We started training that day, after clearing the training pitch and each of us receiving a football courtesy of our sponsors, Tenjin. I partnered with Zoe for some passing drills. Dillon was being unusually nice to Jamie: offering to partner up with him for some drills, and he just kept smiling. Constantly.
Don't get me wrong, I would prefer this Dillon over the old Dillon any day, but I couldn't help wondering what sparked this sudden change in attitude.
Molly seemed to have some good coaching methods, but I could tell Jamie was still angry about her being a replacement for Mike. And I don't think Molly was too keen on Jamie's attitude either after the outburst about her being Phoenix's new coach.
We played a five-a-side match, and I could tell Jamie was struggling to get into it; maybe it was because of the Captain's armband which must have been weighing heavy on his arm.
I played well, but obviously not well enough to get a bit of praise from Molly like some of the others; she seemed to be really impressed with Dillon. Maybe his new attitude was winning everyone over.
At the end of the game, I was packing up my stuff when two boys wandered over to me, a plastic bag full of crisp packets at one boy's side.
"Want to refuel before your next game?" he asked, opening the bag to reveal the crisps, and I didn't have the heart to tell him I wasn't gonna buy a packet of crisps from some random kids that I just met. "Only 50p per bag. Practically giving them away." he continued his very convincing sales pitch, and out of the corner of my eye I glimpsed Dillon having a conversation with Molly, and decided to put his new kindness to the test. "Um, no thanks, but I know that boy would like some." I lied, pointing to Dillon, to which the boy immediately began walking over to him, and I held back a laugh. The other boy muttered a quick sorry before following his friend.
After we'd packed up all the stuff, we made our way back to the Northport ground and to the cafe, where Duncan said he was making an announcement after training.
"What's this about then?" Jamie asked, sitting down with me and Zoe.
"No idea." I replied, scrolling absentmindedly through my social media feed. "Jamie, all I get these days on my phone are photos of you and Suarez."
"Let me see." Zoe said, and I handed her my phone. "Hey, we haven't seen any of these."
"He barely showed anyone. You'd think he was embarrassed that he got to meet Luis Suarez or something."
Jamie shook his head. "I'm not..."
But he trailed off when Duncan clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Can I have everyone's attention, please?!" He shouted, and the room quickly quietened. "Thank you. Now, how was your first session with Molly?"
Everyone nodded and a few people muttered a few positive responses. I still wasn't sure what I thought of her: she seemed nice, and pretty fair, but it'd only been one training session.
"Good. Well I hope her appointment shows just how serious we are about taking Phoenix forward in the future." he cleared his throat. "Now, how many of you have heard of the Gothia Cup?"
A few people raised their hands, but I had no idea what he was talking about.
"Well, this year, we're going to be taking out a team to compete." Duncan continued, a smile spreading across his face.
A wave of excited murmurs rippled around the room, and Jamie whispered over to me and Zoe. "The Gothia Cup? That's like playing in the Champion's League!"
"It's basically an international youth football tournament held in Gothenburg, Sweden every year." Duncan explained to those who still looked puzzled. "Thanks to our sponsors, we'll be able to send a team out there this year."
Another round of applause broke out as Duncan thanked everyone then went to have a word with Molly in the corner.
"I can't believe it." Jamie said, shaking his head.
"How much will it cost?" was the first thing that came to my mind; I was still trying to pay off the damage to Jethro's dad's car, and I knew as much as my mum would have liked to send me to Sweden, she wouldn't be able to afford it.
"Did you not hear? It's free." Jamie laughed.
"Yeah, but there's got to be some costs. Surely they're not paying for everything..." I trailed off as my eyes found Wozza, only just walking into the cafe. He looked like he had a lot on his mind.
"What time do you call this?" Jamie said, following my gaze and standing up to face Wozza. "Training's just finished!"
I noticed his tone had caught the attention of the others, including Molly and Mike.
"Guys. I have something to tell you." Wozza started, and he was visibly nervous, not knowing what to do with his hands. "My mum...she doesn't want me playing for two teams. Said I have to choose between Phoenix and the school team..."
"And you chose Kingsmount?!" Jamie practically yelled, startling the rest of us.
"It's just...it takes me two buses to get here. I hope you understand." Wozza said apologetically, remaining calm even after Jamie's outburst.
"I think we should respect Wozza's decision." Molly cut in, but Jamie scoffed.
"Respect? What does he know about respect?" He practically spat, throwing Wozza a dirty look and storming off.
"Jamie!" I called after him, but he was gone.
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It was later that evening when I got a text from Zoe. Apparently Molly was holding trials for the new Under-12s team they were setting up, but that wasn't the only thing.
She was holding trials for the Under-14s. And nobody's spot was safe.