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Officially joining Ferndale FC was much less complicated than Westing.

There was one form to fill out instead of a million and not that it really mattered to Mum and Dad, but it cost half the price.

And it didn’t matter when Shane couldn’t come to some of the practices; he wasn’t kicked off the team or made to feel guilty about it.

Raj knew his situation, so it was totally cool.

‘Oh, I was thinking about your idea,’ Raj said to him one day at practice. He glanced over at me. ‘You know Shane’s idea to set up a football team for young carers?’

I nodded and he continued.

‘Well, I spoke to the club, and they said they’d be happy to let you use the pitches two mornings a week.’ He took a drag of a cigarette I hadn’t even seen him light. ‘As long as I come too. Something to do with insurance, but I’d stopped listening by that point.’

Shane’s face lit up with a grin. ‘Are you serious?’

Raj nodded.

‘Thanks so much, man.’ Shane slapped his shoulder and Raj flashed him a smile, before walking away.

I felt such a rush of love for Shane. ‘It’ll be amazing. As long as you don’t teach them all the secret skills you taught me,’ I said with a wink, pulling Shane’s hand and leading him towards the back of the clubhouse. This time I leaned against the wall. Both of us out of sight.

‘I do miss our private coaching sessions,’ Shane said.

‘Maybe we should restart them,’ I said, pulling him towards me and I got lost in Shane for the next five minutes before practice.

Practice with Ferndale was amazing. Half the kids weren’t even dressed for football. One girl was even wearing jeans.

Afterwards I went back to Shane’s house for dinner, where he cooked for us all.

I was in awe of him. How much he did. How much he could do. And I was so comfortable there with his family, chatting away to his dad like I’d known him forever.

‘Oh, we have our first league game with Ferndale this weekend. Do you think you’d maybe want to come?

’ Shane looked across the table at his dad.

‘I could help get you down and everything; we could get a taxi. I mean, don’t worry if it’s too hard.

I know it’s not easy,’ Shane waved away his suggestion.

‘We’d love to come,’ his mum answered for him.

I watched her squeeze Shane’s dad’s hand. And then I looked at Shane, who had the biggest grin on his face.

‘And Tammy will want to come too,’ said his mum. ‘I think she loves it more than your dad.’

When I got home, I told Niall and Megan about the game. ‘Actually, we kind of need another couple of players if you fancy it?’

They looked at each other on the sofa, then back to me.

‘Sure,’ Niall said. ‘Why not?’

‘Amazing. OK, just wear something green. Anything. I’ll let Raj know you’re coming.’

On the phone to Shane that night I described the sea again, looking out at the lough.

‘Don’t you think it’s weird how much we don’t know about the sea?’ I said.

‘I think it’s exciting,’ he said. ‘It’s like you. I find out something new about you every day. I mean, I never knew you could do such a good moonwalk.’ He laughed. ‘And that you’ve no shame doing it in front of my parents.’

I burst out laughing. ‘It’s not right to hide your talents.’

‘It’s kind of strange having Tammy here so much,’ Shane said. He sounded nervous.

‘Is she nice?’

‘Aw, yeah, she’s really nice, and she’s been around all my life. It’s just different, you know, after it being me and Mum for so long. It’s hard to think that someone else will be doing some of that stuff. I think I’ll kind of miss it,’ he said. ‘I know it sounds crazy.’

‘It doesn’t at all. It’s obvious how much you love your family, so of course it’s going to be weird bringing someone else into the mix. But just remember it’s what your dad wants,’ I said as gently as I could.

Shane hesitated. ‘Yeah, you’re right, he does. And it’s so amazing that they’re coming to watch the match on Saturday.’

‘It really is,’ I agreed.

We talked for hours. About everything and nothing and I didn’t hang up until Mum came into my room and asked if she could talk to me.

When I went downstairs, Niall was already in the kitchen with her.

What had happened now?

I swallowed nervously and shared a look with Niall, who shrugged. ‘What’s going on?’ I asked, sliding on to a bar stool beside Niall.

‘Look, you two.’ Mum’s expression was so serious that I thought she was going to tell us that one of them had cancer.

I moved even closer to Niall. ‘What is it?’ I asked, panicking.

‘It’s about the holiday. Look, your dad is going to try and influence you, make you try and choose somewhere with loads of historical sights –’ she rolled her eyes – ‘but I was watching this drama last night set in Iceland.’

Niall and I laughed.

‘Did anyone die?’ I said.

‘Oh yes, loads of people. It was a massacre. But the scenery was particularly beautiful,’ she said. ‘We don’t need to decide yet, and you’ve both exams to get on with, but just keep Iceland in mind.’

I’d actually been thinking of somewhere even closer, somewhere that if Shane needed to get back to his family, he could do it in a couple of hours. ‘What about Donegal?’

‘Yeah right, Lexie,’ Niall scoffed.

‘Well, look, we don’t have to decide yet. Now, shush, don’t tell him,’ Mum whispered.

Dad walked into the kitchen. ‘Did you know you can go and see the Bayeux Tapestry in Normandy?’

I looked at Mum.

‘I told you,’ she mouthed.

‘Oh, Dad, we’re playing a match on Saturday at Ferndale if you want to come?’ Niall asked. Things between the two of them were so much better now. In fact, from the outside you might even think that Niall was Dad’s favourite. If you didn’t know any better.

‘We’ll be there,’ said Mum, and I was happier than I expected. Mum had been way more interested in my football since I stopped playing for Westing. She asked about training and match fixtures all the time.

‘Great,’ I said, smiling.

I’d got into a routine with Shane. Some days he’d come to my house after school, but some days he had to go home and help his dad, so I went there and kept him company.

It didn’t matter where we were. I just loved being near him.

And when I wasn’t hanging out with Shane I was with Megan.

We’d even reinstated our Sunday-night movies.

And in the in-between times, when there was nobody else there, that’s when I hung out with Niall, trying not to think about the fact that him and Megan would be gone after the summer.

The NI Senior Women’s match was coming up, and Megan had asked her dad for a few extra tickets, so Shane, Zoe and Amina were coming too.

Hunter was totally out of the picture after all the drama he caused at the party.

And even though he’d been his best mate for ages, Niall didn’t seem that upset about it.

He said he’d been annoying him for a while.

And I guess everyone else felt the same way, because they didn’t even mention him at all.

It was a shame it would all end, that Megan and maybe Niall would be going across the water.

If anyone had asked me a few years ago about the prospect of me and Niall living in different countries, I would have accused them of insanity.

But this was the new me, who had ripped up her lists and was no longer obsessed with football and perfection.

So I was OK with it. It was just a new chapter. Sports science at UUJ and helping Shane with his coaching on the side.

Shane would be here, with me, and that’s all I needed.