Leopard Spots - 30. Chapter 30

Patrick O’Malley called for his assistant after reviewing the video from the Footscray vs. Lilydale Leopards game.

“Yes, sir?” Christopher Talbot asked.

“Unexpectedly, the Leopards lost. I asked for a report on how young Flanders handled losing, but I don’t see it.”

Christopher gave the old man a wry smile. “I have the report, but the scout didn’t want to write it down. He said no one would believe him if he did.”

Patrick frowned. “That doesn’t sound promising.”

Christopher shrugged. “It depends on your point of view. According to what I was told, the noise and team spirit from Leopards change room was louder and stronger than that from the winner’s.”

“And...?”

“Ty Flanders apparently led the team in singing Twisted Sister’s We’re Not Gonna Take It. They were singing it over and over while encouraging their supporters to join in.”

Patrick waved a hand. “I presume that’s some modern song. From the title, I’m guessing it was an act of defiance at the loss.”

Christopher blinked. “Er...sir...that song is around thirty-years old.”

Patrick grinned. “Anything after Frank Sinatra is modern music as far as I’m concerned.” He gave his assistant a thoughtful frown. “Flanders was leading this? Encouraging his teammates to join in?”

“From what I was told, yes.”

“Interesting...” Patrick steepled his hands in front of his mouth as he thought. “I believe Shane is going to ring Flanders tonight to sound him out about the possibility of coming to play for us. Please make sure you keep me informed as to the result.” He smiled. “I’m beginning to like the boy. Not only is he a decent football player, he’s also quite a character. He’ll fit in well here.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll have a summary of the contact report on your desk tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you, Christopher. That’s all for now.”

Patrick turned to the next video to be reviewed. He still needed to prepare a summary list of fifteen-year-olds to keep an eye on.

* * *

Evelyn’s eyes flicked towards Liam. “What’s he doing here?”

It was the start of lunchtime. Evelyn had just joined Clarissa, Mary, and Neil. Liam was standing a few steps away with what looked like a permanent scowl painted on his face. He had glared at Evelyn as she approached, but she had ignored him.

Clarissa gave her a wry smile. “Every village needs an idiot...”

“Hey!” Liam gave Clarissa a dirty look. “I’m here to keep people from bothering Neil.”

“I didn’t ask him to. He volunteered.” Neil shrugged as he contemplated his former tormentor. “Liam’s up to something, but I don’t know what. He claims he’s turned a new leaf and he’s trying to be nice. I don’t believe him.”

Liam flinched.

Neil turned away from Liam and gave Evelyn a pained look. “I presume you want to know what’s going on.”

Evelyn frowned. ‘I do...but I get the impression I’m not the first to ask.”

Neil laughed. There was a touch of hysteria in the sound. “No, you’re not the first.” He glanced over his shoulder at Liam. “Though I have to admit that the village idiot is doing a good job of keeping the numbers down.”

Clarissa grinned. “You know, I think that’s a better nickname than Jerk Face. From now on, he’s the village idiot.”

Liam spun around, putting his back to the others.

“Now that Evelyn’s here, you said you’d tell us what’s going on.” Mary smiled. “I can appreciate you not wanting to repeat the story too many times.”

Neil proceeded to tell the three girls the story of what happened on Thursday night – and Friday at the club. He left out the revelation that he’s gay but otherwise gave them a comprehensive account of events.

“...so I’m now living with Todd, Paul, and Ollie. I’m not sure what’s going to happen at the end of the year, but I’ve got time now to sort things out.”

Evelyn’s and Mary’s jaws had dropped during the tale. Evelyn was the first to recover. “Your dad’s a bastard, Neil. You’re lucky you could get out of there to somewhere safe.”

“He’s more than lucky,” Liam said, surprising them all by joining in the conversation. “If this had happened a couple of months ago, he wouldn’t have had any friends.” He gave Neil a sad look. “If you hadn’t found the Leopards when you did...” Liam turned away.

“He’s right,” Clarissa said softly. “I’m glad you had somewhere to go.”

Neil blushed and dropped his eyes. He wasn’t used to sympathy from the other students at school.

“Can we tell others about this?” Mary asked. “I don’t want to do that without your permission.”

Neil nodded his head. He looked up and gave them a nervous look. “Before you run off, though, there’s something else...”

“What?” Clarissa leant forward. “Do you need some help with something?”

Neil shrugged. “Sort of.” He grimaced. “Nah...forget it. It’s not important.”

Clarissa frowned. “Neil, we’re here to help. Even the village idiot wants to help. If there’s something you need from us, just ask. The worst that can happen is we can’t do it. There’s no harm asking.”

Neil stared at her and then the other two girls. His eyes flicked to Liam’s back for a moment before returning to Clarissa. “Ty gave me a job to do.” He took a deep breath and dropped his gaze to the schoolyard ground. “Ty’s organising a birthday party for me at the end of the month. He wanted to know if you three would like to come.” Neil looked up and gave them a tentative grin. “He said to say that there will be lots of hunky footballers there.”

“I’m in!” Evelyn said immediately. She frowned. “How many are single?”

Clarissa and Mary laughed. “You should’ve asked that first,” Mary said.

“No, she shouldn’t’ve. The invite was for Neil’s party, not for her to pick up.” Clarissa smiled at Neil. “I’ll be there, too, for you. Let me know the date and place and I’ll be there.”

“It’ll be the 31^st, but I don’t know where yet. Ty’s only just started organising it.”

“This Ty...is he good looking?” Evelyn asked.

Neil shrugged. “He’s okay, I suppose.” He chuckled. “I’m sure his girlfriend thinks he looks great.”

“Damn!”

Clarissa chuckled as she brought out her phone. After a minute during which Evelyn tried to pump Neil for information on the other players, Clarissa turned to show Evelyn a picture. “That’s Ty.”

“Fuck!” Evelyn glared at Neil. “Only ‘okay’? You need glasses, mate!”

Neil frowned at Clarissa. “Why have you got a picture of Ty on your phone?”

Clarissa hesitated for a moment and then smiled. “I don’t. That’s from the Leopards website. They’ve got all the players there.”

“Give it here,” Evelyn said, snatching the phone from Clarissa’s hand. “I want to see who else there is.”

Clarissa chuckled as she watched Evelyn and Mary reviewing the pictures. She grinned at Neil. “Do you know which ones are available? If not, I suggest you find out. The girls will want to know.”

Neil smiled nervously. Before he could think of a response, the school public-address system sounded, asking for Neil Rosewood to go to the office. Neil gave Clarissa a worried look.

Liam scowled as he moved closer, startling Neil, who started to edge away. “If it’s that father of yours...”

“There’s only one way to find out.” Clarissa smiled reassuringly at Neil as she retrieved her phone from Evelyn and Mary. “We’ll go with you. Safety in numbers, as they say.”

“Thanks.” Neil glanced around and shivered. Most of the kids in the schoolyard were staring at him.

“Do you need us, too?” Evelyn asked. “I’m not sure what good I’d be.”

Clarissa glanced at Neil before responding. “No, I think the village idiot and I can handle this. I’ll let you know what happens later.” She turned to Liam and gave him a harsh stare. “You coming?”

Liam smiled at Neil. “Let’s go, mate. I’ll make sure no one gets in our way.”

Neil nodded, too distressed either to object to being called ‘mate’ by Liam or to make a comment about Liam’s usefulness as an experienced thug.

A couple of minutes later, Neil was standing in front of the office reception desk. “I’m Neil Rosewood. I was paged...” he said hesitantly.

The receptionist smiled. “I’ll let Dr. Urquhart know you’re here.”

Neil swallowed as he glanced at Clarissa. He didn’t say anything; the school principal’s name was enough to inform all of them that something serious was happening.

“Ah, Neil. I’m sorry to get you back again, but we need to do a followup from this morning’s discussions.” Dr. Urquhart, a gray-haired, small man in his late fifties smiled. “You’re not in trouble, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Can we come, too?” Clarissa asked while Liam scowled.

Dr. Urquhart frowned. “I’m sorry, but no. This is a confidential matter, and other students can’t attend.”

“Even if I want them there?” Neil asked.

“Sorry.” Dr. Urquhart shrugged. “Sadly, it’s not up to me. I know you’d prefer your friends around you at a time like this, but I’m bound by legal constraints.” He waved a hand towards his office. “If you would...”

Neil led the way into the office, only to freeze at the sight of a man and woman in police uniforms. He panicked. “I’m not going back. You can’t make me!”

“They’re not here to do that, Neil,” Dr. Urquhart said as he closed the door behind him. “I called them in based on the discussion we had this morning.”

Neil frowned. “Why?” He glanced at the room’s only exit, behind where the school principal stood. He realised that running wasn’t an option.

“Because the school is required by law to report any suspected cases of child abuse. That photo your friend showed us is clear evidence of assault. You’re still seventeen.” Dr. Urquhart sighed. “I know you said you didn’t want to take it any further, but we had no choice.”

The policewoman smiled as she stepped forward. “It’s okay, Neil. At the moment we just want to talk. Dr. Urquhart has given us a summary of your discussion from this morning, but we need to hear it directly from you.” She waved a hand towards the chairs. “Take a seat and tell us in your own words what’s been happening.”

* * *

Clarissa and Liam waited by Neil’s locker at the end of the school day. Liam glanced around to make sure no one could overhear them. “Did Neil tell you why he’d been called to the principal’s office at lunchtime?”

Clarissa frowned. “No. All he said was that it wasn’t important.”

“Yeah, right. Everyone gets called to see the principal about things that aren’t important.” Liam glared indiscriminately around the area. “Where the fuck is he?”

“He’s probably just asking his teacher some questions.”

Liam stiffened. “Or someone’s waylaid him. I should go check it out. Do you know what subject he had for the last period?”

“No...” Clarissa sighed. “You can rush off like a blind idiot, or you can wait.” She hesitated and then put a hand on Liam’s arm. “I’m beginning to think you really do have his best interests at heart. I didn’t think of the possibility that his parents would try to grab him on his way to the train station.”

“Once I knew he was living in Lilydale, it seemed obvious. Did you hear that his parents showed up this morning demanding to take him home?”

Clarissa’s eyes widened. “No. How did you...?”

“One of the guys from the footy team was seeing the school nurse, and he overheard them yelling. I found out just after lunchtime.” Liam stiffened and then gave a sigh of relief. “There he is!”

The smile on Neil’s face slipped away when he saw Liam. By the time he reached them, he had a scowl on his face. “Why are you still here?” Neil asked Liam.

“He was concerned that your parents might try to get to you after you leave the school grounds. He suggested we escort you to the train station,” Clarissa said.

Neil frowned at Liam and then smiled at Clarissa. “Thanks, but that’s already taken care of. Ollie’s coming to pick me up. Todd didn’t want me catching the train this week for that exact reason.”

Clarissa grinned and gave Neil a wink. “Does that mean the village idiot actually thought of something intelligent for once?”

Liam gritted his teeth but kept his mouth shut while Neil opened his locker and started pulling books out of his backpack to store away.

Neil laughed. “Yeah, I suppose he did.” Neil paused and turned to stare at Liam for a couple of seconds, his expression uncertain. “Thank you.”

Liam’s eyes widened. “What for?”

Neil scowled as he resumed transferring books and other items between his locker and his backpack. “If you don’t know, I’m not going to tell you.”

Liam’s brow was wrinkled in thought as he followed Clarissa and Neil to the car park. He felt that Neil was beginning to appreciate what he was doing, but he wasn’t sure. Even if it were true, he still had a long way to go.

* * *

“So that was Clarissa and Liam,” Oliver said as he pulled out of the school car park.

“Yeah...” Neil frowned. “I’m starting to trust her, but he’s got me worried.”

Oliver flicked Neil a glance before returning his attention to the road. “What’s he done?”

“That’s just it. He hasn’t done anything wrong. He’s actually being nice and thoughtful. He was going to go with me to the train station to make sure nothing happened. Clarissa said he was worried about my parents trying to kidnap me along the way. It’s just so out of character for him. I keep wondering when he’s going to turn around and humiliate me in some way.”

“Maybe he won’t. Is it possible he’s changed?” Helena had told Oliver about Liam’s infatuation, but he recognised that he had that story third hand. She only had Clarissa’s opinion as to what Liam was doing, so Oliver wasn’t going to assume it was true.

Neil sat silent for several seconds. “If you’d asked me a couple of weeks ago, I would’ve said no. But now...I don’t know.” Neil turned his head to stare out the passenger side window. “Why would he be different now? What’s changed?”

Oliver kept his mouth shut, unsure as to whether to get involved. He knew that Helena had outed Neil to Liam; that was what had changed. Neil was no longer the preferred target of abuse; he was now a potential boyfriend. Oliver had messed up when he tried to intervene in Todd’s relationship with Lorraine. He didn’t want to do the same with Neil.

“What’s your plans for tonight?” Oliver asked after a couple of minutes of silence. “Are you staying home to cook us a four-course banquet, or are you going to come to the club with us for training?”

Neil chuckled as he turned to face Oliver. “I don’t think my culinary skills are up to doing a four-course banquet, so it sounds like training. Do you think I’ll be able to use the gym while I’m there?”

“Well, it doesn’t look like rain, so we should be out on the oval. In that case, I don’t see why not. If any of the players come in, though, you’ll have to give up the equipment if they want to use it.”

“Yeah, I know.” Neil pulled a face. “I just need to do something to take my mind off what’s going to be on TV tonight.”

“Are you going to watch it?”

“I don’t know. I should, but I’m not sure I want to. If they tell a whole bunch of lies about Jim and the club, I don’t know if I could stand it.” Neil glanced at Oliver. “What time do you finish training?”

“Usually about 6:30, but it can vary. After that, we have our showers, so it’s often sevenish before we get home.”

“So if training runs late, we might miss the show.” Neil paused and then brightened. “Actually, I’ll miss it anyway, because I’ll be cooking while it’s on. I don’t need to stress about it.”

Oliver laughed. He couldn’t imagine what it must be like for Neil – estranged from his family, reliant on friends for a place to live, the subject of media speculation, and coming to terms with being gay – but if Neil could find an upside to what was going on, then that augured well for his young friend’s future.

* * *

Peter smiled. “Okay, brat. You’ve been okay with Dad tagging you, so it’s time to learn that not all taggers do things the same way.”

Ty waited. For once, he wanted the training session over as quickly as possible so he could watch the current-affairs program about Neil. He knew he couldn’t say anything, though, because Peter would immediately turn around and make the training session longer.

As for the tagging, Ty considered Peter’s comment to be an exaggeration. He knew that he was getting used to Jim’s tagging during training sessions, but he was still learning how to deal with that situation. He also hadn’t been able to be successful at tagging Jim when the situation was reversed. Jim was too fast for him; able to move away suddenly and open up enough space to make whatever play was required.

“Tonight we’ll see how you deal with Dave as a tagger.”

Ty’s eyebrows shot up. “Dave?” He glanced at the midfielder in question. Dave had started to regain the level of aggressive behaviour that made him a solid midfielder, but Ty also remembered what had happened to Charlie.

Peter nodded. “Dave. This is a test for both of you. Dave is not only a stronger tagger than Dad, but he also uses different techniques in the process. You’ll need to learn to handle the different ways you can be tagged and work out how to defeat them.”

“And Dave needs to play tough again.”

“Exactly.” Peter tilted his head. “Get going, brat. You’re with Will tonight. With Roger out, we need all our forwards and potential forwards to step up a notch, and that includes you.”

Ty pulled a face at the reminder and jogged over to where Will was setting up some contested-marking drills. Dave was already on his way from where Julie was meeting with the midfielders, which meant he had received the same instructions. Ty frowned when he saw Jim following Dave.

Dave glanced at Ty as he arrived, but he didn’t say anything. His expression was hard, as it was on match days when he was playing at his peak.

Will frowned. “Okay, brat. We’re doing the standard drill, but in your case you’ve got your tagger as well. Effectively, two-on-one. Since Deon’s going to be a key forward for us until Roger recovers, we expect him to be tagged, too, if he’s able to beat his assigned defender. Dad’s here to tag him and get him used to the idea of being outnumbered.”

Ty nodded and then grinned at Deon. “If you get frustrated, just remember that in a game if they’re double-teaming both of us, that means there will be two of our teammates free to take advantage of the situation. We might not be the ones kicking goals, but the team will still be able to.”

Deon rolled his eyes. “You don’t remember last year when I played against you in the TAC Cup? We beat your team for exactly that reason. You double-teamed our key players, and the rest of us took up the slack.”

“Enough chitchat. Get started.” Will glared around the assembled group. “Paul, you take on the brat, and Todd, you work on Deon. Get going. One of the reasons we lost on Saturday was because we let the Bulldogs push us around. Time to push back, guys.”

Ty firmed his expression and got ready to work. He gave Dave a wary glance and received a cruel smile in return as Dave punched his left hand in a sign of intimidation. “Ready to go down, brat?”

Ty threw Will a worried look. Will simply raised an eyebrow, obviously waiting for Ty to decide what to do. Ty turned back at Dave and put on a smirk. “Nope.”

Dave nodded, his expression back to one of seriousness. “Then let’s get to work.”

* * *

Neil hesitated after entering the gym. He hadn’t expected anyone to be there, but Tony was exercising on one of the treadmills. After a moment’s thought, Neil took the machine next to Tony’s.

“G’day, mate. I didn’t realise you were coming in,” Tony slowed down his machine to a brisk walk. “How did your day at school go?”

Neil shrugged as he started up his treadmill. “Pretty good, considering. I got harassed a lot, but only by people wanting to know what the TV report was going to be about.”

Tony winced. “Yeah...I’ll admit I’m waiting to find out, too. Colin’s arranged for it to be shown in the club room after training, if you’re around. Eric, Colin, and I are staying late in case we need to do something about what’s shown.”

“Protecting the club. Gotcha.”

Tony frowned. “And you, if we have to.” He gave Neil a half-smile. “That’s more Colin and me, though. Eric’s mainly concerned about the club. Don’t tell anyone I said that, though. Eric doesn’t understand how serious this is for you. Colin and I do.”

Neil jogged along for a few seconds without responding. He was struggling with something, and while he didn’t think he was ready, the opportunity seemed too good to pass up. “I’ve got an apology to make, Tony.”

“Oh?”

Neil stared straight ahead, not looking at the guy next to him. “When I came to the club I...” He grimaced. Neil forced himself to continue. “I was planning to steal Jim away from you.”

“I know.”

Neil’s head jerked around, and he saw Tony’s gentle smile. Unfortunately, he lost his balance in the process and tumbled off the end of the treadmill. Tony hit the emergency stop on his machine and leapt off to help Neil up. “Are you okay?”

Neil stared. “You knew?”

Tony nodded. He glanced down Neil’s body. “Did you bruise yourself?” He looked up and grinned. “I had a few bruises from when I did the same a couple of months ago. Deon was interrogating me while we were both on the treadmills, and one of his questions caught me by surprise. I did the same thing you just did. It was very embarrassing.”

Neil waved a hand. “I’m fine.” He dropped his head. “I didn’t realise I was that obvious.”

Tony chuckled and put a hand on Neil’s shoulder. “Has anyone said anything to you? It’s okay, Neil. Apart from initially being a little jealous, I’m not bothered. You don’t have to answer, but how many gay guys did you know before Jim? That is, know them, rather than know of them.”

Neil grimaced as he looked up at his one-time rival. “One.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “One? Honestly, I was expecting the answer to be zero. I thought you’d fixated on Jim because you didn’t have anyone else. Knowing what I now know of your home life, I’m not surprised you jumped at the chance to find someone to get you out of there.”

Neil snorted. “The gay guy I knew is one of the bullies who has been picking on me for years.”

“Ah...Luke...no, Liam.” Tony frowned, his gaze unfocused. “The other one was...Doug?”

“Yes.” Neil stared. “You know them?”

Tony smiled. “Like you, Liam came looking for Jim. Not to get a boyfriend but to seek help. He wanted Jim to come to the school as part of the football clinics the club runs. But I can see why you wouldn’t’ve wanted to turn to Liam for help.”

“He hates me.” Neil frowned. “At least I thought he did. He’s been acting strange recently.”

Tony looked thoughtful. “If he’s who I think he is, he sent Jim a text about you on Friday. He wanted to know if you were safe.”

“He did what?” Neil stared.

Tony waved a hand towards the treadmills. “Do you want to keep exercising while we talk? A fast walk is good enough for me; we don’t have to run.”

“Yeah, that’s fine.” Neil got back on his machine and started it up again. This time he kept the speed down.

Once they were both settled, Tony gave Neil a smile. “Liam seemed upset that you weren’t at school. He must’ve guessed you were with one of the Leopards. Since he had Jim’s number, he asked him if you were safe.” Tony frowned. “That’s interesting. He didn’t ask if Jim knew where you were, only if you were okay.”

“What do you think it means?”

Tony made a face. “I’m not sure. The obvious bit is that he appears to care about you. Otherwise he–”

Neil interrupted. “He hates me.”

“You weren’t so sure a little while ago.” Tony raised an eyebrow. “Is there any chance he knows you’re gay?”

“No!” Neil hesitated. “At least I don’t think he does. How would he? I’m only out to people at the club.”

“He’s been here. Maybe he overheard something? It would certainly explain why he’s changed his attitude towards you. You said he’s been acting strange. Could it be that he’d like you as a boyfriend?” Tony winked. “You’re not that bad a catch if that’s what he’s after.”

Neil shuddered at the thought of having Liam as a partner. “Even if that’s what he wants, he’s too late. I’ve found someone else.” He screwed up his face. “Sort of.”

“Oh?”

Neil chuckled. “Well, I think I’ve found someone else. I’ve been chatting online with another gay guy from school. He’s come out to me, but he’s not out to anyone else. He seems to like me, and I like him. We haven’t met in person – he’s very much in the closet – but we’re getting to know each other pretty well.” He grinned at Tony. “And before you ask, I know he’s a kid at school because he originally contacted me by dropping a note in my locker. He’s not an internet predator.”

Tony smiled. “Good luck, then. I hope it all works out. You deserve to be happy.”

Neil’s grin broadened. “As long as it’s with someone other than Jim, right?”

Tony laughed. “Yeah.” He cocked his head. “You’ve changed a lot over the last few weeks, Neil. All in a good way. I think you’re finally finding yourself.”

Neil swallowed. Tony’s words rang true, but finding himself had come at a cost. And he hadn’t finished paying it.

* * *

Ty followed Peter into his office. “Is this going to take long, because it’s almost seven and I need to get home?”

Peter waved a hand towards a chair. “We shouldn’t be too long, but don’t worry about missing that TV show. Colin’s set up the TV screen in the club room. You can watch it there. And they’re unlikely to make it the lead story, so it doesn’t matter if we finish a little after seven.” He glanced past Ty and smiled. “Good. You’ve looked better, Roger.”

Roger hopped into the room before shifting his crutches into his right hand so he could sit down. “I’ve felt better.” He smiled at Ty. “Did Peter tell you why you’re here, brat?”

“No. If it’s about Dave, I thought he did well tonight.” Ty winced. “I think I’m going to have some bruises tomorrow.”

“I was watching. He seemed a little off his pace, not as tough as he can be. Still, it was a good session from him.”

Ty shuddered. “In that case, I’m glad he plays for us. I wouldn’t want to be against him if he’s usually tougher than that.” He gave Peter a wry smile. “So this is about Dave?”

Peter chuckled. “No. I told you what this was about, but that was on Saturday so you’ve probably forgotten. I said we’d discuss what to do about the captaincy while Roger’s out of action.”

“Ah...” Ty nodded. “I’ve given it some thought, and I’ve come up with three names, but I’m not happy with any of them. They don’t feel right.”

Peter raised an eyebrow and leant back in his chair. “Talk to me.”

“The first is Greg. He indicated when we held the vote for vice-captain that he’d had the position before. He clearly didn’t want that sort of responsibility again, but if the club needed him to, he might take on the captaincy for a short time. I just don’t know if he’ll do it.”

Peter nodded slowly. “Go on.”

“The next is Dad. You both indicated that he’s got a lot of respect from the team, and he certainly has the football smarts to be a captain, but I don’t think he wants a high-profile position. He’s already grumbled a lot about having to face the media because he’s gay. Would he want to do it as captain, too?”

Peter cocked his head. “You’ve obviously no reservations about having a gay captain, but how do you think the rest of the team will feel?”

Ty scowled. “They won’t fucking care, and neither should anyone else.”

“What about Dave and Charlie?”

Ty grimaced and then narrowed his eyes. “Them, too. They’ve got problems with the shower situation, but that’s a minor issue. Charlie’s trying to overcome his anxieties, and we all know what happened to Dave. On the football field, they’ll be fine with Dad as captain. He’s the one I’m not sure about.”

Peter smiled. “That pretty much agrees with my views on the matter, too. No one in the team will have a problem, and those outside the team can go fuck themselves.” When Ty’s jaw dropped slightly, Peter chuckled. “You haven’t seen me in full flight when it comes to defending the team, brat. The team is Number One as far as I’m concerned. If Dad is the right person to be acting captain, then I don’t care what anyone else thinks.”

Ty grinned. “Okay. Does that mean it’s going to be him?”

Peter narrowed his eyes. “You said you had a third name.”

Ty nodded. “Todd. It came to me late, but the way he’s been looking after Neil and getting everything organised told me that he’s got leadership skills. I haven’t seen him use them very much, but I think he could do the job for a few weeks until Roger’s match-fit again. But since he hasn’t been using them, it’s a risk.”

“Roger?” Peter asked.

Roger frowned thoughtfully. “I’ll admit that I hadn’t considered Todd. That’s mainly because I can remember what he was like last year.” Roger smiled at Ty. “He’s changed a lot since he’s started going out with Lorraine. He’s a lot more mature and responsible now. I think he’s a good prospect.”

“Do you think he’d be the right one for the job?” Peter asked.

Roger shrugged. “I was thinking about this while I watched the guys train, and something occurred to me. Why do we need one acting captain? Why not rotate it between the three of them? Greg’s concerns are that the responsibilities will get to him like they did before, but for two or even three weeks, I don’t see why he won’t do it. Dad’s the same. He’ll do whatever the club needs despite how he might feel about it. Todd’s the surprise packet, but I agree with the brat, give him a go.”

Peter looked at Ty. “Any comments?”

Ty narrowed his eyes in thought. “I don’t have anything to add.” He glanced at Roger. “It’s only for a few weeks, and it’s only really for the on-field stuff, so I don’t see why we can’t share it between the three of them. Is there anyone else you considered?”

Roger shook his head. “I had it down to Greg and Dad. I’d seen the changes in Todd, but it hadn’t clicked how they might’ve made him a candidate.” He turned to Peter. “What about you?”

Peter stared at Ty and then Roger. He smiled. “Sounds good to me. We’ll let the team know on Wednesday.” Peter jabbed a finger at Ty. “Don’t tell Jim until I’ve had a chance to talk to him.”

Ty grinned. “Jim who? I don’t know anyone by that name.”

Peter chuckled. “Brat. Now get out of here and find out what’s happening with that young man you’ve taken under your wing. I’ve got work to do.”

* * *

Todd sat on the bar stool next to Neil in the Leopards club room. “I take it we’re having a late dinner.”

Neil gave him a nervous smile. “If that’s okay with you? I both want to and don’t want to watch the TV.”

Todd grinned. “That’s fine. Ollie will just have to go hungry for a bit longer. He’ll live.”

Tony approached with a couple of cans of soft drink. “Sorry, Todd, I didn’t know when you guys would finish your showers. What’ll you have?”

“A soft drink for me, too. It’s time to start cutting back on the number of beers I’m drinking.” Tony gave him a quizzical look, which made Todd chuckle. “Some of us are slow at getting into the swing of things. We’re still in partying and drinking mode at the start of the season, but after a month or two, we cut back. We’ll still have a drink after the games, but most of us drop the after-training drinks.”

“Okay. That makes sense. I’ll be back soon.” Tony headed off to the bar again.

“Are you okay?” Todd asked Neil.

“Nervous and scared.” Neil gave him a weak smile. “Otherwise, fine.”

Over the next ten minutes about a third of the team trickled in. The current-affairs program had started, but the segment concerning Neil hadn’t been shown. It was just after Ty came in and gave Neil a friendly slap on the back that the advertised story was presented.

It started with Neil’s parents being interviewed.

PHILLIP ROSEWOOD: Neil was a good kid. He did what he was told, could always be relied upon to do his homework. He didn’t drink or smoke or stay out late. He was a respectable young man.

Ty grinned at Neil. “It sounds like you were perfect.”

A smile flickered onto Neil’s face for a moment, but his focus remained on the television screen.

MARY ROSEWOOD: He’d always been a bit of a loner. If there was one thing I was concerned about, it was his lack of friends. That’s why we were both so pleased at first when he said he’d met some new people, that he really liked them and that they liked him, too.”

The interview brought out more details from Neil’s parents, setting the scene of a teenager who had spent most of time by himself but had then fallen in with the wrong crowd.

PHILLIP ROSEWOOD: We didn’t realise it until it was too late, but Neil had been cagey about who his friends were. We only met a few of them. Neil was careful to never mention that his friends were from the Lilydale Leopards, the home of that poofter that was on the news a couple of months back.

Neil looked at Colin in panic. “They’re going to make the club the bad guys!”

Colin waved a hand. “Let’s not jump to conclusions.”

The television screen showed the scene from the advertisement where the Lilydale Leopards ran out for the match against the Footscray Bulldogs, with Neil, the coaches, and the other support staff following.

VOICEOVER: Indeed, that is precisely who Neil had been spending his time with, including several nights at the home of one of the Leopard players. This is the club that made the national news when Jim Henderson came out as the nation’s highest-ranked, openly gay, Australian Rules footballer.

The scene cut to the club’s boardroom. Jim was seated facing the camera, with the Leopards logo clearly visible on the wall behind him.

JIM HENDERSON: When I first met Neil, it was in the club room after the opening game of the season. Todd introduced him to me. It was immediately clear that he was someone with some significant problems. His issues were so severe that he was planning on dropping out of school so he could move out of home.

INTERVIEWER: Did you suggest he move in with you? Was he staying with you when he was away from home?

Ty glared at the screen. “Bitch!” He was immediately shushed by the others watching.

JIM HENDERSON: No! That wasn’t even discussed. He stayed with Todd over Easter and the ANZAC Day weekend. My only interactions with Neil were a couple of days during the first week of Easter when we worked together at the same store, and after that at the club and games.

Todd was the next one to appear on the television screen.

TODD UNDERWOOD: Yes, Neil stayed with me both weekends he was away from home. And he’s staying with me now because it’s not safe for him to go back to his parents.

INTERVIEWER: Not safe? Why wouldn’t it be safe for a teenager to live at home with parents that clearly love him?

TODD UNDERWOOD: Love him? Neil moved out of home because he feared for his life! Would you like to see what his father did to him?

A picture of Neil’s face, a vicious red handprint clearly visible across his left cheek, appeared on the screen.

VOICEOVER BY TODD: After seeing that, there was no way I was going to let him go home. I’ve met some right bastards in my time, but someone who would do that to their own son ranks at the very bottom as far as I’m concerned. Neil’s staying with me at the moment, and that’s where he’s going to stay until he wants to move out. I’m not sending him back to the animal that hit him.

“You tell ’em, Todd!” Ollie yelled out. The general agreement from the audience in the Leopards club room quickly died away so they could hear the next part of the show.

VOICEOVER: But why did Phillip Rosewood hit his son?

The scene changed to Phillip and Mary Rosewood sitting side-by-side. They both appeared shaken.

PHILLIP ROSEWOOD: It was once. Neil was being disrespectful to his mother. I’ve already apologised to him. It happened just after we found out that he’d been hiding who his friends were. He had admitted that one of those so-called friends was Jim Henderson, and when his mother, quite reasonably, asked if the poofter had tried to do anything to him, Neil snapped back at her. That’s when I slapped him. It was an unthinking, instinctive act that I deeply regret.

VOICEOVER: But Neil has a different story.

The television screen showed Neil in the Leopards boardroom, looking nervous but with determination in his body language.

NEIL ROSEWOOD: My parents are homophobic. My father, in particular, rants and raves anytime something to do with homosexuality comes on the TV. He hit me for one reason and one reason only: because I’m friends with Jim Henderson. That was enough for me. If he hit me simply because I was friends with a poofter, as he would say, what was he going to do when he found out I’m gay? I wasn’t going to stick around and find out.

Todd put an arm across Neil’s shoulders and gave him a squeeze. Most of the people present in the club room moved over and either patted him on the back or touched his arm as a sign of support. Neil wiped a hand across his eyes as it became clear that the current affairs report was painting the picture of a young man who ran from his homophobic parents before they hurt him any further.

* * *

Liam trudged his way from the lounge room to his bedroom. Now that Neil was well and truly out of the closet, he had to make a decision. He had been putting off replying to Todd’s email from that morning while he agonised over the ramifications. He could no longer delay, though he was afraid of the consequences. He knew that responding meant confiding in Todd, and all he could do was trust that Todd wouldn’t destroy any chance he had with Neil. Neil clearly trusted Todd. It was time for Liam to do the same.

With a lot of trepidation, he fired up his home computer and wrote an email. He stared for a moment, and then closed it unsent. “Fuck!” Liam stood up and started pacing, his hands on his head as he tried to work out what to say. He considered asking Doug but rejected the idea, given his best friend’s aversion to anything associated with Neil.

Liam sat back down at the computer and tried again. He read the email he had drafted and then removed half the text. He added an apology for his past behaviour and then backspaced over it. He knew he had to plead, but he didn’t think saying he was sorry five times in six lines would come over as sincere.

“Why is this so fucking hard?” He buried his head in his hands, telling himself he was too old to cry. He knew he had to do something, but there didn’t seem to be any right answer. Anything he did could make things worse and end any chance he had with Neil. But he knew doing nothing was just as bad, if not worse. The frustration was driving him over the edge.

After a couple of minutes, he straightened his back and glared at the computer screen. He reviewed what he had written and made a few changes. He shuffled pieces around, trying to get it right without much success. Finally, he told himself to stop. What he had would need to be enough.

Hi, Todd

You know who I am. Please don’t tell Neil. If you did, it would destroy any chance I have of getting him as my boyfriend. I know what I’m doing is wrong, but it was the only way I could think of to give Neil a chance to learn who I really am rather than who he’s seen for the last few years. I’ll tell him the truth, but not just yet.

You’ve got no reason to trust me, but I don’t want to hurt him. I never want to hurt him again.

Please believe me.

Liam

Liam read it one last time. He still didn’t like it, but he knew the longer he put off replying to Todd’s email, the higher the risk that Todd would interfere. With his heart in his mouth, he clicked the send button. After a couple of minutes, he sent a followup with his address and phone number. He knew he would need to be open with Todd, and giving him all his contact details seemed the best way to do that.

With that out of the way, Liam started on his homework. His mind wasn’t really on the task, but it was a chore he needed to do. His parents were still not happy with him, and he couldn’t afford to have them more upset.

A couple of hours later, he saw Neil log in. A smile appeared on Liam’s face as he opened a chat window.

Alf: G’day!
Neil: Hi Alf. I’m glad that this day is finished.
Alf: Speak for yourself. I’ve still got another half hour of homework to do.
Neil: Yeah, I’ve got stuff to do, too, but that wasn’t what I meant.
Alf: I understand. I can’t believe you had the balls to go on TV and say you’re gay.
Neil: I can’t believe it, either. But it’s done. Maybe now I can be myself.

Liam frowned and then nodded. It wasn’t that long since he’d come out, and he could appreciate the feeling of relief and openness it gave. However, he knew those reactions didn’t last; his experiences hadn’t all been positive.

Alf: Good for you. I hope it all works out.
Neil: So far, so good.
Neil: Say, can I ask you something?
Alf: You know you can. I may not answer, but you can always ask.
Neil: I know, but this is a big one.
Neil: Do you think we could meet up?

Liam swallowed. It was too early for Neil to learn he’s Alf. He thought quickly.

Alf: I’d like to meet you, but...
Neil: Yeah, I know. You’re still not out and you’re nervous. Being seen with a newly out guy could result in you being outed, too. I understand.
Alf: Thank you. Maybe soon, but not just yet.
Neil: I’ll wait. I’d love for you to come to my birthday party, but I doubt that’s possible.

“I’d love to be there, too, but will you really want me to?” Liam sighed and played for time.

Alf: Maybe I can, but I can’t promise.
Neil: It’ll be great if you can!
Alf: When is it?
Neil: It’ll be the 31st. Ty’s organising it. I don’t have any other details.
Alf: I’ll see what I can do.
Neil: I know I’m pushing. If you can’t be there, that’s fine. It would just be the best birthday present ever if you were there.

Liam glanced at the calendar on his bedroom wall. Saturday, May 31^st was just under four weeks away. Could he convince Neil that he wasn’t that bad by then? He crossed his fingers.

An email arrived at that moment, sent to Alf. Thinking it was something from Neil, Liam opened it, only to find it was from Todd. It was a simple request to meet up so they could talk. There was no other comment. Liam hoped that was good news, but he knew he still hadn’t convinced Todd that he was on the level.

Alf: I’ve got to go. I’ll let you know if I can come to the party, but it might be just beforehand.
Alf: Bye, Neil!
Neil: Bye! ~hug~

Liam stared at the screen for a few more minutes. He had been putting off thinking about how he would reveal the truth to Neil. He could no longer afford to do so. More than anything, he wanted to be there for Neil’s birthday party – and to be there as Liam, not Alf.