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Dylan was up early the next morning. He went for a run and forced himself to think about the game, not Taylor. He had turned his phone off. He couldn’t stand any more Facebook posts, Snapchat or Instagram pictures of Taylor. She’d posted one yesterday of her in a skin-tight red leather dress:Ready for Sat night!!!!!

She looked stunning. Dylan wanted to reach into the photo and touch her.Within minutes there were loads of comments on how incredible she looked, a lot of them from guys. Dylan’s head was wrecked.

He turned up the music on his iPod to full volume and pounded his feet on the pavement. Soon he was dripping sweat and his chest was bursting with the speed he was going at. Faster and faster he ran. He had to get her out of his mind.

When he got home he found Kelly curledup on the couch, smiling at her phone. ‘Wow, Kelly, I’d forgotten what your smile looked like,’ he said. ‘It’s good to see. Is it a guy?’

‘Maybe.’ Kelly grinned.

‘From St Jude’s?’

Kelly rolled her eyes. ‘As if.’

‘Anyone I know?’

‘Sean,’ Kelly said, ‘but don’t tell Mum.’

‘Aren’t you supposed to have broken up with him?’

‘Technically, yes.’

Dylan shrugged. ‘I won’t say a word. He seems okay.Brother’s a tosser, though. I hope he treats you well. If he doesn’t, dump him or tell me and I’ll sort him out.’

‘I don’t need you to protect me. Go and shower, you stink.’

Dylan was glad Kelly looked happier. It had been a long time since he’d seen her smile like that.

He thought about Taylor in the shower, while having breakfast and all the way to the game. It was only when he was on thepitch that he stopped. It was tough. The guys from Daleside were very physical and tried to intimidate the St Jude’s team. Some of his teammates were a bit distracted by the hacking, elbowing in the face, tackling off the ball, and one guy even got his balls squeezed.

‘Referee!’ Jordan roared. ‘He grabbed his nuts! Come on, this is ridiculous. Whadda you want, for him to rip them off?’

At half-timethey were two–nil down. Jordan called them over.

‘Right, lads, you need to toughen the hell up. These guys are walking all over you. Stand tall, give as good as you get, but don’t give away penalties. Watch Dylan. He knows how to handle himself. He pushes back, ducks and dives to avoid the elbows and gets in their face so they know they can’t intimidate him. You need to do the same. Grow someballs, lads. Get out there and give it back. Get up in their faces. Show them who’s boss.’

St Jude’s played out of their skin in the second half. Dylan scored a hat-trick and won the match with a volley to the top right corner. The goalie hadn’t a hope of saving it.

Jordan was thrilled with them, and all the parents came over to congratulate the team. Dylan was the star, though. He’d reallyshown his talent.

‘I’m so proud of you,’ Lucy whispered in his ear. Her eyes were filled with tears. Dylan hugged her. He wished Billy had been there to see it, but getting Billy out of the shop on a Saturday was a tall order.

Dylan basked in the praise of his peers, parents and the headmaster.

‘Dylan, you are a credit to this school,’ Mr Gough said, in front of everyone.

‘Thank you, sir,’Dylan said, as Lucy beamed beside him.

He was glad to see his mum so happy and he felt good. He’d proven his place on the team today. As he walked towards Lucy’s car, he saw Taylor and stopped.

She was talking to Josh. She threw her head back and laughed at something he’d said. She had her hand on his arm. He reached out and pulled her scarf so she moved closer to him. His tongue was practicallyhanging out. Dylan’s blood boiled and he felt sick. He wanted to go over and punch Josh in the face. How dare he flirt with her like that? The prick.

‘Dylan?’ Lucy called him.

He peeled his eyes away from Taylor. ‘What?’

‘The car’s over here.’