Page 30 of Spark
He jogs away from me and calls for everyone’s attention. We start off with some dynamic stretching as a warm-up. I channel my frustration into the arm circles and lunges and jogging in place. Dotted around the field, members of my over-thirty team follow Cam’s lead and members of the under-thirty team follow Aspen. Our joint practices began last year, when the field’s availability was cut down due to sharing it with a youth sports league and a high school league. What could have been awkward isn’t, we’ve all become really good friends.
Fifteen minutes later, we move on to team skills, defense, attack, break down. I’m working hard, stealing sips of water in between drills, and planning on adding coffee or an energy drink as an extra pick-me-up to my bottle for the next game and practice.
After half an hour, the team splits into two groups, fronts and backs, for our unit skills and scrumming. Even though Cam is with the backs and I’m with the forwards, I’m stuck working close to him as we focus on individual techniques and skills, and build the scrum slowly. Three-man, then five, then the full scrum. I can feel his scrutiny from ten yards away. I hate that I’ve made him worry, and also that he and Herc and who knows how many other guys have felt like they need to keep tabs on me over the past several months.
Thirty minutes later, both groups come together and we begin working on the team structure, concentrating on winning the engagement. I can still feel Cam’s attention, and on top of that, Hercules is watching me like a hawk. I just want practice to be over so I can go home and collapse into bed. But I line up with Owen and nod that I’m ready to begin. We work on footwork and practice scrums between handling drills and in defense. This last segment can last anywhere from thirty to forty minutes. Today, it stretches to fifty because of the time we are taking to explain things to the new guy. All throughout practice, I’ve caught snippets of rules and advice various guys are giving him from the ways you can score in a game to how to safely tackle someone and brace yourself for receiving hits too.
He’s like a sponge, soaking up knowledge. I want to avoid Cam, so I walk over to him after practice ends and most of the team members are congregating on the sidelines. "Hey, man. What did you think of your first practice?"
"There’s a lot to take in, but I had fun." His cheeks are ruddy and his clothes have streaks of dirt and grass, but he’s smiling. "The hardest thing to get used to is passing the ball backwards."
"Yeah, but once you get the hang of it, it’ll be second nature."
He extends his hand. “I’m Apollo.”
“Mateo.” I shake his hand and study his face. I know I’ve seen him somewhere before. Maybe at the club?
“Cam suggested I give rugby a try. We got to talking after we met at his daughter’s birthday party. He tells me that you were there too, but there were so many people that day…”
“There were.” And then it clicks. “You’re the animal guy.”
He grins. “Zoo ambassador, but yeah.”
“My niece and nephew keep talking about the animals and how they want to work with them some day. You made a big impression.”
Apollo ducks his head, seeming both shy and pleased. “Possible future animal ambassadors? I love hearing that. If they’re interested, the zoo has several behind-the-scenes tours that are semi-private meet-and-greets with various animals. I can get them tickets, just let me know which animal they’d like.”
“That would be amazing. I’ll talk to my sister and let you know. See you at the game this Saturday?”
“Yep. Hercules told me that I’ll be on the under thirty team, so I guess we’ll technically be opponents then.”
“Even so, it’s a friendly league. Most of the time, both teams go out together afterward.”
“Good to know, because I like you all already.” Apollo’s gaze swings and spans across the guys and lingers on Hercules before returning to me.
“The guys are great. This is a really supportive group.”
“I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone. See you at the game.” With a wave, Apollo walks away.
"Mateo," Cam calls out, waving me over to him. Doing it this way, in full view of the guys hanging around, ensures I can’t blow him off. Not that I would actually ignore him.
I wave goodbye to Easton and Kade as they pass me and walk over to Cam. "What’s up?"
He throws the mesh bag of balls over his shoulder. "Join Herc and me for dinner? My treat."
I know Cam, this is his way of apologizing. "Thanks, but I’m going to head home."
"Come on, Teo. Please? Olive is at Aileene’s, so I have some extra time." His expression and big, sad eyes remind me of a puppy.
"I…" I sigh and drag the toe of my cleats through the grass. I’m sweaty and tired and sore. "I’m not angry, Cam. But I don’t want to go out somewhere looking like this."
"We can get slices of pizza from the place across the way and sit right here."
The thud of Hercules’s walking boot precedes him as he joins us. I’m so happy to see him walking without wincing in pain. "Might as well give in, Teo. You know how he is."
"Hey." Mock-hurt darkens Cam’s features and he throws one of the balls at Herc. Our former hooker catches it one-handed and fires it back.
I do know how Cam is. He’s generous and kind and cares about his friends. "Okay, one slice."
