Leopard Spots - 25. Chapter 25

The players were in the car park loading their sports bags into the compartment under the bus. It was shortly after seven on the Sunday morning, and those that weren’t shoving bags were rubbing arms or blowing on hands to keep the chill at bay.

“Everyone on the bus!” Will called out, and the players started to shuffle on board.

Neil and Ty were at the back of the group, and behind them were the other support staff.

“You’ve got some music – or something to read?” Ty asked Neil. “I’ve been told it’s a long trip.”

“It’s a very long trip,” Jacqueline said from behind the two guys. “I’m planning on getting some of the sleep I missed out on last night.”

Ty turned and grinned. “Is the reason something you can share, Jackie?”

The team’s junior physiotherapist smirked. “Nope. Now get on the bus before I tell Peter that I think you’ve got a cramp and won’t be able to play.”

Ty held up both hands. “I’m going!” He gave Neil a gentle push. “You first, mate.”

“Thanks, Ty.”

Ty hid a smile. “I thought I’d warned you about using that name.”

Neil chuckled. “Yeah, you did. Okay, brat, I’ll try to be good.”

“Not too good. We want you to have fun, too.” Ty followed Neil and guided him to the back half of the bus. “The old guys tend to sit up the front, so–”

Todd turned his head from where he was sitting. “I heard that, brat!”

Ty lifted his middle finger in Todd’s direction while keeping his attention on Neil. “We younger guys tend to take over the middle. The back few rows are usually kept for those who want some quiet. I’ve never understood why anyone would want to be by themselves, but that’s their thing.”

“As I said, brat, I want to get some sleep,” Jacqueline said as she passed the guys, a pillow under her arm. “Now, keep quiet or your leg’s going to start cramping.” She and Ty exchanged grins before they separated.

The two took a seat on the left hand side. Neil tried to let Ty have the window seat, but Ty refused, pointing out he needed to be able to stretch his legs down the aisle.

A few minutes later, the bus started to roll out of the car park, and Peter stood up at the front of the bus, holding onto the luggage rack that ran along the top on either side of the aisle to maintain his balance. “Listen up, guys.” He waited for the players to settle down and pay attention. “We’ve got a bit over three hours on the bus, so take it easy. There are some people resting up in the back, so keep the noise levels low. There will be a toilet break and a chance to stretch your legs about halfway through the trip. Also, and I know I say this every time, but unless you need to move, stay in your seats! The bus can stop suddenly, and we don’t want any of you guys injured.”

Peter paused and caught Neil’s eye. He smiled and nodded. “On another matter, I’m sure most of you have met Neil, who’s sitting up in the back with the brat. Neil’s going to be a runner for us today and hopefully in the future. He’s here on the bus under a special exemption. This isn’t a precedent for you to start requesting friends and family on the bus. If you’ve got a problem with this, you take it up with me, no one else.

“Okay, that’s it from me. Try to relax. If everything goes to schedule, we’ll have a bit over an hour after we arrive to get warmed up. Until then, just chill.” Peter scanned the players one more time before sitting back down next to Will.

Ty smiled at Neil. “You’ve got your job responsibilities sorted out?”

Neil nodded. “Taking messages from your coach to the players. Taking drink bottles out to keep everyone hydrated. Making sure I don’t interfere with the opposition players or umpires.”

“Pretty much that’s it in a nutshell. Let someone tell you who to take water out to; don’t try to decide that for yourself. You’ll figure it all out soon enough.” Ty grinned. “Now, we’ve got three hours to fill in. You didn’t answer earlier when I asked if you had some music or something to read.”

Neil smiled. “I’ve brought my old iPod, but I might be too excited to listen to it.”

Ty chuckled. “That’s okay for you, but Peter tells us we have to be calm before a game. Getting too excited uses up nervous energy, and we’ll run out of steam before the end of the match. That’s why he told us to chill. But if you don’t want to listen to music, how about a chat? How’s things at school?”

Neil’s face lit up. “Really good! I’m not being bullied, and Clarissa’s had me taking lunch with her and a couple of her girlfriends, so I’m starting to get to know more of my classmates, too.”

“She does know...” Ty grimaced. “Sorry, no she doesn’t know you’re gay. My mistake.”

Neil laughed. “No, they don’t know, but none of them are making any advances. They largely let me decide how much I want to join in with what they’re talking about.” He blushed. “But there’s someone else, too.”

“Oh?” Ty raised an eyebrow.

“Someone left a note in my locker on Tuesday. I’m pretty sure it’s a gay guy, though we haven’t spoken about that yet.”

“Who is he?”

“I don’t know. He gave me his email address, and we’ve been chatting online. He’s a Leopards fan and saw me at the game last week. That’s why he dropped me the note. He said he was there to watch Jim play, which is why I think he’s gay. I’m really hoping he is, because I think he likes me.”

Ty grinned. “Sounds good, mate. Be careful, but go for it! You deserve someone decent.”

* * *

“Watch the car on the right, Liam. He looks like he’s starting to drift into our lane.”

“I see him.” Liam eased his foot off the accelerator pedal to allow the other car to pull ahead. As his father had predicted, the other car changed lanes without using its indicator.

“Since I’m spending pretty much all of my Sunday on this mission, do you want to fill me in on this boy you’re so keen on?”

Liam grimaced while keeping his eyes on the road. “His name’s Neil, and he’s a bit of a loner. He doesn’t really like me, but I don’t think he likes many people at all.”

“He doesn’t like you...” Bruce Bellweather frowned. “Then why are you chasing after him?”

“It’s...complicated. I’ve started chatting anonymously with him online, and he seems to like me there, but we’ve got a bit of history at school.” Liam returned his speed back to the speed limit. The traffic was flowing smoothly, though he knew there was a set of traffic lights not far up the road, and conditions could change quickly.

“So, he likes you and he doesn’t like you, both at the same time.”

“Pretty much.” Liam sighed. “I only found out last week that he’s gay, and that’s the first time I had a really good look at him. I mean I really looked at him, not just at my mental image of him after five years of school.”

“And?”

“And I liked what I saw. Not only visually, but also as a person. He’s antisocial at school, but he’s got reasons for that. At the football club, though, he was mixing with a bunch of other spectators, and he’s in with a number of the players. I told Doug that he was a completely different person.” Liam started to brake as he approached a red light.

“Doug knows this guy, too? What’s his opinion?”

Liam made a face. “He hates him. He can’t see past the Neil he knows at school.”

Mr. Bellweather thought for a moment. “You said Neil’s got reasons for being antisocial at school. Why’s that?”

Liam swallowed. When the car came to a halt, he glanced to his side. “As I said, he’s a bit of a loner. Pretty much no one has had anything to do with him since the start of secondary. It’s not really his fault, but that’s the way it’s turned out.”

“Sounds like all you need to do is show him you want to be his friend, and it’ll all go smoothly from there.”

“It’s not that simple.” Liam grimaced. “Can we wait until we’re out of Melbourne before we talk about this? It’s going to get complicated, and I can’t do that and concentrate on my driving, too.”

“Would you like me to take over while you explain?”

“No!” Liam immediately knew he’d been too quick to react. His father wasn’t stupid. “I’ll explain it all, but once we’re on a road where I don’t have to keep as close an eye on the other traffic.”

There was a pause of a couple of seconds. “Okay, but tell me this much. Am I going to be happy with what you’re going to tell me?”

Liam cringed. “Not exactly, but it’s all history. Things are different now.” The lights changed and Liam slowly accelerated away.

There was a moment of silence before his father said anything. “Watch your speed. If you get caught, I’m the one who gets the demerit points and has to pay the fine.”

* * *

Deon was only half-listening to Ty tell some of the other guys about Neil’s problems. He had his own issues that he was trying to sort out. He had followed Jim’s advice and spoken openly and honestly to Pamela. It had cleared the air about the situation with Denise, but it had opened another can of worms with respect to the place football had in Deon’s life.

“...and that’s it. We’ve got him covered for this year, but none of us knows what will happen when he finishes Year 12.” Ty turned to Neil. “Did I miss anything?”

“Only that I think you underestimate how homophobic my father is. He’s...” Neil grimaced and looked away.

“How are you doing in school?” Charlie asked. “I could help tutor you, at least in the subjects you’ll need if you’re going to become an engineer.”

Neil smiled. “Thanks, Charlie, but I think I’m doing okay. It’s not like I had a social life until recently, so I’ve never been under pressure to get my homework or studying done.”

“Ah, but now you do have a social life, so if you need help, don’t hesitate to ask.” Ty gave Charlie a mock glare. “Where were you last year when I needed help, Charlie? I had to struggle through on my own.”

Charlie grinned. “In Echuca. Sorry, brat, you missed out.”

Ty gave an exaggerated roll of the eyes. “Just my luck.”

“If you’re looking at getting an engineering degree part-time, I know Swinburne has a part-time course, because one of the guys from my school last year is doing exactly that.” Jarrod shrugged. “I don’t know how good the course is, but at least it’s an option.”

“Tony’s indicated he could try to get Neil a job at Pride FM, so that would give Neil a place to work while he studies. I don’t know if he’ll make enough to get a decent place to live, but he might.” Ty grinned. “I know you have to wait until you find out your final-exam scores, but there’s options out there, Neil. You just need to find the right one.”

Deon focused on Ty’s last statement. Options. He needed to know what his options were, so he, and hopefully Pamela, could choose the ones that would allow him to stay with her while also continuing to play football.

He was still trying to work out where in his priority list football and his girlfriend sat when his phone beeped. He pulled it out and made a face at the name displayed. His father was another loose end that needed a resolution. Deon had been feeling positive towards Sam until the debacle of the videos. Will had told him earlier that he hadn’t seen anything obviously wrong with his kicking action but that he would keep an eye on it. Peter had told him not to worry about it, and it was probably just a spell of poor form. But Sam’s suggestion had resulted in wasted time that could’ve been spent keeping his girlfriend happy.

Deon checked the message. It was a simple good luck for the game from Sam and Marcus. Deon’s forehead creased as a thought crossed his mind. It wasn’t something that was urgent, but it might be worth investigating. Deon sent back a reply to his father, saying thank you, and asking if it was okay if he rang him on Monday night. A few minutes later, a message came back saying Deon’s father was free any time after six. If it was urgent, Deon could ring at any time.

Deon put his phone away as a faint smile played across his lips. If his idea turned out, it would be good to be involved in something that went right. The smile slipped away as Deon returned to his task of trying to reconcile football and Pamela. It would ultimately be up to her, but Deon had a suspicion that it was going to come down to one or the other. He wanted both, but he had a feeling that he’d end up having to make a choice.

* * *

“If you want to try to pass that truck, there’s an overtaking lane coming up,” Mr. Bellweather said.

Liam shook his head. “We’ve got plenty of time, and there’s a stream of traffic behind us. I think I’d prefer them to pass before I try to overtake.”

“You’re the driver. This way, at least, you won’t accidentally speed.” Liam’s father paused. “Are you ready to tell me what’s been going on at school?”

Liam winced. “Neil, the guy I want to date, is...was a social outcast. No one had anything to do with him. Part of that was because...” Liam swallowed, “...everyone picked on him. Nothing serious,” Liam added quickly, “but no one wanted to be friends with him. He got given the nickname Four-Dork early in secondary school, and being seen with Four-Dork was a sure path to being picked on yourself.”

“When you say ‛everyone’, does that include you?”

Liam cringed. “Yes. I...I used to pick on him a lot. I thought it was funny the way he’d react. That’s why he doesn’t want to have anything to do with me. There’s a history between us that I’m not proud of.”

There was silence from the seat next to him.

“Dad?”

“Next chance you get, pull over.” The tone was flat.

“Dad, I–”

“As soon as you can, pull over.” Mr. Bellweather glanced at Liam and then continued in a more reasonable voice. “It’s time you had a break, anyway. You’ve been driving for over an hour, and there’s still a long way to go to Bendigo.” There was a short pause before the hard note returned. “Assuming we’re still going. I haven’t made up my mind about that. I’m not happy to find out my son’s a bully.”

“It’s not that bad!” Liam knew he sounded desperate, but he couldn’t help it.

“Pull over as soon as it’s safe. Then we’ll talk about it.”

Liam waited until they were on a straight stretch of road and then steered off onto the edge of the road. Once they were stopped, he took his hands off the wheel and wiped them on his jeans. He glanced nervously at his father, who was staring blankly out the windscreen.

“Er...what do you want me to do?” Liam asked.

Mr. Bellweather turned to his son. “Let’s get out and stretch our legs. We’ll talk while we walk.”

A minute later, the two were strolling through the grass at the side of the road. Liam didn’t know what to say, so he waited for his father to start.

“Needless to say, I’m very disappointed in you.” Mr. Bellweather narrowed his eyes at Liam. “I thought we’d raised you better than this.”

“I know. I want to make it up to him, but it’s difficult. He doesn’t want to talk to me at school. I only get a chance to chat with him online where he doesn’t know who I am.” Liam tried to put a more positive spin on what had been going on. “It hasn’t been really bad, Dad. It’s not like we’re hitting him or flushing his head down a toilet. It’s just little things, like how he’s the punchline of jokes at school or how he’s been used as the example of someone you wouldn’t want to know. I want to change that, but he’s put up a wall, and he’s not letting anyone in. That’s why I can only talk to him online.”

“I’m not sure that talking to him when he doesn’t know who you are is a good idea.” Liam’s father stopped and turned to face his son. He crossed his arms. “When we get back, we need to go around to his place, and you need to apologise, face to face.”

“Dad, I’ve tried that at school. He said ‛fine’ and that he doesn’t want to see or hear from me again!”

“Then we’ll do what he wants. That means not going to Bendigo. We’ll find a place to turn around, and we’ll head back home.”

“But, Dad...” Liam grimaced as he knew he didn’t really have any decent arguments. All he could do was to plead. “Please, can we keep going? I just want to see him. This will be his first time as a runner for the team, and I want to be there to watch. Please?”

Bruce Bellweather stared, his expression softening. He made a face. “If – and it’s still an if – if we do go to the match, do you promise to stay away from him?”

Liam crossed his heart. “I promise. I was going to, anyway. He doesn’t know that I know he’s gay or that he’s going to Bendigo today. If he saw me, I’d have no chance of getting him as a boyfriend. I’ll keep out of sight. He won’t know that I’m there.”

His father frowned. “If he wasn’t gay, would you have still apologised for picking on him?”

Liam grimaced. He knew he couldn’t lie if he wanted any chance of salvaging the situation. “I don’t know, but finding out he’s gay is what made me take a new look at him. That’s when I realised he’s not who I thought he was. Doug still sees the same guy the whole school laughs at.”

Mr. Bellweather narrowed his eyes. “I think your mother and I need to speak about this. Some sort of action is in order, but I don’t want to say something while my blood is still on the boil.” He tilted his head towards the car. “Get back in. I’ll join you soon.”

Liam returned to the car and, after a moment’s hesitation, climbed in behind the steering wheel. He watched as his father paced up and down a few times. After a couple of minutes, Mr. Bellweather returned and sat in the passenger seat.

“When we get there, you’re staying either in the car or somewhere where no one can spot you. I’m going to see what I can find out about this Neil guy. From what you’ve told me, there should be a number of Leopards supporters there, and maybe one of them can tell me more.”

“Dad, all I want...” Liam stopped, not sure if he wanted to continue.

His father sighed. “Liam, you’ve only got eyes for one guy. I get that. In fact, that’s the only reason we’re not turning around and heading home. When you came out to your mother and me, it took me some time to understand what’s going on. I still don’t think I know, but I’m aware that there’s not a lot of gay guys out there. If this Neil character is someone suitable and if you can make up for the mistakes you’ve made, then I won’t stand in your way. To be frank, if you’ve been mean to him for five years, you’re probably better off admitting defeat and learning from the experience, but I understand you need to try. You’re still in trouble, but if I’m happy with what I find out about Neil, I’m not going to stand in your way if you want him as a boyfriend. I don’t know how you’ll manage that trick, but that’s your problem.”

Liam swallowed some of his nervousness away and then smiled. “Thanks, Dad.”

His father gave him a glare. “You’re not off the hook. Remember that. And while we drive, you’re going to tell me about some of the things that have been done to Neil – and what you’ve done, in particular.”

Liam started the motor and checked the mirrors. While he waited for the one car he saw to pass, he tried to work out how many incidents he could get away with not telling his father.

* * *

Peter glanced around the visitors room underneath the grandstand at the Queen Elizabeth oval in Bendigo. “Listen up, guys. I know a number of you are expecting an easy game. Bendigo’s performance last year doesn’t make scary reading for us...” he scowled, “...but neither does ours. This is a new season. We’re a new team, and they’re a new team. We don’t take them lightly, and anyone slacking off will be benched. I don’t care if we’re ten goals up or ten goals down, you try your hardest or you sit the game out.”

Peter took in the players’ expressions. As he had hoped, the handful that had, in his opinion, been too relaxed had hardened.

“As I explained on Wednesday night, we’re going to start defensive, but I want every player apart from Todd, Paul, and Wade to be prepared to push forward. Be ready for when I send out a runner with new instructions.” He nodded towards the three named players. “You guys keep that back line solid. I don’t want them finding holes in our defence. I don’t want any team finding holes.”

Peter turned his attention to the midfielders. “Pressure, guys. It’s all about pressure. Make them make mistakes, and don’t give them a chance to settle. We want the momentum from the opening bounce, and we want to maintain that momentum for the entire game.”

His gaze flicked towards Dave for a moment, but he didn’t let it rest there. Dave was still being very passive and would be starting on the interchange bench. Peter was going to keep cycling him in and out of the game, hoping he would get fired up without going too far. It was going to be a delicate balancing act, though Peter was glad he had Julie available to help him keep an eye on his troubled player. If the game was one-sided, as he expected and despite what he had told his players, the plan that he and Julie had come up with was to keep Dave on until he showed signs of playing like he used to. They both hoped that they could afford the luxury of fielding a player who wasn’t performing at his best, the goal being to give him a chance to return to that level.

“Forwards, keep an eye out for each other, but don’t be afraid to take chances. Roger, Deon, show those Bendigo defenders how strong you are. Push them out of position and give your teammates an easy target. Ollie, you’re there for the loose ball. Use that speed of yours to leave your opponent in your wake.”

Peter smiled as he glanced around the room again. “Okay, Leopards, lets show everyone why we’re on the road to the grand final.”

The roar that rose from the players was satisfying, even if it was exactly what Peter expected.

* * *

Bruce Bellweather glanced back once to make sure Liam was staying put, away from the fence where Neil might spot him. He was still torn as to what to do about his son. Bruce recognised the signs of infatuation, something he hadn’t observed when Liam had been dating girls. It reinforced to him that his son really was gay. He’d known that in his head, but it was still sinking into his heart.

A slow burning core of anger at what Liam had revealed on the drive to Bendigo left him wanting Liam to fail with Neil, but Bruce told himself that he was overreacting. If Liam could make amends, he deserved to find happiness. If that was with Neil, then Bruce wouldn’t stand in his way.

Bruce walked around the edge of the oval. He was looking for spectators wearing the distinctive Leopards apparel. Most of the people he saw were either in nondescript clothing or wearing the colours of the Bendigo Gold team. He paused for a minute and watched one man who appeared to be videotaping the game, but then walked on. Liam had suggested that most of the Leopards supporters would be in the grandstand, so that’s where Bruce headed.

The largely redbrick grandstand was about a third full. A small group of around thirty, mainly older people in Leopard black and brown were gathered at one end. Bruce watched them for a moment and then took the nearest of the four staircases up into the seating area. As he approached, everyone in the group he was watching leapt to their feet and cheered. Bruce glanced back to see one of the Leopards players picking himself up off the ground while still holding the football. Bruce smiled wryly; from the reactions of the crowd, it must’ve been a very spectacular mark. He was sorry he missed it.

“Come on, Deon. You can do it,” one man, around the same age as Bruce muttered to himself.

There was a spare seat next to him, so Bruce sat there. He waited until the player had lined up and kicked the football.

The other man and the woman next him both cheered as the kick wobbled its way between the two goal posts. “Yes!”

Bruce glanced at the scoreboard. The Lilydale Leopards were seven goals up.

“It’s a good game,” Bruce said to the guy next to him. It wasn’t the best opening line, but it had the advantage of being true. Bruce hadn’t expected to be enjoying the match as much as he was.

“The Leopards are winning, which automatically makes it a good game.” The other guy grinned and stuck out a hand. “Jonathan Flintlock, and this is my wife, Anne.” Anne flicked Bruce a smile before she returned her attention to the oval.

“Bruce Bellweather.” He nodded towards the ground. “Are all the games this one-sided?”

“Hell, no. To be honest, Bendigo are playing better than I expected. I had thought we’d be up by at least ten goals by this stage, but the Gold are making us work.”

Anne smiled past her husband. “Peter’s also trying some new things, and that’s affecting our scoring rate.”

“Peter?”

Jonathan waved a hand towards the sideline. “Peter’s the head coach of the Leopards.” He turned to Anne. “Did he tell you what he was doing?”

“No, but I’ve heard some of the players talk about it at the club during the week.” She must’ve caught Bruce’s puzzled expression, because she grinned. “I’m the club’s financial controller, so I get most of the gossip of what’s going on. If it’s not directly from the players, it’s via the office staff.”

Bruce smiled. It appeared he had found someone who might be able to tell him about Neil.

The three watched as the umpire bounced the ball in the centre square. The two opposing ruckmen tried to knock the football towards one of their teammates, but both mistimed their jump and the ball fell to their side. There was a scramble as several players rushed the ball, until one of the Leopards flicked the ball out of the pack. It was immediately kicked down the field, where a Bendigo and Leopards player were waiting. The two tussled, trying to outmuscle their opponent while keeping an eye on the football. Neither was completely successful, with the Bendigo player punching the ball away to prevent the Leopards player from marking the ball.

A second, smaller Leopards player pounced. The football was quickly scooped up and a short, sharp, stab pass found the chest of a third Leopard.

“Do you think he’ll try to kick it from there?” Jonathan asked Anne.

“The brat’s good, but it might be too far out. He’s lining up for it, though.”

“The brat?” Bruce asked.

Jonathan flicked him a smile. “Ty Flanders. One of the best rookies the Leopards have recruited in years. His nickname’s ‛brat’, and he wears it as a badge of honour.”

Anne chuckled as Ty suddenly abandoned his preparations and kicked the ball to where a tall Leopard had broken away from his opponent. “Clever. Everyone thought he was going to go for the goal, which allowed Roger to break free when his opponent stopped concentrating.”

“I think he would’ve gone for it if Roger hadn’t gotten into a better position, though,” Jonathan said.

“Maybe. I’m not going to try to guess what was going through that mind of his. I’m just happy he’s playing for us.” Anne smiled as she watched Roger kick another goal for the Leopards.

Bruce took advantage of the break in play to point to where the runner that Liam had pointed out earlier as being Neil was taking a couple of bottles of water out to the players. “Is that one of the supporter’s kids? He seems pretty young.”

Jonathan frowned. “I’m not sure. Anne?”

“That’s Neil. No, he’s a new fan, and he’s super keen, so we got him a job as a runner.” She frowned. “I get the impression that some of the players have adopted him as an unofficial team mascot. Not that I blame them.”

Jonathan gave her a quizzical look. “You haven’t mentioned anything like that to me. What’s going on?”

Anne glanced past her husband at Bruce and then back at Jonathan. “You met him about a month ago at the club. He’d come to see Jim. You remember: the kid who was thinking of dropping out of school.”

Bruce stiffened. He was going to have some more questions for Liam on the drive home. The things that Liam had told him hadn’t sounded harsh enough to make Neil consider quitting school.

Jonathan winced. “Him? Okay, I understand.” He frowned. “Who brought him to the game?”

“He came on the bus with the team. Ty asked for an exception for him. I told him I’d allow it if Peter said yes.” She glanced towards the Leopards back line. “Between the brat and Todd, Neil’s being well looked after and seems to have given up on the idea of dropping out and working full time. I just hope he gets through this year without any more drama.”

Bruce wanted to ask who Todd was, but he kept quiet. It was obvious that even though he could hear what Anne was saying, it had been intended for her husband’s ears, not his.

* * *

“Dad and the brat look like they’re running out of steam.” Peter glanced at Julie. “Time to give them a rest?”

Halfway through the first quarter, Jim and Ty had been switched to an on-baller role, the same as the previous week. It had resulted in an immediate surge in goals to the Leopards, but it was clear in the fourth quarter that the two were beginning to struggle.

Julie shook her head. “Just the brat. Leave Dad on the ball for a bit longer.”

“Explain.”

Julie chuckled. “Can you imagine how the brat is going to feel when Dad keeps going and he doesn’t? It’s motivation for him to try harder. He’s doing great, but he needs to work on his endurance. This will encourage him.”

Peter grinned. “You’re a cruel person, Julie. Okay, we’ll do it that way.” He turned to Will. “Do you want the brat on the forward line, or do we rest him in the back?”

“I don’t really need him, but I’ll take him.” Will thought for a moment. “Have him take Ollie’s spot on the near flank and either sub Ollie off or move him back to the midfield.”

“You’ll lose your fast forward if you do that,” Peter glanced at the scoreboard, “but if you’re happy, then that’s what we’ll do.”

Will smiled. “The brat’s competitive. He mightn’t be as fast as Ollie, but he’s going to try to do the same thing.”

“The idea is to give him a rest, not make him keep running.”

Will chuckled. “The only way you’ll stop him from running is to take him off. Yeah, he’ll keep going, but it won’t be as intense as the role he’s currently doing.”

Peter nodded. He called back over his shoulder. “Runner!”

Neil stepped forward and waited. He’d been listening to the coaches discussion while watching the game, so he was confident he knew what he was about to be told, but he concentrated his attention on Peter anyway. He didn’t want to make any mistakes.

“Tell Ty he’s to take Ollie’s spot. Tell Ollie he’s to return to the midfield to assist Dave. If Jim asks, he’s staying on the ball.”

“Gotcha.” Neil waited a moment to make sure there were no further instructions and then jogged onto the field. It was the last quarter of the match, but it was still a thrill for him to step onto the oval. He kept a wary eye out for both the opposition players and the football. It had been drilled into him that he had to avoid interfering with the game in any way.

He caught up to Ty, who was standing next to Jim. Both were watching Roger line up for a goal kick. “Ty, Peter said you’re to take Ollie’s spot.”

Ty narrowed his eyes and spat out his mouthguard. “Did he say why?”

Neil hesitated, not wanting to pass on the coaches’ comments to his friend. “I’m only the runner.”

Jim chuckled. “If you want to find out that badly, brat, ask to be subbed off.”

“No fucking way!” Ty glanced at Jim before returning his attention to Neil. “What about Dad?”

“He’s to stay on the ball.” It wasn’t Jim asking, but Neil didn’t think that would matter, since Jim was there to hear both the question and the answer.

“Fuck!” Ty scowled as he stuck his mouthguard back in.

“Do what you’re told, brat,” Jim said. He nodded to Neil. “Thanks, mate.”

Ty jogged over to Oliver, with Neil following. Neil couldn’t help notice that despite what the coaches had said about Ty running out of steam, Ty was still capable of outrunning him.

“...take your place,” Ty was saying to Oliver as Neil approached.

Oliver glanced at Neil. “What am I doing?”

“Peter said to drop back to the midfield to help Dave.”

Oliver nodded. “Okay.” He jogged off.

Neil started to return to the bench when Ty put a hand on his arm. “Can you get me a drink, Neil?”

“Sure. I’ll be back soon.”

Neil couldn’t help grinning as he jogged back. Watching the game was great, but being able to contribute, even if it were only in small ways, gave him a buzz that he’d never experienced before.

* * *

“It would’ve been nice to have seen the end of the game,” Liam said when they were stopped by a red light for the third time on their way out of Bendigo.

“We already knew how it was going to end, and you’ve got a long drive ahead of you. This way we’ll get home in plenty of time for you to relax before dinner.” Bruce Bellweather glanced at his son. “Keep your attention on the road, Liam.”

“We’re stopped! There’s nothing going on, and even if there were, there’s nothing I could do about it.” Despite his comment, Liam turned his gaze back to the road in front of him and waited for the lights to go green.

“We’re talking about developing good habits here, Liam. Get in the habit of always paying attention to what’s around you, because you never know when something unexpected will happen. Yes, you can relax when you’re stopped at a set of lights, but you still need to be ready for when they change.”

“Fine!”

There was a pause before his father’s response. It was gentler than Liam had expected. “Is it because I made you stop watching Neil?”

Liam didn’t answer. He didn’t think it was necessary.

“Did you know that he was going to drop out of school?”

Liam’s head snapped around to stare at his father. “What?”

“He was planning on dropping out.” Bruce Bellweather stared at Liam, his expression stern. “It seems that there might be a few more things that you’ve done to him that you haven’t told me.”

“Dad, no...I don’t...”

Their conversation was interrupted by a blast from the horn of the car behind them. The lights had turned green while they talked. Liam, flustered, managed to get the car moving but not before being honked at again.

“Bloody idiots! Can’t they see the L-plates on the car?” Bruce glared out the back window of the car before turning around to face the front. “Ignore them, Liam. They’re a bunch of arseholes.”

“It was my fault. I should’ve been paying attention.” Liam cringed as he split his attention between the road in front, the speedometer, and the car behind that was much closer than he was comfortable with.

“Don’t let them intimidate you into speeding. They can either pass or they can wait.” Bruce glanced back over his shoulder. “Bastards! No respect for a learner driver.”

A few minutes later they reached a dual carriageway and the other vehicle shot past them. Poetic justice was served shortly afterwards when they saw the grey Mitsubishi Lancer parked on the side of the road with a police car, lights flashing, behind it.

As they left Bendigo behind, Liam sighed. “I didn’t know, Dad. I had no idea Neil was thinking of dropping out.”

“Famous last words, Liam. ‛I didn’t know.’ I’ve even used them myself. It didn’t make me feel any better, though.” Mr. Bellweather sighed. “I don’t know if you’ve been lying to me about what you’ve done or if Neil took it harder than you realised, but at least he’s been talked out of quitting school. You’ve got some explaining to do, boy.”

“I didn’t think...we never did anything really bad, Dad. Honest?”

“We?”

Liam swallowed as a cold chill ran through him. “I meant me...that is...” Inspiration struck, though he suspected it was too late. “By ‛we’ I mean all the kids at school. Everyone picked on him, to one degree or another. I was one of the worst ones, I’ll admit, but everyone did it.”

His father stayed silent. A sideways glance from Liam told him that his explanation hadn’t been persuasive. The expression on his father’s face was very sour.

Mr. Bellweather sighed. “That’s in the past. The real question for you now is what are you going to do next?”

“I don’t know.” He glanced to the side to see his father’s sceptical expression. “I really don’t! I’m certainly not going to do anything that might hurt him.”

“You think that playing with his emotions, when he doesn’t know it’s you, won’t hurt him?” The question, though it made Liam cringe, was delivered in a soft tone.

“That’s different!” The silence from the passenger seat was enough to make Liam grimace with shame. “Okay, yes, it might, but I don’t want it to. Now that I’m really getting to know him, he’s a cool guy. He’s someone I can really like. He’s...someone I want in my life.”

“When are you going to be honest with him?” Again, the tone was gentle.

“When the time’s right! I don’t know when that will be. When he has a chance to see that the guy at school isn’t the guy I can be.”

“Is that ever going to happen?”

Liam sighed. “I don’t know. I hope so, but, yeah, it mightn’t.”

To Liam’s relief, his father ended the conversation at that point. It didn’t take a genius, though, to realise that the conversation would be continued again at some point in the future.

* * *

Neil grinned as Ty worked his way up and down the aisle of the bus, singing at the top of his voice and encouraging everyone else to join in. He’d brought along a set of speakers for his phone, and was blasting music out at full volume. His explanation to Neil had been that since the game was over, there was no need to relax on the bus trip home.

When Todd slipped into the seat that Ty had vacated, Neil frowned. “Is something wrong?”

Todd laughed. “Nope. I just thought I’d check on how you were doing.”

“I’m going great! I had a fantastic time. I wish I could do this every weekend.”

Todd shrugged. “Most weekends, at least, until the end of the season. You’ll get a bus trip roughly half of the time, but there’s no reason you can’t join with us in the clubroom after a home game.”

Neil shook his head and sighed. “I’m sure Mum and Dad won’t let me go every week. Homework has priority, and they probably won’t accept me going out with you guys on Saturdays regularly. Maybe once or twice a month, but not every week.”

Todd smiled. “That’s still better than not at all. And, it gives you an incentive to knuckle down and get your schoolwork done. Finish your homework, and you get to join us at the games.”

Neil grimaced and looked up at his friend. “How long before you think they work out who all you guys are?”

Todd shrugged. “No idea, but there’s nothing we can do about it. They’ll find out when they find out, and until then we’ll continue the way we are.” He cocked his head. “Any preference for dinner? We can go to the pub or order takeaway. I doubt that Paul or Ollie will be interested in cooking.”

While Neil tried to decide, there was a sudden silence as Ty’s music cut off mid-song.

“Hey!” Ty scowled at Peter.

“Brat, you’ve had your fun. Now, unless you want me to put on my choice of music, keep the volume down.” Peter smiled. “What will it be?”

Ty blinked. “You had music in your era?”

Peter snorted, unable to keep a smile off his face. “You’ve got five seconds to get back to your seat or I’ll pump Gilbert and Sullivan through the bus speakers.”

Ty gave him a look of horror. “Please, anything but that! I’ll go!” He took a step away, paused, and glanced back over his shoulder. “I thought torture was banned by the Geneva Conventions.”

Peter laughed. “Brat.”

Ty was still chuckling when he returned to Neil. He stared down at Todd. “Dad! There’s someone in my seat, and he’s bigger than me!”

Jim yelled back. “If he’s good-looking, sit on his lap.”

Ty stared at Todd and then at Neil. “What do you think, mate? Is he good-looking?”

Neil laughed. “Yeah, I think he is.”

Ty dropped into Todd’s lap, and was immediately tossed into the aisle.

“Hey, guys, cut it out before someone gets hurt.” Peter’s glare this time showed he was serious.

Todd smiled and stood up. “I’ll go. I was just checking with Neil what he wanted to do for dinner.”

Ty shrugged. “Pizza’s always nice. I’ll have a meat-lovers with extra-hot salami.”

Todd scowled. “What makes you think you were invited?”

Ty winked at Neil. “You want me there, don’t you, mate?”

Neil stared, uncertain as to whether Ty was joking. He made a quick decision. “I’ll pay for him, Todd.”

Ty’s face went serious. “Thanks for the offer, Neil, but no. I’ve got a job; you don’t.” He turned to Todd. “Let me know if it’s okay for me to join you guys. Karen’s working, Jim’s heading out with Tony, and Ryan’s going for dinner with Fiona. I’m not sure what Deon’s doing tonight, but at most it’ll just be Deon and me joining you guys.”

Todd sighed as he flicked Neil a quick roll of the eyes. “Okay, brat. You can join us.”

* * *

“G’day, Doug.” Liam didn’t really want to make the phone call, but he knew he had to. He was lying on his bed, wondering what to do next.

“Mate, you sound down! What’s wrong?”

“The day didn’t go the way I had hoped it would.” Liam grimaced at the understatement. “I got to Bendigo, but things started going wrong well before then.”

“I told you it was a bad idea.” There was a short pause. “Did Neil spot you?”

“Not that I know of, but the way things went, I wouldn’t be surprised. No, to get my dad to allow me to go, I had to tell him I was interested in Neil.”

“Two mistakes, right there. One was telling your old man, and the other was being interested in the loser in the first place.”

“Will you shut the fuck up about that?” Liam took a deep breath. “Sorry, mate, but I’m on edge. I don’t need you going off on Neil at the moment.”

“It’s okay. You talk, and I’ll listen.” Doug’s voice was sympathetic, reminding Liam of how his best friend had been on the day he came out to him.

“Anyway, that got us going, but to explain why I was going all the way to Bendigo but not saying hello to Neil, I had to tell my dad that I haven’t exactly been nice to Neil for the last five years.”

“Shit. That would’ve started an immediate interrogation.”

“Exactly. Dad made me pull over after I told him, and he almost had me turn around and go home. He thought about it, but he ended up letting me keep driving. We got there in time for the game, and we settled down to watch. Dad gave me strict instructions to stay out of sight while he went to see what he could find out about Neil. Did you know he was going to quit school?”

“Who? Your dad?”

Liam glared up at the ceiling. “No, you fucking idiot. Neil!”

“Calm down! You were talking about your dad. I just made a mistake.”

“Yeah, I know.” Liam sighed. “I don’t know what I’m doing at the moment. Did we really make his life such a hell that he was going to quit school?” Liam narrowed his eyes. “And if you make one comment about Neil being a loser...”

“Steady, mate! I wasn’t going to, honest!”

Liam didn’t believe him, but he knew Doug was lying to try to keep him calm. “As far as I know, he’s doing okay in classes. If he was going to drop out, what other reason is there but the fact that we made his life a misery?”

“Maybe one of his parents is sick and he needed to quit so he could get a job to help pay the bills?”

Liam shook his head. “That doesn’t explain how he was convinced by some of the players to stay in school. If his parents were sick, they’d still be sick, and he’d still need to get a job.”

“We could ask him.”

Liam scoffed. “Yeah, right. We go up to him and ask him. His first response will be to ask how do we know. His second would be to say, ‛fuck you’, and storm off. No, we can’t do that.”

“You’re not thinking straight. Yes, we can’t ask at school. But Alf could ask him. After all, Neil knows that Alf goes to the club. Is it unreasonable for Alf to have heard the story your old man heard?”

Liam lay on his bed, thinking. “Dad found out after talking to some of the people at the club. It might not be general knowledge, but there’s certainly people there who know. As long as Neil doesn’t ask me who told me, I should be okay.” Liam smiled. “Thanks, Doug!” The smile slipped. “But all that’s going to do is confirm that we’re a pack of bastards who almost ruined his life.”

“You don’t have to ask if you don’t want to, but if you want to find out if there’s an alternate explanation, there’s only one way to do that.”

“And if he tells me it’s because of guys who have been picking on him for the last five years?”

“Then you’re no worse off than you are now. You’ll just know how he feels, which might help you work out if you’ve got any real chance with him.”

Liam’s face screwed up with indecision. “I don’t know...”

“It’s up to you. It’s your life, and – God, please forgive me for what I’m about to say – whether you’ll get to spend it with the guy you’re crushing on. If you want a chance with him, you have to know where you stand.”

“I’ll think about it. I’ve got something else I need to do, too, and I’m not sure which one is worse.”

“There’s something else? Man, you’ve got a shitty life at the moment. What else has gone wrong for you?”

Liam sighed. “My parents have decided I need some sort of punishment for having harassed Neil for the last five years.”

“Shit! What have they decided?”

Liam grimaced. “That’s it. They haven’t. They discussed it and decided that I get to nominate my own punishment. They said they wanted to see how serious I am about being sorry for what I’ve done.”

“You’re fucked.”

“Yeah, I know. If I make it too easy, they won’t believe I’m serious and they’ll throw in a lot of extra stuff because they don’t believe I’m serious. So, I have to go overboard the other way. I’m still trying to work out what that will be.”

“No offence, mate, but I’m not going to give you any suggestions. I’m just glad I’m not in your shoes.”

Liam made a face. This was the main reason he had known he had to ring Doug. “On the drive back, I slipped and said something like I didn’t think what we did was that bad. Dad picked up on that and asked who the other people were. I’d been trying to make it sound like it was mainly me.”

“Oh, fuck. What did you say?”

“I stammered for a bit, and then I told him it was everyone at school, but Dad didn’t buy it. He didn’t say anything until we got home, but they’re pretty sure they know who else was involved.”

“I’m not getting a warm feeling here, Liam.”

Liam screwed up his face. Reluctantly, he continued. “I told them it was just me, but my folks are talking about telling your and Rod’s parents.”

“Fuck!”