Rags 2 Pitches: A Secret Baby Sports Romance Read Online Free PDF

I knew the head trick never worked. I didn’t know why I’d expected it to.
    “Well, maybe around five or so we can meet up. Somewhere near your house.”
    Not if you want your car to still be there when we finish. They would knick the wheels, stereo system and the fucking hood in my area.
    “Let’s meet in Dulwich. There’s a Starbucks there. We can meet around five if you like?”
    Because that’s just before I start my shift. Yep, I’m eighteen and I go to school and have two jobs, but I want to move to Manchester. I want to get away from fucking London and see something other than a fucking coffee cup or stack of fries.
    “Brilliant! See you then.”
    You’re damn fucking right you will! I kept my composure for all of five minutes, thinking about the fact that I might finally be out of there, and knowing that my girl was out made me feel even better.
    We shook hands again and I walked into the changing room, thinking about taking a shower, but then Stewart caught me by surprise. He had been acting like my best friend lately, giving me advice and helping me in more ways than any member of my family. He gave me the biggest hug of my life. I couldn't believe it when the rest of the team cheered for me. It was the first time that they had all treated me as if I was a human being, not as if I was at the bottom of the food chain, and it made me feel good.

    ***

    “I can’t believe it, Nicola,” I said as I held her hand in Maccy D’s (British term for McDonald’s).
    “Wow, you’re really going?” she whispered and I knew that she was happy for me. I knew it must be pretty hard when your boyfriend tells you that he’s going away. Especially when you’ve only been sneaking out and seeing each other on the way back and forth from school.
    “I just didn’t think it would happen so fast,” she mumbled as she took back her hand and played with her fries.
    “It doesn’t mean that it’s happening, I haven’t even spoken to him yet.”
    I couldn’t do this, I was trying to reassure her that I wasn’t going to go away, but I couldn’t stay. I needed to leave and make a better future, not only for myself, but my siblings too. I’d thought that she’d understand it, but as she sat quietly looking out at passing traffic and ignoring my stare, I had a suspicion that she didn’t.
    “Nicola, listen to me. I need to go and make a better future not only for myself but my brothers and sister too.”
    “What about your Mum? They’re her responsibility, not yours. Besides, there’s other clubs in London. Like Arronton, ChelseaWide or Tottenham Pearls.”
    She had been doing her homework, up until a week ago she’d known very little about football and now she was reciting the clubs as if it was one of her dissertations.
    “Look, I’ve been checking them out and, as you can see, ChelseaWide has a better ranking in the premiership then Manchester - especially since Ferguson left.”
    She had a point; since their key manager had left they had been changing like crazy and dropping down the premiership league, but this was an opportunity that I couldn’t afford to miss out on.
    “The only difference is the fact that none of those clubs have been watching me. Do you know how many players want to join first division?”
    She sighed, “No.”
    I went on to explain, “It’s not about which one is out there, it’s about which one is interested and, right now, I don’t have any other offers. No one else is knocking at my door, just this one.”
    “What about WBA, they were interested?”
    Her eyes were bright and I knew what she was doing; sure they were closer to London, but she was missing the point. It was about the status of the club. Sure, WBA was a mid-table Premier League club, but I wanted to play for the top team, the one that plays in Europe and shit. I had watched the Champions League as a kid and that had always been one of my goals. Even better, getting the chance to play for England. There was a