Match

49: No Game, No Problem

Liam:

Man we GOTTA get you back! The Rams are our next game after this one!

Jonah:

I know :P I'm taking it easy on my knee so I can fully use it.

He tried, earlier, to kick the ball with his knee again, but could only do ten before the soreness "kicked in". Now he's laying beside an air conditioner with an ice pack on his knee, both cats by his side. He scrolls through other texts on his phone.

Carol:

Thanks for letting me know. Rest up so you can come back stronger!

Take all the time you need xoxo

Ben:

Heya, on your small break maybe go snag this beer. It tastes like grapefruit and it's refreshing as hell.

Below is an image of a beer can.

Then he notices he has one unread message.

Cole:

hows ur knee?

His eyes widen in shock. Are my notifications turned off? How come I never noticed this til now? The message was sent an hour ago, making Jonah cuss under his breath. He ponders about the idea that he might be working right now, but decides to send a reply anyway.

Jonah:

Better now that you sent me that <3

Even he is cringing at his own cheesiness. But it's too late now.

Jonah:

jk jk its still sore but I'm managing.

Just as he figured he was done pestering Cole's inbox, he sends one final message.

Jonah:

Good luck on your game btw. You're doing better at your kicking, so I'm sure you can score a goal.

While texting, he realizes the ice pack fell over because of his bouncy leg. He sighs, picking it up and putting it back on his knee.

"I know you're just itching to get back to playing," he says to himself, patting his numb knee.

"Who're you talking to?" Sharon hollers from another room.

Jonah blinks. "Just Dotty!"

"Oh, okay."

The sudden embarrassment drifts away after his mom says that. He does have to admit, though, he misses being on the turf.

———————————

The closer it gets to July, the more the heat bakes the earth. Cole listens to his teammates as they huddle together while he fixes his cleat.

"Yo Graham, got any plans for Canada Day?"

"Gonna go waterskiing with the boys. I can't fucking wait to dive into the water!"

"I'm gonna do jackshit nothing. Chilling by like, fifty fans blowing in my face to cool down."

"You going to the fireworks by the lake at midnight?"

He feels a nudge from someone and turns to see Nathan.

"Yo, you wanna come with me, my girlfriend and a couple other teammates to go partying? We're gonna rent a houseboat, too!"

The more he hangs around Nathan, the more he realizes he doesn't have much in common with him.