“Yeah, when’s your birthday, Mr. Cam?” María quipped. “Oh, if you tell me, I could look for your astral chart!” She produced a phone from some cord she had been hiding under her shirt and started tapping at the screen. “I need date, time, and exact place of birth.”
I brought my hand to the bridge of my nose, the start of a headache pounding at my temples.
“How old do you think Coach is?” I heard María pose to the group. “Eighteen fifty? Or, like, older?”
“María,” a new voice huffed—Juniper, short hair, quiet, always listened when I barked out instructions. “Don’t be ridiculous, he can’t be over a hundred years old. He’d have to be… like, a vampire. Or at least someone who’s been injected with a superpower syrup and then frozen for decades before being brought back to life to save humanity.”
And much to my utter and complete dismay, that comment ignited a very passionate debate about sparkly paranormal creatures and… superheroes I didn’t know shite about.
So I stood there, wondering how advanced kids were these days while the headache settled in. Jesus. I was—had been—a bloody footballer. A small-town kiddie team wasn’t my place. I could barely get them to run a proper drill. I was here only because I had promised Josephine, and she’d caught me at a low moment. I’d had plenty of those lately. I just wished I’d had a goddamn coffee before practice. With that maniac who claimed to be moving in next door disrupting my routine, I hadn’t had time to grab one on my way out.
I closed my eyes, unsuccessfully trying to drown the growing chatter, and counted down from ten for the second time today. Then, I brought my fingers to my mouth and whistled.
The prattling came to an abrupt stop.
They all turned toward me.
“Juniper,” I said, pointing at the short-haired girl.
Her eyes grew wide. “I haven’t said anything. I can’t get in trouble for not saying anything.”
I clenched my jaw, wondering if I’d been too harsh. I tried to soften my expression and tone. “Come here, please. At the front of the group.”
Juniper looked as skeptical as she was flustered at my request.
María braved a question. “Does this mean you’re going to tell us your zodiac sign?”
“How could this—” I stopped myself. “No. It means that I’m going to fetch Josephine. And until I’m back, nobody will leave this field and Juniper will be in charge.”
Juniper immediately complained, “But I’m nine years old. I can’t be in charge.”
“Neither can I, kid,” I muttered. And I apparently looked old enough to belong to a different century.
But I couldn’t do this today, not without caffeine. It was my one indulgence in life. My one vice after a life of discipline and strict regime. Josephine was the sole provider in town, and I knew she was around the practice facilities because she’d mentioned something about some visitor coming in. I’d beg her for a coffee if I had to.
“But we should be at practice,” Juniper countered. “And I’ve never led a practice before.”
I turned around, broke into a jog, and shouted over my shoulder, “Then try to improvise. I’ll be right back.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Juniper throw her hands up in the air, her gesture of despair turning into a… jumping jack.
“Jesus,” I muttered, watching half of the girls imitating her. “That—”
The words died at the end of my tongue as I collided against something.
Someone. Someone soft and warm. My arms reached around whoever was plastered against my front and my gaze dipped down. A mass of light brown strands was lodged on my right pec.
We stepped back from each other at the same time, recognition hitting me the moment a pair of big brown eyes met mine.
“You,” Adalyn seethed.
“You,” I grunted back.
“Well, if that’s not the most adorable meet-cute,” Josephine said. Her hand fell on my arm in a friendly pat. “Cam, this right here is my newest friend and Green Oak resident, Adalyn. She’s—”
“I know who she is,” I deadpanned.
Adalyn’s eyes narrowed.
Josephine let out a chuckle. “Oh, well. I didn’t realize you two had met.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her moving closer to Adalyn. “So where are you staying, Ada? Can I call you Ada? You were about to tell me before Cam all but plowed into you.”