Page 68 of Scrum Heat

“It’s nice to have this,” I admit. “Female company, I mean. Someone whose entire scent profile doesn’t scream post-gym euphoria.”

She laughs. “Right? I mean, yeah—Evie’s technically female. But she’s also an alpha. Andterrifying. She’s basically running this club with Tom.” She pauses. “You’ve met Tom, right?”

“You mean the team manager?”

“Yeah. Always has a clipboard, and kind of looks like an exhausted gym teacher from a sports drama?”

“Oh—him! Yes. Big ‘once tackled a goose mid-match’ energy.”

“Exactly.” Harper smiles. “Anyway, Evie’s great, but I wouldn’t exactly text her for a meme or cry about my ex. And it’s been kind of nice having someone around who gets it.”

“Gets what?”

She shrugs. “Being the only sane woman in the room. And pretending not to be flustered every time Theo stretches.”

“Okay, but that’s not even fair,” I laugh. “He stretches on purpose. It’s a trap.”

We clink our drinks and dig into our toasties, and for the first time all day, I remember how much nicer it is to spiral in good company.

“My mother’s still texting me, by the way,” I tell her, opening my messages. “She says Nigel wouldloveto see me.”

Harper snorts. “TheNigel?”

“Oh yes. The man, the myth, and the legend. Did I tell you that he once referred to his own hairline as genetic betrayal and tried to pitch a podcast to my uncle about conspiracy theories in lawn care?”

She chokes on her lemonade.

I sigh. “Honestly, I’d feel worse about ignoring them if he wasn’t so cringe—and weirdly full of himself. He once introduced himself to my cousin’s fiancé by saying that he was the alpha of the house. At Christmas. Over roast potatoes.”

“I’d have gone feral.”

“You don’t know the half of it. He’s abeta,for crying out loud.”

We’re still laughing when the bell over the door jingles, and a group of girls in Alderbridge High uniforms walk in.

One of them clocks me immediately. I try not to act like I’ve noticed, but I watch from my peripheral as she nudges her friend, whispers something, then walks over.

“Hi!” she smiles. “Are you the girl from the Alderbridge RFC videos?”

I nod. “Guilty.”

They light up.

“Oh my god. Welovethem. The one where Theo Blake tries to do that yoga pose and falls over? It’siconic.”

“He’s a character alright,” I laugh.

“It’s amazing how much the socials have really taken off. We’ve been trying to make our own content, but it never gets anywhere.”

“Algorithms are evil,” I say solemnly. “But honestly? It’s not just about trends. People want stories—something that feelsreal. Think less filters, more personality.”

They nod like I’ve just handed them sacred knowledge as one asks if I’ll ever do a Q&A video about how I ended up here.

I shrug. “Maybe. If I ever work out how it happened for myself.”

They laugh, say thank you, then head off to their table, giggling and whispering.

Harper turns to me, smug. “You need to be on camera more.”

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