Chapter 13

                                    

                                          

I took way longer than I should in the shower, but trying to compose myself and make it look like I hadn't been crying was a difficult task.
My face was still red, perhaps from the running, but looking in the mirror I was convinced it was from crying, and I couldn't let anyone know about that, I didn't know why, it felt like the wrong thig to do, like I wasn't allowed, I wasn't even 100% sure why I even did.
None of it made sense
The team were already gathered in the sports hall, Coach was first to see me, "you played great Sam, I knew you would" his large paw patted me on the back, "we've never beat Milton before you know that?"
I shrug my shoulders, "it was a tough game I got lucky" and truth was I did, the team marked Jackson more than they did me, I guess if you know a player then you know what to expect, with me I was an unknown, I just caught them off guard is all
"well, they're the best in the country, and if we can beat them in qualifying, its easy street from here" coach smiles as we walk toward the team.
There's a little awkwardness now the match is over, almost like the bro hugs and the physical contact is reserved for the guys, in the moment on the pitch it seemed ok, but now it was more fist bumps and the celebrations now turning into discussions about pizza rather than talk about our match.
"hey you OK?" Jackson asked, he caught me off guard and went in for a proper guy bear hug, he just squeezed my arms together as they awkwardly sat by my side, he smelt strongly of aftershave or deodorant, or maybe it was shampoo he'd used on his fur, it smelt a little like pine needles and maybe sandlewood I guess.
"you're a strange one Sam" he says letting me go and bumping my fist which still lay by my side
"sorry I thought we were..." I raised my fist looking at it, which made him laugh and shake his head
"you played good, like, we beat Milton Sam!" 
"yeah its crazy" I say a little lost in my head
"you know that puts us at top of the group now you know, we win the group we get to go to county finals, we've never made finals!" Jackson smiles as we start walking across the road towards a little retail outlet centre that is usually out of bounds for any student at the school.
A small pizza place sits between a homeware store and a few clothing shops, the kind of shops perhaps my mum might shop in, nothing cool or trendy.
Inside the pizza place the team took up an entire side of the restaurant, I sat next to Jackson, which I immediately regretted when I saw Eric was sat opposite, although again he was being quiet, but he was looking at me, like one of his stares, like he wanted to punch me, I tried my best to ignore him and look away
Coach passed around a piece of paper for us to put a tick next to the kind of pizza we wanted, I ticked straight next to Hawaiian, just as Jackson ticked next to plain margarita, "you're one of those kinda guys huh?" Jackson says looking at me
I wasn't sure what he meant, a simple "huh?" passed my lips in confusion
"pineapple on a pizza, its wrong"
"ohhh" I say realising what he meant, "and no im not wrong, it's the best thing ever!"
We spend the next 10 minutes debating the pros and cons of pineapple on a pizza, most of the team also join in on the debate and it seems a 50/50 split with some outright refusing to acknowledge it, to others actually wanting to try it or, like myself a devout believer in pineapple on a pizza.
I noticed Eric still looking at me, and it wasn't entirely making me feel comfortable, I made my excuses after a few slices of pizza and went to the bathroom, wondering if it would be rude to switch seats somewhere when I got back, although I wasn't sure who else I could sit next to, Josh wasn't on the team, and Jackson was the only one I really spoke to off the pitch.