The seed of doubt grew some more on Saturday morning. I was soon having kittens about Dad taking me. Amy was right. Even if Eve didn’t blab, people were bound to ask questions. I mean, he’d been like the Invisible Man for a year and a half. I’d never even talked about him. How would I explain his sudden appearance?
“Easy. Just tell them he jacked-in fishing,” Amy suggested when I admitted I needed her help. “And tell him to come up with an excuse why he’s given up, too.”
So Dad had been primed to say that he’d given up fishing because Mum was so busy in the shop she needed him to help out. It sounded reasonable. “You could have given me a hobby I knew something about,” he had grumbled.
When we arrived at the ground, Dad melted away into the background, going to stand on the other side of the pitch.
“Why doesn’t he go over to…” Eve began, saw my expression and pulled a pretend zip across her lips.
I needn’t have worried about the team. Megan and the others greeted the three of us like they always did. Petra asked us about the exam, but most of the pre-match conversation was about Hixton Lees. “They’re doing all right in the league,” Megan said in that earnest way she has; “so we need to watch them.”
Good, I thought, hoping everyone would listen to her. If they were watching Hixton, it meant they wouldn’t be watching Kriss Merrin-Jones.
As it turned out, the only one who seemed to be aware of my dad was me. I wasn’t used to him or anyone from my family standing on the touchline and I found it hard to concentrate. I missed a cross from Nika and fluffed three really easy chances on goal. Luckily, Eve was around to cover my back. She was playing a blinder – falling back in defence, helping out in midfield, charging down the Hixton goalie every time she had a goal kick. Once or twice she was even a little greedy and didn’t pass to Nika when Nika was in a better position to shoot. But still, it was miraculous that we ended the first half without scoring.
“Someone’s had their Weetabix.” Hannah smiled at Eve when we walked off at half-time.
“Coco Pops, actually.” She grinned.
“You all right, Gemma?” Hannah asked me. “Only you seem a little distracted.”
“No,” I said, glancing over my shoulder at Dad and wondering whether I ought to go over and talk to him or stay with the team. He was chatting to Holly and Nika’s parents, but put his thumb up at me when he saw me looking. “No, I’m fine.”
In the second half I began to play a little better. Nobody on the team had said anything and my dad had somehow blended in with the other parents, so I relaxed. I began to tune in to the game more, predicting where balls would go and how they would go. My interceptions became sharper and my ball control surer. I scored twice, once from outside the box with a full volley and once with a simple side-foot in that the keeper wasn’t quick enough to stop.
“Nice one, mate!” Eve said, running to congratulate me.
A few minutes later I was doing the same to her as she neatly slid in a pass from me to put us three–nil up. “The Dream Team strikes again!” she declared.
Mid-table Hixton Lees didn’t let us have it all our own way, though, and replied soon after with a zinger that caught out our defence. Game on!
I was enjoying it and could have played for ever, but Hannah pulled us both off midway through the half. “Better give the others a chance, eh?” She grinned, patting our backs as we made way for Jenny-Jane and Amy.
“Show-offs!” Amy said as I high-fived her.
“Shurrup!” I laughed.
Usually we hovered around the other resting team-mates when we weren’t playing, but Eve shook her head when I asked if we should join Lucy and the others. “No. Let’s go and talk to Kriss,” she said and began haring around the perimeter of the field to where he was standing. I trotted after her, feeling a little strange and wondering what he’d say. It was all right for Hannah and everyone to big me up, but my dad had been a professional. He might think I was useless.
“Not bad,” was what he said.
“Not bad? We’re brilliant!” Eve told him and punched him in the arm.
I laughed and decided it was cool having my dad watching. Really cool. Why had I left it so long? I linked my arm through his. Eve, standing on the other side of him, saw me and did the same. I didn’t mind a bit. He wouldn’t have been there if it wasn’t for her. I hadn’t felt so happy in ages.