pinky promise - jamie tartt

‟ UNCLE ROY „

˗ˏˋ 'ˎ˗

Tate knew she had a right to be at least a little nervous that Trent Crimm was following Ted around for a day to write an exclusive profile.

But she had caught a break—they were scheduled to visit Richmond Primary School that day, which would make it easier for her to run damage control. By the time they were set to leave the club and head to the school, though, Ted had apparently let it slip that they entrusted their offensive plays to the kit man.

Tate had already explained to him twice that he needed to be careful about how he worded things. Trent Crimm was infamous in the locker room for the harsh things he had said about players in the past.

"Are we ready?" Tate asked, poking her head into the coaches' office, finding Ted and Trent looking back at her.

"Yes, ma'am!" Ted announced in his usual, Lasso-way. "Trent, meet Tate, Tate, meet Trent. And I'm Ted. Boy, we got a lotta T names in here right now. Hey! We should start a club!"

"I'm not joining another of your clubs, Coach." Tate rolled her eyes good-naturedly, slipping from the room to find Roy so they could leave.

"Aw, come on, Tater Tot!"

「☺ ☺ ☺ 」

Never had she enjoyed herself during a school visit to promote the club as much as she did sitting beside Trent Crimm on a bench in a sea of small children. One of the small children, much to both her delight and horror, called Ted a wanker the moment he began to speak to them.

She had nearly forgotten that she needed to get pictures of Ted and Roy speaking to the kids, and managed to snap a few good shots before Roy told the primary school children that they were going to have a good fuck about.

She made a note to scold him for swearing in front of children while representing AFC Richmond. It wasn't the look she was trying to cultivate for the club, despite Roy's general personality.

The best pictures she took of the day, though, were not the standard 'Coach and Captain giving inspiring speeches to children' that were usually promoted by other clubs during similar outings. Most of the trip was spent actually playing football, and she was able to capture shots where both the children, Ted, and Roy looked happy to be having a fuck about.

"Tell me, Tatum," Trent Crimm asked, approaching her as the students filed out of the courtyard. "Are all American coaches like Ted?"

"Not a single one." She shook her head, studying the coach in question as he signed footballs despite his possibly-broken nose, curtesy of Roy's little niece, Phoebe. "Use this in your profile or not, but I've played football my entire life in America. And I have never met a single coach that cares so deeply about how his players feel. Ted Lasso is one of a kind, and Richmond is lucky to have him."

"That's a good quote; are you sure you don't care if I use it in my profile?" At Trent's question, Tate shrugged one shoulder, watching as the school's head approached Ted and Roy.

"I just want you to be kind to him when you're writing. He deserves it, and I can't imagine you don't see that."

Trent didn't respond, but instead smiled softly before moving to join Roy and Ted's conversation. Tate watched for a moment before deciding to introduce herself to Phoebe, who Roy had talked about many times.

"Hi, kid," Tate smiled at the young girl, sitting on the bench beside her. "I'm Tate, I work with your uncle."

"Yeah, I know." She swung her feet, pigtails bouncing as she grinned up at Tate. Even missing a tooth, she was adorable. "Uncle Roy talks about you to my mom sometimes. He says that he feels like he's responsible for keeping you safe because you're so far from your family."