Numbers - A Ted Lasso OC Story

6 - The Contract.

Once again it was game day, but instead of being up in her little booth setting up her display, she was down on the pitch. Watching the team up close and personal, watching them struggle. She hated to say it but to be losing 2 - 0 six minutes into the game, was hard to sugarcoat. But she had a job to do, a new job, for today at least.

Nessa couldn't help but feel bad for Ted's 8 year old son hearing a couple hundred people just constantly yell "Wanker" at his father.

"Jamie start doo-doo-doo-doo-doo- do!" The crowd chanted as she finally got to add to her currently blank 'goals scored' section.

"What's he yelling?" Ted asks, pulling her focus up to see Jamie pointing at his back and chanting.

"Um, 'Me.' He's pointing at the name on his back and repeatedly yelling 'me.'" Nathan pointed out the obvious. Nessa knew he was a prick on the pitch but this was wild.

It was a lot harder to pay attention to everything happening around her in person, when she watched on the tv she had the camera following where she needed to watch. But it wasn't hard to see Sam get tripped, and the short escalation that lead to Captain Roy and Jamie shoving each other around the pitch yelling, causing everyone else on the team to come crowd around to split them up. Well that was...something.

"This happens, often? Would you say?" Nessa leans over asking Beard, to which he just shakes his head, horizontally saying "oh god no."

As much as he played the tough guy act, Roy did actually care, and when he gently helped Sam up from the ground, she knew he was a good guy, a great guy even.

Game tied. Jamie Tartt scored again, not much of a surprise really. He might be a dick, but he's an exceptional footballer.

"I'll be right back." Ted says to the group before turning to face Nessa. "Sorry Nessa, but I've got to do something your statistics will not agree with." Before running up the stands, fast on the stairs. Whatever he meant by that perplexed Nessa, but not for very long.

He benches Tartt. Tartt. Like Jamie Tartt?

He did say his choice wouldn't agree with the numbers, but was he okay? Everyone was surprised, especially Jamie, who came off the pitch kicking water bottles and throwing a fit like a child. She found it hard to believe he was older than her.

During halftime the locker room was quiet, Jamie had left, to no surprise. Everyone already feeling defeated even though they hadn't yet lost and sat at a very promising 2-2 tie currently.

"Oi, Sit down and listen." Roy yells out to the room as Ted walks in from his office. Roy nods his head over at Vanessa gesturing to an open spot beside him as him and... Mcadoo, let Nathan onto the other end of the bench. She slid in, not much room but she wasn't squished, more like... Cozy.

"We've got ourselves a tie game, nice work." He looks around the room, "Fellas, we're broken. We need to change. And, look, I know change can be scary." Words that Nessa didn't feel could possibly be anymore correct, and fully relatable. Change was scary.

He makes some anecdote about puberty and having a crush on his art teacher, less relatable.

"Most of the time, change is a good thing." Even less relatable. "Now I think that's what it's all about, Embracing change. Being brave." So many people had told her that before, to welcome change, and every single time she heard it it felt less and less realistic. But something about the way Ted said it, like he actually believed in the things he was saying, made her feel like maybe that was something she could actually do.

"Doing whatever you have to, so that everyone in your life... can move forward with theirs. Cause maybe, it's the only way you can truly help her be happy." A series of confused looks, on everyone's face including hers, crossed the room. "Obviously by "Her" I'm referring to lady football." Leading the whole locker room to nod in agreement.

The only thing that Nessa thought at this point was "No you weren't" but she wasn't going to say that.

"Beard's gonna walk you through the rest of the changes." He turns around, before turning around again. "Hey, hey, hey. One last thing. And I want everyone's eyes on me when I say this. Look at me." He turns to face his office jumping up like a 12 year old boy to slap the sign just above the door.

Believe.

Score: 3-2 Richmond.

~

"Hey." Nessa looks back to see none other than Coach Beard standing there, expressionless as always.

"Yeah, do you need something from me? Did I mess something up?" She asks. Her conversations with Beard up to this point have been few and far between. Must be important.

"Ted wanted me to give this to you, look it over." He passed her a long yellowish envelope "It's all approved. You just have to sign if you are interested." And then he left without another word, leaving her no time to respond.

She got back to her dorm and opened it carefully.

Contract: Richmond FC Official Data analyst.

That sounded nice.

***

Guys well lookie here. She's been offered a job, I mean she already had a job but this one is better, and she will probably like it a lot more haha.

Will she take the job? Will she not? Will she make her own job? Will she make a stir fry?

Ok only one if those is a real question and the answer is pretty obvious isn't it...

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Have a great day!