The Sports Captain's Tale полностью

Karen blinked. “What?”

I snorted and started to explain. Karen and Bill listened carefully. I saw the doubts in their eyes as I outlined what had happened, and what I planned to do. The team could compensate for one third-year student, but two …? It was going to be a challenge to get everyone working together, let alone everything else. But giving up now would mean that Blair won without a fight…

Jerry joined us. “I hear you’re looking for players?”

I glanced at him. “You got kicked off your team too?”

“I was too close to Juliet,” Jerry said. “She was the one who nominated me. And then …”

“Ouch.” I nodded in understanding. “I have to ask … did you know about …?”

“No,” Jerry said. “I still can’t believe it.”

I hesitated. I hadn’t been able to believe it either. And yet … it was hard not to feel a degree of sympathy for the lad. He hadn’t known what Juliet was doing, but it had still destroyed his chances of being on the winning team. His captain had given him the boot through suspicion alone …

And if I give him a second chance, it might work out for me, I thought. Jerry wasn’t the only student sportsman who’d been too close to Juliet. He probably wasn’t the only one who’d been kicked off his team too. He shouldn’t have his life destroyed because of someone else’s shitty behaviour.

“You can join us,” I said. “Bill? Karen?”

Karen looked doubtful. “Can we win?”

“Of course.” I puffed out my chest. “There are no guarantees of anything, of course, but we will have a chance. You have the best captain in the school and some of the best players right by your side.”

I winked. “You’ll even have the chance to become captain when I graduate.”

Karen smiled. I knew I had her. If the team became established by the time I left, it would continue without me. Karen would have an excellent chance of not only becoming captain, but taking the team to newer and greater heights. The earlier she joined, the better her chances. She’d have at least two years as captain before she had to graduate.

“I know that smile,” Bill teased. “You want in, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Karen said. “You?”

Bill said nothing for a long moment. I could practically read his thoughts. The game might be fun – and it was – but we could also lose, humiliatingly, if we took the field against a more experienced team. I suspected he was having second or even third thoughts about joining up. An established team might be able to compensate for his weaknesses and lack of experience. We couldn’t do so well.

He took a breath. “What happens if we lose?”

We become losers, I thought, crossly. I liked to win. There is nothing like the thrill of having people cheer your victory … nothing. But the crowd is fickle and the admirers cheering you one day could easily become the assholes booing you the next. And Blair will be laughing in my face for the rest of time.

“We gain experience,” I said, instead. Bill wouldn’t be impressed by my sports obsession – or my conviction victory came before everything else. “We may lose this year” – not if I could help it – “but we’ll learn the skills we need to win next year.”

Bill glanced at Karen, who nodded. “Fine,” Bill said. “Count me in.”

“And me,” Jerry said.

“Great.” I let out a breath. “I need one more. If I find him, I’ll let you know.”

My mind raced, calculating the options, as I wandered the school. The best players had already been snapped up. Taking a younger player was asking for trouble – really, I was pushing the limits by recruiting both Bill and Karen. There wasn’t anyone else who might be a capable player, not someone who hadn’t already been claimed … I cursed under my breath as I wandered past the defensive magic classrooms, frowning as I spotted Mildred sitting by herself. She wasn’t someone I’d considered a potential player – she’d come very close to flunking defensive magic, which was practically a prerequisite for BattleBorne – but … I had to admit she was ingenious. And cute.

She looked up at me as I entered the classroom. “Go away.”

I held up my hands. “Can I talk to you? Please?”

Mildred scowled. I glanced at her papers. She was swotting hard, trying to get top marks in defensive charms … it clicked, suddenly. Mildred was top of the class in theoretical magic, but right at the bottom when it came to practical spellcasting. It wasn’t that she was bad at magic. It was she had a nasty tendency to freeze when confronted with the unexpected and rarely recovered in time to save herself.

“I’m looking for players,” I said, and explained. “Interested?”

“Get out of town,” Mildred said. If anyone had ever wanted to say anything stronger, it was her right then. “This isn’t funny.”

“It isn’t a joke,” I said. “I’m serious.”