MASTERMIND | Jamie Tartt

SIXTY FIVE: FORGIVE MY NORTHERN ATTITUDE

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Billie had been awake since the sun rose over Richmond Green, taking Nelson for a walk across the green before she finished packing and getting ready, letting Madison Dutch braid her hair for the five hour coach trip up to Manchester. She'd then dressed herself in a black tracksuit and inhaled a breakfast smoothie made by Alfie before dropping Nelson off at the Higgins' where Julie and the boys would be taking care of him, so of course Higgins gave Billie a lift to Nelson Road where they'd join the team to get the bus up North.

"I'm just going to grab some photos of the boys before we leave," Billie told Higgins as they stood in the car park, her eyes lingering on Jamie as she watched him and his teammates be greeted by the fans who were waiting to see them off for their final away game of the season.

"Sounds good to me," Higgins nodded as Billie made her way towards the boy, quickly capturing candid shots of Colin holding a fan's six month old baby and Dani as he signed a football for someone.

Billie let her camera hang around her neck as she watched a fan ask Jamie for a photo, but as the fan handed their phone to Jamie for him to take the selfie, he instead took a picture of the fan and his wife, as though he didn't believe he was worthy of such an interaction. It bothered her, because interacting with fans had never worried Jamie before, he often loved it, signing football shirts, taking photos with young children, and he was good at it, they often felt understood and appreciated when they met him, and yet as Billie watched the interaction unfold, it couldn't feel more different.

She looked to her right to see that Roy was also watching the very same situation unfold with a furrowed brow and heavy frown. She made her way over to him, nudging him with her elbow, "Hi."

"Hey," Roy nodded.

"This isn't good," Billie sighed as she watched Jamie hand the phone back to the fans.

"Not good at all," Roy muttered as Jamie facepalmed a fan's attempt at a high five.

"I'll talk to him," Billie declared, concluding that tiptoeing around whatever was worrying Jamie was never going to solve anything, "Once we get to Manchester I'll talk to him."

"You didn't chat about it last night?" Roy remarked as they watched Jamie board the team bus.

"He didn't stay over last night," Billie sighed, "I left him a voicemail and he literally just replied, 'I'm okay.'"

"Fucking hell," Roy muttered.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let our journey commence!" Kenneth, the bus driver exclaimed as the fans cheered.

"I didn't know Keeley was coming," Roy mumbled as he laid eyes on the blonde woman standing beside Rebecca in a pink fur coat.

"Of course she's coming," Billie replied, "She wouldn't miss a trip to Manchester."

"Right," Roy nodded.

"Are you two..." Billie's voice trailed off as they made their way towards the bus.

"I don't know what we are," Roy sighed as he let his sister get onto the bus first.

"Right," Billie nodded, knowing that it wasn't for her to tell Roy what to do or what to say, his relationship with Keeley wasn't something they ever really talked about since it ended, so beyond his struggles to accept love, she didn't exactly know where he was at.

"Bils, you joining us for Cluedo?" Colin asked from where he sat at the big table at the back of the bus with Isaac, Sam, Bumbercatch and Jan, who'd later be joined by Will after he'd finished packing the team's luggage onto the bus.