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I was actually kind of nervous before the Ferndale match. Not because I was scared we wouldn’t win or that I’d play badly, because, let’s face it, we were never going to win, but because my parents and Shane’s parents were coming to watch.

Niall drove me and Megan, and Mum and Dad drove themselves. When we got there Shane was already at the far side of the pitch talking to his dad, with his mum and his aunt talking to each other.

I jogged over. ‘Hi, Mr O’Connoll, Mrs O’Connoll, and Tammy, it’s so nice to meet you, Shane has told me so much about you.’

His aunt stepped forward and took my hands in hers, smiling. ‘Thank you for being so good to our Shane.’ She looked like she might cry.

I shook my head. ‘He’s amazing.’

‘He is that,’ she agreed.

‘Are Niall and Megan ready for the match of their life?’ Shane asked, coming behind me and wrapping his arms round my neck.

I turned and smiled at him, and he kissed my head. ‘I think we might struggle today,’ I said, scanning the other team, who were practising shots and scoring every single one.

‘You ready?’ Shane whispered and it sent a shiver right down my spine.

Megan and Niall were walking towards us, and I saw Mum and Dad coming over carrying huge boxes. They were talking to Raj, who then turned and ran on to the pitch where the rest of the team were standing.

We walked over to join them.

‘OK, guys, we have some help today. Megan here has been picked up by a Prem scout and will be heading across the water soon. She is also in the Northern Ireland training programme, so do your best to get the ball to her, Shane, Niall and Lexie.’

I don’t think anyone was listening. They were all staring at Megan with open mouths.

‘But, look, at the end of the day, who cares! Just go out there and have some fun, and Lexie’s parents have brought a ridiculous amount of donuts that we need to eat afterwards, so use that as your incentive to burn as many calories as possible. And, Oscar?’ Raj looked at all six foot four of him.

‘Yeah?’

Even though he was looking straight at Raj, it looked like his head was in the clouds.

‘Please, for the love of God, pass it to our team this time. Green shirts. Green .’

Oscar gave Raj a thumbs up. ‘Got it.’

‘God help us,’ Raj said.

‘Donuts? And nobody cares if you mess up?’ Megan slung her arm round me. ‘Screw the Premier League.’

‘I swear to God, Megan …’

She’d been winding me up about it ever since she’d decided that she was definitely going to go. And I fell for it almost every time. Old habits die hard and all that.

‘Kidding,’ she said. Then she ran backwards to her position.

Niall turned and called down the pitch to me. ‘Don’t push it too hard on that leg, Lex.’

I flushed a deep red, but at the same time I was touched by how much he cared.

‘Go Lexie, go Niall!’

I turned to see Mum jumping and clapping. Dad looked at her in horror.

I tried to ignore them and just looked ahead. At Shane’s perfect silhouette right in front of me.

Just as the whistle blew, he passed the ball to Niall, then looked at me, his lip curled into a half-smile.

And, like it always did when he looked at me like that, the whole world stopped.