United Love - ON HOLD -

Chapter 8: Soccer Match

James and Marcus sat outside on a wooden picnic bench, eating their lunches. It was a nice day, probably the last shred of summer they would get, although being the 3rd of October, it still wasn't exactly warm.

The rest of their friends sat on the next few benches, talking loudly and occasionally throwing food at one another, or shouting at people across the field to the side of the school. There was space for James and Marcus there, but they preferred each other's quieter company. Over the last few weeks, they had grown closer, and James would consider Marcus one of his best friends.

"Hey, are you coming to the game tonight?" He asked. It was the first soccer match of the season, and the sport was taken pretty seriously at their school. Most people went, and there was usually food and a couple of fireworks.

"Um, probably not, no." Marcus replied. "My mom's working so can't take me, and it's a little too far to walk."

"Could you go on a bike?"

"Haven't got one."

"Oh, right." James paused. "We could take you, if you like?"

"No, my house is the other side of school to yours, I wouldn't want you to have to go out your way."

"Please, it would be fine. You could just come to mine after school, Oscar wouldn't care!"

"Are... Are you sure?"

"Yeah, come!"

Marcus paused for a moment, with a sense of uncertainty that James hadn't seen on him before. "You.. You really want me to come see you play?"

"I- Um, yeah. It would... mean something to me if you did, it being my first game and all, you know?"

"I- I think so."

"Great. Also, just to warn you, you'll get to meet the rest of my family."

"I can't wait!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! I can find out about all the embarrassing moments from when you were younger." Marcus beamed smugly.

"Oh God, don't you dare. Leon has a lot, and I mean a lot, in excruciating detail."

"Well then, I can't wait!"

*****

Oscar didn't mind that Marcus was coming home with them, if anything he was relieved that James hadn't taken after Monty, who often made rather random and unlikely friends, then wanted to take them back to their house. Oscar knew Marcus, whereas Oscar hadn't known the random elderly woman that worked as a cleaner that Monty had decided to befriend in July. On speaking to her, Oscar had found that the poor woman was rather confused, although Monty had meant no harm.

Now though, they were back at the house. James lay back on his bed while Marcus looked through his possessions and old pieces of junk.

"What the hell is this?" Marcus held up a slightly lopsided doll... if you could call it that. It was really just a few pieces of fabric haphazardly sewed together, with a wonky face on the front. One of the twins, James couldn't remember which, had made it in first grade then given it to James as a "gift". However many times he tried, Leon wouldn't let him throw it away, but had also refused to have it in his own room.

"I don't even know, man. One of my brothers made it years ago."

Marcus held it upside down to see if it looked any different. "It's creepy."

"I know. You can have it if you like?" He said hopefully.

"Hell nah." Marcus spotted a picture, and put down the "doll".