean, I'm not crying-myself to-sleep-every-night devastated over us breaking up if that's what you mean." I said, before realising it sounded so insensitive. "I mean, I guess I'm focusing on my football more now."

"Yeah...yeah, me too. I have a trial at Foxborough tonight."

"Are you serious!? That's amazing, but aren't you forgetting something?" I said.

"Don't worry, I'll make it back to the match on time." he said, in a way that suggested he'd said it about a thousand times.

"I hope you do," I said sceptically, "we've got to defend our trophy."

He paused. "Bella, are you okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"You're not on the team sheet."

"Pftt, it's fine - Hansard will change his mind." I said with a forced smile; I knew I wasn't going to be playing tonight, unless...someone didn't get there in time.