The Chain (A Catherine Diary) - Stamfield. Complete

Chapter 94

94

'How's your strapping, Catherine?', Duncan asked.

I turned back to him, my nerves kicking in. 'What needs to be strapped', I asked looking at a huge guy, both in weight and height, he looked at me with a huge grin.

Duncan must have seen how nervous I looked. 'Don't worry I'll do it, you sort out Bran'. I turned and saw the boy I had seen reading before we left, it was then I recognized him. He was the Bran that had gone out with Tanya. I recalled the way she spoke about him being "sickly sweet" and "too nice". I also recalled the reaction he got from the other girls and thought about how jealous they would be, of me having the opportunity to speak to him.

'Hi, I'm Catherine. What can I do for you', as the words came out I regretted using them, I expected the usual flirty jokes that turned my question into an insinuation of sexual desire.

Instead, the thought never seemed to cross his mind. 'It's my finger, it was bent back in the last game', he held up his little finger on his right hand, 'I just need it strapped up to the one next to it'. He smiled at me and it held no connotations, it was genuine and light, one you'd expect to get from your grand dad.

I reciprocated as best I could, although I couldn't imagine what it looked like baring in mind my thoughts were still on Tanya's words. I turned away to retrieve some tape from Duncan's bag, as I took it out I gave a quick glance at Duncan, who was watching my every move, which made me nervous, but also gave me some reassurance that I had picked up the correct tape.

When I turned back to Bran, he looked as though someone had tickled him. 'What's so funny?', I asked.

He turned to face me, holding back his laughter. 'I wouldn't worry to much about Duncan, he can be grumpy as hell, but his heart's in the right place. Everyone ends up liking him'.

I wasn't sure I believed him, but I nodded. I turned my attention to the tape. He held out his hand, it was strong, hard to the touch, totally opposite to his personality, or what I could gather of his personality.

I strapped the two fingers together, trying to recall any of the research I did that was appropriate. 'All done'

'Thanks', he tapped his fingers with his other hand and flexed them stiffly. 'It was nice to meet you. I hope you stay on'

I smiled at him. He seemed really genuine, but part of me wondered whether he had seen the video of me streaking across the pitch that weekend. If so, he hid it well. I considered why I was even concerned whether he had or not, but only for a short moment.