Anyone Else But You

Chapter 12 - An Unwelcome Visitor

George Harrison - Got my mind set on you

Detention wasn't as bad as Maddie thought it was going to be, she was doing both her lunchtime and afterschool detention with Mr Donaldson in the art room. Luckily he was letting her get on with work, so she took the opportunity to get ahead on her coursework. Ali was being kept separate from her, so they only saw each other in English Literature or if they bumped into each other in the common room.

Today was going to be a little different though, they had to play a football match on the same team. Ms Nardino had refused Ali's appeal to get her taken off the team as part of her punishment. So Maddie found herself getting changed into her football kit in a locker room full of hostility and animosity. Most of the team hadn't spoken to her since the incident in the common room, only Holly her history buddy and Georgina who didn't like Ali anyway.

Maddie double-knotted the laces on her boots and trudged up to the football field. They were back playing on the regular pitch, last home game they'd been forced onto the Astroturf because of flooding. The opposing team were already on the field when she got up there, they were playing a school from somewhere near Clapham. Ms Nardino was talking to Georgina on the edge of the pitch.

"Hello Maddie, I heard about your little altercation with Ali. Mrs Franklin was not happy about letting the two of you out of detention early to play, it took a lot of persuading." She smiled at Maddie before turning around to hurry the girls along from the changing rooms. She strode over to them as they ambled up the field. Maddie began stretching and warming up ready for the match.

After a five minute warm up, everybody got into position on the pitch; Ali stood with her foot on the ball waiting for the referee's whistle. She narrowed her eyes as she saw Maddie behind her. The two of them hadn't spoken since the incident last week, the only time they saw each other was at football or in English Literature. Ali turned her head sharply away from Maddie and looked at the referee as the whistle blew.

After 15 minutes of the game Maddie realised Jasper was stood on the side lines watching her. When he noticed that she'd seen him he winked and smiled at her, her heart began to race and not from the running around that she'd been doing. It seemed that Ali had spotted Jasper as well, she smiled to herself and kept glancing over at him.

When half time came Maddie watched as Ali headed over to him. Ms Nardino was encouraging them to go forward more as the game was still 0 - 0, however all that Maddie could do was watch the interaction happening 50 metres away. She could see Ali smiling and chatting animatedly while Jasper listened patiently. After a couple of minutes she observed him cutting in and talking.

Ali's body language changed instantly, she widened her stance and let her arms fall down to her sides. Even from this far away Maddie could see her hands curling into fists. Suddenly Ali turned around looking incredibly annoyed, her nostrils were flaring as she stomped back over to the group of girls. Maddie looked back towards Jasper who was staring straight back, she caught his eye and smiled at him.

The rest of the match proceeded smoothly, Gemma - Ali's strike partner - scored a penalty after she was tackled from behind in the box and that was the only goal of the game. The team shook their opponents' hands and walked back towards the changing rooms the happier.

Maddie lagged behind the other in the pretence of helping Ms Nardino but also to talk to Jasper without anyone seeing. She collected a couple of stray cones from the far side of the pitch and handed them to her coach who was chatting to the oppositions' teacher as they walked to the minibus that would take them back to Clapham.

Maddie walked over to Jasper who was waiting for her, he grinned as he looked her up and down. She followed his gaze over her and saw that she was splattered in mud. "What are you doing here?" She asked as the two of them began to walk back towards the PE block.

"I wanted to see you in action. You're a pretty good player." She smiled to herself at his complement.

"I prefer playing for my Sunday team though, I play at the top of the diamond for them; here I'm just in central midfield. I like getting forward." She looked up to him and found him smiling at her.

"Is that right?" He raised his eyebrows playfully as they stopped outside the changing room door. Maddie flushed at his words and looked to the ground. Next to them the door opened letting Georgina out, when she saw them she smiled.

"You two make a great couple you know. It's not because I hate Ali - which I do by the way - but you two fit together well. I've never noticed it before but you actually look cute together." She smiled as she looked between the two of them.

"We're not together!" Maddie and Jasper stated at exactly the same time, they looked at each other smiles slowly spreading across their faces.

"Yeah right!" Georgina laughed and walked away. Maddie and Jasper continued to look at each before she finally decided she needed to go and get changed son Ms Nardino could lock up the changing rooms. Jasper was leaning up against the outside wall with his arms crossed and looking away into the distance.

Maddie tapped him on the shoulder causing him to jump, she laughed as she began to walk in the direction of home. She heard footsteps behind her as he ran to catch up with her. They fell into step next to each other and walked in a comfortable silence. However something was nagging at the back of her mind, she remembered back to the match and the half time team talk Jasper had been having with Ali.

"What was Ali talking to you about earlier?" She watched as his face clouded over at the mention of his ex's name.

"She was coming on to me, again; she kept going on about how we were great together and how she still loved me." He shook his head and sighed angrily. "I don't know what her problem is, she must've seen that it wasn't working out. We had nothing in common, when we were together we had nothing to talk about; well nothing that I was interested in, I just switched off when she kept ranting on about God knows what." Maddie nodded knowing exactly what he was talking about, there had been many a time she'd tuned Ali out herself.

"I got so annoyed with her I just had to tell her straight that the only time I would consider getting back together with her would be when hell freezes over. At which point she accused me of calling her the devil." They both looked at each completely straight faced before bursting into laughter, anybody walking past them would probably think they were crazy.

"I bet she didn't that very well, she did look incredibly angry when she came back from your little conversation." They had made it back to Elwood Street where they both lived.

"She wasn't exactly happy no. I genuinely thought she was going to slap me." He smiled at Maddie as they stopped outside the wall that kept their gates apart. "So, I uh, I wondered if you wanted to watch Much Ado About Nothing this weekend?" He looked up through his eyelashes at her, making puppy dog eyes that she couldn't resist. She looked at him and he stared back expectantly.

"Okay, that sounds like a plan. Your place or mine?" It sounded so cheesy and she cringed to herself as the words left her mouth. He didn't seem to notice anything as the smile spread over his face.

"You can come over to mine, my parents are going out for dinner; it's their anniversary. It'll only be Lucy and me, we can get a take away or something." He babbled on quickly, getting quieter and quieter as he went on. When he'd finished he looked up at her and smiled.

"Sounds perfect. I'll see you tomorrow." She replied a little breathlessly before walking through her gate and up to the front door. She looked at him one last time before going through the door.