Page 58 of Playing the Game

“Come here a lot?”

“Only when I’m shopping in town. The booths stop people bothering me.”

They perused the menu. Anna took an inordinate amount of time deciding. Eventually, Adam placed the order on his phone.

Once done, they faced each other. Anna and Jonas were opposite Adam.

“This is the scariest panel I’ve faced,” Adam said.

“Do you think you’ll get back with your ex again?” Anna blurted out.

Jonas looked as though he wanted to pass out on the spot. “Anna!”

“What? I’ve been googling him while you were at training.”

“You were supposed to be studying. I’m sorry, Adam.”

Adam liked this kid. She didn’t suffer fools. A bit like her older brother.

“That’s okay,” Adam said. “Jen and I won’t be together again. And for your information, she left me because she thought I was too immature.”

Why did everyone want to talk about Jen these days?

“What are you studying to be? A private investigator?” Adam asked. Very keen to get the conversation away from his love life.

“I want to be a garden designer,” Anna replied.

An interesting choice for a young girl.

“You should come over to the house while you’re here,” Adam said. “I had the grounds landscaped a few years ago. I had an amazing designer. It doesn’t look like much at the moment. In the summer, it’s stunning.”

“I’d like that. Jonas. Can we?”

“We might not have time this visit,” Jonas said. “Another time definitely.”

Adam watched the body language between the two of them. As an only child, Adam had never known the sibling bond. Sometimes he worried he’d missed out. He’d also liked having his parents all to himself. They weren’t particularly close. A childhood of playing football had a tendency to do that. He loved them nonetheless. Even if they still weren’t happy with his life choices.

If only they knew.

“Are you coming to the game tomorrow?” Adam asked.

Anna nodded excitedly. “I can’t wait. It’s my first big match.”

Adam caught Jonas’ eye. “No pressure on us then.”

Twenty-four hours later and the buzz at Brockton Park was palpable. Brockton were hosting local rivals, Blackburn. Known affectionately as The Battle of the Bs. Canonbury might traditionally be Brockton’s number one enemy, but it didn’t hurt to let other teams know who was boss.

Sadly, today that wasn’t the case. Both teams were left with no score at full-time. Adam walked off the muddy pitch. His whole body ached.

Once again, the protestors were near the tunnel.

“The wins were a fluke,” one shouted.

“The team is fucked,” another added.

The rest were actually booing. Adam would not be engaging with them again. He’d learnt his lesson last time.

Instead, he glanced up at the VIP section. Anna sat next to Steven Cox’s family. Adam smiled sadly at her. Such a shame that she had to see this. She gave him a wave back.