"You know, you are only sixteen and it's so easy to make a mistake at your age"...... I puzzled for a few seconds about what she might be referring to and then I blushed, more with embarrassment for her than me. "Mum, I can't get pregnant! Remember?" The Price to Pay - Vol. 4.1 - Teams by Alys

"Pass Celyn!" came the voice of Ffion, our Goal Shooter, I turned to pass but once again I was too slow and the ball was intercepted by the Centre of the other team.

"You're not up to speed at this yet, Celyn," said Meryl my opposing Centre, as she expertly passed to the Goal Attack of her team.

"It looks like it," I laughed," if only we could kick the ball"

The A squad scored another goal. The B squad were losing five goals to two now, which was disappointing, since I was a member of the B squad, but not too much of a drubbing.

"Ok girls," called out Mrs Simons, the netball coach," time to wrap up the session"

It had begun to drizzle a little on the warm late September afternoon so we were all glad to get back to the changing rooms. As we trooped in I was glad that any antagonism towards me using their changing room had completely disappeared from the rest of the girls' attitude. Despite the headteacher's comments at the beginning of term many of my fellow pupils had been initially reluctant to let me change with them. The first time we had had a sports session, after some discussion and argument I had just simply stripped completely to let them see that underneath my clothes I looked exactly like the rest of them. Following this there was little opposition to me being there, although a few girls had asked to reschedule their sessions.

"Well everyone, that was a good practice," said Mrs Simons to us as we sat in a circle in the changing room for a post training talk, " I can see that I am going to have a useful first team this year. Just want to remind you that our first game is next Tuesday after school against Casnewydd High. I think I will probably play those girls in the A squad and Ffion and Sioned from the B squad. Sorry to everyone else, you will all get to play this year."

I felt a little disheartened not to at least have the possibility of being a substitute. But I knew that realistically it was impossible for me to reach the standard of the team after only a few weeks of playing regularly.

Everyone dispersed to change, Mrs Simons called me over.

"Listen Celyn I know that you must be disappointed not to be selected for the first game," she said quietly, "but I am very pleased with your progress, you have great ball skills and speed but at the moment you don't have enough zonal awareness. Don't worry it will come and I'm hoping that you will be a regular soon"

"Thanks Mrs Simons, I'm enjoying the training." I said.

"It's great to have you here." she commented smiling.

She went back to her office and private shower to change, while I quickly showered and changed in the pupils' area.

Meryl was waiting for me by the door of the changing rooms. We started walking briskly in the rain to the bus stop.

I told her what Mrs Simons had said.

"That's good, I'm looking forward to having you in my team. It'll be fun and I'm sure you'll be a great asset"

"Thanks, although it is strange to no longer be straight into the team every week, it takes some getting used to"

A sudden burst of rain cut short our conversation as we pulled our hoods over our heads and walked faster towards the bus shelter. Since the first day back at school, when Meryl had lined up with other members of the sixth form to give me a welcome hug, we had seen a lot of each other, both in netball and also the Maths and Biology classes that we were both taking. A few days after that emotional assembly we had sat down together and she had told me that she now understood why I had broken up with her and she also could see why I couldn't have told her the real reasons.

My bus was just pulling in as we reached the stop, I jumped on and waved goodbye to Meryl, who was waiting for her boyfriend, Gethin, to come from Rugby practice before getting her own bus home.

I looked out of the window, as the bus left the urban environment of Cwm Llwyd on the way to my house. The rain was lashing down on the windows outside and I was glad that I had made the bus before the heavens had opened. My mobile phone vibrated. I took it out of my bag and flicked it open.

Hi Cel
U in team?
xx Siá´n

I quickly typed my reply.

No :(
xx Cel

My phone vibrated again.

U 4 club tonite?
7?
xx Siá´n

I thought about my reply and considered what my parents would say about me going to JJ's. They weren't keen on me going to the place but it was almost the end of the week so, I thought, why not? I replied to Siá´n.

kk C U ltr
xx Cel

As I pressed send the bus turned the corner to my stop. I jumped up quickly, pressed the bus stopping signal and then quickly left the bus thanking the driver. The brisk walk in the heavy rain was a bit dispiriting as my clothes got damp and my face got wet, but soon enough I was in the warmth and dryness of the house.

A while later, after a quick meal of pasta and salad, a shower, getting dressed and doing my make up, I was waiting in the lounge for Siá´n to arrive.

"Hi Celyn and where are you going, dressed like that, young lady?" asked my Mother, referring to my short skirt and skimpy top, as she saw me sitting down, having just come in with my Father from working late.

"Hi Mum, me and Siá´n are going to JJ's." I replied.

"But Celyn this is a school night," she stated forcefully.

"Aw Mum, pleeeeease, I've only got one class tomorrow, and I'm feeling a bit down," I said pleadingly.

She raised her eyebrows in an enquiring manner and I explained about my failure to make the netball team.

"Well, OK, just this once, but make sure you're home by ten o'clock. I suppose Siá´n is taking you there?"

"Yes"

"Well make sure he drives carefully, I'm not sure I approve of seventeen year olds driving at night three days after passing their test," my Mother said," and Celyn, you be careful"

"What do you mean Mum?" I asked.

"You know, you are only sixteen and it's so easy to make a mistake at your age"

I puzzled for a few seconds about what she might be referring to and then I blushed, more with embarrassment for her than me.

"Mum, I can't get pregnant! Remember?"

This bizarre conversation was thankfully interrupted by the sound of a car pulling up on the drive. I hugged my Mother, shouted farewell to my Father in the kitchen and ran out into the, now dry, evening.

Siá´n grinned at me from behind the wheel of his parents' Corsa. He was lucky that his birthday was so early in the year and that his parents had been happy to pay for a two weeks intensive driving course.

"Hi Cel, jump in, let's go."

"Drive on James!" I said in my poshest sounding voice.

"Hey who's James?" asked Siá´n.

"The boy I'll be dancing with at JJ's if you don't get a move on, you div!"

He laughed and we sped away.

We chatted about our day in school. He expressed his sympathy for my lack of progress with the netball team.

"You should come to football* training. It's not the same without you." He said.

"I'm not sure that it would work out. I don't think the rest of the team will know how to react to me," I responded.

"Why don't you give it a go, we have a session tomorrow, I know Mr Jones would like to have you there" He said.

"I know he has asked me a few times to consider it. But I'm not sure whether it's a good thing and I so wanted to fit in with the rest of the girls in the sixth form. It feels like a sort of a step back to be going to boy's football." I pointed out.

"Well think about...anyway here we are, let's have some fun"

The next two hours in JJ's was a whirl of loud music, dancing and being close to Siá´n. All too soon it was a quarter to ten and time to rush home and avoid risking the ire the of my parents.

"I want you Celyn," whispered Sion," as we broke off our kiss for air and he held me close and caressed my bum.

"I want you too, my love, maybe tomorrow after school?" I replied, pulling him back towards me and his lips back to mine.

The front door opened and my Mother coughed.

"Oh hello Mrs Morus, I was just saying goodnight to Celyn" said Siá´n a little guiltily.

"It's OK Sion, I was young once," chuckled Mum, "but Celyn did promise to be home ten minutes ago and you do both have school tomorrow"

"OK Mum," I said, "Nite Siá´n, see you tomorrow and maybe I will bring my boots"

"Nite Cel, sweet dreams and please do bring your stuff." said Siá´n before getting into his car and driving away.

I hugged my Mother, went to bed and my appointment with Morpheus and sweet dreams of Siá´n.

I sat in the girls' changing room, luckily for me there were matches for the lower school netball teams that afternoon and the room had not been locked up. As I laced up my boots I wondered if I was making a big mistake coming to the football training session. How would the rest of the team relate to me. Apart from Siá´n I had not spoken to many of the others since my change. I was very apprehensive.

"Hi Celyn," said Mr Jones, the coach, in a friendly tone as I finished jogging over to the pitch,"glad you could join us. We're just doing warm-ups if you want to join the circuit"

I sprinted to catch up with Siá´n and a group of four other players. There were five groups of four or five moving around from activity to activity, changing at the whistle of Mr Jones. Siá´n and the rest of his group greeted me. The reactions of the players in the other groups, as we encountered them moving around the field, was varied, some were friendly, others didn't respond, while the faces of Aled and Elfed conveyed an attitude of dislike, bordering on something harsher.

Soon, I had forgotten about the two of them as the session entered full swing and we played a practice match. Mr Jones asked me to join the first team playing against the reserves. I was flattered but wondered about the wisdom of his decision since I hadn't trained with the team for many months. Within a short while I was caught up with the excitement of playing a competitive game. Although I was a little rusty I felt that I did enough to justify the coach's faith in me.

"Well done Celyn," said Mr Jones as we came off the field," you still have your scoring touch"

"Thanks for the invite I enjoyed it" I responded.

I was in a much better mood as I trotted accross to the girls' changing rooms. I noticed the two lumps, Alex and Elfed ahead of me chatting to a couple of other squad members. They looked at me as I went past. Elfed deliberately raised his voice so I would hear him.

"Well I think it's disgusting that we have to have that freak in the team"

*football in the UK = soccer in the US