by Anna Archer
Positioning the sledge at the top of the slope, Manny guided Eve into the seat at the front before carefully sitting down behind her. “You need to hold on tight,” she said. “The whole run will be much faster now we’re going from the top.”
Eve put her arms either side of Manny’s legs, drawing them tightly into her body. “I feel safe with you. Push yourself harder into me.”
“No. There’s a risk I might come on your back.”
Eve batted the strong calf muscles. “It’s not that bumpy!”
Manny moved her mouth to the side of Eve’s balaclava and whispered. “It doesn’t need to be. Just being close to you turns me on.”
Eve groaned. “I wish I could kiss you right now.”
“Soon you’ll be able to.” Manny cursed herself the second she’d said it. Eve wasn’t asking anything of her, yet here she was teasing her with more possibility.
“In the French Alps maybe, skiing side by side.”
“My knee’s a good two years off that yet.”
“Good, because so is our first open appearance.”
Manny frowned under her balaclava. “You’re happy to have this student-teacher affair?”
“I’m happy to live in the moment. You never know when something’s going to be snatched away from you. I’ve learnt to take things for what they are, or not even look for happiness in the first place.”
“So what’s this?”
Eve used her hands to shunt them forwards in the snow. “This is fun, Manny.” She gave a final shove to start their descent. “Now let’s goooooooo!”
Manny gripped the brake levers tightly, ready to lift the left one when they hit the corner. Maybe she’d got this wrong. Maybe Eve wasn’t going to panic about the affair because she didn’t believe the affair was going to last. “I am serious about this!” she shouted as she turned at the corner sending snow shooting out of the side of their sledge.
“What?!” wailed Eve, taking a tighter hold of Manny’s calves. “I can’t hear you! Wooooo! Faster!”
Manny let the sledge hurtle down the straight bit of the slope at full speed. “About you!” she yelled. “I’m serious about you!” Manny realised that Eve was wailing at full volume and not listening to a word she was saying. “I’m going to fall in love with you,” she shouted. “Because you’re perfect!” she shouted again. “And I’m going to make this work!” she continued. “And I’m going to make you happy!” Manny let out one final yell: “And I’m going to stop school even though you haven’t asked me to!” Yanking on the brakes with inches to spare from the barrier at the bottom, she gasped. “Woo hoo!”
Eve was laughing. “Did you say something?”
Manny smiled under her balaclava. “Nothing that can’t wait. Come on, let’s do it again!”
****
Sitting in her car in the drive-thru lane of the McDonald’s restaurant on the retail park next to the snowdome, Manny smiled as she overheard Eve’s order. Eve was three cars ahead and their phones were still connected having called each other to stage-manage their exits from the slope. Eve had left first, telling Manny to have one final ride down on her own, which she’d done, but which she hadn’t enjoyed at all because she’d missed the feel of Eve’s warm body tucked tightly between her legs, and the smell of Eve’s perfume escaping from the neck of her balaclava, and the sound of Eve’s wails of uninhibited joy. But Manny had done as she’d been told and zoomed down the slope cold and alone before finding her phone and dialling Eve’s number. Eve had said she was safely out of the building, balaclava off and in her car, so Manny did exactly the same thing, waiting until she was at her car door before exposing her true identity – not that anyone was looking at her or her mum’s Ford Fiesta. They’d then exited the carpark at three-minute intervals and made the decision to eat at McDonalds.
Manny waited until she heard the cashier directing Eve to the second window. “A Filet-O-Fish? Who orders a Filet-O-Fish at McDonalds? And a banana milkshake? You’re a savage, Eve.”
Eve’s voice was quiet. “Shush. I’m collecting.”
“I could be anyone.”
“You’re not though, are you. You’re three cars behind me. What if someone recognises us.”
Manny laughed. “We’re three cars apart in a drive-thru queue. There’s no law against that. Now park up in the far corner of the carpark. There’s literally no one there and that high wall will protect us.”
“Shush,” said Eve again.
Manny watched as the brown paper bag appeared out of the window ahead and smiled as she spotted Eve’s hand reaching out of the car to collect it. She groaned in arousal. Those fingers had been inside her. Those fingers had made her come.
“Can I take your order, please,” said the voice for the second time.
Manny turned in her seat. “Sorry,” she said with a smile.
“Oh wow! It’s you!” gasped the woman. “You’re that footballer! Manny Jones!”
Manny nodded. “Hi.”
“Oh wow! I can’t believe I’m serving Manny Jones! What can I get you?”
“Can I get a large Big Mac meal with regular Coke, a portion of cheese melt dippers and an apple pie.”
“Of course. Wow! Can I get a picture?”
“Of me in my car?”
The woman grabbed her phone from her back pocket and twisted in the service hatch, trying her best to stick her head out of the window as she stretched out her arm. “There! We’re both in it. Smile!”
Manny managed a slight smile.
“Thank you. Great. Your order will be ready at the next window.”
“I haven’t paid yet.”
“Let me get it,” said the woman excitedly. “In fact…” She tapped more items into the till then flicked her own debit card against the reader. “There. On me. What an honour! I can tell everyone I bought Manny Jones her lunch. I bought her a three-course meal! Wow. People won’t believe this!”
“Can I go to the next window?”
“Sure, sure. Thank you. Have a great day. Wow. Bye!”
Manny pulled forwards and groaned to herself at the exact same time that Eve’s hushed voice sounded out of the loudspeaker. “She recognised you.”
“You think?”
“She served me too!”
“And did she recognise you as that famous PE teacher from Ridgecrest Academy?”
“I don’t think we should park here. She might come out for more photos. I’ll head over to PC World over there and park near those recycling bins.”
“We’re not eating our lunch sat in front of a load of old recycling bins.”
“They’re only the clothes ones and there’s a shoe bank too. No one goes there, we’ll be fine.”
“Shush,” said Manny as she pulled up to the collection window, taking not one, but three bags of food.
“And we’ve got two Cokes,” said the male server who clearly didn’t recognise Manny at all.
“I only ordered one.”
The man checked the till receipt. “No, I’ve got two regular Cokes, a large Big Mac meal, a portion of cheese melt dippers, an apple pie, a donut, extra fries and two Big Tasty burgers. One with extra bacon.”
“Right. Thank you,” said Manny taking the offerings and placing them on the passenger seat.
“Have a great day.”
“There! That’s her!” said a voice from the restaurant’s window.
Manny pulled away, but not fast enough to avoid hearing another voice say: “Shit car!”
“Did you hear that?” gasped Manny to Eve on the other end of the line.
“Yes! They recognised you!”
“No, they said: Shit car! I can’t have people thinking I have a shit car.”
“I don’t think PC World’s far enough away. What if they follow you?”
“They’re working. It’s fine. I see it now. You’re right. Those recycling bins will hide us. I see you. I’m coming.”
“With your fourteen burgers?”
“You
heard that?”
“Does it happen a lot?”
“I don’t eat burgers a lot.”
“Exactly why I got a Filet-O-Fish.”
“Well you’re going to have a side of Big Tasty and donut.”
“You think this is safe?”
“To eat fourteen burgers? No, but I feel like letting my hair down.”
“To park up here?”
Manny pulled her car next to Eve’s and waved through the window. “We’re not getting out. We’re just two solo women enjoying a bite to eat next to some recycling bins.”
“Do you think there are cameras?”
“On the recycling bins? No.” Manny wound down the passenger window and signalled for Eve to put hers down too. “Here,” she said, handing over one of the bags.
Eve grabbed it quickly. “Do your window back up,” she snapped. “Sit back in your seat. Stay facing forwards.”
“And just stare at the recycling bins?”
“Yes,” said Eve.
Manny opened one of the brown bags and spoke into the loud speaker instead. “You know it looks like we’re doing a drug deal, right? Two cars pulling in to a remote bit of the retail park’s carpark and passing a brown paper bag through their windows.”
“We should get out of here.”
“And go where?” said Manny unwrapping her Big Mac and taking a bite. “This is as good as it’s going to get, unless…”
“Unless what?”
“Unless I stop school.”
Manny heard the sigh and looked left to see Eve leaning forwards in her seat and staring straight at her through the closed window. “Why are you saying this again? I thought it was the alcohol talking last night?”
“I told you this morning I’d make it real, after our pastries in bed, remember?”
“We’re two days in to whatever this is.” Eve returned to her food. “Let’s just keep doing what we’re doing shall we?”
“I thought you liked it when I was being decisive?”
“But you’re not being decisive. You’re telling me that you might do something, so I guess I’m taking it all with a pinch of salt until I figure out what this is and what both of our motivations are.”
Manny put the burger back in its wrapper and waved, waiting until she’d got Eve’s attention once again. “You don’t know what your motivation is?”
Eve shrugged her shoulder as she took a bite of her Filet-O-Fish. “I have no clue what I’m doing. I can’t make sense of my desire, or my relaxed attitude, or my inability to stop this.” She shook her head. “Wait, that’s wrong, it’s not my inability to stop this, I don’t want to stop this, I’m not trying to stop this.”
“So you’re okay having this student-teacher affair?”
“It looks like it.”
“And what if I’m not?”
“Then you stop it.”
“Do you want me to stop it?”
“I want you to follow your heart, Manny.”
“Is that what you’re doing?”
Eve’s voice was smiling. “For the first time in a long time I’m following the fun.” She laughed. “Look at us. Tucking into a McDonalds in front of some recycling bins after an illicit liaison on the slopes. It’s exciting and it’s carefree and it’s so out of character for me that I’m loving the total randomness of it all.”
“So I could be anyone then?”
“Well obviously not, as nothing like this has ever happened to me before.” Eve twisted in her seat and stared through her window at Manny. “You’re special. I’ve told you that already.”
“Maybe I want you to tell me some more.”
“Yeah? And what else do you want me to tell you?”
“That you’ll support any decision I make.”
“I will, as long as you’re making that decision for you.”
“I’d be making that decision for us.”
“You can’t put this on me, Manny.”
“But our relationship’s obviously going to sway me.”
“It shouldn’t.”
“Don’t you want to do this properly?” Manny grabbed the brown paper bag and reached for her drink. “Don’t you want me to be able to get out of my car and come and sit next to you?” She ended the call and shoved her phone in her pocket, exiting the car and walking around to Eve’s passenger side with her food. “To be spontaneous,” she said, opening the door and getting in. “To be carefree,” she continued.
“What are you doing?” gasped Eve.
“Giving you a flavour of what it could be like.” Manny leaned over and kissed Eve gently on the lips. “Gross. Filet-O-Fish.”
Eve laughed. “Oh Manny, what are we doing?”
“We’re figuring this out, and step one is exchanging that poor excuse for a burger for a Big Tasty.” Manny passed over one of the items she’d been gifted. “Extra bacon.”
Eve took a bite and smiled. “Not bad. Okay, so humour me. How would this work?”
“I call United. I tell them I want to come back. I work with their coaches and physios. I come back.”
“It’s that simple?”
“It can be.”
“And the past six weeks?”
“Was the breather I needed.” Manny reached out for Eve’s hand. “I found myself, and in the process I found you.”
Eve shook her head. “I’m not stupid, Manny. You won’t want me when you go back to that world.”
“The only way I can have you is by going back to that world fulltime. Yes, I could try and do both: School from eight-thirty until three-thirty and then football in the evenings and weekends.”
“That sounds amazing! You’d get stronger and you’d get you’re A-Levels at the same time.”
“But I wouldn’t see you.”
“You’d see me in school.”
“But we can’t do this in school, Eve. You know that.” Manny squeezed the hand tighter. “We’d get caught and we’d both lose everything.”
“You’re worth the risk.” Eve suddenly smiled. “That’s it. I’ve figured this out.” She nodded. “My feelings. My attitude. My behaviour. It all makes sense now. I think you’re worth the risk.”
“And I’m honoured you feel that way.” Manny shrugged. “But I can’t let you take that risk. Decision made. I’m back at football fulltime.” She smiled. “Just knowing you’d be willing to give up everything for me means more than you’ll ever know.”
“But aren’t you giving up your education for me?”
“There’s no age limit on studying, but there is a law about student-teacher relationships.”
“This is awfully quick, Manny.”
“The best decisions always are. Think about the way you responded to my kiss in the limo. You made that decision in a split second.”
“But this is your life, Manny.”
Manny smiled. “And that was yours.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Sitting in front of the lawyers and coaches in one of United football club’s conference rooms, following a rigorous morning of medical examinations, Manny tried really hard to pay attention. Usually her management team would be by her side, ensuring she got the best deal, and in some cases having to explain what the deal was in the first place, detailing how it would raise her profile or expand her brand, but they weren’t there, having dropped her the second they’d realised she was no longer playing ball, quite literally. Manny stared at the familiar faces. She didn’t need a management team for this. She wasn’t negotiating a new sponsorship contract or agreeing to front a new sporting campaign, she was simply saying she wanted back in.
The decision she’d made earlier in the week whilst eating her way through the McDonald’s menu as she hid beside the recycling bins in Eve’s car, had definitely been the right one. Eve had been willing to put her life on the line from the moment she’d responded to the kiss, so Manny knew it was now her turn to be brave. Walking away from football hadn’t been brave. Hiding from the interview requests hadn’t
been brave. Returning to school hadn’t been brave, even though she’d convinced herself that it was the bravest thing she could possibly do. It wasn’t. She’d been hiding; hiding from the embarrassment of the horror tackle, hiding from the shame of the public shunning she’d received from her sponsors, hiding from the humiliation of having her girlfriend dump her the second her management team dumped her, neither wanting any association with the bad press, both looking for instant replacements.
Manny smiled as she tried to focus back on the conversation happening in the room. One positive that had come out of the hiding was that she’d finally found herself again, and in the process, she’d found Eve, so she needed to get this right. The discussion, however, around the compensation United had received after her injury was getting confusing. Apparently, FIFA, UEFA and the European Clubs Association had a ruling that when players got injured on international duty during major tournaments, the national governing body would be required to compensate the player’s club, but it only applied to injuries suffered in the final stages of an international football tournament – which Manny’s was. The issue however seemed to be surrounding the amount paid for a career-threatening injury – which Manny’s had been deemed, and the amount paid for an injury that the player would recover from.
Manny frowned. “So you don’t want me back because you’ll be out of pocket?”
“We had to sign a new striker,” said one of the coaches. “And we paid your settlement because you insisted you were done.”
Another coach spoke up. “The FA can’t change the fact her injury was deemed career-ending just because she defies the odds. The progress report from the medical team this morning is very positive.” He nodded. “They’ll be pleased she’s attempting a comeback, as will England, as are we. Honestly, Manny, our new striker…” the coach lowered his voice, “…not a patch on you.”
One of the lawyers interrupted. “United have already paid you off, Manzana. You can’t just expect to get back on the books.”
Manny shrugged. “I’ll train for free. If you want to sign me again, you decide when the time’s right.”
The club’s chairman barrelled his way into the room. “Apologies, but I caught that last bit and there’s no way I’m letting you use our physios and facilities to get fighting fit so you can then go and sign with another club. I’m not having that.” He pointed at the lawyer. “Sign her, Stuart. Sign her right now. I don’t care how long her comeback takes, she’s one of a kind and she’s ours.” He smiled at Manny. “Finally, Manzana. Welcome home.”