still icy. I’m shivering in my duffle. This matchmaking requires commitment.
‘Treacle!’ I leap forward as the rest of the team head for the changing rooms. ‘Great match.’ I jerk my head towards Jeff, grinning. ‘We’ve come to interview you, as you scored the winning goal and everything.’ I flip over a fresh page on my notepad and wait to take notes. ‘Go on,’ I coax Jeff. ‘Ask her what it’s like to win a Cup match for your school.’
Treacle’s staring at me. Is that gratitude I can see in her eyes? The wind has whipped her ponytail across her face. She looks kind of flushed and her football strip is soaked. She scrapes dripping hair away from her mouth. ‘Thanks, Gem.’ Her teeth are gritted against the cold.
‘Nice goal,’ Jeff says. ‘I was beginning to think it’d go to penalties.’
‘The first half was a bit scrappy.’ Treacle stares at his boots.
‘But you broke the deadlock.’
‘It was Jing-Wei’s cross that did it.’
Jeff’s nodding. ‘That Tiptonville defender nearly deflected it though.’
Who cares about Jing-Wei and the Tiptonville defender? He’s here to interview Treacle . I decide to interrupt. ‘Did you know Treacle’s been playing football since she was three years old?’
Jeff ignores me. ‘I thought you were going to score in the first five minutes,’ he says. ‘When you made that break.’
‘Treacle’s got two brothers and she can beat them both,’ I interject.
Treacle’s eyes are still fixed on Jeff’s boots. ‘I guess I didn’t allow for the crosswind.’
‘Crosswinds can be unpredictable,’ Jeff agrees.
Weather ? What is wrong with them ? I try and steer them back on topic. ‘What are your plans for tonight now you’ve got through to the next round?’ I ask Treacle.
Treacle blinks at me. ‘Homework?’
‘I mean are you planning to celebrate?’ Come on, Treacle, take the hint! ‘Maybe go out somewhere? With friends? Anyone you’d like to invite?’ My eyes swivel towards Jeff.
Jeff looks at me. ‘Are we interviewing her about the game or planning her social diary?’ He turns back to Treacle. ‘Did you think the ref’s decision on Erin Slater’s foul was fair?’
‘I don’t think she meant to foul that Tiptonville winger,’ Treacle answers. ‘Her boot just clipped her heel as she went down.’
‘Have you had many football injuries?’ I ask Treacle. Her eyebrows shoot up.
‘What about that scar on your knee you got when you were ten,’ I go on. ‘Why don’t you show Jeff?’
Treacle backs away. ‘Look, my teammates will be waiting for me.’ She grabs my wrist and drags me close. ‘What are you trying to do?’ she hisses. ‘Could you be more obvious?’ She glances at Jeff, her face getting redder by the second. ‘And why would I want to speak to him now ? I look like I’ve been coughed up by a dog.’
‘Sorry!’ I look at Treacle’s bright-red face and rain-soaked hair. Oh, no! Why didn’t I think about that? ‘Don’t worry,’ I whisper, ‘I’ll get rid of him.’
I pull away from Treacle and start to steer Jeff towards the sideline.
But he’s already launched into another question. ‘I thought Green Park had lost it at the beginning of the second half,’ he says. ‘When Morley latched on to that back pass from Petersen.’
‘Me too,’ Treacle calls over her shoulder, heading for the school. ‘Good job Morley took too many touches. Anila intercepted and cleared . . .’ The wind whips away the rest of her words.
I turn to Jeff. ‘Great match, huh?’
‘Yeah. Can I have your notes?’ He holds out his hand.
‘Notes?’ I swallow. The doodled notepad is suddenly burning my hand. ‘They’re a bit scrappy. Why don’t I type them up for you?’
‘Don’t worry.’ He grabs the notepad and flicks back a page. I quietly die as he gazes at it. Hearts and flowers cover every line.
‘You didn’t even make a note of Slater’s foul !’ He’s staring at me like I just ran over his
‘Treacle!’ I leap forward as the rest of the team head for the changing rooms. ‘Great match.’ I jerk my head towards Jeff, grinning. ‘We’ve come to interview you, as you scored the winning goal and everything.’ I flip over a fresh page on my notepad and wait to take notes. ‘Go on,’ I coax Jeff. ‘Ask her what it’s like to win a Cup match for your school.’
Treacle’s staring at me. Is that gratitude I can see in her eyes? The wind has whipped her ponytail across her face. She looks kind of flushed and her football strip is soaked. She scrapes dripping hair away from her mouth. ‘Thanks, Gem.’ Her teeth are gritted against the cold.
‘Nice goal,’ Jeff says. ‘I was beginning to think it’d go to penalties.’
‘The first half was a bit scrappy.’ Treacle stares at his boots.
‘But you broke the deadlock.’
‘It was Jing-Wei’s cross that did it.’
Jeff’s nodding. ‘That Tiptonville defender nearly deflected it though.’
Who cares about Jing-Wei and the Tiptonville defender? He’s here to interview Treacle . I decide to interrupt. ‘Did you know Treacle’s been playing football since she was three years old?’
Jeff ignores me. ‘I thought you were going to score in the first five minutes,’ he says. ‘When you made that break.’
‘Treacle’s got two brothers and she can beat them both,’ I interject.
Treacle’s eyes are still fixed on Jeff’s boots. ‘I guess I didn’t allow for the crosswind.’
‘Crosswinds can be unpredictable,’ Jeff agrees.
Weather ? What is wrong with them ? I try and steer them back on topic. ‘What are your plans for tonight now you’ve got through to the next round?’ I ask Treacle.
Treacle blinks at me. ‘Homework?’
‘I mean are you planning to celebrate?’ Come on, Treacle, take the hint! ‘Maybe go out somewhere? With friends? Anyone you’d like to invite?’ My eyes swivel towards Jeff.
Jeff looks at me. ‘Are we interviewing her about the game or planning her social diary?’ He turns back to Treacle. ‘Did you think the ref’s decision on Erin Slater’s foul was fair?’
‘I don’t think she meant to foul that Tiptonville winger,’ Treacle answers. ‘Her boot just clipped her heel as she went down.’
‘Have you had many football injuries?’ I ask Treacle. Her eyebrows shoot up.
‘What about that scar on your knee you got when you were ten,’ I go on. ‘Why don’t you show Jeff?’
Treacle backs away. ‘Look, my teammates will be waiting for me.’ She grabs my wrist and drags me close. ‘What are you trying to do?’ she hisses. ‘Could you be more obvious?’ She glances at Jeff, her face getting redder by the second. ‘And why would I want to speak to him now ? I look like I’ve been coughed up by a dog.’
‘Sorry!’ I look at Treacle’s bright-red face and rain-soaked hair. Oh, no! Why didn’t I think about that? ‘Don’t worry,’ I whisper, ‘I’ll get rid of him.’
I pull away from Treacle and start to steer Jeff towards the sideline.
But he’s already launched into another question. ‘I thought Green Park had lost it at the beginning of the second half,’ he says. ‘When Morley latched on to that back pass from Petersen.’
‘Me too,’ Treacle calls over her shoulder, heading for the school. ‘Good job Morley took too many touches. Anila intercepted and cleared . . .’ The wind whips away the rest of her words.
I turn to Jeff. ‘Great match, huh?’
‘Yeah. Can I have your notes?’ He holds out his hand.
‘Notes?’ I swallow. The doodled notepad is suddenly burning my hand. ‘They’re a bit scrappy. Why don’t I type them up for you?’
‘Don’t worry.’ He grabs the notepad and flicks back a page. I quietly die as he gazes at it. Hearts and flowers cover every line.
‘You didn’t even make a note of Slater’s foul !’ He’s staring at me like I just ran over his
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