Page 38 of Summer Breakdown (Training Seasons #2)

“You know, I have a DBS check,” Ezra says, stretching his hamstring.

They have a match tomorrow, officially over halfway through the league.

Jasmine thinks they’ll be top two, but she doesn’t know enough about the rest of the teams. Mali is next to Ezra, taking photos.

He’s letting her because Cam broke up with Andrew, and Ezra is the happiest anyone’s ever been.

His face hasn’t changed at all, but he brought donuts in. He’s so obvious.

“The police thing?” Jasmine asks. She’s working on the Titans’ refund from last year. She’s not entirely sure how they aren’t bankrupt with how much Frankie overpaid.

“Yeah.”

“Okay,” Jasmine replies. She notes down to dig out a receipt. “If it was last year I can claim for it.”

“No,” he says. She looks up. He sounds frustrated, but he’s just getting into the splits.

She takes a photo for Cam, and a note to figure out if Frankie can do it too.

They’re still kissing only. Jasmine won’t rush her; she loves kissing her.

She likes it when Frankie grinds against her thigh.

She likes the way Frankie pulls her hair into a slack ponytail as she tries not to cum too loudly.

She likes the way it doesn’t count if underwear is on.

“I mean I’m perfectly safe with kids.”

Jasmine frowns. “Yeah, I know.”

He frowns back. “Man, why aren’t you asking me to babysit?”

“What?”

Ezra huffs, spinning into a different split. Another photo for Cam. Ezra flips her off. “I can look after them at yours, or mine.”

“You want to?”

“Yes,” he replies. “And Frank wants to take you on a date.”

Jasmine smiles. “Oh.”

“But wanting to look after them is higher on my priority list.”

Jasmine taps her notebook with her pen. She wonders if Frankie wants to take her on a date because a date is nice, or if she wants to have dinner specifically without Marcel and Lani.

Jasmine never thought of asking Ezra to look after them.

There’s no one in the group she wouldn’t trust with them.

They wouldn’t make her feel like it’s a burden; she’s just not used to having people to ask.

“Frank has a spreadsheet of places to take you,” he says, and Jasmine smiles. “They all have an accessibility column. Not taking the kids isn’t on her radar, but, if you want to go alone, I have a DBS, Lani thinks I’m cool as fuck, and Marcel likes me more than you.”

Jasmine rolls her eyes. “How do I know you won’t steal them and run off to your farmhouse?”

He shrugs. “You don’t.” Ezra leans his head on his shin. He’s stupidly flexible. Jasmine knows Cam is a freak in the sheets. Maybe Ezra is preparing himself.

“I want to adopt,” Ezra says casually. “That’s what the recommendation letter is for.”

Jasmine’s eyebrows rise. “Kids?” She’d write it even if it was for a field load of goats, but kids makes sense.

“Yeah,” he replies. This is the most unsure she’s ever seen him. It doesn’t suit his face. “Is that stupid?”

“Why would it be?” Ezra would be an unreasonably good father. She can see him with farmyard animals, kids strapped to him, and holding Cam’s hand. She can see it so clearly it’s like it’s already happened.

He sighs. “My folks say it’s stupid.”

“What does Cam say?” she asks.

He smiles, tucking it somewhere near his shin. “She thinks it’s dope.” Jasmine wonders if he’s always wanted to adopt, or if he only ever wanted kids with Cam. It’s possible both things happened at the same time.

“Mm-hmm,” Jasmine replies. Frankie comes out of the office a moment later with something in her hand, and she runs over.

“Is it cover day?” Jasmine asks, her eyebrows high as Frankie gets closer.

Ezra gets off the ground so fast she has to push him out of the way to see Frankie again.

Mali screams, and Zach runs over. God, Jasmine has been so excited.

Frankie and Zach went for interviews with Gayle weeks ago, and the cover drops in the next few days. This is the first time they’ve seen it.

Jasmine only wants Frankie to not hate how she looks.

She’ll look flawless because there is no other way for her to look, but her eyes are on Frankie the entire time she pulls the magazine out from the envelope.

Her hand trembles as she flips it over, but Jasmine’s gaze is right back to her face, waiting for her reaction.

Frankie’s eyes widen a little, and her lips roll.

Oh. She’s happy. Jasmine is sure she’s happy. Frankie looks up at her.

“It’s nice, right?”

Jasmine beams. “It’s beautiful.”

Frankie frowns. “You didn’t look!”

“You don’t know.”

“Sweetheart, if you think I don’t know when you’re looking at me, you’re as wrong as you are pretty.”

Jasmine rolls her eyes and then looks at the cover.

It shows Frankie sitting next to Zach on the seats at the Titans’ grounds.

Zach looks great. Frankie looks incredible, like she always does.

There’s nothing about her appearance Jasmine doesn’t see every day, but she’s confident and happy.

Her elbow rests against Zach’s shoulder, and his elbows rest on his knees.

They’re smiling like Frankie told a joke as the photographer took a photo.

The entire magazine is their Pride issue, but it’s only Frankie and Zach that landed the cover. The first openly bisexual male rugby player, and the coach who gave him the space to be himself.

Titans: First Never Follows

“God, you’re so hot,” Jasmine says. She holds the magazine closer to her face.

Of course Frankie’s fucking arms are out.

“I don’t think they should run it. I’ll be fighting people off left and right at Carl’s.

” They rarely go now. Sometimes they do the quiz anyway, at Jasmine’s or Mali’s, but Jasmine is content to lie in the garden with Frankie and Lani.

Sometimes Marcel graces them with his presence.

Frankie laughs, pulling her into a hug.

“I’m serious,” Jasmine says, but she winds her arms around her neck. “I’m going to have to teach Lani how to fight.”

“You’re my favourite thing in the world.”

Jasmine kisses her. “Do you like it?” Because I love so many things about you.

Frankie hums. “Yeah. I think it’s cute.” It’s the best thing Jasmine has ever heard.

Sometimes, she catches Frankie looking at herself and she doesn’t look mad.

She’s not looking because she has to; she’s looking because she wants to.

There’s nowhere in their house that’s safe from Lani and her camera anyway.

“It’s so cute, oh my God. I might have to switch my picture out.”

“What picture?” Frankie asks, and Jasmine lowers one of her hands. The other stays over Frankie’s shoulders, her fingertips lightly against her neck. She opens her locket. Marcel, Lani… and Frankie.

“I made it,” she whispers.

Frankie’s thumb rubs against the necklace, then her hand drops back to Jasmine’s hips. “When did you take that? ”

“Lan took it,” she replies, “so don’t be alarmed when there’s a photo of you at home and you’ve got no face.”

Frankie smiles, her fingers tapping against Jasmine’s waist. “It’s good, right? We should have done it?”

Jasmine smiles, not only because it’s good, but because Frankie asked her outright. Jasmine doesn’t mind asking her to tell her something. She doesn’t mind initiating conversations. Her heart thumps every time Frankie does it first. She’s comfortable with her. That’s all she ever wanted.

“You’re making history every second,” Jasmine whispers. “What could be bad about that?”

Jasmine’s stomach lurches as Zach gets the ball. The crowd screams. It’s good at their end, but not on the other. Whenever Zach gets the ball, they shout something that makes Jasmine glad Lani and Marcel couldn’t make it.

Frankie was prepared for backlash from the article.

She spoke about it in the bathroom last night while Jasmine took a bath.

Frankie didn’t want to get in, but she sat on the tiles talking to her anyway.

She wasn’t expecting it so close to home.

They were anticipating some shitty newspaper headlines and maybe a dirty look. Not being abused on the field.

They’ve been on the pitch for sixteen minutes, and Frankie has walked to the other team’s side about twelve times, her hands waving manically. Jasmine’s waiting for someone to do something. Not a single player or supporter has been kicked out.

Jasmine is furious. It’s Frankie’s field. It’s her team. This is her home. It’s Zach’s. It belongs to them .

Mali squeezes her hand, and then Frankie blows her whistle three times.

Jasmine squints like she’ll be able to see what Frankie is saying.

Ezra spins to look at her with a sweaty frown, and she waves him over.

They walk off the pitch, and Mali pushes her until they’re running down the stairs.

Mali heads for the changing room, and Jasmine wants to go with her, but she’s not sure.

Jasmine swallows and walks in anyway, but she hides in the corner.

The door swings closed behind her, the hushed whispers from the players immediately coming to a stop.

Jasmine’s not sure there was an active conversation, because Frankie is pacing, not saying anything. Her fingers tap against each other.

Mali runs, heading straight towards Zach. Jasmine watches with an eagle eye. Zach seems unfazed, but his arms wrap around her quickly. That’s a standard reaction from him, to be fair. Just because Zach could deal with it without having a breakdown doesn’t mean he deserves to.

Jasmine knows Frankie. The things she figured out herself, and the things Frankie tells her because she wants her to know.

The things that cycle viciously around her mind.

As important as this is, she’ll think she’s made the wrong call.

If the Titans forfeit, at best, they get nothing; at worst, they dock them points.

For Frankie? The best is she needs to go to sleep early; the worst is she has a breakdown.

There is a tense few seconds, and then,