League Of His Own Ch 04

"So let me get this right, mate," Billy managed to say in between his laughter, "You've pretty much got a girlfriend in this Kim that you love but neither of you will commit completely. You've then got Lisa, who you adore but it probably won't go further than a close relationship which is usually intimate. You're banging one of your teachers, which is the fantasy of many young men, but not a good idea either. Now you're also dating Wendy, who you seem to adore just as much as Lisa and Kim. Then there's the one or two other women you're occasionally spending time with. I've got this correct?"

"Yeah."

"So what's the problem? Frankly, it's what many young men like yourself probably dream about. They all know about each other?"

"There are no secrets between any of us. I'm just worried about it going wrong."

"But has it? Or do they all accept this reality?"

"They're quite happy to share me, to be honest. Kim admits that, once she's at university, the chances of seeing me often will be slim. Wendy might be the same, as she's going into a course where it'll be intense study the entire time. Being with Lisa once I've left school will probably be easier, same with Rebecca, I guess. She'll no longer be my teacher. Those are the four I'd like to keep. I know, sounds greedy..."

And then there's my mother and sisters, which I obviously couldn't tell him about. Kyla had been proven right about Aimee, at least. She loved me, and enjoyed our time together, but she didn't approach me all that often. When she was horny, my god, she was insatiable, but she was just as focused on her studies as Kim and Lisa. I'd spent the past couple of weeks giving Mum and Kyla plenty of attention. I think Kyla had spoken to Mum, and she'd whispered her encouragement in my ears more than once about looking after my big sister.

"Mate," Billy stated, "I'm thirty-six years old, happily married with three kids. But like most young men, I played the field a bit when I was younger. Granted, dating has certainly changed. Words like 'exclusive' didn't exist twenty years ago, though I guess 'going steady' was the equivalent. You were either dating someone, and only that person, or you were not. It sounds like these four young women you are dating accept the situation, so as far as my opinion goes, enjoy it while it lasts, but in the end, it's likely you will have to make a choice between the four."

"And one other thing," Graham added, "Remember the media love getting involved in our personal shit. Keep what you're doing as private as possible. It might be difficult at times, but the media love gossip. They're on your side at the moment after your debut and then your injury, but they love tearing people down."

"It's a good thing I'm at school, though not for much longer, I guess. The media can't hang outside school gates without looking like weirdos."

Heading out to my car after the coach dismissed us from training, I gave Billy's advice some more thought. I resolved my mind that I was simply overthinking things and that I should just enjoy my life as it was.

It was a Tuesday afternoon. The next day obviously being Wednesday, it was the most important day of the year in my mind. We'd won our semi-final by two points a fortnight ago. The Schoolboy Cup Grand Final was the next night. It would be held at the stadium where I played for the Rangers. We would be playing the same team that had defeated us in the same game twelve months before. After the semi-final, we admitted that revenge would be sweet, but the most important thing was simply winning the game and finally delivering on the promise we'd shown for three straight seasons.

Though we had to attend school on the Wednesday, none of the players were expected to go to class. I actually had to front up to the local media alongside my coach in the morning, leading the press conference in my position as team captain. Many of the questions mentioned our heart-breaking loss in the final last season and how we'd deal with the opposition this season. I told them that lessons had been learned, we were far better than last season, and that we went into the final game of the competition as confident as ever.

The school organised us to go to the stadium early to take in the atmosphere. Before we started to organise our departure, I was summoned to meet Ms Symonds in her office. Knocking on her door, she glanced up and grinned. I noticed she was now wearing her hair down, framing her mature but still pretty face. "Ah, Danny. Please, shut the door and come in."

Doing as she asked, I took a seat in the usual chair I found myself sitting in, having talked to her at least once a fortnight since I'd returned to school after my injury. I would never suggest we were friends but there was certainly mutual respect, and I found her surprisingly easy to talk to. Getting to her feet, she walked around her desk and leaned back against it in front of me, getting a good look at her body. Definitely mature, curvier than my mother. Bigger tits and arse, for sure, but she wore both well.

"I'm going to miss these chats when I go, ma'am," I suggested.

"And I'm sure I won't be the only woman around this school to miss your presence, Danny. In fact, I can confidently say you have most of the female teachers wrapped around your finger."

"Makes life easier for all of us if we're friendly to each other."

"After today, you only have a month or so to go, then it's your exams. Can I ask a question and receive an honest response? I promise you that nothing will happen to you or anyone else, I merely want the truth."

"Fire away, ma'am."

"Are you sleeping with any of the teachers at school?"

"Yes, ma'am. I am."

"How many?"

"One regularly, two others once or twice."

I was surprised by the smile that formed. "Thank you for being honest. I have a fairly good idea who your regular lover is. And I don't blame you, she's wonderful as both a teacher but also as a person. Will you continue that relationship when you leave?"

"I hope so. I do really like her."

"But she's aware of your love life otherwise?"

"I'm not exclusive with any of my lovers, ma'am. I'm honest to start with anyone. If they can accept it, then we have a wonderful time. If they can't, then I can always be their friend. I've made a few friends this year, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I've been fortunate to be surrounded by so many brilliant young men and women for the past six years."

She sat next to me on the other chair, pulling it closer. "I divorced my husband seven years ago," she said softly, "He was cheating on me with someone in his office. I only discovered it because I arrived home to find them in bed together. It... It broke me, Danny. They'd been doing it for a few years by then. I never had a clue."

Taking her hand and squeezing, I offered her my condolences. "My... I hesitate to call father, but he ran off with his lover when I was five years old. Haven't seen him since I was ten. He ran off with my mother's best friend. Knowing what she went through, I can certainly understand what you were feeling too."

"Danny, if you win tonight, I want to celebrate it with you." I met her eyes and immediately caught her meaning. "I haven't been with a man in five years. I've never done anything like this, certainly never slept with a student. I'm nervous, but the way you've handled everything thrown at you this year, I can't help be impressed and, to be honest, quite infatuated. Lisa won't shut up about you, of course."

"Well, I adore Lisa just as much in return. It's just finding time for everyone. Once the season is over, I'll certainly have more time to focus on my love life and being able to date freely. But are you asking me to visit you at home? Or visit you here?"

"I'm going to book a hotel tomorrow night no matter what, Danny. We'll either have fun to celebrate our loss, or we'll commiserate our loss. But does being intimate with an old woman like me thrill you?"

"You're gorgeous, ma'am."

The smile returned was adorably shy. "My name is Susan, Danny, though I prefer Sue. My ex-husband called me Susie. I can't stand that name anymore. I'm forty-nine years old. I have one child, a daughter, who's a couple of years older than you. I don't see her much anymore. She blamed me for the divorce, suggested I focused on my career over my marriage and family..."

She started to blink so I did the only thing I could think about doing. I shuffled closer and hugged her. Feeling her wrap her arms around me, she started to giggle. "God, no wonder they all like hugging you. How old are you again?"

"Eighteen, Sue. I've been working out since I was fourteen." Leaning back, I left a soft kiss on her lips. "Your ex-husband was an idiot to do that to you."

"My only crime was loving what I do. But I never ignored my family. I'll always love my daughter, even if..." I hugged her again, left thinking she was getting things off her chest. Surprised she was doing it with me, but I guess I was a safe pair of ears. And I didn't mind hugging her. Her body was soft as it pressed into me. "I'm sure you're thinking I'm being a silly old fool right now," she murmured into my chest.

"Guess you haven't spoken much about all this?"

"I tried telling friends but they have their own problems. There's a reason divorce rates are as high as they are." She sighed, feeling her cuddle me tighter. "Can we just stay like this for a few more minutes?"

"I can stay like this until they say I have to go, Sue."

We only let each other go when there was a knock at the door, Lisa letting me know the bus that would be taking us to the stadium would be leaving in ten minutes. Walking me to the door, before I opened it, she rested a hand on my shoulder to turn me. Susan was almost as tall as I was, so when she leaned forward to kiss me, it wasn't awkward.

I'll admit she was one hell of a kisser. I'd also confess that it did slightly feel like kissing my mother, Susan being five years older than her, though I also kissed my mother the same way, so the fact it was an intensely passionate kiss felt nice. "Good luck, tonight. The whole school is probably going to be there."

"I'd hope so. We're going to win tonight, Sue."

Grabbing my kit-bag from where I'd left it, I joined the players and staff on the bus, the noise almost deafening due to the excitement of playing another final. Pulling up by the player's entrance, I wasn't surprised to see some officials of the Rangers there to greet us. My coach was also there, greeting all my teammates, before we were led towards the changing rooms, where our jerseys and other gear was ready and waiting for us. This was something I'd experienced plenty of times now. For many of the team, it was their first time.

"What's it like on game day?" Mark wondered.

"A little busier regarding officials hanging about. More media presence. But I reckon the crowd will be large this evening. Ms Symonds suggested nearly the entire school would be attending. Add to that our opponents, and I reckon numbers will be decent."

Before we did anything, our coach had us walk out onto the field while it was mostly empty to just get used to the large arena. Having played there regularly by now, I was used to it, but I could see the building excitement of my teammates. It was suggested that, in addition to focusing on the game, they take the time to enjoy the occasion and atmosphere.

The opposition team eventually turned up, and we ended up congregating on different halves of the field. We hadn't seen them since last season. I knew at least three of their key players had left at the end of last season. Much like us, it was the culmination of their plan to win the competition. I was a little surprised they'd made it all the way to the final again, proving their core group was still strong.

"Different half-back this season," I muttered to Mark, "And they lost two important forwards. Don't look as imposing this year."

"We're undefeated, Danny. They barely scraped out of the pool stage but have found form in the playoffs. We're in better form. We're better than them."

"Too fuckin' right we are. We're going to smash them, mate. Absolutely fuckin' smash them."

The seats around us were already starting to fill with spectators, so we slowly made our way back to the changing rooms to change into our warm-up kit. The Rangers coach was hanging around, talking to both teams, but I noticed he was giving my school a little more attention. Only natural as I was the only player in both sides who played professional footy. Very few of us would actually make it into the professional game.

After the usual warm-up, we gathered back in the changing room after we'd changed into our game jersey. The coach gave his speech, going over tactics one last time, before he and the others left the room, leaving it to the team captain to give his final words.

"We were here one year ago, lads. You remember how it felt to lose in the last minute? All that work throughout the season, only to have glory snatched from us just before the final whistle. You want that again?"

'Fuck no' was the general response.

"Those pricks in the changing room opposite are fallible. We haven't lost a game all season. We've swept nearly everyone else aside, barely breaking a sweat the entire time. But we are not going into this game complacent. We're going to be even better than our semi-final performance. Our quarter-final performance. We're going to absolutely fuckin' destroy these cunts!"

That earned a loud roar of approval.

"We leave nothing on the table once that whistle is blown. We give everything. Our hearts, our bodies, our very fuckin' souls for this game. We are not trudging off again as losers. We are going to win this fuckin' game, we're going to put Northern Meadows High School on the map, and we're going to lift that fuckin' trophy. Who are we?"

"Magpies!" we roared.

"Who are we?"

"Magpies!" we roared even louder, making as much noise as possible.

"Let's go kick some fuckin 'arse!"

Lining up in the tunnel, the click of studs on the concrete, we lined up next to our opposition. I stared forward, completing ignoring them. I heard them geeing each other up. I almost laughed but I didn't want to be arrogant. I was confident but wasn't going to underestimate them either. Called forward to enter the field, we strode forward, putting my mouthguard in, and once I hit the white line, I started to jog onto the field.

The noise was immense, all of us glancing around to see all four sides of the stadium almost full to bursting. It was something we'd rarely seen before. "Fucking hell, mate," Mark stated, "Think all the girls are here for you?"

We both laughed as our school had come prepared with flags and banners. There was no doubt that at least two-thirds of the crowd were there to support Northern Meadows. After the coin toss, which we won, the opposition kicked off. Our first set was almost perfect, and I kicked down the field just within the forty-metre line.

The roar of the crowd told me I'd kicked a forty-twenty. We'd get the ball back. Third tackle of the next set, I hit the line, drawing in three defenders. Getting my arm lose, I passed the ball to Mark, who practically strolled in to score the first try of the game. Within two minutes, we'd already put points on the board.

To call our first half performance almost perfect wouldn't be an understatement. No handling errors. Barely a missed tackle. At least half a dozen line breaks. Mark and I were alternating kicking, constantly pinning the opposition back on their own half. We completely dominated them, never letting them get within thirty metres of our try-line. By the time the referee blew his whistle for half-time, we'd kept them scoreless while scoring four tries of our own, converting three of them.

Twenty-two points to nil is quite the margin.

The coach could see we were full of adrenaline and confident as ever. Though he appreciated it, he told us not to get arrogant, and more important, not take our eye off the prize. We'd battered them in the first half, but they would come out in the second half intent on changing that. I knew what he meant, so did his teammates. So what I suggested we do was batter them further. We don't let up on the pressure for a second.

I said we put them to the sword. We end our high school footy careers breaking all sorts of records.

With ten minutes to go, I actually started to feel a little sympathy for them as we did as I said. Didn't take our foot off the gas for a moment. Within ten minutes of the restart, we'd crossed for two more tries. Their heads dipped further and the game just got easier and easier. We had to remember that most of us were still kids. Hell, we might be eighteen, but in many ways, we're still kids. After scoring a tenth try, I gathered the team after I'd kicked my eight successful conversion. I told them a few words and they agreed.

The last ten minutes, we kept things simple. Didn't let them get anywhere near our try-line, and we kept playing mistake free footy, but the intensity went out of the match as we simply played to the final whistle. When the referee blew for the final time, I'm not embarrassed to say most of us cried. After a long, gruelling season, with all the pressure on our shoulders, to play a near perfect final, keeping our opposition blanked...

The opposition was shattered by their loss. Every game ends with handshakes being shared. They were complimentary to us, admitting we'd simply blown them away. One or two suggested a little revenge was at play for our loss last season. I admitted there might have been a little bit of that, but there were also thanks that we'd taken it easy on them the last ten minutes.

After receiving our medals, it was lifting that trophy which made all the hard work worthwhile. I knew the picture would appear in the local paper that week. Then it was time to do our lap of honour. My family was down by the barriers, as was Kim, Lisa, Wendy, Miss Taylor, Ms Symonds... Gathering in the changing room afterwards, the coach provided beer for those old enough to drink, all of us sitting back and just soaking it all in. The coach knew it was the end of an era. Half the team would be graduating at the end of the school year.

Kim, Lisa and Wendy joined me at home for a couple of celebratory drinks alongside my family. Even Aunt Caroline had attended the game with my two cousins. It was warming up as we were in the earliest days of spring, so gathered outside by the pool to enjoy the night-time chill. "When will you stop smiling?" Mum finally asked.

"Probably Saturday when we lose again," I muttered, "But I'm not going to think about that now." Clearing my throat, I figured I had to be honest. "I won't be home tomorrow night."

"Oh, why not?" Mum asked.

"I'll be at hotel with someone."

"Who? Miss Taylor?" Kim asked. Thankfully, Lisa and Wendy were aware of that relationship too.

"Ah, no. I'm letting you know it's someone different but I don't think I should say who unless she says it's okay."

There was silence for a few seconds before Lisa gasped, covering her mouth. "Ms Symonds!" she exclaimed, "I bet it's her. Danny, are you going to fuck the principal?"

I kept my mouth shut but knew I was blushing as I knew that would cause some gossip. "I'm not going to confirm nor deny that," I finally replied.

"Well, I think she needs it. I think she's lonely, Danny," Lisa said, ever so sweetly, "Despite her role, she's such a kind woman. Always looks after the staff and teachers. I assure you, if you do spend the night with her, none of us will say a word."

Lisa and Wendy ended up going home while Kim stayed the night, keeping her word that any game that I won would end with us enjoying sex. Anne collected Wendy while Aimee was kind enough to drive Lisa home. Mum and Kyla wandered off to their rooms while Kim and I practically tore each other's clothes off once we were in my bedroom.