Leopard Skin Cover - 7. Chapter 7

It was the morning of their next practise match. He was getting dressed when a weird feeling swept through him.

He wanted to tell his housemates that he’s gay.

He grimaced at the thought. After their reactions to Tony, he was sure that there would be no long-term problems, but he wasn’t sure how they’d react in the short term. He knew he was different from Tony in their minds.

Tony was a newcomer who had been open from the time he arrived. He, on the other hand, had been concealing things from them.

Tony had entered their world as a gay man. He had not.

Tony was working hard to gain the trust of the team. He, on the other hand, had the team’s trust already, but would he lose it if he revealed his lies?

In addition to that problem, the more people who knew the truth, the less chance it had of staying a secret. That raised his greatest fear of being in the media spotlight for the wrong reasons.

He needed to talk to someone to help him sort out his mind.

After making sure that the door to his room was locked, he went to his bedside table and picked up his phone. He dialled Tony’s number.

“G’day!”

He smiled. As promised, Tony never said his name when he answered the phone. That gave him the option to indicate who he was calling as.

“Hi, Tony. This is Ken. Are you free for a chat?”

“Yeah, I’m free. I’m just at home with Alex, getting ready for the drive down to Port Melbourne. And just in case you’re worried, Alex isn’t coming. He’s not that interested in VFL, so there’s no chance he’ll see you there.”

“Thanks, mate. I really appreciate that.”

“Now, what did you want to chat about?”

He paused, suddenly unsure if this is what he wanted to do.

“Ken?”

He blurted out his question before he lost his nerve. “What do you think about telling my housemates?”

“Shit, you don’t ask easy questions. Okay, firstly, only you can make that call. If you trust them, you’ll be fine. If they react badly, though, the odds are the rest of the team will know within twenty-four hours. I know you don’t want that.”

“You know them. Do you trust them?”

There was a lengthy pause. “I’ve only known them for a few days, but personally, yes, I trust them. For you, however, no, I don’t. There’s a good chance at least one of them will see it as a breach of trust. In fact, I can almost guarantee that someone you know will see your coming out as a betrayal, even if it’s not one of your housemates. You, more than most people, need to be ready to deal with that reaction.”

He grimaced as he recognised the truth in Tony’s appraisal. It agreed with his own thoughts. “Does this mean that you don’t think I’ll ever be able to come out?”

“No! You’ll be able to do it, but you’re going to have to wait until you’re ready to come out fully. You might be able to come out slowly, but until you’re ready to come out to everyone, the risk is high. How do you feel about it? Do you have enough faith in your housemates for them to keep the secret?”

He sighed. “No. They’re great mates, but you’re right. There’s a big risk of someone losing their trust in me.”

“Cheer up! It’s only going to be a matter of time before you’re ready. You’ve only been out to me for just under a week. There’s plenty of time.”

He thought about the possible consequences of coming out. “For the sake of the club, maybe I’m better waiting until the end of the season. No matter what, if I come out now or during the season, it’ll disrupt the team, and I don’t know how long we’ll take to recover from that. We can’t afford to lose matches while that happens because everyone will point the finger at me as the reason.”

Tony’s reply was hesitant. “I see what you’re saying, but can you wait until the end of the year to tell anyone else? Maybe you need to find someone on the team you can trust? It doesn’t have to be one of your housemates. Roger looks like a safe bet to me. Well...at least as safe as anyone. You can start putting the groundwork in place for when you’re ready to come out to the team.”

“I’m...I’m not sure.”

“I think you need to relax. Do you want to go to the nightclub tonight?”

“No! That’s...” He felt a rising fear. “No, I can’t afford it. I can’t afford to get caught.” Both knew that there was an unspoken ‛again’ at the end of that statement.

“It’s okay. I only suggested it because you’re getting uptight. You’re stressing about coming out, but we started this conversation because you’re thinking about it. The nightclub would be a good place for you to unwind.”

“No. Maybe in a few weeks but not now. I’ve got to focus on my football. Coming out comes second.”

“I understand. It’s your life, and you need to do this carefully. For you in particular, it’s not something to do on an impulse.”

He firmed his resolve. “I’ve kept it hidden this long. I can keep it hidden until the end of the season.”

After he hung up, his shoulders slumped as he recognised that he was lying. Coming out to Tony, even though it had been involuntary, had opened a hole in the wall that surrounded his true self. The pressure on that wall was building now that there was a weak spot. It would be a struggle to keep that wall intact until the football season was over.

He would need to redouble his efforts at maintaining a façade to keep his teammates in the dark.

* * *

Peter glanced around the visiting team’s change rooms at the North Port Oval, the home ground for the Port Melbourne football club, also known by their nickname: The Borough. The Leopards were waiting, an air of anticipation as they watched their head coach.

“As we discussed last night, we’re going to focus on controlling the midfield. We want to block up the middle so tight that their only line of attack is to kick long. Todd, Paul – you need to make sure those kicks aren’t marked. Jarrod, your job is to pick up the loose ball and get it back to the midfield.”

Peter turned to his midfielders. “Ty, Jim, Charlie – we need you to control the centre. Our whole strategy depends on making sure they can’t get the ball past you. Ryan, Dave, Euan, keep on your men and don’t let them get away from you. Push forward when you need to, but when they’ve got possession, I want you tighter on your opponent than glue.

“Ollie, I know you’re uncomfortable on the forward line, but we’re all confident you’ll rise to the challenge. Use your speed to get free and look for either the quick pass or set yourself up for the shot.”

Peter continued to give instructions for the next five minutes, reinforcing the post-training discussions from the night before.

“Okay, guys. Let’s go out there and show them what the Leopards are made of,” Peter said.

There was a cheer from the assembled team before Roger led them out of the change rooms and onto the oval.

Peter, Will and Julie followed them out and then headed across to the coach’s area. Once there, Peter paused as he saw one familiar face sitting nearby with two strangers.

“G’day, Tony. Glad to see you could make it.” Peter glanced at the two guys next to Tony. Both were in their late thirties or early forties but otherwise were a study in contrasts. The one closest to Tony was balding but with a heavy muscular build that revealed long hours in a gym. The other guy was slightly overweight and had shoulder-length black hair tied back in a pony-tail.

“Hey, this was one of the perks of the job: seeing all the matches and inviting sponsors or future sponsors along whenever I can.” Tony turned to the two guys sitting next to him. “Matt, Gary, this is Peter, the Leopards’ head coach. Peter, Matt and Gary are, as of Thursday night, sponsoring Jarrod.”

Peter smiled as he shook hands with both guys. “Thanks for this, guys. I really appreciate what you’re doing for the club. Jarrod’s been stressing for the last month, and hopefully he’ll be able to relax now and concentrate more on his football.”

Matt, the balding gym junkie, smiled back. “It wasn’t a hard decision. Both Gary and I are keen on sports, though Gary tends to watch more than he plays,” he said, nudging his partner. “When Tony first approached us, we were interested, and Jarrod presented himself exceptionally well when we met him. We’re only committing for this year, but if it works out on both sides as we expect, we’ll be more than happy to sponsor a player next year, too.”

Peter grinned. “That’s great but if you’ll excuse me, I need to get on with my job. Tony, feel free to bring Matt and Gary around to the change rooms after the game if you like. Hopefully, we’ll be celebrating, and they can join in.”

“Thanks, Peter. Hopefully, we’ll be there.”

Peter noticed that Tony seemed uneasy but pushed his observation to the back of his mind. He needed to focus on the game that was about to start.

* * *

“Come on, you stupid umpire. That was a clear push in the back .Where did you leave your seeing-eye dog?”

Tony looked at Matt in surprise and then caught Gary grinning. Gary motioned to Tony, and the two took a step away.

“Thanks for inviting us, Tony. Matt’s having the time of his life.”

“He doesn’t sound happy.”

Gary chuckled. “He’s not swearing. If he was, then you’ll know he’s angry. At the moment he’s just reliving dreams of playing football himself through Jarrod, and he’s having a ball.”

Tony grinned. “We want sponsorship to be a win-win situation for everyone concerned.”

Gary laughed. “You don’t have to sell the idea to us; we’re already sold. Say, does the coach know that Matt and I are gay?”

Tony frowned. “I don’t know. Why?”

“It’s about that offer to come around to the change rooms after the match. Some people wouldn’t be happy with some gay guys being there.”

Tony shrugged. “Peter knows I’m gay, and you’ll notice I was invited, too. Also, one of the coaches is female, and she’ll be there for a bit, too. No one’s said anything to me, but my plan is to leave at the same time as Julie. The guys seem comfortable with me, but I don’t want to deliberately push them too hard.”

Gary nodded. “Sound reasonable, but if you get a chance to double-check before the end of the game, I’d appreciate it. We don’t want to cause any problems.”

“I’ll try, but I don’t know if I’ll get the chance. I don’t want to distract the coaching team.”

“Fair enough.”

“How about calling holding-the-man a few times, ump? You’re letting them get away with murder!”

The two guys glanced at Matt and then each other. Gary grinned. “Changing the topic, when are you getting rid of that pile of shit you’re driving and getting a real car?”

Tony shook his head. “If you’re trying to sell me a car, I can’t afford a BMW, Gary. I’m not on that big a salary. And that ‛pile of shit’, as you called it, is fine and it’s going to last me a long time.”

“It’s still a pile of shit.”

“Compared to a current model BMW, okay, but it’s a decent car.”

Gary, still smiling, cocked his head. “When you’re ready to upgrade to a real vehicle, let me know. We might even put Jarrod in charge of selling it to you.”

Tony laughed. “I wouldn’t do that to Jarrod. You’d fire him as soon as you saw how much he sold it to me for.”

Gary nodded. “That’s what I was hoping to hear.”

Tony blinked. “What?”

“Go, Jarrod! Make ’em pay for that rubbish kick!”

Gary glanced out over the oval at where Jarrod was chasing down a loose ball, leaving two Port Melbourne players in his wake. “Thursday night, when Jarrod met Matt and me, we got the impression that the Leopards are almost like a family to him. Both of us understand the importance of family, and we treat our employees in the same way. You sold us on sponsoring Jarrod for this year, but it was Jarrod who sold us on the idea of supporting the Leopards. We both believe in family, even if it’s not a family related by blood. Unless something unexpected crops up, we’ll continue to support the Leopard family like our own.”

* * *

Eric Blackman did his best to hide his nervousness, but he couldn’t stop his palms from becoming sweaty. As president of the Lilydale Leopards, he had invited one of the club’s major sponsors to the game: Richard Lyons, the sixty-two-year-old CEO and owner of Lyons Automotive Supplies.

The cause of Eric’s worry was the scowl on Richard’s face, a face framed by grey hair cut short on top and a small, trimmed goatee on the chin.

“It’s great to win, isn’t it Richard? A good, hard-fought game.” Eric tried to put as much enthusiasm as he could into his statement, but throughout the game against Port Melbourne he had been painfully aware of the dour-faced older gentleman sitting next to him. In previous seasons, Richard hadn’t been reserved about showing his enthusiasm. The contrast in behaviour was disturbing.

Richard grunted while keeping his eyes on the players leaving the ground. “We won by only seven points. Port Melbourne finished in the middle of the ladder last season, so that’s telling me that the Leopards are only a middling team this year. That’s not a great result, especially as we struggled to even win by that much.”

“Now, that’s unfair. We were leading for effectively the whole game. The Boroughs started to come back at the end, but there was no real chance of them getting in front.”

“Against an even slightly better side, the result could’ve been very different. I’m not impressed, Eric.”

“It’s only the second practise match, Richard. We’ll improve from here, you can be sure of that.”

Richard turned his frown on Eric. “The same could be said of the opposition. No, if the team’s not performing during the preseason, they’re going to struggle to do better in the main season.”

Eric did his best to hide his concern. Richard hadn’t been as pessimistic the previous year when the team had had a very poor start.

“Most teams are simply consolidating what they’ve already got. We’re working on expanding our on-field options and widening the challenge we’re presenting to the other teams. That takes longer to achieve, so we’ve got more scope for improvement than they do.”

Richard snorted. “There’s also the risk that you’re not going to achieve that goal. If you don’t, you’ll be even further behind the other teams.”

Eric caught the change in pronoun. Richard was no longer including himself as part of the club but was speaking of the team as an external entity.

“We’ll get there. Peter’s very optimistic that the team will achieve what he’s set out and that it’ll happen before the main season starts next month.”

Richard turned his attention back to the oval, watching the Leopards’ coaching team following the players into the change rooms. “The Leopards have always been a strong, tough team. It’s only with the advent of that girl that they’ve changed. Now they’re no longer manning up against their opponents but are running around like a bunch of fairies. She’s a bad influence on Peter, Eric. You need to get rid of her and replace her with someone who knows how the game is played.”

Eric had been hearing variations of that statement since the time that the board had, on Peter’s recommendation, decided to hire Julie. Richard had been a major sponsor of the club for more than two decades, and his opinion needed to be respected. Eric was also painfully aware of Peter’s views on the subject, and he had the difficult task of placating both sides.

“Peter tells me that we need to broaden our skills. We’ll still be manning up when it’s required, but it doesn’t always work. If it did, we’d’ve been premiers for the last couple of decades. Everyone knows the Leopards are the physically toughest team in the competition–”

“Not any more,” Richard interrupted as he turned back to look at Eric. “The team faded at the end of last week and again this week. They’re not tough enough, and that’s because you’ve got a girl trying to train men!”

“Peter said that’s because we’ve only had two coaches for most of the preseason conditioning. Now that we’re back to three, they’re redoubling on the fitness training, and it’s starting to show results.”

“I don’t believe it. Peter’s a great guy and an experienced coach, but he’s obviously listening to someone who doesn’t know what they’re talking about. You don’t do your fitness training during the preseason matches, but that’s clearly what that girl’s telling him to do. I’m sorry, Eric, but I’m not impressed.”

“Give us time, Richard. The main season is still four weeks away. Give us until then.”

Richard frowned. “You know my position. Toyota announced last month that they were ceasing car manufacturing in Australia in 2017. With Ford and Holden also closing their manufacturing plants here in Melbourne in two- to three-years’ time, I’m going to lose my three major customers. I need to reposition my company now if I don’t want it to fold when I can’t sell to the car manufacturers any more. I could use the money I currently invest into the Leopards to try to save my company and the jobs of my employees.

“I’ve been a loyal supporter for a long time, Eric, but I’m feeling the financial strain. If I had hope in the club that this would be the year when we regain our former glories, then I’d find a way to keep funding the Leopards, but as it is...” Richard shook his head.

“As I said, give us until the main season starts. You’ll see; we’ll be the team you’re looking for.”

Richard sighed. “I won’t make the decision to pull out just yet, but I’m going to review the situation regularly. If… and I’m hoping it’s an if and not a when …if I lose faith in the team, I’m going to have to withdraw my support. I have responsibilities to my company, too, and they outweigh my loyalty to the Leopards.”

Eric tried to put on a confident smile but suspected it looked plastic. “I’m sure that won’t happen. The team is going to do well this year.”

Internally, Eric’s stomach was churning. The stakes for the club had just risen higher than he’d hoped.

* * *

The Leopards settled down in an informal circle around the head coach. Everyone was in a good mood. Jarrod was grinning; it was the first win of his VFL career, even if it was only a practise match.

“Great game, guys!” Peter was beaming as he glanced around the change room. “We’ll let the supporters in soon, but I wanted to highlight a few things first.”

He nodded to Oliver. “Feeling more confident now, Ollie? Three goals for your debut on the forward line isn’t to be sneezed at.”

Ollie shrugged, though he couldn’t keep a grin from his face. “They were all in the first half, two in the first quarter. I didn’t do much for the rest of the game.”

“You contributed. The Boroughs made the mistake of trying to concentrate on restricting Roger. You and Deon made them regret that decision by more than making up the difference. They had to change their defence, and that opened things up for Roger later on in the game.” Peter grinned at Deon. “Nice kicking, Deon. Four goals and lots of assists. Well done!”

Jarrod and the rest of the team cheered Deon and Ollie. The players closest to them gave them slaps on the back or high fives of congratulations.

Once the team’s cheers died down, Peter turned to the next player. “Dave, I don’t know what happened out there, but do it again next week. That’s the toughest I’ve ever seen you play, and that was already a high standard to beat. I think you shut down the entire left wing by yourself; they wouldn’t kick the ball anywhere near you in the second half. Just be careful; a couple of those bumps were getting close to being reportable.”

Dave ducked his head, apparently embarrassed, though Jarrod had his doubts, and his cheer was half-hearted, though most of the team didn’t notice. Jarrod caught Owen’s eye, and the two exchanged a knowing look. Dave had still been in a down mood that morning, and it was apparent to them that Dave’s heightened level of aggression was directly related to the emotional anguish he’d been experiencing for most of the week. Charlie and Jarrod had spoken quietly before the game. They had been concerned as to whether he would be capable of playing, but Dave had flipped from melancholy to steely resolve before they left home. That had further evolved into outright aggression once the game started, to the dismay of the Port Melbourne players nearby.

“Overall, a great effort by everyone. However...”

The room when quiet with Peter’s serious tone and drawn out last word.

“We still faded in the last quarter. So, I’m calling a special training session for tomorrow afternoon at two. For everyone who can make it, I want to see you at the Akarana Road car park at Lilydale Lakes. We’re going to spend a couple of hours running laps around the lake. We’re going to do the same for an hour on Tuesday and Thursday nights at six. I expect everyone to make at least one of those sessions. No one is to do more than two; I don’t want anyone burning out.”

Jarrod groaned with the rest of the team, but he recognised that it was necessary. He’d felt himself slowing down in the last quarter, and they couldn’t afford that against the tougher teams.

“Okay, that’s enough doom and gloom. We played well, and we’re only going to get better. We’re going to make the other teams in the competition worry every time they’re up against us. This is the year of the Leopards!”

With that, the original buoyant mood returned to the change rooms. Everyone was still cheering when Will let the supporters in.

Jarrod was enthusing over some of the plays with Todd when he felt a slap on the back.

“Great game, Jarrod!”

Jarrod turned around, and his eyes widened. “Matt, Gary! What are you doing here?” He noticed Tony standing behind them as he shook first Matt’s and then Gary’s hand.

Matt laughed. “Did you think we weren’t going to see you play? Tony invited us along for the match, and your coach suggested we drop in afterwards.”

Jarrod grinned. “It’s good to see you. Matt, Gary, this is Todd. Todd, these are the guys who are sponsoring me.”

Todd stuck out his hand. “Pleased to meet you. Jarrod’s been talking about you almost nonstop since Thursday night.”

“All good things, I hope.” Matt smiled at Jarrod. “He certainly impressed us, not only on Thursday but also in the way he played today.”

Jarrod shrugged while avoiding eye contact. He knew his face was red. “The whole team had a good game. We’re really starting to click.”

“Jarrod’s right about the clicking, but he played well, too. It wouldn’t have worked if he hadn’t done his part,” Todd said. “Paul and I are concentrating on spoiling our opponents, and Jarrod’s picking up the loose balls that result. It’s working better than I’d expected.”

Matt nodded. “It was quite effective. Port Melbourne had a lot of trouble getting scoring shots with the defence you guys put up.” He glanced past them, and a slight frown appeared on his face. “Time for us to go, I think.” He smiled at Jarrod. “We’ll make it to as many games as we can, Jarrod. You’re doing us proud.”

As Matt and Gary walked away, Jarrod turned around, wondering what had happened behind him. He saw a couple of teammates starting to get undressed, but it took him a moment to realise that that was probably the reason for his sponsors’ departure. The room was still full of supporters, including wives and girlfriends, but Jarrod caught sight of Julie and Tony also leaving the change room.

Some of the team weren’t shy about getting ready for a shower while there were still women in the change room, but Jarrod wasn’t alone in waiting until he was in the shower room itself before stripping naked. What he was struggling to work out in his own mind was if there was any difference in how he felt about stripping in front of gay guys as well as wives and girlfriends.

* * *

Oliver picked up his jacket from the hall stand. “I’m off, guys. See you either late tonight or sometime tomorrow.”

Paul looked up from where he was watching the television as Oliver walked out the front door and then frowned at Todd who was lying lengthwise on the couch. “Aren’t you going, too?”

Todd shook his head. “Not tonight. Ollie’s got a double date with Ryan and Fiona. I’m going to have a night in.” He stretched. “The game took more out of me than I wanted to admit.”

Paul swallowed. He had been expecting Todd to leave with Oliver and hadn’t prepared a backup plan. “So you’re going to bed early?”

Todd shrugged. “Probably. Certainly before midnight, at least.”

Paul turned away so Todd wouldn’t see his grimace. He started thinking furiously, as he only had a short time before he’d have to leave, too. He noticed in passing that Todd spoke to someone on the phone, saying he was staying home, but Paul spent most of his time checking for holes in the cover story he was concocting.

Fifteen minutes later, after he was sure that the guys heading into the city would have caught the train, he stood up. “You know, maybe it’s time to move on. I think I’ll get changed and go out tonight.”

Todd glanced over and smiled. “Sounds good, mate. You’ve been moping about Rochelle for long enough. Go and get yourself laid.”

Pleased that he’d talked himself past Todd, Paul headed to his room to get ready for the night. The best part, from his perspective, was that he’d be able to take his car and wouldn’t need a taxi to get home.

* * *

Ty frowned as he glanced around. The group was significantly smaller than the previous week. “Anyone still to come?”

“Just Todd,” Jarrod said.

“What about Dave?” Ty asked.

“Dave’s not coming. He’s hanging around the house like a bad smell and didn’t want to go out,” Jarrod said.

Ty pulled out his phone. “I’ll check on Todd.”

A short conversation later, Ty frowned. “Todd’s a no-show as well. The old guys seems to be feeling their age this week.”

“Hey! Twenty-three’s not that old.” Ward Peters grinned.

Ty snorted before grinning back. “We all know that we’re at our sexual peak at eighteen. You old farts are on the downhill slide, so it’s not surprising that not all of you can keep up.”

Ward flipped him a middle finger. “Let’s compare the scoreboard tomorrow afternoon while we’re on the run around the lake. I think I’ll still have you beat, Ty. Don’t discount experience.”

Ty rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but it doesn’t matter how many different ways you know how to do it if you can’t get it up in the first place.”

Ward laughed. “We’ll see...we’ll see.”

“What have you got planned for this week, Ty? Bar 20 again?” Charlie asked eagerly.

Ty grinned. “You’re getting addicted to that place, Charlie. Maybe you should go cold turkey and skip it.”

Charlie frowned. “Does that mean no?”

“I’ve got comp passes again, if you want them, but, yeah, I was thinking of going straight to Fusion instead.”

“How come? And how do you always manage to score complimentary passes?”

Ty shrugged. “One of the bouncers who works there is someone I went to school with. As for why I was thinking of skipping it this time, that’s a little complicated.”

“We’ve got an hour on the train. Is that long enough to explain it?” Ward asked. “I didn’t think I’d ever see the time you’d miss out on seeing the girls strut their stuff.”

“Okay, maybe it’s not that complicated.” Ty glanced around. As he continued in a lower voice, the other guys gathered close to hear him.

“I’ve come to realise that going to Bar 20 first has been getting us all excited.”

“That’s the whole point!” Ward said.

Ty stared down at him for a moment. “Maybe for you, but for us young guys, it’s obviously been making us look so awesome we’ve been scaring off too many girls when we move onto the nightclubs. If we skip Bar 20, we’ll merely look fantastic, and we’ll have more girls hanging around for us to choose from before they learn how great we really are.”

He grinned while the guys chuckled. “All of us except Ward, of course. He’s so old he needs to go to Bar 20 to get him to a point where the girls start paying attention to him.”

Everyone, including Ward, laughed out loud. When Ty looked around at the sound of the approaching train, though, Ward took advantage of the distraction to grab Ty’s right arm and twist it up behind his back.

“You’re learning, Ty, but you still can’t match us older guys for experience. You’re too easily side-tracked and can’t manage the concentration needed to keep the girls coming back for more.”

Ty grinned over his shoulder. “Unlike you, I don’t need them coming back. I’ve got so many falling over themselves for me that I can take a new one whenever I want and not run out. Now, if you want a comp pass to see the girls strip, you’d better let me go, or you’ll be girl-less all night.”

Ward gave Ty a small shove forward and let go of his arm. “I’ll take the pass but only so you can have a head start at the nightclub before I show up. You need all the advantage you can get if you’re going to score once I’m there.” Ward and Ty grinned at each other.

A couple of minutes later, once they were on the train heading towards the city, Ty was handing out the complimentary passes. He paused when he reached Charlie. “You want one?”

Charlie looked at the pass and then at Ty. “Are you really going straight to Fusion?”

Ty shrugged. “At the moment. I might change my mind when I get there.”

Charlie stared at the ticket in Ty’s hand for a moment longer, then shook his head. “In that case I’ll pass, too. You don’t mind if I hang out with you, instead?”

Ty started to grin, then let the expression fade as he sensed something wasn’t quite right. “Are you okay?”

Charlie shrugged but didn’t meet Ty’s gaze. “Yeah, I’m fine. Are you okay with me sticking with you?”

Ty nodded slowly. “Sure, Charlie. Whatever you want.”

* * *

Todd alternated for almost an hour between wandering around the empty house and trying to find something to watch on the television. He stopped when he finally accepted that he was resisting the urge to do what he really wanted to do.

“Fuck it!”

He reached for his phone and sent a text before heading to his room to get changed, hoping for a good response. He was about to put on a clean shirt when his phone buzzed to announce the receipt of a new message. He grinned as he read the reply. Moving to the bathroom, he took a picture of himself while topless, and sent it off.

Ten minutes later, he was whistling as he locked the house. He was still grinning with anticipation when he drove out of the driveway on his way to his rendezvous.

* * *

Ty was carrying a beer, a vodka Cruiser, and a cup of Southern Comfort and Coke cradled in a triangle between his two hands when a stranger in the nightclub turned suddenly and knocked the drinks into Ty’s chest.

“Fuck!” Ty glared down at the beer and mixed drink on the floor, minus the parts that were soaked into his shirt, and then at the young man in the light-blue top that had bumped into him. It was only his quick reflexes that had allowed him to keep hold of the Cruiser bottle.

“Sorry, man. I didn’t see you there.”

Ty used his now free right hand to grab the guy’s shirt and yanked him forward. “Sorry doesn’t cut it, mate.”

The stranger put up his hands and tried to push Ty away, with no success. His eyes opened wide, and his face went pale. “It was an accident, honest. Look, I’ll buy you new drinks to replace the ones I spilt, but I didn’t mean to do it.”

Ty snarled down at the shorter guy and then noticed how his fist was stretching the stranger’s shirt to almost ripping. Hearing, but not listening to, the other guy’s whining pleas, Ty knew he was going too far. Resisting the urge to shove the young man onto the floor, he forced his hand to let go.

“Get the fuck out of here. I don’t want to see you again.”

The stranger scooted away before Ty could change his mind. Ty stood there for a moment, and then, after a quick glance around to make sure the nightclub security weren’t headed in his direction, moved towards where Charlie, Jarrod, and the girls they’d met were waiting.

Ty passed the vodka Cruiser to one of the girls. “Brenda, here’s your drink. Sorry, Shelley, but some guy knocked your glass and my beer out of my hands. I’m going have to go back and get another one.”

Shelley smiled as she placed a hand lightly on Ty’s left bicep. “Don’t bother, I’ll get it. You should go and see if you can wash the drinks out of your shirt before it gets ruined.”

“You’re probably right.” Ty grimaced and then stripped off the wet shirt, ignoring the small gasps of appreciation from the two girls. “I’ll be right back.”

Ty worked his way through the crowd, smiling at the girls who gave him admiring glances as he passed. He ignored the handful of guys who were doing similar. A couple of minutes later, he was in the toilets, using a wash basin to rinse out his shirt.

After wringing some of the water out, he held up the shirt and frowned at the light-brown patch that still showed in the middle.

“Coke spill?” a voice asked from behind him.

Ty looked over his shoulder at a young man with an extensive abstract tattoo on his right arm and what looked like a spiderweb tattoo on the left side of his neck. The guy walked up and started to wash his hands at the basin next to Ty.

“Yeah. Some arsehole wasn’t looking where he was going.” Ty pushed the shirt under the tap again, rubbing slightly as the water ran over the cloth.

“I learnt my lesson a few months ago when I was carrying a glass of red wine for my girlfriend. Now I only wear clothes that will hide the stain.” He glanced across and frowned. “You probably don’t want to hear this, but the drink got on your pants, too.”

Ty glanced down. “Shit!” The khaki pants had been his favourite. The shirt has been covered the top of his pants before, and he hadn’t noticed that the drink had soaked through. He also saw a few spots further down the pant legs.

“Sorry.” The other guy moved over to the air blower to dry his hands.

“It’s not your fault.” Ty shook his head. “Maybe I should’ve clobbered the guy.”

“It’s only a stain. A pain in the arse, yeah, but not that big a deal.” He hit the button on the dryer, effectively ending any further conversation as the noise filled the room.

Ty checked his shirt again, but the stain was still visible. He tried using his shirt to dab at his pants, but all that did was to spread the marks and make it look like he’d wet himself. Frustrated, he tried drying the shirt with the blower but quickly realised it would take too long.

After a moment’s thought, Ty folded the shirt and then hung it from the front of his pants. He checked himself in the mirror to make sure that most of the stains were covered by the damp shirt and then headed back, bare-chested, into the nightclub to join his friends.

“Sorry, guys, but I think I’ll call it a night. I need to go home and wash these clothes if I’m ever going to have a chance of wearing them again.”

Charlie pulled out his phone and glanced at the time. “It’s not even midnight! Come on, Ty, it’s still early.”

Ty grinned as he noticed how closely Shelley was sitting to Charlie. “It’s okay. I think I can stand an early night once in a while.” He bent over and gave Shelley a kiss on the cheek. “Look after Charlie for me, Shelley,” he whispered.

She gave him a hug, holding on for a little longer than necessary as she put her mouth next to his ear. “Sure thing, Ty, though I wish you were staying.”

Ty gave Brenda a hug and a peck on the cheek before bumping fists with Jarrod and Charlie. “See you later, guys!”

A few minutes later, Ty was standing outside Crown Entertainment Complex on the south bank of the Yarra River. Resisting a shiver as the cool night air hit his bare skin, Ty was about to start looking for a taxi when he saw a train passing by on elevated tracks on the other side of the river. He paused; he normally left the city well after the train service had ended and hadn’t considered other options for the trip home. Shrugging, he headed east along the riverside promenade before crossing over the second of the pedestrian bridges to the Flinders Street Station. A train would be a lot cheaper than a taxi.

Ty was philosophical about the cooling night. Summer had been good, but with the approach of winter came the start of the football season. In the meantime, the air was still warm enough that being topless was merely a discomfort that he was able to ignore, at least for awhile.

Once at the railway station, Ty scanned the boards for the platform for the next train to Lilydale. He scowled slightly when he realised he had fifteen minutes to wait for the next train, but then he shrugged and headed to platforms 2/3.

Ty was mildly surprised at the number of people waiting for the train. He had expected there to be almost none since it was early for the nightclubbers and late for the diners. He’d never been at the train station at that time of night before.

After sitting for a couple of minutes on the ground with his back to one of the poles that supported the roof over the platform, Ty started to feel a chill. He rose and started pacing up and down, hoping that the mild exercise would be enough to keep the cool night air at bay.

He was near the middle of the platform, rubbing his arms to warm them, when he heard a raised voice.

“If you’re cold, putting your shirt on might help.”

Ty turned and saw a pleasant-looking young woman around his own age sitting on the ground and smiling up at him. He grinned. “I would if the shirt wasn’t wet, but I think I’d be even colder if I put it on now.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Where’ve you been? A wet T-shirt contest? I didn’t know they did those for the guys.”

He laughed. “No. I had a set of drinks spilt on me, and then I tried to wash out the stain.” He pulled the shirt from out of his pants and held it up for her.

“Ah...I see.” She stood up and took off the thin, woollen, light-green jacket she was wearing. “Put this over your shoulders.”

Ty paused before accepting it from her and then tucked his shirt back into his pants. “Thanks.” He draped the jacket over his shoulders with the arms crossed over his chest and the body hanging down over his back. “Can I ask why an attractive young woman like yourself is here at the train station alone at this time of night?”

She grinned. “Sure. I finished my shift at the hospital about forty minutes ago, and I’m about to head home for some much needed rest.”

“You’re a nurse?” Ty was unsure.

“Nope. I work as a clerk in the medical-records department. Our job main job is to get the records together for the A&E department.”

Ty glanced up at the screen showing the details of the next train. “I’m on the next train. Are you catching that one, or a later one?”

She smiled. “Same as you, it seems. I’m getting off at Ringwood.”

“I’m heading all the way to Lilydale.” Ty smiled. “Would you like some company for the trip?”

She tapped the side of her lips. “Let see...a boring trip by myself or sitting opposite some young hunk that likes to show off his muscles while wearing ladies clothing. Tough choice.”

Ty whipped off the jacket and held it out to her. “The ladies clothing part is optional, if you prefer me without. I’m Ty, by the way.”

She laughed. “Put it back on until we’re on the train, where it’ll be warmer. I’m Karen.”

Ty used the jacket as a mock cape, making a crude attempt at a courtly bow. “Pleased to meet you, Milady.”

She grinned. “Now I know how Julia Roberts felt.”

Ty frowned. “In Pretty Woman?”

She laughed. “No, in Mirror, Mirror, when she played the evil queen and the half-naked prince was standing in front of her. She couldn’t concentrate and had to get someone to get him a shirt.”

Ty shrugged, giving her a wry smile. “I’ll take the jacket for now unless you’ve got a spare shirt hiding somewhere.”

“No. I think I’ll live with being distracted.” Karen smiled. “It’s much nicer than listening to my iPod on the way home.”

“I don’t suppose you know what I have to do when I get to Ringwood. The screen says I have to change trains, but I’ve never had to do that when I’ve travelled in from Lilydale. I don’t normally catch trains this late.”

“Just change platforms. There’ll be a train waiting for the Lilydale passengers, and it’ll take you the rest of the way. I don’t know why they do that for the late trains, but they do.”

“Thanks. If the worst happens, it’s not too expensive a taxi ride from Ringwood to Lilydale.” Ty looked at her. “Are you sure you’re not cold without your jacket?”

“I’m fine.” She grinned. “It looks better on you, anyway.”

“Okay and thanks, though the top’s a bit small for me.” Ty gestured for Karen to sit back down, and then he sat next to her. “Which hospital do you work at?”

“The Royal Children’s Hospital. I really enjoy the work there.”

Ty gave her a quizzical look. “Isn’t the Melbourne Central station closer? What are you doing here at Flinders Street?”

She shrugged. “Habit, mainly. The trains at night go around the City Loop before heading out to Ringwood. Since I’m on the tram coming down from the hospital anyway, I just stay on a couple more stops and catch the train from here. That way I get my choice of seats before the other passengers get on at Southern Cross and Melbourne Central. I probably don’t need to do it that way, but I’ve been doing it each weekend for a year now, and I can’t see the point in changing.”

Ty frowned. “You only work weekends?”

“I’m a student, and this job is to give me spending money for the week. I’m doing a Psychology degree at RMIT.” Karen smiled. “Watch out, or I’ll eventually learn all your hidden secrets.”

Ty grinned. “I’ll give you one for free. One of my teammates is just starting an Applied Science degree at RMIT.”

She grinned back. “He’ll have just finished orientation, then.” She frowned. “Teammate?”

Ty shrugged. “We both play football for the Lilydale Leopards.”

“Never heard of them.” She cocked her head. “Though you certainly have the build of a footballer.”

Ty raised his right hand to his heart. “I’m crushed. Heartbroken. You’ve never heard of the Leopards?”

“Honestly, no. Who are they? A new AFL team?”

Ty winced. “No. I nominated for the AFL draft but didn’t get picked. The Leopards are a VFL team. We played at Port Melbourne this afternoon and won by seven points.”

Karen looked past him and clambered to her feet. “The train’s here, Ty.”

After boarding, Ty let Karen choose a seat and then sat opposite. The interior of the train was warmer than the platform, so he took off the jacket and handed it back.

“I thought the VFL became the AFL years ago,” Karen said.

“It did, but there was another Victorian competition at the time, the Victorian Football Association. What’s happened is the VFA’s been renamed as the VFL, and it’s one of the places from where the AFL recruits new players. Most of the new players come from the under-eighteen competition, the TAC Cup, but there are a number that come from the VFL. The VFL is the level of competition below the AFL, so the best VFL players are potential candidates for the AFL teams in the national draft if they’re looking for someone with a bit more experience.”

Ty pulled a face. “I didn’t get selected in last year’s draft, so this year I’m playing for the Leopards, and I hope I’ll do well enough to get noticed.”

“What are your chances?”

Ty shrugged. “I don’t know. It’ll depend on what the teams are looking for. A good player can be left behind simply because none of the teams need someone with that particular set of skills. My speciality is as a tall defender, trying to stop the big forwards from the other teams. I’ve starting to do some work to allow me to be a part-time midfielder as well, but there are better midfielders out there already, so I won’t get picked by a team looking for those skills.”

They continued to chat for just over thirty minutes, with Ty filling her in on the ins-and-outs of the Victorian Football League and its relationship to the much better known Australian Football League, when Ty realised that they’d just pulled into Box Hill station and they were about fifteen minutes from Ringwood.

He frowned. “I was just thinking. Do you have your car at the train station, or do you walk home?”

Karen’s forehead wrinkled. “It’s only a fifteen minute walk. I only take the car to the station if it’s forecast to rain. Why?”

“How safe is it? It’ll be close to 1 a.m. before we get there.”

She shrugged. “I’ve had no problems so far.”

Ty paused as he tried to word his suggestion in the right way. “I’d be happier if I could escort you home to make sure you’re safe. As a thank you for the jacket,” he added quickly.

She frowned. “I don’t think so.... You seem like a nice guy, Ty, but I think I’d probably be more at risk from you than a random attack. Anyway, Ringwood’s not your stop.”

“I can catch a taxi from the Eastland shopping centre or walk back to the station to catch a later train. I can also make it safe for you if you’re worried.” He grinned. “You can take out some insurance to make sure my intentions are strictly honourable.”

Karen narrowed her eyes. “How?”

“Take a picture of me with your phone and then send it in a text to a friend, saying I’m escorting you home, along with my name: Ty Flanders. That way, if I were to try anything, there’s evidence of who you were with.”

She shook her head. “I only have your word that that’s your real name.”

Ty grinned. “Use your phone to look up the Leopards’ website. You’ll see my name and photo in the player list, which will confirm who I am.”

Ty’s hands were becoming sweaty as he waited for her to decide. Her expression was one of suspicion, and he was about to retract the offer when she smiled.

“Okay, but I want more than one picture. I want one of the two of us, as well.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Just to be clear, you’re only escorting me home. You won’t be coming inside.”

Ty grinned. “That’s all I was expecting.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Okay, I was hoping for more, but I’m happy just to take you home. I wouldn’t mind getting your number, too, so I can see you again.”

She smiled. “Before we do anything, though, you’re going to have to show me your team’s website on your phone. I’m at the download limit on mine and can’t really afford to pay for any more.”

“No problem.” Ty was grinning as he pulled out his phone and moved to the seat next to her. “Let me show you how to find the site so you know I’m not tricking you.”

A few minutes later, Ty was taking photos of the two of them, his arm draped across her shoulders, which he then forwarded to her phone. She wrote a quick text and sent a photo to one of her friends.

The two were discussing when to meet next when her phone beeped. She read the text message and laughed.

“What’s so funny?”

Karen grinned as she started typing out a reply. “She said that after you’ve finished escorting me home, she wants you to escort her for a couple of hours. She doesn’t care where, as long as you keep your shirt off.”

Ty laughed. “What are you telling her?”

“I’m telling her no. I saw you first.” She paused and smiled at Ty for a moment before leaning over and giving him a quick kiss on the lips. “If that’s okay with you?”

Ty grinned. “More than fine with me.” He was happy. It was a very successful night.