Page 24 of Summer Breakdown (Training Seasons #2)

“Frankie,” Zach pleads. That man is down bad for Mali it’s embarrassing. The only reason she lets him get away with it is because Mali is great.

She rolls her eyes. “We’ve been on the pitch for twenty minutes.” But it’s no use. She’s fighting a losing battle and mere moments later, Frankie is standing, waiting for Mali to attempt to take her down.

Zach gives her a pep talk, and Frankie wants to be excited for her, but Bright pulls Jasmine’s ponytail.

It’s a joke. He’s flirting like a year-five schoolboy, but Jasmine laughs.

Bright could be the person she likes. He’s tall.

He’s muscular. He’s got a weird face, but Jasmine wanted to kiss Frankie, and she’s got a weird face too.

Jasmine knocks into Bright with a smile. Oh, God, maybe she should let Mali knock her out.

Flirt with me. It’s an unreasonable thing to think because Jasmine has flirted with her before. She fucked her before. God, so good as well. And Frankie made it so she wouldn’t do it again.

Zach blows the whistle, and Frankie focuses as Mali runs at her. She’s too straight. At best, she’s going to hit Frankie in the chest, at worst she’s going to break her nose. Then Jasmine shouts.

“Now!”

And Mali bends slightly, her shoulder against Frankie’s stomach and Frankie moves back a good metre. She doesn’t fall over, because Mali isn’t particularly strong, and Frankie has spent her entire life making sure women can’t just waltz all over her. But it’s something.

Jasmine cheers and Mali is so excited that it’s hard to be annoyed.

“That was so good!” Jasmine says as Mali runs over. They high five and Jasmine shows her some photos she took.

“Your turn,” Mali replies as Zach’s arm drapes over her. He’s so protective of her when she’s on the field. Frankie remembers when she got hurt and then she feels guilty that she told Zach he couldn’t be with her.

“Okay,” Jasmine says as she takes a sip of water.

She hands her bottle to Ezra, and she rolls her neck.

Jasmine is stronger than Mali, but she’s not as strong as Frankie even if she hasn’t been on the field in months.

Jasmine tried to take her down at her house, and Frankie wonders if she’ll try that tactic again.

She’d let her, the mere idea of a kiss sends her heart racing.

Jasmine looks at her, a challenge in her eye that mimics the one she gave her the night her life changed.

She charges, and Frankie almost moves out of the way just so Jasmine doesn’t get hurt.

She doesn’t drop when Mali does, she has more technical skill than that.

She does hit Frankie in the stomach with her shoulder, but it’s not as hard as it should be.

It’s not as gutting as it could have been.

Frankie has got this. But then Jasmine’s hands grab under her thighs and pull her off the ground entirely.

It’s not until Frankie’s back hits the ground that she realises she was taken out at all.

“Oh my God, bro!” Kai shouts. He’s never going to let her live it down.

Frankie blinks up at the bright sky. She’s strong but she hasn’t had the wind knocked out of her in a while, but then Jasmine’s face is in her view.

The bounce of her ponytail falling over her shoulder. It’s curly and she’s delightful.

“You okay?” she asks and Frankie nods because if she tries to speak, she’ll start talking about how beautiful she is.

How she’s not sure how to react when she’s basically on top of her, between her legs.

There’s nothing sexual about it – Frankie never felt anything when she was playing before.

She’s had numerous men and women on top of her in their thirst to get a rugby ball.

Jasmine isn’t like anyone else. Before Frankie can do something ridiculous, Jasmine stands up, her hand out to help Frankie up .

“That was pretty good.” Frankie says and Jasmine smiles. The world ending, planets stop spinning kind of smile. The kind of smile Frankie never thought she’d get again. She wonders if Jasmine knows she’s still holding onto her hand.

“You think so?”

“Yeah.”

“Jas, you’re so good!” Mali says, and Jasmine spins to face her. Their fingers stay linked but Jasmine spun in such a way that Frankie basically has her arm around her waist.

“I can’t believe you took down Coach,” Kai says with a shit eating grin. He’s so close to being benched.

“I’ll let M’Baku take your place,” Frankie warns and Kai flips her off.

Then, he smirks and Frankie’s truly worried.

He’s outed her about Jasmine before, she wouldn’t put it past him to do it right now.

He thinks he’s being helpful because if someone did it to him he would thrive.

But he is a pretty boy and not a slightly too stocky woman.

“How was Gayle’s interview, Frank?” he asks. Wanker. It didn’t go well but he doesn’t know that because Frankie hasn’t told anyone about it. She’s not about to start now either.

“What interview?” Jasmine asks. Her fingers drop Frankie’s but she thinks it’s so she can look at her properly.

“Gayle’s did a profile on me.”

“Why?” Kai asks and Frankie glares at him, but Jasmine looks like she wants to know too. Ugh. She’s going to sack him.

“Glory Park want me to be the face of their new women’s line.” Frankie can’t tear her eyes away from Jasmine, but she hopes no-one is paying attention. She vaguely sees Zach pushing people away.

Jasmine’s eyebrows shoot up. “That’s amazing.” Then she frowns. “Why don’t you look happy?”

Frankie ignores the looks from her players who should be minding their business. “I don’t want to have to see my face anywhere. ”

“But it’s so pretty,” Jasmine says. Frankie hears the collective gasps. Apparently, they are paying attention. She could build Titan’s up again starting with new players, right?

“Stupidly attractive, but if you don’t like your face, even though it would break Lani’s heart-”

“Oh my god,” Frankie says with a laugh. Jasmine smiles as her gaze sweeps down her body. “And your body is fucking insane.”

Frankie swallows, but Jasmine keeps talking like it’s just casual for her to compliment her. “Why would it matter what you look like?” Jasmine asks. Then, while Frankie frowns and everyone else steps closer, waiting for what Jasmine might say, she continues.

“They want you because you’re the first black rugby coach in the entirety of English rugby. They want you because you’re so good, the team is about to move to the Championship and the Premiership in back-to-back seasons.”

Frankie blinks, but Jasmine’s not done. Mali hums along after each point, her hand in the air like she’s in church.

“They want you because you scored more Championship tries than any other female rugby player.” Frankie’s locked in on Jasmine, the way her head tilts, the small smile pushing up her cheeks.

Jasmine makes Frankie sound good when she’s never given her a reason too.

Like she’s worth something even with her mistakes.

Maybe it’s the way her voice is confident and warm, or maybe it’s the look in her eye.

Frankie might need her as much as she wants her.

“They want you because you’re Frankie Bolanile Olúwa Adebayo.” She pronounced it correctly. Oh, her parents are going to adore her. “Who gives a fuck about the rest?”

“Swear jar,” Mali shouts, then clamps her hands over her face. Jasmine laughs but she stays looking at Frankie.

“You want a legacy,” Jasmine says, and she’s right. Frankie does want that. “What’s wrong with making sure it stays with you? ”

“I don’t think I’ll do it very well,” she says quietly. Mali clearly wants to listen but she’s a good enough friend to notice the change in Frankie’s voice and spins around.

“Go practice,” Mali says, shooing people away. They don’t move, but then Zach glares and the team jogs back onto the pitch.

“Why not?” Jasmine asks.

“They kept asking me how I deal with imposter syndrome and how I overcome fears on the pitch and every time I told them that I don’t have that – they spun it around. I dunno if I came across very well.”

Jasmine frowns. “Why would you have that?”

“That’s what I said!” Frankie says, moving closer.

She can see Ezra watching them but she doesn’t care if hears anything.

Honestly, she’d forgotten anyone but Jasmine was here.

“I already had to prove myself ten times over even though I am better than most mediocre white men and they still want me to have a struggle story. They kept asking about growing up on a council estate and how I escaped,” she says, tapping her fingers against her thighs.

“Like mum and dad don’t live there still. As if I hated my childhood. I don’t get why black women can’t just be good at something without the trauma. I don’t want to dig through the mess in my life, so they’re satisfied and then I get money I don’t know what to do with.”

“You couldn’t be a mess,” Jasmine says, then, “What could you get out of it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Mal is a wizard with sponsorships,” Jasmine replies. “I’ve seen the number of new wigs Zach’s bought recently. What do you really want? Could you get it with this?”

“A woman’s team,” Frankie says. “But you already know that.”

Jasmine hums, smiling at her. There’s a small blush across her nose that has nothing to do with taking her down. “I got all my information from one search. ”

“Sure,” Frankie replies. Jasmine is annoyingly easy to talk to.

“Will you let me on it without an audition? You saw the way I took you down, right?”

“Yes,” Frankie says quickly. She’d give her anything. “I will.”

Jasmine smiles, then, “You know Glory Park want you for your face too, right?”

Frankie rolls her eyes, but before she can respond Mali comes back over, and Jasmine smiles at her. Then, she turns back to Frankie.

“You going to train?”

Frankie nods, though she’s not sure she’s going to be able to say anything at all.

“What are you going to do?” she asks.

“Well, we have strawberry lemonades to drink on the side-lines and we’re hoping to see some hot men train,” Mali replies, sitting down and putting her feet up.

Jasmine hums, then, when Frankie turns to leave, she casually says, “I’m only here to watch the Coach.”