He turned the water off, and we all ran from the abandoned place back to the bikes. The icy water dripped from my t-shirt and hair, and I made an attempt to wring it out.
“At least you’re not hot anymore,” Maddison offered with a giant smirk on his face.
“Evil.” It was the only comeback I’d offered, but then I tipped the small puddle of water from my hands down his top and watched him dance around in shock.
We all laughed, happy to be here together and having fun, the three of us, for the first time in what felt like weeks. This—the feeling of contentment—was what I wanted to have all the time, with nothing to get in the way or divide us.
“What time did you say you had to be home?” Oliver asked as he picked up his bike.
“I didn’t.” My smile spread over my face. I wasn’t prepared to give this day up just yet.
“Come on then,” Maddison said and led the way farther away from home.
I wanted to freeze this day and protect it like in a magical snow globe that I could treasure. Even as young as I was, I knew there was something magical about it. And I didn’t want it to end. It had been hard-fought to get this back, and I wanted to make the most of every second I could.
It was the last time we’d spend a day like this together, carefree, and happy.
But despite how hard things got, I still wished for days when the worst thing to worry about was a scary bird flying at Maddison or being drenched in cold water.
Chapter 7
Grace Thirteen Years Old
There were times when the world faded away to nothing more than Oliver and Maddison. I didn’t need anything or anyone else when I had both of them at my side.
But those times became scarce, and the joy we all felt became overshadowed by school, friends, and feelings. As we grew older, my emotions became tougher to ignore and interrupted our normal. Being together became harder and harder. And for the first time since I met them, I began to wonder if what I felt for both brothers was normal. I’d never had close friends, so my sphere of reference was out. And so, I did what any other thirteen-year-old girl would do—I buried it, ignoring it as best I could.
“Are you coming to watch Mads?” I asked Oliver as I peered into his room. He was sitting at his desk in the gloom, a desk lamp the only source of light.
“No, I’ve got to study.” His attention was pulled back to the books in front of him.
“Okay. Want me to come by after?”
“Sure. I should have finished by then.”
“What are you working on?”
“Biology revision.”
I nodded and felt awkward for a moment as if I were intruding.
Oliver studied a lot. But he also got good grades. He’d always been smart, and I often asked him to help me when something in school didn’t make sense. I left him to it and waited in the kitchen while Vivien rushed about getting washing from the dryer and calling to Maddison.
“Be ready in just a minute. Or Maddison will be late.” She shouted the last part towards the stairs.
“Give it a rest. I’m here,” Maddison replied as he trudged in carrying a sports bag. “We’ve got plenty of time.”
“All right.” She looked at me and raised her eyes. “Grab some breakfast at least.”
He picked a slice of toast from the table and shoved it in his mouth. “Come on then,” he mumbled.
The whole journey, Mads bounced his leg or his foot in the backseat. A sure sign he was nervous about the cup game he was facing.
“Hey, you’ll be great.” I put my hand on his thigh to stop him fidgeting. For a moment, our gaze locked, and he gave me a tight smile. I could see in his eyes how nervous he was, and I smiled back, trying to provide him with some sense of confidence. As the captain, a lot of pressure was on him to lead the team to victory, even at our age.
As soon as we pulled up to the rugby grounds, Mads was out of the car and rushing off without a backward glance to where his teammates had gathered. It was always the same. He’d developed this front, like a mask, when he was at school or around his mates. It had grown over the last year, and I often wondered if he’d be brave enough to hold my hand and walk into the gates of school now.
Maddison always wanted me to watch him play, and I’d always loved to support him. But today, there was a gaggle of other girls from our year, all lined up next to the pitch ready to cheer. They’d never been to a match before. Perhaps they were here to support one of the other teams’ players? A loud call to Maddison interrupted my internal question all too soon, which told me just who the girls were here to see, and to my frustration, he happily trotted over to them.
An unwelcome tightening in my stomach made me turn away, and I went to stand on the other side of Vivien.
“You okay, love?”
“Sure. Just hope they win.”
“I know. I’m sure they’ll be just fine. I know Maddison appreciates you coming to watch.” She leaned a little closer to me. “Even if he doesn’t tell you.” She squeezed my shoulder, and a part of me wanted to hug her in return.
We wandered up the side of the pitch and picked our spot to cheer.
“It’s a shame that Oliver couldn’t make it.”
“He’s got to study,” I defended.
“Life isn’t all about study, sweetheart.”
We both stood and watched the team warm up, throwing the ball around in a circle back and forth. I’d gotten used to the drill, as I was a regular at these games. I pulled out my phone and sent a quick message to Oliver.
Game’s starting.
As soon as the whistle blew, I became invested in every move Mads made. My eyes followed him through every tackle and every pass. He seemed to fight for every foot of ground on the pitch, and it paid off as they were up by one try at half-time.
I cheered and clapped when they scored, just like his mum, but I didn’t call out his name or signal to any of the other players like the other girls who had decided to come and watch today—it took everything in me not to yell at them for distracting the guys on the pitch. Of course, I had nowhere near enough courage to do that. I recognised a few of the girls, but not all of them, and it wasn’t like I had any claim over being their only supporter.
Maddison scored a try in the second half, extending the lead and ensuring the cup. It was the first time he’d looked over at us for the whole game. My smile was wide, and I’m sure I looked goofy, but I didn’t care. I was just glad that his team would win the cup.
Mads scored. They won the game.
I made sure to keep Oliver updated.
Vivien and I headed over to meet the boys off the pitch. Both teams trudged off after doing the tunnel thing to show their respect. One of the other players stopped next to us and smiled. “Hi, I’m James.”
I froze. I didn’t know what to say to the muddy boy standing in front of me, but everything in my brain stopped functioning.
Suddenly, someone shoved James from my field of vision. The movement shocked me into action, and I watched as Mads walked after James, giving him no option but to move in the opposite direction to me.