Leopard Spots - 1. Chapter 1

Jim Henderson stared up at the large red 7 that still glistened from the earlier light rain. He was outside of Channel 7’s Melbourne broadcast studios, just next to Etihad Stadium at the Docklands, and he didn’t want to go inside.

“Come on, Dad. You’re supposed to be in there by eight to get ready to go on TV.” Ty Flanders grabbed Jim’s arm and yanked him a couple of steps forward.

Jim frowned as he pulled his arm away. “Ty, you’d better cut out calling me that while we’re here. Some people may take it the wrong way.”

Ty gave Jim a quizzical look. “Why?”

Jim sighed. “Think about it. You’re eighteen. I’m twenty-one and known to be gay. If you’re heard calling me ‛Dad’, there’s going to be people who’ll think we’re in some sort of kinky relationship.”

Ty grinned. “We are. It’s just not a sexual one. You’ve got Tony, and I’ve got Karen. You’re still my Dad, and I’m your brat. Everyone is just going to have to get used to it.” He glanced around. “Speaking of Tony, I thought he was going to meet us here.”

“We’re still early.” Jim looked across the parkland towards La Trobe Street and then down Harbour Esplanade. He smiled with relief when he spotted a familiar, broad-shouldered figure approaching from the direction of the stadium. “There he is.”

“About bloody time. It was bad enough getting up so early; I don’t want you to be late, too.”

Jim rolled his eyes. “I told you that you didn’t need to come with me.”

Ty shrugged. “I’d prefer to be with Karen, but we both agreed that this was more important. The club still needs money, and you’re here as the VFL’s first gay footballer to promote the Lilydale Leopards Football Club, and hopefully get people to donate enough to keep us going all year.”

“You still didn’t need to be here.”

Ty crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side while grinning. “And take the chance you’d chicken out? No fucking way!” His expression softened. “You hate this, don’t you?”

Jim nodded. “It’s only been two days, but I already feel like I’m under a microscope. I didn’t want to be any sort of celebrity, but that’s how people are treating me.”

Tony was close enough to hear the last part. He stepped forward and gave Jim a hug. “It’ll only be a short while, and then everyone will forget about you. Come on, Jim. We’ve got to strike while the media is interested, because their attention span is notoriously short.”

Jim grimaced. “I know, but I don’t have to like it.”

Ty gave Jim a sharp jab to the bicep. “Get in there, wimp. It’s only a TV show.” He smiled. “I’d love to be on live TV, so I don’t know what you’re complaining about.”

Tony cocked his head. “I could ask if you could go on, too, Ty.”

Ty’s expression transformed into one of panic. “No...No, I don’t think that’s needed. They want Dad, not me.”

Jim chuckled. “You can dish it out, but you can’t take it, brat?”

Ty grinned. “I can take anything you can take – and more.” He frowned as he glanced at Tony. “Well...anything outside of the bedroom.”

Jim laughed as he gave Ty a playful punch in the arm. Jim suspected Ty’s panic had been faked just to get him out of the mood he had been falling in. Whether it was deliberate or not, it had worked. “Okay, guys let’s go in.”

The three entered the building together. Tony took the lead and approached the young woman at the reception desk. “Hi, I’m Tony Hills. I’m here with Jim Henderson. He’s due to appear on Weekend Sunrise this morning. Ty Flanders is also with us.”

The receptionist smiled. “We’ve been expecting you. I’ll just call Derek Walker to come and collect you.”

A couple of minutes later, Derek was shaking hands with the three guys. “Come through and I’ll take you to make-up.” He raised an eyebrow at Tony and Ty as they passed through security. “Will it just be Jim, or will either of you two be going on air, too? It’s okay; we can accommodate that if that’s what you wish. Ty, you’re one of Jim’s teammates, aren’t you?”

Ty nodded. “Also one of Jim’s housemates.” He grinned at Jim. “What do you think? Are you willing to risk me on national TV?”

Jim glanced at Tony and received a smile and small nod in reply. Taking a deep breath, Jim turned back to Ty. “Okay, but remember to watch your mouth. This is a live broadcast.”

Ty pumped his fist. “I’m going to be on TV!”

Jim rolled his eyes, while Tony chuckled. Tony turned to Derek. “He’s a good guy; he just gets enthusiastic at times. His language isn’t bad, so don’t worry about that.”

Derek smiled. “I’ll let the people in Sydney know that Ty will be joining Jim. They’ll probably have a few questions for him during the segment. Do you want to go in front of the cameras, too?”

Tony shook his head. “I’m here as the organiser of Jim’s schedule. As you can appreciate, it’s a pretty busy time for him.”

Derek laughed. “I can imagine.” He smiled at Tony. “I also believe you’re more than just the organiser. Rumours are already flying as to the identity of Jim’s boyfriend since he revealed he had one in that press conference.”

Jim wasn’t sure if his face was going red from blushing or white with fear. He hated the idea of the media prying into his personal life, but he knew he only had himself to blame. He’d been the one to make a comment about meeting someone at the club – a comment he was now regretting.

“What was that about Sydney?” Ty asked.

“Weekend Sunrise is produced in Sydney. We’re going to use the news studio here to crosslink live to Sydney, where Andrew and Monique will interview you.” Derek grinned. “We’ve done this a ton of times; just go with the flow and it’ll work out fine.”

Jim grimaced. The worst part for him was that this was only the start. After Weekend Sunrise, they would be walking over to the Channel 9 studios to do the same thing there. Channel 10 had missed out on the Saturday-morning schedule because their Melbourne studio wasn’t near the other two stations, but Jim was scheduled for an interview on the Studio 10 show on Sunday morning along with a booking to appear on The Project on Monday night. Jim also had a couple of radio broadcasts to do that Saturday morning before he’d be able to return to Lilydale to get ready for that afternoon’s football match.

His life had been taken over by the media.

* * *

Jarrod Green called out to the other guys in the Lowfield Place house that he shared with three other Leopard players. “Jim’s on TV. Ty’s with him!”

Charlie McDonald was the first of the housemates to arrive. He dropped onto the sofa next to Jarrod. “Has he said much yet?”

“They’re just about to start.” Jarrod used the remote control to turn up the volume.

MONIQUE: ...quite a revelation. What made you decide to come out in such a public way?

Dave Islington and Owen Driver arrived at the same time. They both glanced at the television and, without speaking, dropped into the two remaining chairs.

The camera operator had Jim in a close-up, and all of the housemates could see Jim’s momentary grimace.

JIM: There were a number of factors. I was ready to come out, but I was concerned about the impact on my playing career. That’s the way it probably would’ve stayed if one of the club’s major sponsors hadn’t pulled out at short notice. My playing career was going to be over if I didn’t do something, so, to help attract attention to the club’s plight, I came out.

The camera switched back to Andrew, one of Weekend Sunrise’s co-hosts. His smile seemed to portray a sense of approval.

ANDREW: While I think it’s incredibly courageous of you to come out in the way you’ve done, some people would say that this is a particularly cynical way to do it. Aren’t you effectively doing it so you can ask for money?

Jarrod scowled. “It’s not like he wanted to, you bastard. He’s doing this to save the club! Without that money, none of us can play.”

“Settle down, Jarrod,” Owen said. “We all know that, but we all knew that sooner or later someone was going to make that comment. He, at least, looks like he’s willing to be sympathetic.”

Dave glared at the other two. “Shut up. I want to hear this.”

JIM: ...didn’t really have a choice. I think it’s more desperate than cynical. I want to play football, and I’m trying to become good enough to make it into the AFL. I can’t do that unless I’m playing in the VFL. I never wanted to be known as a gay footballer. I just want to be a football player. This is the only way I can do that.

The television picture changed to a split screen, with the co-hosts on the left, and Jim and Ty on the right.

MONIQUE: Ty, how did you react when you learnt that Jim’s gay? Was it a big shock?

TY: It was a huge shock. From what I was told afterwards, I was the first one he told. Jim’s been my mentor at the club, helping me settle in and keeping me on the right track. I’d developed a lot of respect for him, and then he hit me with this. I’ll admit that I didn’t handle it particularly well at first, but Peter, our head coach, had a word with me. He pointed out that Dad was putting his private life on the line for the club so we could all play football. He was doing this for himself, but he was also doing it for everyone in the club. After that, I was fine.

MONIQUE: Did you just call Jim ‛Dad’?

“Oh, shit. Now he’s done it,” Jarrod said. He could see that both Andrew and Monique were frowning.

Dave glared. “Shut the fuck up!”

Ty’s momentary expression of panic was replaced with a smile. Jim’s expression was still one of concern.

TY: Yes, I did. That’s his nickname at the club. Originally, I gave it to him as an insult because he had to come down heavy on me when I was going out of control. Then I started using it because he tells me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear. He’s one of the most respected guys in the club, and I’ve managed to convince almost everyone to call him ‛Dad’ because he’s that sort of person. I had some problems when I found out he hadn’t told me he’s gay, but I got over that because it really doesn’t make any difference. He’s still the person who earned my respect, even if he hadn’t told me he’s gay.

Ty frowned and turned to Jim, ignoring the camera. Jim appeared a trifle less anxious than before Ty spoke, but there was still an aura of tension about how he held himself.

TY: That reminds me. Dad, I’ve got something to tell you: I’m straight. I hope that’s okay.

Jim laughed, and he visibly relaxed.

JIM: Brat.

Jim turned back to the camera and gave a wry smile.

JIM: I didn’t like being called ‛Dad’, but Ty’s stubborn, so I’ve had to get used to the name. Ty’s even managed to get our head coach to call me ‛Dad’, and he’s working on the rest of the team.

Charlie let out a sigh of relief. “I think Ty talked himself out of that one.”

Jarrod grinned. “Ty can usually talk himself out of most things.”

Dave glared again. “Will you two shut the fuck up! I’m trying to listen.”

“Okay, okay.” Jarrod increased the volume.

MONIQUE: ...your other teammates. How did they handle the news?

Jarrod rolled his eyes. He didn’t need to hear the response; he’d been there and seen their reactions in person. Everyone had been positive, with no signs of reservations from any of the players.

* * *

Oliver Bellesconi tried to focus his mind. It was the Lilydale Leopards last practise match before the season started, but it was the first since his teammate Jim Henderson had announced to the world that he’s gay. That announcement had generated the publicity that allowed the club to pull back from the brink of financial ruin. It remained to be seen if there would be any negative consequences.

Oliver growled to himself. He needed to concentrate on football and getting ready for the match, not on the off-field dramas that had been engulfing the club.

Todd Underwood stuck his head around the bedroom door of the Bronson Avenue house he shared with Oliver and Paul Crowman. “Are you ready, Ollie?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Oliver grabbed the bag that contained his football boots and jumper. He was already wearing his shorts under his tracksuit pants.

“Any news on what’s been going on?” Oliver asked as he and Todd headed to the front door.

Todd snorted. “I was going to ask you the same question. You’re closer mates with Tony than either Paul or me, so I was hoping you’d know.”

Oliver rolled his eyes. “I’m really happy for Tony and Jim, but at the moment Tony’s a bit too busy to chat with me. Apart from helping Jim with all his media commitments for the weekend, he’s starting a new relationship, and rightly, Jim’s receiving most of his attention.”

Paul was waiting for them at the front door. “About time, Ollie. Todd’s usually the last one ready, so what kept you?”

Oliver shrugged. “I’m nervous. Not about the game, but about everything else. Are there going to be homophobes at the game today? How loud will they be? What about the Collingwood players? How are they going to take it?” He shook his head. “My mind’s running at a million miles an hour, and I don’t have any answers.”

Paul smiled. “There’s no point worrying about it. There will either be problems or there won’t. We’re ready if there are, and we’ll deal with them if they happen. We’re teammates, and we’ll deal with any issues as a team.”

“Any word from Julie?” Oliver asked, referring to Paul’s older sister who was also one of the two assistant coaches. She had only been with the club for a few weeks after being recruited by Peter Stevenson, the head coach, to help him and Will Lander get the team ready for the season that would commence the following weekend.

Paul frowned. “No, but I don’t expect any. She’s good with keeping coaching issues to herself. Unless it was okayed by Peter, she wouldn’t say anything.”

Todd nodded. “She’s very professional, as well as good at what she does. I expect the coaches have a plan in place if there are problems, but they want us to focus on the game...” He paused to catch Oliver’s eye. “...and not on other things.”

Oliver waved a hand. “Yeah, yeah. I know. You don’t have to remind me.”

* * *

Jim glanced around the oval and the large crowd. It was the most people at a Leopards’ football game that he had ever seen, and the sound was a little intimidating. He’d overheard someone saying that there were close to two thousand spectators. The usual crowd for a Leopard home game was less than a thousand.

He also couldn’t help notice the television cameras. Only one VFL game a week is normally broadcast, and their game was not the one scheduled for that week. Jim knew that they were there for another purpose: to record his first game as an openly gay football player.

“Are you going to be okay?” Roger McDowell’s words were slightly muffled by his mouthguard.

Jim rolled his eyes at his captain. “I’ll be fine. No one’s going to try anything with the cameras watching.”

Roger stared for a moment, then nodded. “Okay, time to go. Good luck, Jim.” He grinned. “Sorry. Good luck, Dad.”

Jim chuckled as Roger jogged away. Roger’s use of the nickname reminded Jim that he had the support of his teammates and that he no longer needed to deal with everything by himself.

Jim’s musings were interrupted by a solid bump to his left side.

“Ready to go down?”

Jim turned to see one of the Collingwood players staring at him. “You wish. You’ve never seen the new Leopards play.”

Jim’s opponent grinned, revealing his light-grey mouthguard. “I don’t need to. You’re Leopards, so you’ll play like little pussy cats.”

The normality of the pre-game banter helped Jim to relax. He turned to watch the other end of the ground where the Leopard defenders were preparing to engage the Collingwood forward line. In the process, he made a point of accidentally-on-purpose giving his opponent a return bump to the shoulder. “Just remember, Leopards eat Magpies for lunch.”

The other player chuckled. “How about trying to come up with some new lines next time? I’ve heard that one too many times already. And it’s not true.”

Jim shrugged. “I don’t use my best lines on weak teams.”

The Collingwood player grinned. “By the way, you certainly brought the big guns down here for the game.”

“What do you mean?”

The other footballer gazed across the ground. “Our coach made the league’s position on homophobia quite clear. We even had a couple of the club’s AFL team come down to tell us that homophobia is not okay.” He rolled his eyes. “Then the club president walked in and told us the same thing.”

Jim blinked. “Eddie McGuire?” Eddie McGuire was a well-known media personality as well as being the Collingwood Football Club’s president. While the Collingwood Football Club fields both an AFL and a VFL team, Jim had expected Eddie to concentrate his attention on the AFL team.

The Collingwood player nodded. “The one and only. I expect he’ll be onto you after the game to try to get you onto the Channel 9 Footy Show later this week.”

Jim chuckled. “Probably not. I was asked about that yesterday, and I’ve already said yes.” He shook his head. “I expected more negative reactions than this. So far, almost everything’s been positive.”

“You shouldn’t have any problems during this game. I’m not sure the same will be true for the other teams in the comp, but there won’t be any issues from our team. You’ll cop the usual abuse from our supporters, of course, but I’ve been told the Pink Magpies are out in force today, so it’ll be mainly because you’re playing Collingwood, not because you’re gay.”

“The Pink Magpies?”

Jim received a grin in response. “Collingwood’s gay and lesbian supporters. Eddie told us they were here today to see us win, so don’t expect them to say anything nice to you. He’s a big supporter of the group. You might spot them in the crowd. They’ll be wearing black shirts with the club’s logo, but with a pink background instead of the usual white.”

Jim shook his head. “I can’t believe this.”

The other player laughed. “I don’t really, either, but it’s true. You’re still a cowardly weakling, but that’s because you’re a Leopard, not because you’re gay.” He glanced at the centre of the oval where the umpires were preparing to start the game. “Time to start playing.”

Jim nodded. “Thanks for the info.”

“My pleasure.” The Collingwood player turned to Jim and grinned. “You’re still going down.”

* * *

Anne Flintlock would have preferred to spend her afternoon watching the game, but she still had financial matters to deal with. Because of the rush in setting up the Lilydale Leopards’ webpage to accept donations for the football club, there were a number of manual processes involved that could ideally have been automated. As the financial controller, she could’ve delegated the job, but she had taken it upon herself to spend the weekend at the club’s administration block to do the work.

To help pass the time, she had her radio tuned to Pride FM, the gay and lesbian radio station that was supporting the club over the weekend through regular – and free – advertising.

TREVOR: ...and now over to Brandon in Lilydale for the latest on the VFL game between the Lilydale Leopards and Collingwood.”

Anne paused and turned her attention to radio. She’d taken a couple of breaks to wander out to watch the game that was going on outside, but she didn’t have anyone to give her a summary.

BRANDON: Thanks, Trevor. It’s currently halftime, and Collingwood are holding a narrow four-point lead; eight goals, six behinds to Lilydale’s seven goals, eight behinds. The lead changed four times in the second quarter as the teams went goal for goal before Collingwood pulled away near the end. Pride FM’s AFL game reviewer and the Lilydale Leopards’ captain Roger McDowell is the leading scorer for the Leopards with three goals, including one spectacular kick from almost fifty metres out just before halftime to bring the difference back to less than a goal.

It’s going to be an exciting second half, as the two teams are evenly matched. Unless something changes, this game is going to go down to the wire.

Back to you, Trevor.

TREVOR: Thanks, Brandon. A reminder to all our Pride FM listeners that the Lilydale Leopards are seeking donations to offset the sudden loss of one of their major sponsors this week. You can send in money to support the Leopards and the VFL’s first openly gay football player, Jim Henderson, through the link on their website. We’ve also added a link on our website for the weekend, and we encourage everyone to get behind the Leopards and help save the club.

In other sporting news...

Anne glanced at the clock before returning her attention to the work to be done. If the game was as close as stated, she wanted to be finished in time to watch the end of the match.

* * *

After watching another attack being stopped by the Collingwood defence, Peter Stevenson, the head coach of the Lilydale Leopards, glanced at his two assistant coaches, Will and Julie. “Any suggestions?”

Julie Crowman shook her head. “It’s going to come down to conditioning. If the players don’t drop off in the dying minutes again, we’re in with a chance.”

Will Lander nodded his agreement. “Julie’s right. They’re all playing their hearts out, and there’s nothing I can think of that would make a difference at this late stage. We just let them play it out to the end and hope it’s enough.”

Peter scowled. “I’m going to need something better than that for when we play Collingwood in the regular season. If we want a top-four finish to the season, and that’s what I’m aiming for, we need to be able outplay Hawthorn, Geelong, Collingwood, or Williamstown. This game and the one a couple of weeks ago against the Hawks showed we can be competitive, but that game against Hawthorn also showed we’re vulnerable because we’re too dependent on a few key players.”

Will smiled. “Give him a couple more weeks of training, and then put Ty on the forward line. He’ll deliver, and with Roger and Deon that will make three big guys that the other teams have to look out for. Ollie’s also been doing great as a fast forward, and he’ll continue to be a challenge for most teams.” He tilted his head towards his fellow assistant coach. “Julie’s midfielders are solid, and there’s plenty of depth there. My forwards are currently our weakest link, but when he’s ready, Ty will go a long way towards addressing that.”

Peter nodded slowly while keeping his attention on the game in front of him. “That will weaken our defenders, but we’ll play that one by ear. We’ve got more depth there than on our forward line. I’m just not sure it’ll be enough depth once we remove Ty.”

Julie looked thoughtful. “If you put Ty on the forward line and drop Charlie back to the midfield like you’ve been talking about, that’ll free up Jarrod to go to the backline. He doesn’t have the height or strength to be a replacement for Ty, but he’s got the speed to pick up the loose ball, and that’s something we’re currently missing with our defenders.”

Will pulled a face. “It still leaves us thin. One player out of action can ruin the strategy. We need more options than that.”

Peter smiled. “You two keep thinking, and let me know what you come up with on Monday night after training. In the meantime, let’s get our heads back in this game. We’re less than a goal behind; one good kick can still win the game for us.”

* * *

Jim watched as Ty spoiled an attempted mark by one of the Collingwood forwards. With the bounce in Ty’s favour, Jim knew what his young teammate was going to do. Taking a quick few steps behind his opponent to try to force a momentary break of concentration, Jim then sprinted to his right, on a forty-five degree angle towards the centre of the oval.

As he had hoped, Ty had gathered up the loose ball, spun away from his opponent, and was looking towards the middle of the ground. Seconds later, Ty had delivered a short, sharp punt kick directly to Jim’s chest for a simple mark.

Jim didn’t wait. It was the last quarter of the game, and he knew there wasn’t a lot of time before the final siren. The Leopards were two points down and needed a goal desperately. He handballed the football to Jarrod, one the team’s fastest players, who was running past.

Jim’s opponent headed to intercept Jarrod, so Jim sprinted down the ground on a course parallel to Jarrod’s. Just before Jarrod was tackled, he handballed the ball back to Jim.

Jim was already looking down the field. The Collingwood defence had been tough all game, and it had been difficult for the Leopard forwards to break free. Roger McDowell was the Leopards’ main goal scorer, but he was being double-teamed. Jim was about to give up and go for the long, high kick, hoping that Roger would be able to use his height to mark the ball, when he spotted Deon Bradshaw breaking away from his opponent. Jim quickly executed a drop punt, but he was knocked to the ground before he could see if Deon had marked the ball.

The sound of the siren was almost drowned out by the noise of the crowd as Jim accepted the hand up from the Collingwood player who had knocked him over. He glanced down the ground to see Deon walking slowly away from the goal posts, carrying the football before stopping and turning to face his target. With his successful mark from before the siren, Deon would get the last kick of the game. If he scored a goal, the six points would give the Leopards the win by four.

“Do you think he can do it?” Craig, Jim’s opponent, asked.

Jim shrugged. “He can make the distance, but he’s not been consistent that far out. He’s just over fifty metres out on a slight angle.” Jim paused and glanced around the oval at the large Collingwood flags being waved by the opposition supporters. “The wind’s from the left, so he’s not going to get any help there.”

Jim watched as Roger jogged up to Deon, said a few words, and then gave him a slap on the back.

“It’s been a good game,” Craig said. “Sorry about some of the comments from our supporters.”

Jim didn’t take his eyes off where Deon was getting ready to take his kick. “It has been good. It’s been close all the way through.” He flicked a glance to the side. “And I never heard anything. I was concentrating too much on the game to notice.”

“Regardless of the result, we’ve got your measure now. When we meet in the season, you won’t have it this easy.”

Jim turned to his opponent and grinned. “No, it’ll be much easier. We’re still improving, but Collingwood’s still playing the same.” He held up a hand to forestall a response. “You play tough, strong football, but you’re not much different from last year.”

Craig nodded slowly. “Yeah, while you guys are nothing like you were last season. We knew after your game against the Hawks that you weren’t going to be a walkover like you were then, but you pushed us a lot harder than I expected.”

An increasing roar from the crowd drew their attention back to the Leopards’ forward line. Deon had started his run in for his kick. Slowly accelerating, it was clear that his focus was entirely on the ball in his hand and the goal posts he was aiming for. The Collingwood player who was standing at the point where Deon had marked the ball was jumping up and down, waving his hands, trying to distract the kicker, but Deon was ignoring him.

A second later the ovoid football was in the air, spinning around its long axis.

“A torpedo punt,” Craig remarked absentmindedly. “Nice technique.”

“He needed it to make sure he got the distance,” Jim said, his focus also on the ball.

The ball was aimed at the left goal post, but as it approached the wind pushed it to the right. The goal umpire’s signalling of a goal was barely noticed as cheers rang across the ground.

Craig stuck out his hand. “Well played. We’ll beat you next time, but you’ve fought hard for this win.”

Jim grinned as he shook the proffered hand. “It could’ve gone either way. Good luck for the main season.”

The other guy smiled back and nodded. “One final comment: you’re not a gay footballer.”

Jim raised an eyebrow.

Craig grinned in response. “You’re a bloody good footballer who just happens to be gay.”

* * *

“Jarrod, well done!”

Jarrod turned away from his locker and then grinned as he recognised the two guys approaching. He stepped forward and stuck out a hand to greet his sponsors. “Gary, Matt! It’s great to see you.”

Matt ignored the hand and pulled Jarrod into a short but firm hug accompanied by a pat on the back. “You didn’t think we’d miss the game, did you?”

Jarrod tensed momentarily and then relaxed. It was the first time Matt or Gary had made any significant physical contact with him, and it had taken him by surprise. Jarrod grinned at Matt. “I’d hoped you’d be here, but you could’ve been working.”

Gary nudged his long-term partner – both business and personal – aside. “We’ve got a lot of good staff. They can run the showroom on Saturday afternoons without our help.”

Gary reached for Jarrod’s hand, but when he went to shake it, Jarrod stepped forward and pulled Gary into a hug similar to that which Matt had given. It had only been a few weeks, but Jarrod was no longer uncomfortable with making physical contact with a gay guy.

“You don’t know how much I appreciate you being here.” Jarrod was smiling broadly as he stepped back.

Matt chuckled. “Not half as much as we enjoyed the game.” He glanced past Jarrod. “That was one hell of a last goal. Congratulate him for us, will you?”

Jarrod grinned. “Why don’t you do it yourself?” He called over his shoulder. “Deon! There’s a couple of guys here who want to congratulate you!”

Deon wandered over, the grin on his face having been there since the end of the game. “G’day!”

“Deon, these are my sponsors, Matt and Gary. Guys, this is Deon, the star of the moment.”

Matt shook hands with a blushing Deon. “That was one bloody fine kick to finish the game with, Deon.”

Deon shrugged. “There was a lot of luck in that goal. My accuracy’s a bit under fifty percent at that distance.”

Gary smiled. “It doesn’t matter what your accuracy is, Deon. All that matters is that you got the goal when needed.” He turned to his partner and whispered something.

Matt frowned momentarily, then grinned. “A great idea, Gary. Jarrod, could you bring Deon over to the dealership tomorrow afternoon?”

Jarrod blinked. “Sure, if that’s okay with Deon.” He glanced at his teammate, who shrugged.

“Good, because we’ve got a BMW M6 Coupé that needs a test drive, and we’re short of drivers. We thought you two might like to take it out for a spin.” Matt grinned as both Deon’s and Jarrod’s jaws dropped.

“That’s too much...” Deon said.

Gary shook his head. “One of the perks of owning a car dealership. We’ll see you both tomorrow, then?” He raised an eyebrow, and a smile told them that it was a rhetorical question.

* * *

“Hey, Jim! You know you’re allowed to kiss him, right?” Zach yelled across the change room.

Jim glanced over to where Zach, the team’s ruckman and tallest player in the club, had his arm around his girlfriend. Zach was grinning, and as soon as he had Jim’s attention, he bent over to give Angela a deep, long kiss.

“Was that supposed to be a lesson on how to do it?” Ty called back. “If so, you’re kissing the wrong person, Zach.”

Zach lifted his middle finger in Ty’s direction without breaking the kiss. Ty chuckled and turned back to Jim. “He’s right, though. You two are allowed to kiss.”

Jim knew he was going red and was very happy when Tony answered.

“Yeah, we are, but we’re also allowed to choose when we do it.” Tony grinned. “But if you want to kiss him, I won’t mind.”

Ty held up both hands and took a half-step back. “No fucking way!”

Jim chuckled as he felt himself relax. “I was right this morning, brat. You can dish it out, but you can’t take it.”

Ty scowled for a moment and then grinned. “Okay, I’ll concede, but, for the record, I’m just not interested. As I told you on national TV, I’m straight.”

Tony glanced around. “Time for me to go. I’ll be in my office when you’re ready, Jim.”

Ty frowned. “Why are you leaving? You haven’t been here that long.”

Tony waved a hand towards where Dave, Owen and Roger had just stripped off their football jumpers. “You guys are having your showers. I’ll see you when you’re done.”

“You don’t have to leave. Some of the girls are sticking around.” Ty waved a hand to indicate the five women still in the change rooms.

Tony smiled. “Different rules, Ty. I’m a staff member, and that means I have to be aware of probity issues.”

Acting on impulse Jim grabbed Tony by the arm. When Tony turned his head to find out why, Jim leant forward and gave Tony a quick kiss on the lips. “I’ll see you soon.”

Tony smiled, nodded, and left the change room through the entrance that led back towards the club’s administration area.

“That wasn’t that bad, was it?” Roger grinned as Jim glanced at his half-naked captain. “You need to loosen up, Jim. It might be new to us to see two guys kissing, but it’s not going to gross us out.”

“But there are some things we don’t need to see, Dad,” Ty quickly added. He gave Jim a slap on the shoulder. “Time for a shower.”

Jim took a deep breath and nodded. “I’ll be there shortly.”

Jim took his time getting ready. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a naked Ty, modesty only preserved by the towel he was carrying, waiting at the entrance to the showers. Jim glanced over to see Ty raising an eyebrow. Jim waved a hand to indicate that everything was fine and that Ty should have his shower.

The last two showers with the team, after training on Wednesday and Friday nights, had resulted in some of the players leaving as soon as Jim arrived. It had been five players the first time, a couple of hours after Jim had come out to the team, but only two the second. Jim was giving those two players time to finish before he entered.

Knowing if he waited too long, Ty or Roger would be out to check on him, Jim finished stripping, grabbed his towel, and headed to join his teammates. The happy sounds of a winning team could be heard as he approached, but Jim was too tense to enjoy them.

Jim paused at the entrance. The team was in a raucous mood, with a moderate degree of playful jostling going on. He hung up his towel and headed to where Zach was moving away from one of the showerheads.

“About bloody time, Dad. We were wondering what was keeping you.” Zach slapped Jim’s back as he passed.

Jim shrugged before stepping under the running water. “I don’t see why I couldn’t take my time. The longer it takes me, the longer before I have to face the media scrum outside.”

Because he was looking for it, Jim spotted Charlie and Dave finishing their showers at almost the same time. Both moved adroitly to their towels and were out of the shower area without trying to dry off first. Jim also noticed Roger and Ty exchanging looks. Ty started to head off, but Jarrod grabbed him by the arm and said something to him. A moment later, Ty nodded and returned to his shower.

“Did you hear me?” Zach asked.

“Er...what? Sorry, I was little distracted,” Jim said.

Zach grinned as he glanced around. “Did Tony just poke his head in to keep an eye on you?”

“No! It was...” Jim shook his head and ducked under the shower. He didn’t want to explain things to Zach, or anyone else for that matter.

* * *

Roger grabbed Dave by the arm and dragged him into a quiet corner of the change room. “What the fuck is going on with you?”

Dave glared. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You. In the shower. That’s three times in a row that you’ve walked out as soon as Jim’s walked in. I let the first time slide because everyone was a little unsure, since Jim had just come out of the closet, but last night and today is too much. Jim’s our teammate. He’s not some predator you have to avoid.”

Roger was startled when Dave shoved him against a locker and put a hand on his throat.

“You leave me the fuck alone, Roger! I’m part of this team, too, and if Jim’s feelings are important, so are mine. I respect Jim, and I think he’s a fantastic player, but if I don’t want to shower with him, that’s my business and not yours.” Dave took a deep breath and visibly calmed down. He let go of Roger and turned away “Jim’s okay. I just can’t shower with him, that’s all. Just drop it, Roger. I won’t cause any other waves.”

Roger stared at Dave’s back. Dave had been acting weird for several weeks, but he hadn’t previously been violent, at least outside of a match. Roger’s eyes went wide as he suddenly realised that Dave’s erratic behaviour had started when Tony, the Leopard’s openly gay marketing assistant, had joined the club.

* * *

Oliver scowled at the crowd around Jim and Tony. They were in the clubroom having a drink but were surrounded by strangers who wanted to have a word with the latest media sensation. Oliver had wanted to share a drink with the two after the game, but there were too many other people with the same thought.

“Something wrong?” Todd asked as he moved up next to Oliver.

“Just pissed off that I can’t get through to Jim and Tony.” Oliver tilted his bottle of beer in the direction of the mob. “Too many bloody groupies.”

A young high-pitched voice spoke up from behind Todd. “Mummy, he said a bad word.”

Oliver glanced down and winced as he saw Sean, the six-year-old son of Todd’s girlfriend, holding his mother’s hand. “Sorry, Lorraine. I didn’t see him there.”

Lorraine smiled. “It’s okay, Ollie.” She wrapped her spare arm around Todd. “You both played well.”

Oliver noticed that Todd was frowning as he took advantage of his height to scan the room. Before Oliver could say anything, Todd relaxed and leant down to give Lorraine a kiss. “Becky’s with Roger and Steph.”

Lorraine looked puzzled. “Who?”

Oliver smiled as he jumped in. “Roger’s the team captain, and Steph is his partner and mother of his two kids.” He glanced at his housemate. “Is it okay for Becky to be away from you guys?”

Todd shrugged. “She’s ten, and she hates me. She wasn’t going to stick around, no matter what anyone said.”

Lorraine winced. “She doesn’t hate you. She’s just...”

Todd pulled Lorraine into a hug. “She just doesn’t want you having another temporary boyfriend. She knows what I’ve said, but she won’t accept that I’m sticking around until she sees it for herself. Give her time.”

Oliver told himself, again, that Lorraine was making his best friend happy. He still didn’t like the fact that Lorraine was nine years older than Todd and had two children from a failed marriage. But, as his current girlfriend, Helena, had pointed out, Todd hadn’t entered the relationship lightly. He was planning on being with Lorraine for the long haul, and the best thing that Oliver could do was to support them and keep his opinions private.

Oliver smiled as he went down on one knee to bring himself closer to Sean’s height. He had only met the young boy a couple of times, but he already had a soft spot for the youngster “Why don’t you and me go see if we can get ourselves a drink. How does a can of Coke sound to you?”

Sean glanced up at his mother and then grinned when he received a smile and nod in return. He looked at Oliver expectantly.

Oliver stood up and held out his hand for Sean. “Come on, mate. Let’s see what we can find.”

* * *

Charlie was reviewing one of his textbooks at the desk in his bedroom. He had an assignment due on Monday and had decided to work on that instead of going out on the Saturday night after the game, as was the norm. Unlike most of his teammates, he didn’t have a job in order to pursue an Applied Science degree at RMIT in the city. His parents were supporting him while he juggled the part-time course with his dream of playing football.

“Charlie, have you got a minute?”

Charlie looked up to see Jarrod standing in the doorway. “Sure, Jarrod. Come in.”

Jarrod entered his housemate’s bedroom, closing the door behind him, and sat down on the edge of Charlie’s bed.

Charlie glanced at the closed door and then back at Jarrod. “What’s wrong?”

Jarrod grimaced, avoiding Charlie’s gaze. “People have noticed that you’re avoiding Jim in the shower.”

Charlie winced. “Sorry.”

Jarrod looked up, his expression one of compassion. “Ty was going to have a go at you today, but I’ve told him that I’ll look after it.”

Charlie gulped. “You didn’t tell him why, did you?”

“No. That’s just between you and me. But you’re going to have to do something about it, Charlie. I know it’s because, when it comes to anything to do with sex, you’re...er...” Jarrod dropped his gaze to the carpet.

Charlie snorted. “I’m pathologically shy.” He didn’t add that he’s a virgin. Charlie knew that Jarrod had worked that one out from the time the two of them went home with a couple of girls and Charlie had been unable to perform.

Jarrod didn’t lift his head. “Yeah...”

“What am I supposed to do, Jarrod?” Charlie spun his chair around so he was facing his desk again. He stared at the textbook but couldn’t focus to read the words.

“Just make an effort. Maybe if you stay for a minute after Jim comes in, that’ll make the others back off. Ty, in particular, is really defensive about Jim, but I noticed that Roger wasn’t happy, either.”

Charlie dropped his head. “I’ll try. That’s all I can do, Jarrod. I can’t promise.”

Moments later, Charlie felt a hand on his shoulder. “Thanks, Charlie. I’ll keep Ty off your back for as long as I can, but if you can do that, it’ll be great.”

Charlie heard Jarrod leave the room, but he didn’t move. There were too many things going through his mind that he couldn’t sort out.

* * *

It was after midnight when Dave’s eyes snapped open, but it was several seconds before he realised what he was seeing. He was lying in his bed, staring up at the off-white ceiling. He wasn’t lying on a tiled floor, staring up at a dripping shower head.

He took a number of deep breaths, trying to calm his racing heart. He’d been having trouble sleeping for about a month, but this was the second night in a row where he’d had a nightmare – the same nightmare each night.

What was his subconscious trying to tell him?