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She’s a hard-ass for sure, but she’s a hard-ass to everyone .

She’s wearing a stylish, slightly oversized mint-green tracksuit today, with her Afro loosely tied up in a matching headscarf.

She has a whistle dangling around her neck, and she’s carrying a cardboard box filled with red and blue bandanas.

She drops the box on to the end of our table and wipes the sweat that’s beading on her forehead.

‘All right, you lot,’ she says, clapping her hands together, ‘I want volunteers for team captains.’

Tiffany’s hand shoots in the air before she can even finish the sentence.

‘Why am I not surprised?’ Madzikanda says as Ethan gets an elbow to the ribs and his hand shoots up too.

She takes out a couple of red bandanas and tosses them over.

‘And Sycamore?’ she asks, turning to our side of the room.

Bec puts her hand up, and so does Cameron, pitting the Clark twins against each other.

Classic sibling rivalry.

Exactly what we expected.

Madzikanda hands them both a blue bandana.

‘Heads or tails?’ She is looking straight at Bec as she takes out a large silver coin that looks more like pirate treasure than actual money.

‘Heads?’ she suggests, turning to her co-captain for approval.

Cameron nods. ‘You know, a toss is statistically more likely to come up heads? Something about the way the coins are weighted.’

‘So you’re telling me this isn’t a fair process?’

Madzikanda pretends to be shocked.

She flips the coin and catches it.

‘Tails,’ she says. ‘Hard luck.’ She turns to Ethan and Tiffany.

‘Top or bottom?’

‘That’s a bit personal, miss!’

Josh jokes, demonstrating his class-clown credentials.

Madzikanda sighs. ‘You know, when I tell my friends how many queer students we have here at Oakbrook, they always say, Oh, how refreshing! They must be so well behaved! ’ She looks around the hall, giving ample side-eye.

‘If only that were true.’

‘Ah, don’t be like that, miss.

You love us really,’ Josh says, and she shoots him a knowing look, a glimmer of a smirk on her face.

‘OK, well, allow me to rephrase,’ she says.

‘Which base do you want?’

‘We’ll take the hill,’ says Tiffany.

Our half of the room lets out a collective groan because everyone knows that between the hill and the woods the hill is always the better option.

Better for attack because you get a 360-degree view of the playing field, and easier to defend because the enemy has to run up the slope to steal your flag.

We’re already on the back foot and we haven’t even started.

‘Great!’ Miss Madzikanda says.

‘As for the rest of you –’ she addresses those of us without bandanas – ‘come on up and grab your team colours. Whistle is in thirty!’

Cameron bounces ahead of us, waving our blue flag proudly as he leads Sycamore through the woodland.

He’s enjoying this just a little bit too much, but he’s so cute his enthusiasm is infectious.

I never thought I’d say it, but Chase was right: we are making core memories today.

There’s just something in the air.

I’m glad I didn’t skip this.

‘Nice of you to join us,’ Bec says as Kellen comes running to catch up with us.

I was honestly starting to think he wouldn’t show.

‘Did you forget which team you were on?’

‘Course not,’ he says, holding up his blue bandana.

‘I’ll always be Sycamore.

I just got caught up chatting and didn’t realize you were leaving.’

Bec smiles at that.

‘Here,’ she says, stopping to tie it for him.

‘Blue suits you better than red. You know that, right?’

‘Shame about the nails then.’ He lifts his hand to show his ruby tips.

‘You did not paint your nails in Hawthorn colours!’

‘Of course not,’ Kellen says, laughing.

‘They’re to match my masquerade outfit.

I did them last night.’

‘Well, they look great,’ she says, admiring them a little closer.

‘Can’t wait to see what you’re wearing.

If it’s anything like that look you pulled at Christmas …’

Everyone else had dressed up like elves and reindeer while Kellen went for this ‘ ice prince ’ look.

His cheekbones cut with silver highlight, his sparkling corset studded with fake diamonds.

He’d glued them himself, and, although they were made of plastic, you’d have honestly never known.

With ￡20 and a glue gun, he’d looked like the most expensive person in the room.

‘For what it’s worth,’ Chase says, ‘I know you’re all buddy-buddy with Hawthorn now, but I’m really glad you’re here.

As long as you swear you’re not on secret espionage?’

Kellen grins. ‘Always did fancy myself a bit of a spy. Imagine me as a Bond girl. Shirley Bassey wailing as I do high kicks. Fur coat. Red lipstick. I’d be stealing secrets and stealing glances, with Chase on speed dial for when I need to hack the mainframe.’

‘What mainframe?’ Chase laughs.

‘I don’t know. It’s what they say in the movies.’

‘He’s right,’ I say.

‘That is what they say in the movies. I’m glad you took something away from that Bond marathon.’

‘Oh my God, don’t remind me.’

Chase groans. He stops in his tracks for a moment as if remembering the worst of all horrors.

‘You made us stay up all night!’

‘I didn’t make you do anything!’

I protest.

‘You gave us espresso at two a.m., Zach.’

‘Yeah, I didn’t drink that,’ Kellen says with a laugh.

‘That’s why I fell asleep.

I tipped it out the window when you weren’t looking.’

‘You tipped hot coffee out the window?’ I gasp.

‘What if you’d hit someone?’

‘Because there were just so many people taking a stroll at two a.m ….’

‘And where was my invite?’ Bec pretends to be insulted.

‘Maybe I wanted to stay up all night watching poorly written movies.’

‘It was a boys’ thing.’

Chase shrugs.

‘Oh, hello, misogyny,’ she replies sourly.

‘Because girls can’t enjoy action movies?’

‘You just said they were poorly written!’ I say.

Chase is laughing now.

‘I promise you didn’t miss anything.’

‘I did like the bit where they pointed the big laser gun at his genitals,’ Kellen confesses.

‘I like my men tied up and defenceless.’

‘So that’s what Rhys is into,’ Chase teases.

‘I thought you said you fell asleep?’

‘I made sure to wake up for that bit.’

We all laugh at that, and, just for a moment, it feels like old times.

It’s bitter-sweet, though.

I hate that it took a sporting event – of all things!

– to get Kellen to hang out with us again.

I’m still glad he’s here, though.

I would’ve been sad to leave without spending a bit more time with him.

It seems silly to just be realizing that now.

I guess it’s only when you’re at the end of something that you truly realize you’re gonna miss it.

The match goes way better than I expected.

They may have the superior base, but we counter that with a heavy defence, only sending Cameron, Chase and Josh after the enemy flag, while the rest of us stay back.

I don’t see much of Cameron, but Bec does a great job of leading, constantly yelling out encouragement and telling us how great we’re doing.

Even when Hawthorn get two flags away from us, she still maintains the positivity.

I’m not sure me and Kellen are contributing much, to be honest, but I suppose just adding to the mass of bodies does something .

I even manage to tag one of the Hawthorn girls out at one point.

In fairness, she tripped over her own feet, so it wasn’t exactly like I caught her, but at least I was there to offer a ‘helping hand’ as she lay face down in the dirt.

Cameron leads our attack, successfully distracting the enemy team while Chase and Josh manage to score a flag each.

They say queer people aren’t good at sport, and Kellen and I may live up to that stereotype, but the three of them are proof to the contrary.

I can tell they’re getting tired, though, but luckily, after being tied two–all for what seems like forever, Madzikanda mercifully blows her whistle to signal a short break.

‘I have an idea,’ Cameron says as we regroup by our flag.

His hair is messed up and he’s got dirt scraped up one side of his face, but he somehow looks hotter than ever.

‘We’ve played such good defence, so what if we mix it up a bit?

Put everyone on attack?

Hit them hard right off the bat?

They’ll never see it coming.’

‘It’s risky,’ Bec says after a moment’s thought.

‘But I like it!’

‘We just need someone to stay back,’ Cameron says, glancing around all of us.

‘We need the right person.’ His gaze suddenly lands on me.

‘How about it, Zach?’

‘Me?’ I say, completely flummoxed.

‘Why me?’

‘Why not?’ He grips me by the shoulder, and I feel myself beginning to melt.

‘You’re as capable as anyone else here.

I certainly believe in you.’

‘You do?’ I say, forgetting for a moment that he absolutely should not believe in me.

‘Course,’ he says with a smile that fully turns me into a puddle.

‘O-OK,’ I stammer. All thoughts have left my brain now.

I’ll do whatever he says.

‘Are you sure about this, Zach?’ Bec drags me back to reality.

She doesn’t look at all convinced.

I’d be offended by her lack of faith in me if it wasn’t absolutely justified.

‘Yeah, Zach isn’t exactly …

excellent .’ Chase tries to put it gently.

‘He’s terrible,’ Bec says, less gently.

‘I’m sure he’s not that bad.’

Cameron defends my honour.

My hero!

‘No, he really is,’ Bec says.

‘OK, fine, maybe he’s terrible!’

Cameron laughs. Not exactly the words I was hoping would come out of my crush’s mouth today.

‘But it doesn’t matter.

Zach, we just need you to stand here.

Pin yourself to that flagpole and don’t move.

If they know you’re terrible, it might even work in our favour.

They’ll think it’s a trap.

There’s no way they’d believe we’d leave our flag with only our worst player standing guard.’

‘I don’t think anyone’s saying I’m the worst player –’

‘I am definitely saying that,’ Bec says.

‘What about Kellen?’ I say defensively.

‘What about me?’ Kellen raises an eyebrow.

‘I’m not as bad as you , Zach.’

‘You’re so much worse than me!’

Bec laughs. ‘OK, so why don’t you both stay back?

Work as a team? And then the rest of us can go on offence.’

‘That works for me,’ Cameron says.

‘As long as you guys are happy?’

He looks directly at me as he says it.

If I can pull this off, successfully defend our flag, maybe he’ll see me differently.

Maybe that’s all I need to do to finally get him to notice me.

‘We’ll do it,’ I say.

‘Right, Kellen?’

‘Fine.’ Kellen shrugs.

‘But I’m not taking any responsibility if this goes wrong …’

‘It won’t,’ Cameron says confidently just as Madzikanda’s whistle shrieks in the distance, signalling the start of the final round.

‘We’ve got this!’ Bec says.

‘Everyone with me. Good luck, boys!’

And, before I can even really process what we’ve agreed to, they all disappear into the surrounding woodland, leaving me and Kellen alone.

‘So you still have a thing for Cameron then?’ Kellen says as the sound of footsteps and breaking branches grows quieter and quieter.

‘Huh?’ I say, feeling myself instantly turning red.

‘What makes you say that?’

‘Because you practically fainted when he spoke to you,’ Kellen says with a laugh.

‘It was quite entertaining to watch. All this time and you’ve still never made a move?’

‘I’m working up to it,’ I mutter.

I don’t want to have this conversation again today.

‘Doesn’t look like it.’

‘Why are you interested all of a sudden?’

‘I’m just saying …

You’ll never know if you don’t go for it.

What could be more romantic than a prom-night dalliance?’

‘And what could be more embarrassing than a prom-night crash and burn?’ I reply.

‘What if he rejects me? Then what?’

‘Then nothing! If he rejects you, he rejects you. I don’t understand why everyone has this debilitating fear of rejection!

Worse things have happened, Zach.’

‘I just feel like there’s been so much building to this these past two years.’

Admittedly I think I’ve enjoyed the fantasy as much as anything.

‘I’m not sure I could take it if suddenly that was over.

If it all came to nothing.’

‘That’s why you should have made a move two years ago!’

‘Rome wasn’t built in a day!’

‘You’re not establishing an ancient civilization, Zach.

You’re telling a guy that you like him.

That can, in fact, be done in less than a day.’

‘Well, I’ve been trying!’

‘You have not been trying.’ Kellen laughs.

‘You’ve been being all Zach about it.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘I think you know what that’s supposed to mean.’

He raises an eyebrow.

‘Yeah, well …’ I’m at a loss for words now.

‘You’re being very Kellen about this too.’

‘Good, I love being Kellen.’ He sounds awfully pleased with himself.

‘You don’t need to make this so complicated, Zach.

Just make the move. Shoot your shot!

Better to leave having given it a go than be left wondering what could have been.’

‘Easier said than done,’ I say, shuffling my feet.

‘I’m not good at this.’

‘You think I am?’ Kellen says.

‘I still put on my big-boy pants and talked to Rhys. At least you don’t need to go down into the trenches of Hawthorn!

Cameron’s on our side!’

‘I know,’ I say.

‘I just need a bit more time.’

‘Well, we’re fresh out of that, I’m afraid.

It’s now or never, Zach.’

‘Maybe I could just –’

The sound of snapping branches interrupts me.

‘What was that?’ Kellen springs up, on the alert.

‘Stay here,’ I say, stepping away from the flag, heading in the direction of the noise.

‘Maybe it’s just a deer …’

‘There aren’t any deer at Oakbrook.’

‘A bear then? I don’t know.’

‘A bear ?’ I say, turning back round to face him.

‘What do you mean “a bear”?’

‘There are bears in the countryside.’

‘Not in the UK there aren’t.

Where do you think we are?

Svalbard?’

‘Well, how do we know if we’ve never seen one?’

‘We know because we’ve never seen one!’

‘Seems like pretty flawed logic,’ Kellen says.

‘It’s a false alarm anyway.

Look.’

I turn back round and see that he’s right.

There’s someone in a blue bandana running through the woodland towards us.

At least it’s one of ours.

‘They’re coming!’ they yell, and I realize it’s Cameron.

His ears must have been burning.

‘They’re coming!’ he pants, looking back over his shoulder.

‘Their whole team.’

‘What?’ I say.

‘Their whole team?!’

‘Their whole team,’ he repeats, bouncing on his heels, ready to defend.

We’re clearly done for.

With just me and Kellen at his side, Cameron may as well be by himself.

We peer into the woodland, but I can’t see anyone.

I can’t hear anyone either.

There’s nothing but the sound of my own heartbeat thundering in my ears.

‘Are you sure?’ I say, turning to look back at Cameron.

And that’s when I see it.

Or, rather, don’t see it.

His birthmark.

‘That’s Ethan!’

I yell, but it’s too late.

‘Yoink!’ he says, snatching the flag.

‘Stop him!’ I scramble forward, but we’re far too slow.

He sprints into the woodland, getting rid of the evidence by tossing his stolen blue bandana as he goes.

We try to follow, but he’s so quick and agile that we can barely keep up.

He pulls his red bandana out of his shorts and reties it as he reaches the treeline, sprinting out into the open.

‘Get him!’ I yell to any of our teammates within earshot.

Some of them immediately go after him, but he ducks and dives and manages to evade them.

I see Chase running with the red flag in the opposite direction, but a Hawthorn lad steamrollers him, taking the flag back like it’s nothing.

‘Someone stop him!’ I yell again, but it’s hopeless.

Out of breath, Ethan passes the flag to Tiffany, and she effortlessly runs up the hill, scoring their final point.

‘Fuck this,’ I say as their team erupts with celebration.

‘He can’t do that.’

‘Where in the rules does it say that he can’t?’

Kellen says, out of breath.

‘I don’t need to read the rules to know that’s cheating.