Game Theory × NH

034 | selenium

× Horan

"Six more games before the BUSA," Coach said inside the locker room once we had changed into our uniforms.

Over the past month, Coach had been taking the team into the boy's locker room for his pep talk before every game instead of talking over the crowd outside on the pitch. When the idea was first brought up, Lynn had protested saying how the room probably smelled bad because naturally the boy's locker room was supposed to, I guess. But she obviously had never been inside a boy's locker room because it actually didn't smell as bad as you would think, except for the overpowering cologne.

The BUSA was short for British Universities Sports Association. Since Lynn wasn't from here, she didn't really know what that meant, so Dylan had to bring her up to speed.

It was a football league system set up for universities in the United Kingdom. The BUSA is divided into North and South, each involving six teams. Teams in each section of the Premier division play each other twice, so each team plays a total of ten games.

I could tell that Lynn was still trying to wrap her head around all the new information about the differences between the two countries, but she had the gist of it and that was all that really mattered for the time being. Jace just told her not to worry about it and to just win the games. She seemed to understand that.

"We've lost a few games this season, but it had been less than the other years," Coach said from in front of the team. "I know for a fact that we are in the top five teams to go into the BUSA as of right now, but just barely. So we have to put everything we have trained for into the last six games to keep us where we are."

I took a quick glance over to my right and saw Lynn leaning against one of the lockers, staring off at something on the floor blankly. She was wearing her black shin guards and socks and maroon colored shorts. The weather outside was on the chilly side, so for the time being she was wearing Jace's jacket that was the same color as her shorts with his last name printed in golden letters on the back and the school logo on the sleeve.

No one had to say it to know, but Lynn was the reason why we were even in the top five for the BUSA. We were always good; it was just the other teams were a little bit better. Lynn broke that line and now we were the ones pushing the teams behind us.

"Did you hear me!?" Coach yelled. The team shouted in agreement. "Good! Then get out there and kick some Rover ass!"

There were more shouts from the players and then everyone piled out of the locker room and into the arena. Coach spewed orders at the players to either start running around the field or stretching. I stayed with Coach to go through the game plan as everyone got to their orders.

As important as it was, my head just wasn't in it. There was too much on my mind.

Ever since I told Jace what I did to Lynn, he had been giving me the cold shoulder. Whenever he talked to me, I had to say it over in my head twice because what he said probably had a double meaning.

Lynn hasn't been talking to me, either, but it wasn't like I was trying very hard to hear her voice again. It hadn't effect the way we played so for the time being, I was going to have to be okay with it.

And then there was the rival team, of course. They were standing on the sidelines in there baby blue and white jerseys, watching as some of my teammates ran around the pitch and stretched at the sidelines.

The Doncaster Rovers were not a friend of mine or to my team. They were the team that beat us, putting us into sixth place last year, kicking us off the list to the BUSA. But there was one tosser who I despised the most on the team.