Teams | A Jamie Johnson FanFiction

Part 50 - Persuade

The Phoenix game was the next day, and I spent all of that morning training with Jack. I don't really know why, but I could feel myself getting faster in every single drill we did.

Eventually though, there came a point where I decided to reserve my energy for the game, and started packing up my stuff.

"Where are you off to now?" She asked, taking a sip of her drink as I packed up.

"I dunno. Might just go get some food and then come back. What about you?"

"I'm gonna keep training."

"Seriously? We've been going all morning!" I said incredulously. Jack was seriously committed.

"I know, but these last few games could be my only chance of getting scouted. And without Jamie, we might lose."

"He's not playing then?" I asked. I knew he was suspended from Foxborough, so I'd just assumed that he'd be playing for Phoenix.

"No. But we don't need him. We're gonna win." She said confidently, and I wasn't going to argue.

______________________

After grabbing some chips from a shop down the road, I made my way onto the beach to eat them, conscious of the time and when the game was in the afternoon. When the time came when I had to go back to the pitches, I was dreading it. Jamie wasn't allowed to play, Jack had told me that there was a sponsor coming to watch, and it was our first proper game to qualify for the league.

I was thinking about Jamie, and how he was banned from Foxbrorough. Then I remembered he hadn't said anything about it to me since we found out. Was he even that bothered? It was true Jamie had been more distant whilst at Foxborough; was he even enjoying it?

I pushed all the thoughts of Jamie to the back of my mind as I made my way to the pitches an hour later. Some of the others had arrived and were already warming up.

After changing my shoes, I headed out to join them, and walked up to Jack as she eyed the growing crowd.

"Who d'you reckon the sponsor is then?" I asked, also taking in the crowd.

"No idea. But we need to put that out our heads if we want to win." she replied, her arms crossed.

Twenty minutes later, she sidled up to me. "We need Jamie."

"I thought we could win this ourselves?" I said, mocking her tone from earlier, and she rolled her eyes.

"I know that's what I said, but we need his presence on the wing. Ketch hasn't put a single good cross in yet." she said, but I was still sceptical.

"Jack, it's ten minutes until kick-off, and you're gonna go and try to persuade someone to play who's practically given up on football?"

"Yes." she said simply, before running off in the opposite direction.

"Jack! I wasn't being serious!" I yelled, but she didn't turn around.

For the rest of the time between then and kick off, we were practising with Ketch as our winger, seeing as Jamie wasn't playing, but Ketch wasn't an attacker. Hardly any of the crosses went in, and if they did, they were nowhere near good enough for anyone to score. We needed Jamie.

Five minutes before the start of the game, I saw Jack running into view, and I checked to see if there was anyone behind her; there wasn't.

"No luck?" I asked, to which she just shook her head.

__________________________

As the game went on, I was playing well but it seemed to do nothing to work towards the outcome. We were 2-0 down.

"We need Jamie!" Jack said to me and Zoe at half time as we grabbed a drink.

"Yes, you keep saying that Jack, but if you've already tried, then..." I started, but Zoe interrupted.

"How about you talk to him, Bella?"

"Me?"

"Yeah, you." she said bluntly. "Maybe he'll listen to someone who doesn't make it all about them." she said, glaring at Jack.

Part of me knew she was only saying that to antagonise Jack, but part of me wanted it to be true.

I studied the crowd for Jamie and spotted him stood next to his mum on the sidelines. Wandering over, I thought of what I was going to say, but nothing came to mind. When I eventually got there I just kind of stared at him until he spoke up first.

"Hi?"

"Oh, hey. Um why d'you not want to play?"

"I've had enough of football."

"I will literally never believe that." I said skeptically.

"Well believe it." He replied bluntly, staring straight ahead instead of at me.

"Ok, so why are you here?"

"Jack guilt tripped me."

"I don't believe that either."

"Well believe it." He repeated.

There was silence for a second, and I was painfully aware of the dying minutes of half time.

He turned around to face me at last. "I'll play on one condition."

"What? Tell me." I pressed.

"You make sure I never have to go back to Foxborough."