Page 68 of Couple Goals

‘Uh huh,’ explains Elisa, leaning over from the nearby seats. ‘They’re so violent.’

‘They could break your arm with their necks,’ says Charlie.

‘That’s not a thing swans do,’ says Elisa.

‘But it’s a thing the Liverpool Swans do,’ says Charlie seriously. ‘Remember when their captain Chloe fouled Maeve right off the bat last year?She slid in a two-footed lunge – late. Nearly broke Maeve’s ankle.’

Kira whistles through her teeth. ‘Ouch. And Maeve’s already prone to ankle injuries.’

Adriana glances at Kira curiously.

‘Wasn’t the captain dating Maeve’s ex?’ chimes in Nat, from behind them.

Adriana feels Kira sit up. ‘Is that so?’ she asks, casually.

Adriana nods. ‘Yeah, Hannah. Hannah’s type is captains of rival teams, I guess…’

Kira’s jaw clenches.

‘Yeah, Maeve was such a trooper about it,’ Nat continues. ‘Barely flinched, all calm while the rest of us were shouting for red cards. Maeve still shook Chloe’s hand at the end of the match and everything.’

‘I’d have spat in her face!’ says Milo. ‘But yeah, Maeve was cool.’

Milo hesitates, looks to the front, at where they can see the back of Maeve’s head at the front of the coach, then mutters, ‘Back when Maeve was cool.’

Adriana glances up at Maeve’s blonde ponytail too, shifting uncomfortably. She wants to put an end to this kind of talk, but it’s a fine balance, not wanting to set herself up as policing her teammates’ behaviour.

‘We’ve all got to look out for the Swan’s nasty tactics today,’ Adriana says, her voice measured. ‘Don’t let their beaks get too near us.’

She directs this at Milo and Nat, who she knows love puns. ‘Let them honk and squawk while we just… swan past them.’

They reward her with generous laughs, and the tension in the coach eases a little.

But when they arrive in Liverpool and file out into the dressing room, Adriana and Maeve seem to keep bumping into each other as they get into their orange kit. They always used to know what each other was thinking, but now her friend’s anxious face is closed off from her, silent. And when they’re getting ready for Coach’s speech, Adriana notices that Maeve isn’t using the matching personalised water bottle she got her, instead sipping from a plain grey one.

Adriana doesn’t know why, but this is what really spins her out.

She and Maeve have been together through so much. They made a pinky promise, that day at the Tigresses’ match, to always support each other. And now here they are, living their dream of playing for their beloved team, together – but without their friendship. If little Adriana could see them now, she’d be so disappointed.

Adriana feels breathless, clutches at her chest like she truly might not be able to breathe properly. She knows she can’t keep hiding Jacob from her friend – Maeve deserves to know, shewantsher to know, so that they can have a chance to be united again, the way they used to be.

She needs to text Jacob, and tell him she’s going to tell Maeve about them. Surely he will understand that her friendship is too precious to hang in the balance.

So before Coach comes in to give them their pre-game talk, Adriana slips out her phone and sees Jacob has already texted her.

Break a leg out there, Tiger.

Wait, not literally, please.

I mean good luck and have fun out there x (just from me and not in an official capacity)

Adriana’s stomach flutters. She stares at the kiss at the end, which Jacob has never put before. She feels so happy and yet terrified at the same time.

Coach Hoffman enters the changing room, and Adriana only has a few seconds before she’ll be expected to give the team meeting her full attention.

Thank you, truly xshe types. Then she sighs, and before she can change her mind, she hastily types out and sends,

Can we find time to talk after the game? There’s got to be another way. I can’t stand lying to Maeve. Please can I tell her about us? xxx

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