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Shane came to my house loads after that.

After school, at the weekend after football.

But now it was my turn. I still hadn’t met his family.

But today was the day. What would I say to his dad?

Would it be awkward? I’d bought some of the expensive cupcakes from town and I asked Megan a million times if my outfit looked OK.

I was wearing jeans and a Nike jumper, keeping it sporty, but not one Man United logo in sight. Niall dropped me off outside.

I knocked on the door with my brown box of cupcakes, and waited, butterflies about seeing Shane, nerves about meeting his family.

Shane’s mum answered the door.

‘Hi, come on in. You must be Lexie.’ She smiled and waved me in, and I heard Niall drive off.

‘It’s so nice to meet you,’ I said. ‘Oh, these are for you.’ I handed her the cupcakes.

‘How lovely. Thank you, Lexie. I’m so sorry – I’ve just had a call from work, someone has phoned in sick and I have to go, but I just wanted to say that you’re very welcome here, any time.

Anyone who makes our Shane this happy is always welcome.

’ And this must have been how Shane felt when Niall asked him to play Mario Kart .

Welcome. She smiled a tired smile and squeezed my shoulder before leaving.

Shane’s house was tidy, and it had pictures everywhere. I glanced at them as I walked past. There were ones of Shane playing football and others that I assume were of his dad.

‘In here, Lexie!’ Shane called.

It was a small house, so I followed the voice easily into a little living room, which had been made even smaller by the bed in the corner. Shane was sitting on the sofa, football on the television, and there was his dad, watching from a wheelchair in the corner.

Before I even said hello to Shane, his dad looked up and broke into a grin.

‘So, you’re Lexie,’ he said, half raising a hand in a sort of wave. His voice was slurred, but there was so much warmth in it.

‘I am! And you must be Mr O’Connoll.’ I walked over and shook his hand. ‘It’s so nice to meet you. Shane has told me so much.’

‘Good things, I hope,’ he said.

‘Oh my God, the best things.’ I sat down beside Shane. ‘So tell me about the football. From the very beginning. I want to know every detail. I bet Shane left some stuff out.’

‘Shane, why don’t you make Lexie some tea?’ his dad said.

‘Yeah, Shane, tea,’ I said.

Shane smiled at me as he got up.

I spent the next hour listening to Shane’s dad tell me the most amazing stories about how he was scouted, all the players he met, how intense it was, and then he told me about the accident.

I held back tears when he told me about the surgeries and how his sister couldn’t visit him for weeks because she was so upset.

And I got it. If something like that happened to Niall, I don’t think I’d be able to deal with it.

‘Spinal injury,’ he said.

Shane played with his hair beside me, and I moved closer to him so our legs were touching.

‘I’m sorry that happened,’ I said.

‘It’s just life,’ Shane’s dad replied.

‘I guess it is.’

Then Shane cut in. ‘You know, Dad, Lexie’s going to join Ferndale United.’

‘I thought you were at Westing?’ his dad asked me, confused.

I nodded. ‘Well … I hardly ever got to start.’ I sighed. ‘But Shane took me to Ferndale, and it was so much fun.’

‘Well, I suppose it depends on what you want from it. Our Shane wants it all, don’t you, lad?’

Shane was quiet.

I stared at the TV. Some old World Cup match.

‘I don’t,’ Shane said quietly.

I pressed my leg against his. A leg of support.

‘What do you mean?’

‘I don’t want Westing. I don’t want to be scouted. I want football to be fun again.’

His dad was quiet. Then: ‘I thought you loved it? I thought it was what you wanted? For your future.’

Shane shook his head, and I slid my hand into his. He squeezed it. ‘I want to play for fun. And I think I want to be a coach.’

I was so proud of him for being so brave. And after seeing him coach those kids, it made total sense. He was a natural.

‘But I thought you loved it,’ his dad repeated.

‘I’m sorry.’ Shane looked at his lap.

His dad shook his head. ‘Don’t be sorry. I should be sorry.’

I excused myself and went to the bathroom while Shane and his dad carried on talking in low voices. But when I heard them laughing, I knew it was safe to return.

‘Do you need anything before I go upstairs, Dad?’ Shane asked.

He stood up, and when his dad said no Shane squeezed his shoulder.

I followed him upstairs to his room. It was small, tidy and, like the rest of the house, smelled like fabric conditioner. I sat down on the bed.

‘How much do you actually do? For your dad?’ I asked. I didn’t know how he managed to fit it all in with school and football.

‘Ah, you know, most of it is second nature now. Helping him to the bathroom, cooking, sorting his medicine; that’s why I learned to cook something other than spaghetti bolognese,’ he laughed. ‘Going out is always a bit of an event, so there’s that. Cleaning, that sort of stuff.’

He laughed at my mouth hanging open.

‘But how? How do you fit it all in?’

He shrugged. ‘I just do. I mean, everything else suffers a bit, but I wouldn’t have it any other way, and my aunt, you know the one who came to the Glentoran match?’

I nodded and he continued.

‘Well, like I said to your parents, she’s going to start coming to help us more too.

She was talking to Mum about how I should have more time.

And it’s not like I asked for it or anything, I don’t mind doing all that stuff for Dad, but I guess some extra free time might be nice.

And I told them about the holiday. Honestly, I thought they’d say no right away, and that would have been fine, but they didn’t.

They really want to make it work for me. ’

He’d been dealing with so much, and he was right, it was complicated. I squeezed his hand. ‘You’re amazing.’

He laughed. ‘Ah, no I’m not. My A levels will be a joke.’

‘Fuck the A levels. You will make an incredible coach. And it was so brave telling your dad about Ferndale.’

‘Thanks, yeah, decided just to go for it while you were there. Felt easier. Turns out I should have done it ages ago,’ he said, sitting down beside me.

‘But if I didn’t join Westing, I never would have met you.

’ He tilted my chin and kissed me. And then it was back: electricity, fireworks, and a relief so strong that I could feel tears building behind my eyes.

‘So tell me more about coaching,’ I said. ‘It’s such a brilliant idea.’

‘Yeah, I was actually thinking, what if I could coach a team of kids that are all carers? I mean, I know there would be so much to organize and it’s complicated. It’s a stupid idea …’

My heart swelled. ‘Shane, it’s the opposite of a stupid idea,’ I said genuinely.

‘You think? I had this idea about using the Ferndale grounds early mornings, like when we did our training because I always helped out Dad at seven a.m., and I bet there are loads of kids who do the same. And it really helped me. Those few hours cleared my head, and being with you made me happier than I’ve been in years. ’ He couldn’t stop smiling.

‘I love you,’ I said.

‘I love you too,’ he replied.

And I thought my heart might burst all over again.