Page 24 of Legend

Keegan looks at me, eyes wide. “Are you going to retire, Dad?”

“Not anytime soon.”

“I should hope not!” Mr. Milligan says, beaming at me. “Not after the way you played tonight, lad. You’ve got years left in you.”

“Thanks.”

“Okay, I see you’ve met my parents,” I hear a familiar voice say beside me, and notice Archie has arrived in the family lounge. “Hope you’re not too traumatised.”

“Traumatised?” Mrs. Milligan gasps. “Sweetheart, we were having a lovely conversation. We didn’t mention any of the embarrassing things you told us to steer clear of.”

“Embarrassing things?” I ask curiously.

She gives a dismissive wave. “Oh, he was worried we were going to tell you about how obsessed with you he is.”

“Was, Mum!” Archie practically screeches, his face flaming furiously red. “Was!”

“You still have all his posters up on your wall, don’t you?” she points out.

Archie groans, burying his face in his hands.

“Oh my god, that’s adorable,” Courtney gushes.

“Tom here was Archie’s first crush,” Mr. Milligan informs Courtney, making her beam in delight and Archie screw his eyes closed as though he can stop what’s happening if he can’t see it. “Would’ve only been about Keegan’s age when it started.”

Wow. Because that doesn’t make me feel ancient at all.

“Now, personally, I’ve always fancied Alex Williams more,” Mrs. Milligan says. “No offence, of course, Tom. But our Archie never wavered…”

“They’re both senile,” Archie says to me. “They have no idea what they’re saying.”

My brows shoot up. “Uh huh. Is that why you couldn’t stop staring at my arse the first day of training?”

Courtney lets out a burst of laughter and Archie glances away, cheeks still red. “There was a bee hovering near your shorts. I was just keeping an eye out. What if it stung you and I needed to suck out the venom?”

“I don’t think that’s how it works with bees.” Courtney pipes up.

“You’re not sucking on my arse.”

“Killjoy,” Archie mutters so only I can hear.

This kid really is going to be the death of me.

The next morning, I bring a bowl of cereal over to the couch and flick on the telly just in time forSportsday.Seeing as how we won last night I actually wouldn’t mind hearing what the pundits have to say. No doubt they’ll find something to pick apart—that’s just what pundits do—but there should definitely be more good than bad after our performance last night.

“Wasn’t it great to see the Croydon fans getting behind Archie Milligan last night?” Sanjay asks once he’s done with the opening spiel. “In case you missed it, here’s a little clip.”

The screen cuts to footage of the scene just before last night’s game, and I get the same shivery feeling I had while standing out in the middle of the pitch listening to the song and seeing all the rainbow flags. Never in all my wildest imaginings could I have dreamt a day where a football crowd would do something like that.?

The screen cuts back to the studio, with Justin in the frame now. “It was fantastic, Sanjay. And I’m not ashamed to admit that when they sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” there was a little tear in the corner of my eye. And that was only partly becauseThe Wizard of Ozis a movie that’s terrified me since I was a child.”

“What’s so terrifying aboutThe Wizard ofbloodyOz?”Mike asks.

“What’snotterrifying about it, Mikey?” Justin shoots back. “The deadly tornado? Houses falling on top of people? Dog-napping? Giant, disembodied heads? A lion walking on two legs? Creepy flying monkeys?”

“You were quite a sensitive child, weren’t you?” Mike teases.

“How about we get back to the footy before Justin has a panic attack on live TV,” Sanjay suggests. “As I was saying, brilliant show by the Croydon fans, and what was even better was the way Milligan rewarded them with a stellar first outing in the orange and navy.”

---