"Bella!" Someone said as I walked to school the next day. I turned around to see Jack running up to her.
"Oh hey. What's up?"
"I'm starting a new team and I need you to spread the word."
"A new team? Are you joking?" I said with a smile.
"No, why?"
"Well, y'know. You need players." I said skeptically.
"I know, but I was thinking we could get kids from both Westfield and Kingsmount, to even it out a bit more." She replied
"Haven't you seen on the socials?" I said, pulling out my phone for Jack to see the posts. "Kingsmount pupils are blaming yesterday's defeat on the Westfield pupils, and vice versa."
"What? But I need them for my team!"
At that moment, we had reached the gates leading into school, and Jethro was guarding it, his face set. "This is the Westfield gate; you lot go round the back."
"What's it to you?" I said. "You were only there for a term."
"Long enough to realise it's better than this dump." He retorted.
I shook my head. "Just let me through the gate, Jethro."
"Try smashing it up Bella; that's more your style isn't it?" He replied with a wry grin.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I said, flinching. But really, I knew exactly what he was referencing.
"Nothing." He said, still smiling viciously.
"Glad you find it so funny now, Jethro." I said, then leaned in so only he could hear me. "Only back then you cared enough to get me expelled."
His smile disappeared, and he moved to the side to let her in.
"What did you say to him?" Jack said after they were out of Jethro's earshot.
"Nothing. It doesn't matter. Hey what's going on?" I said, trying to change the subject.
There seemed to be clear divide between the Westfield and Kingsmount pupils.
"It's because of the game yesterday." Indira said as we walked over to the group. "If you'd won, everything would have been sunshine and lollipops."
"But what about my team?" Jack exclaims.
"And we're caught in the middle too." Nancy explained.
"Look. I don't know how this is gonna stop, but it needs to if I'm going to start a team. Let everyone know I'm holding a meeting in the changing rooms at break for anyone interested." Jack said, and we nodded in comprehension.
___________________________
"Guys!" Jack shouted over the noise in the changing room. "Guys!" She yelled slightly louder, and the noise simmered down to a low murmur. "Thanks everyone for coming."
I looked around at who had turned up to the meeting: Jamie, Dillon, Jethro, Zoe and loads of others.
"Here's a list of things we need to start a team." Jack continued, holding up a list that read:
- Players
- Pitch
- Coach
- Opponents
- Pitch
"So...basically just, everything?" Jethro said, rolling his eyes.
"What are you doing for a kit?" I asked.
"Miss Savage said we could use these." Jack said, holding up the Kingsmount football kit.
"There's no way I'm playing in that after last time." Jethro stated, and Jack looked fed up.
"Well, what do you suggest?" She said.
"Use it to clean the floors." Zoe laughed, and a few other Westfield pupils laughed as well.
"You'll be lucky if you can ever touch that kit, Zoe. Y'know, the one we won the cup in?" I said. I didn't mean to sound so aggressive, but
Zoe didn't seem to care.
"Hang on, we were a good team before we had to join with you lot." She retorted.
"Yeah I suppose you were...when you weren't cheating." I responded with a fake smile.
Then we realized the room was completely silent.