Guest Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 yep, definately still enjoying it. aslong as ur writing it i'll be reading it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted November 5, 2003 Author Share Posted November 5, 2003 I woke up with a jump, and then about a second later my head nearly imploded. "Oh, Jesus H... What time is it?" "Just after 10," said a familiar voice. I looked up. It was Beth. "What do you want at this time in the morning?" I shook my head, trying to get some sort of sense into it. "I’d have thought you’d still be curled up in bed...†"Nah, I couldn’t really sleep. There’s been something on my mind...†"Oh yeah?" I said, as I tried to sit up in bed. "Yeah, it's about us. We've been friends for years now, but there's only so much that friends can do, and there's so much more we could do if we were more than just good friends." "Yeah, I know. But you don’t want to... Hang on, what are you saying?†"Oh, why don't I give you a clue?" she said, as she started to unbutton her blouse. "Er...what you doing?" I said. "Oh come on Nick, I know you want it," she whispered as she removed her top. I blinked for a second, not really knowing what was going on, and when my eyes reopened she'd removed a lot more than just her top. "What's going on?" She climbed onto the bed, crawled over to me, and kissed me. When she pulled away, there was someone else there... “Nick, what are you doing?†“Jen...?†I said, somehow even more confused than I had been a moment before. “You don’t want her anymore. You want me instead.†Beth turned her head towards Jen and shook it from side to side. “Oh no he doesn’t. Nick loves me. You were just a mistake.†Jen moved towards the bed, shaking her head as she walked. “No, the only mistake he ever made was liking you in the first place.†They glared at each other for a couple of seconds before Beth turned back towards me. “Come on Nick, ignore her. Take me now.†“But...†“Beth’s being stupid, OK Nick? Come on, have me instead.†“Nah, take me Nick. COME ON NICK. NOW!†“No, take me now, Nick. NOW!†“No, ME!†“But...†“Come on Nick, NOW!†“Ignore her! Take ME! NOW!†“No, ME! NOW!†“NOW Nick! Take me NOW!!†I woke with a jump, and then about a second later my head nearly imploded. The deafening noise of Alex starting up his vacuum cleaner was definitely not the first thing you want to hear in the morning. “Oh, sorry mate. Forgot you were down here.†I sat up on the sofa and rubbed my eyes. “Don’t worry about it...†“Sleep well?†“Erm...†“Yeah, I know. That sofa ain’t too comfy, is it? Couldn’t really expect any of the girls to sleep on it though.†“Hey, I don’t mind. Anyway, what’s the time?†“Just gone eleven.†“Oh shÃt...†“What?†“I’m late...†Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted November 9, 2003 Author Share Posted November 9, 2003 English Second Division vs Barnsley (h) So, after a two week break from domestic football, we got the chance to make up for the defeat in the previous match away to Stockport, and to keep up the pressure on the other teams around us. Barnsley were also very keen to take all three points as they were lying just three points adrift of Oldham in 6th, meaning a win could lift them into a play-off place. Happily, we only had one injury problem going into this match, with skipper Michael Dobson suffering from a toe injury, and as a result his place at right wingback was taken by Eddie Hutchinson. Martin Rowlands took over the captaincy for this match at least. You could tell that there had been a bit of a break over the last couple of weeks as both ourselves and Barnsley seemed to be full of running, with both midfields chasing down any loose balls, and closing down any available space that the opposition might have intended to exploit. The result of this was a generally tedious first half, in which the only real efforts on goal came from outside the area. Rowlands made a couple of decent efforts from around the thirty yard mark, one forcing a sprawling save out of Barnsley keeper Matthew Ghent. I had a couple of shots from a little closer in sail harmlessly over the crossbar, while a dipping half volley by Isaiah Rankin from distance gave Paul Smith a bit of a fright, but the keeper watched the ball carefully and tipped it over the bar. The second half wasn’t much more exciting either, as both midfields continued to cancel each other out, while the strikers struggled to get into the game. Myself and Rowlands continued to have a go from distance, with Ghent making some decent saves, while Leon Constantine nearly collected the ball after Ghent spilled a thirty yarder from Jamie Fullarton. It wasn’t until the seventy-seventh minute that the first clear cut chance was made and, unfortunately for us, Barnsley took it. Kevin Betsy swung a corner kick in from the right dangerously towards Bruce Dyer, who forced a good save out of Smith. However, it wasn’t good enough as the ball fell straight to Rankin a couple of yards out, and he made no mistake in putting the visitors ahead. We now had a problem. After an excellent unbeaten start to the season, we were facing our second consecutive defeat, and had just under a quarter of an hour to try and do something about it. However, despite our best efforts, we just couldn’t find a way through their defence. They kept closing us down as soon as we won possession, with two or three white shirts almost immediately surrounding the player on the ball. As such we were still limited to long range efforts, and although there were some decent efforts, we just never looked like scoring, and we never did. It was a costly defeat, as it meant we were now six points adrift of Sheffield Wednesday at the top, and we couldn’t afford to lose touch with them at this early stage of the season. Add to that Scott Marshall picking up a minor calf injury, and it wasn’t a good day at all. Final Score:- Brentford 0-1 Barnsley Team:- (3-5-2) Smith 8; Roget 7, Christanval 7, Marshall 6 (Sonko sub 90, 6); Naysmith 6, Hutchinson 7, Fullarton 7, Rowlands © 8, Greenan 9; Constantine 6, O'Connor 7. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gino Posted November 9, 2003 Share Posted November 9, 2003 Excellent plot development Nick, it's a pleasure to read. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted November 10, 2003 Author Share Posted November 10, 2003 Cheers Gino --------------------------------------------------- After a good fifteen minutes of Mick shouting at us after our pretty miserable performance, he finally told us to get out of his sight, and I escaped the dressing room and walked into the main tunnel. “Nick!†a voice shouted. I looked up and down the tunnel and eventually spotted Beth in the distance. I smiled and walked over to her. “Hey Beth. You know, you shouldn’t really be down here...†“Well, none of the people who were supposed to stop me could say no to a pretty face.†I sort of frowned at her. That was Beth. She knew how good looking she was, and she took full advantage of it. “One of these days that’s not going to work.†“Yeah, maybe when I’m like eighty or something, and even then I’ll still probably be utterly irresistible.†She gave me a cheeky grin. I decided to try and ignore her. “...Anyway, you have a good time?†“Well, it was cold, wet, full of forty-year-old guys with beer bellies leering at me and you were rubbish. Add to that the fact I’ve still got a stinking hangover and... Nah, it was alright. It’s always fun coming to see you play. Shame Jen wasn’t here though...†“Yeah, what was it with her? When I spoke to her a couple of days ago she said she was definitely coming.†“Oh, she said she had to cover for someone down at the library. She owed them a few extra hours cos she’s had a few days off herself recently, and they’ve apparently been getting a bit pÃssed off with her. She said something about not wanting to annoy them, so when they asked her if she could work today she felt she couldn’t really say no.†“I swear she should jack that stupid job in. They pay her peanuts and they treat her like dirt.†“Yeah, it’s easy for you to say that, isn’t it? We’re not all raking it in just by running around a bit. She’s gonna need every penny she can get next year when she goes off to uni, and she still wants to save up and get that car one of these days.†“I know, I know... I offered to help her out with the car, said I’d give her a bit of money towards it or something, but she turned me down. Said she didn’t want me thinking she was a charity case, and that if she was going to get a car, she wanted to have earned it... Hey, you know whether she’d still be at the library by the time we get back to Feltham, or does it close early on Saturday?†“Oh, I think it closes at about four or something. Good thing too given the state she was in this morning...†I smiled. “You weren’t much better though, were you?†She sort of grinned at me. “Yeah, I know. I’ll never drink again... Well, not until tonight anyway...†“Oh yeah? Where you off to tonight?†“I’m just going down to Kingston with a couple of friends, see if I can’t find myself a nice new guy to hang around with. You should come too; perhaps I could help you find a nice girl...†“Yeah,†I said sarcastically. “Perhaps you could help me finally break my duck, eh?†“Oh, so you’re still saying you’re...†She stopped mid sentence, and started to look a little nervous “Beth?†“Sorry, I was... Just forget it, yeah?†I looked her in the eyes, determined to get whatever it was out of her. “Beth...†She sighed. “...I was just a bit surprised that you were still claiming to be a virgin.†“What do you...?†And then it dawned on me. “She told you, didn’t she?†“Of course she did. Jen tells me everything, and I tell her everything. We’re best friends Nick, that’s what we do.†I looked down at the ground, sort of embarrassed. I’d never really talked to Beth about my sex life before, probably because it was only recently that I actually got one... “...Bet you had a right good laugh, didn’t you?†“Hey, of course I didn’t! I mean, yeah, I was a bit surprised that it had actually happened, but...†Again she broke off halfway through what she was saying. Now it was Beth who was looking down at the floor. “But what?†“Well, I’ve gotta say that I was quite pleased when Jen told me.†“Why?†“I just think you two would go really well together, that’s all. What about you? Do you like Jen?†“...It doesn’t really matter what I think. She doesn’t like me in that way.†Beth looked at me for a moment. “You sure about that?†“Well, she’s never said that she does...†She smiled. “Talk to her Nick, OK? Before you just assume you know what she’s thinking, just ask her and make sure first, yeah? I’ll see you later.†“Yeah, later...†Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 3 times? good heavens, i humbly apologise. blame the computer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 oh look i posted it twice, my damn computer was playing silly devils, ignore this post. yeah woo rock on...or something Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 ha his love life is getting less like mine with jen wanting him aww ive lost all interest now! tee hee just joking, great story, its still greatly exciting to see the post count has gone up wen i look on the board (hey ya never know, i might get really drunk this wkend sleep with some bird, not remember it then get together with her later, i have a couple of friends i happen to like come to think of it! ha!) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted November 10, 2003 Share Posted November 10, 2003 dum dum dum..and next time, on the Days of Our Lives.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
loyalwolvesfan Posted November 11, 2003 Share Posted November 11, 2003 Simply awesome as usual Nick. You really should get this published! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted November 12, 2003 Author Share Posted November 12, 2003 Cheers people ----------------------------------------------------------- How could I talk to her though? It'd taken me years to buck up the courage to tell Beth how I felt, and that didn't exactly go very well. As I sat there on a bench by the pond, I just kept on trying to imagine how it'd go, how I'd manage to tell her, how she'd tell me to get lost, and how she didn't want to be my friend anymore. No matter what, I definitely didn't want that to happen, so what else could I do? I'd have to try and get over it, hope that it was just a silly little thing that wouldn't last. If I just politely avoided Jen for a few days, said that I was ill or something, then maybe I could get out this without even having to... “So there you are!†I looked up to see Jen standing there, smiling at me. “You've not been returning my calls Mr Greenan. Something up?†“...Not really, just a couple of things on my mind I guess.†“Oh yeah?†she said, sitting down on the bench next to me. “Anything I can help you with?†I sighed. “Jen, what would you do if you thought you liked someone, but you didn't think they liked you?†“Ah, it's one of those problems, is it?†I smiled. “Yeah... Sorry 'bout this.†“Nah, don't worry about it. You know what? I'm going to say the same thing that I've been telling you for the last few years when you’ve asked me that question. Tell her.†I looked up at her. “You reckon?†“Well, it'll save you worrying about it, and you won't have to keep asking me for advice, which would definitely be a bonus, although...†“...What?†Jen sighed. “Look, if the girl you're talking about is who I think it is...†I quickly turned away from her and looked over at the ducks fighting over an old sandwich. “Was it really that obvious?†She nodded. “Look, just cos Beth's single, it doesn't mean she's going to feel differently about you. I mean, in your head you might think that now she's on the lookout for a new guy, she'll look at you and fall head over heels in love with you, but I'm just not sure whether Beth’s ever going to see you like that.†I looked up at her. She looked so sorry for me, and put her hand on my shoulder. “Yeah, I guess...†“It'll be alright Nick, trust me. Things will sort themselves out eventually. Who knows, I might be talking rubbish, and Beth might be having this very conversation about you with someone else.†“Yeah, maybe.†“Yeah...†she said, rubbing my shoulder with her hand. “Hey, you wanna go do something? I just got paid, so it's my treat.†“But you're supposed to be saving that money.†“I know, but you look like you could do with a fun time.†“...Nah, I'll be fine.†“Sure?†“Yeah. Anyway, haven't you got some work you should be doing?†She smiled. “Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me about that...†She glanced down at her watch. “Actually...†“It's OK, you can go.†“You don't mind?†“Course not. Your work's more important than my messed up head...†“I guess...†She stood up and turned round to look back at me. “Look, I'll give you a ring later on, yeah? We can have a little chat about...stuff.†I smiled. “Yeah, OK then. See you later.†“Yeah, later Nick.†Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted November 13, 2003 Author Share Posted November 13, 2003 English Vans Trophy South First Round vs Colchester United (h) And so along came Wednesday evening, and the start of our campaign to lift the highly prestigious Vans Trophy, although the importance of this match had been increased significantly by the last two defeats. We didn’t want another defeat, as three on the bounce would really hurt our morale, but also we wanted to go on a decent cup run, and this was the best chance we had of getting to play a cup final at the Millennium Stadium sometime next spring. However, we first had to overcome Colchester, who were currently hovering around the Second Division relegation zone, and looking for a catalyst to kick-start their season. We were hoping that catalyst wouldn’t be a victory over ourselves... As far as the team was concerned, we made just the one chance, bringing Jay Lovett into the side, and dropping me to the bench. Martin Rowlands, who was still captaining the side in Michael Dobson’s absence, moved into my place behind the two strikers, Eddie Hutchinson filled in for Rowlands in central midfield, and Lovett slotted into the right wingback position. Apparently the idea was to give me a bit of a rest, and give a few players a try in different positions so we’d be more prepared for injuries and suspensions, although I didn’t think for a moment that it had anything to do with my late arrival for most training sessions this week... Either way, I found myself sat in the dugout while the first half played itself out. A few of the fans didn’t seem to be too pleased that I wasn’t playing, including Jen, who had turned up unexpectedly, and went on to explain during the first half that she thought that seeing her would inspire me to put in a stunning performance. It was just her luck then that I wasn’t actually playing. The shouted conversation with Jen was by far the highlight of an abysmally poor first half. Given our poor recent form, and our slightly weakened team, it wasn’t any surprise when Colchester took the lead just before the half hour mark. Kem Izzet stole the ball from Rowlands in midfield and played a dangerous ball through our defence, looking for Kevin Rapley to run onto it. The striker duly obliged, picked up the ball and hammered it past Paul Smith, who did get a touch on it but couldn’t keep it out. Instead of inspiring us to make a glorious comeback, the goal made us look even more nervous. It was the third time in three matches that we’d gone behind, and with the previous two occasions ended in disappointment, it looked as if some of the players were already contemplating another defeat. It certainly seemed that way eight minutes later when Thomas Pinault practically walked through our midfield and managed to get a stinging shot on goal. Fortunately for us, Smith was equal to the task and made a good block, but it didn’t change the fact that we didn’t look at all good, another thing the fans made clear as we left the pitch, lucky to go in just one down. Mick knew that the fans were unhappy that I wasn’t playing, and he knew the fans were unhappy that we weren’t winning. So Mick made the obvious substitution, sending me on in Lovett’s place, telling me to win us the game, with Rowlands and Hutchinson shuffling around to allow me to play just off the strikers. Unfortunately, my arrival did little to change the course of the game. Colchester continued to dominate, we continued to look poor. An off-target Rowlands effort from 30 yards ended up being one of our best efforts on the night, with only a shot that I had tipped over from 25 yards perhaps bettering it. We were really that poor, and when we were booed off the pitch, it wasn’t really any surprise. We just had to hope we could somehow turn everything around in our next match at Chesterfield, otherwise we’d really have something to worry about... Final Score:- Brentford 0-1 Colchester Team:- (3-5-2) Smith 7; Roget 7, Christanval 6, Marshall 8; Naysmith 8, Lovett 6 (Greenan sub 46, 8), Fullarton 8, Hutchinson 7, Rowlands © 8; Constantine 6, O'Connor 7. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted November 16, 2003 Author Share Posted November 16, 2003 I didn’t manage to get out of the ground and meet up with Jen for quite some time after the match. Mick went utterly berserk, chucking teacups, shoes and just about anything else he could lay his hands on, and using almost every four lettered expletive known to man as he tore into us. He probably had good reason to given the way we’d been playing recently, but my mind was elsewhere as usual, something that Mick thankfully didn’t manage to pick up on this time. When I eventually left the ground, Jen was waiting for me outside the main stand, just where she’d always wait for me. She stood there, her hands firmly tucked away in her coat pockets as she desperately tried to keep herself warm on what was a bitterly cold October night. “Jen!†She looked to her left to see me approaching her, quickly withdrew a gloved hand from her pocket to give me a quick wave, and put it back in her pocket almost as quickly as it had appeared in the first place. “What took you so long? It’s bloody freezing out here!†“Sorry, Mick was pretty pÃssed off about the match.†“Well, you were pretty rubbish, weren’t you?†I gave her a sarcastic glare. “Hey, I didn’t even play half the match, OK? It’s not my fault...†“Yeah right... Anyway, can we go now?†“Sure, where we going?†“I don’t care, just as long as it’s nice and warm. What about that pub round the corner? We could have a few drinks to celebrate the fact you managed to only lose one nil...†“Erm, are you sure that’s a good idea?†“What do you mean?†“Well, remember what happened last time we went in there, and where we ended up?†Jen sighed. “Nick, we’ve been in that pub plenty of times without sleeping together after it, and I don’t see why this time should be any different. Well, that is unless you want tonight to be different...†I looked at her, not sure what to say. “...I'm sorry?†She looked at me for a moment with quite a serious expression on her face. For a moment I thought she actually meant it, but as soon as that idea had crossed my mind, she smiled. “...Hey, I’m just kidding. If you don’t want to go in there because you’re scared of what we might do, we can go somewhere else, OK?†I looked at her, realising how stupid I was being, but she didn’t seem to mind. “Sorry, I’m being an idiot...†“No you’re not. Well, no more than usual... Anyway, have you been to that new club down the other end of the high street?†“I don’t think so...†“No, neither have I. Beth’s been there a few times, said it was really good. You fancy it?†“...Yeah, go on then.†“OK, that’s that sorted then. Now can we go please? If I stay here any longer I’ll end up as some kind of human ice cube...†Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 17, 2003 Share Posted November 17, 2003 this keeps getting better with each update, to be perfectly honest Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian of Nazareth Posted November 17, 2003 Share Posted November 17, 2003 Beware Nick - I think Ricc's stalking you With good reason mind this ifb stuff and I actually found myself wondering about Jen and Nick this afternoon - despite doing nothing CM related... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 18, 2003 Share Posted November 18, 2003 oh man! i got found out! *hides behind a leaf-less tree, in full view, unbeknownst to him* there! well hidden! teeheehee. i can stalk all i want. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevethedog Posted November 19, 2003 Share Posted November 19, 2003 How could Beth say you were crap, you got a bloody 9!! Women! Just wondered how much this Nick Greenan is like to the writer and whether any of the charecters are based on anyone? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjorn Posted November 19, 2003 Share Posted November 19, 2003 Excellent read Nick, Keep it up and I hope for you the results will soon be better. Keep it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted November 20, 2003 Author Share Posted November 20, 2003 Cheers guys Ricc - cheers for still reading this rubbish. You can stalk all you like, but there's not many bushes outside my window, so I don't know where you'll be able to hide. Sorry. Brian - I often find myself wondering about Nick despite doing nothing CM related, although I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason for that... steve - Firstly, Beth's a woman. The fact that I didn't score and the team lost instantly means that I was rubbish. Secondly, there are a few similarities between me and this Nick Greenan person. For starters, we have the same name, and we're both are completely useless when it comes to women. Unfortunately, I share none of the good things about Nick (ie he can play football, women like him, he doesn't have a report to hand in tomorrow that he really should be doing now). Some of the characters are loosely based on a combination of people I know, but I couldn't put just one name to each character (except for the obvious one of course.) bjorn - of course, I already know the results for the next few matches (and seasons for that matter), but I couldn't possibly say whether they'll get better yet. That would ruin the non-surprise. And if you're lucky, I may actually post something proper later on today, but only if you're good (even if you're not). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted November 20, 2003 Author Share Posted November 20, 2003 We’d been in the club for an hour or two, dancing the night away. Well, I say dancing, but it was more of a demonstration in how to make a complete and utter arse of yourself. In a desperate attempt not to look like one of the idiots who was jumping and sliding about all over the place, I was basically just standing there, arms waving about a bit, head generally nodding along to the beat of whatever crap was playing, feet occasionally moving, and basically dancing so awfully that your dad would be embarrassed to be seen with you like that. Jen was right down the other end of the embarrassment scale, trying to counterbalance my non-dancing with her unique brand of over-dancing. She was just jumping around, her arms waving all over the place whilst nodding her head up and down so furiously it looked like it was trying to escape from her neck. And then she had something to drink... Unfortunately I didn’t really have that option. Knowing that Mick was going to still be seething tomorrow morning after tonight, I didn’t need to bring it on myself and turn up hung over, probably late too. I’d end up with his boot in my face. However, my lack of drinking had never been an excuse for Jen not to get completely bladdered, and tonight was no different. She carried on downing bottle after bottle of extortionately priced and almost certainly watered down vodka, leading her to dance far more frantically, far more embarrassingly, and become far more likely to fall over and after a couple of stumbles into people who happened to be standing near us, she inevitably took a short trip to the floor. She sat up almost straight away, held her hands up in the air and started laughing. “I think I may have had a liiiiitle bit too much to drink...†I smiled at her, and she smiled back at me. “You can say that again.†“Oh, OK. I think I may have-“ “Yeah, I heard you the first... Oh, never mind. Let’s get you up.†I grabbed her by her arms and tried to lift her up. When she eventually realised what was going on she grabbed hold of my arms and heaved herself off the ground, onto her feet and straight into me. “Oops...†she said, still trying to regain her balance before lifting her head to look at me. I was already staring at her, her head just a few inches from mine as she looked up into my eyes and I looked into hers, before she closed them, moved her lips closer to mine and kissed me. And suddenly I froze. Sure, she was kissing me, but that wasn’t the problem. The problem was what I was going to do. Did I kiss her back, like I wanted to? Did I tell her to stop, let her down gently and tell her that I wasn’t ready for something like that to happen between us yet? Did I push her away and tell her she was being a drunken idiot? Or did I just do nothing, and just leave her to draw her own conclusions? As soon as she realised I’d inevitably picked the last option, she pulled right away from me. “Oh God, I’m sorry Nick,†she said just before she turned round and started to head off towards the nearest exit. “Jen!†She didn’t hear me. She’d already barged her way past a few people, and seemed to be doing a pretty good job of it, much better than I did when I tried to follow her. When I eventually got to the door, she was nowhere to be seen. “ShÃt...†Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 ooh good, i can stalk all i want. *stalk stalk stalk* nick u sausage, shudda kissed her back. i would. hehehe Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 bloody hell man, just don't stand there like a fool! keep it up! good stuff! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted November 24, 2003 Author Share Posted November 24, 2003 “Seventy please,†I said to the driver as I got on the bus. There was barely anyone else on board, although given the time, it wasn’t surprising. It was already pretty late when Jen had done her disappearing act, and by the time I’d had a quick jog round the local area to see if she was about, it was already getting well into Thursday morning. I wandered towards one of the seats near that back and sat down up against the window staring out at the cold, dark night. How could I be so stupid? After everything that had happened with Beth, me telling her how I felt, her giving me the brush-off, and then us giving each other the cold shoulder because we couldn’t be bothered to try and sort things out... Why couldn’t I make a better go of it, instead of just freezing like that? How could I do something like that to her? How could I... “Nick?†a male voice said from the seat behind me as he tapped me on the shoulder. I looked round to see one of the last people I wanted to see at that moment. “Steven...†He got up from his seat and sat himself down next to me, grinning inanely as he sat down. Just the fact that I knew a simple thing like his name seemed to thrill him immensely. “Oh God, I can’t believe that someone like you actually knows my name!†I sighed. “I bet all your mates are dead jealous...†“Oh you bet! I was telling some of the other people in my college’s chess team about how I’d bumped into you a couple of times and...†He paused for a moment while he chuckled to himself. “Well, let’s just say meeting you completely beats Jason’s signed picture of Robbie Fowler.†“Great...†“Hey, you should come down to one of our matches! It’s always a good laugh.†I looked at him for a moment, not sure whether he was being serious or just having a bit of a joke, before I realised he was far too sad for sarcasm. “...Thanks, but I think I’ll have to check my diary.†“Oh, of course. I mean, someone like you must have tons of stuff to do, but you should seriously try and find a bit of spare time for it, it’s really fun. I mean, you’ll probably think it’s boring, that it’s a game for geeks or whatever, but we can have a pretty rocking time. There was this one time when Wayne, who’s in my team, had a couple of beers down in the college bar while he was waiting for his game, and he actually thought that you could move a pawn forward three spaces at the start! Can you believe that?†I somehow managed to force a laugh out. “Yeah, he must have been off his head or something...†“Yeah, I know! I knew you’d find that funny! There’s probably loads of other stories you’d like, but I think I’ll save them for when you come down, yeah?†“Well, I’d love to but I’m busy.†He gave me a funny look. “I didn’t say when the next match is though.†“Oh... Well, when is your next match?†“Next Thursday.†“Yeah, I’m busy all next Thursday. I’ve got to...erm...go...and...see my aunt. Yeah, that’s it. See my aunt. Sorry.†“Oh well, perhaps next time, yeah? I’m sure everyone would love to meet you, especially Joanne.†“Joanne?†“Oh, she’s probably our star player, and she’s got a bit of a crush on you if I remember correctly. I mean, she’s no Brittany Spears, but she plays a good game of chess, and she talks a good game too, especially since she got back from seeing the speech therapist. I could set you up with a date or something if you-“ I stood up as quickly as humanly possible. “This is my stop!†“Oh...†he said disappointedly as he moved his legs out the way, allowing me to escape. “Perhaps I’ll see you again soon, yeah?†“Oh, I can only hope...†I said, hopping off the bus and back into the cold, and now wet, night. I had a long, long walk home... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted November 27, 2003 Author Share Posted November 27, 2003 English Second Division vs Chesterfield (a) Predictably the next few days were pretty uneventful off the pitch, with me sitting at home hoping that Jen would come round and sort everything out, and Jen doing...well, something else. The bad thing about this was that the only contact we’d had was a text message I’d sent her inviting her to the cinema with me and Beth on Sunday that she didn’t bother replying to. However, the good thing, at least according to Mick anyway, was that I could get a good couple of days training in ahead of our visit to Chesterfield, where we would look for our first point, our first goal and our first clean sheet in three matches. They weren’t having a bad run, sitting healthily in the top half of the table, looking to threaten the playoff places in the near future, and certainly hoping to capitalise on our poor recent run. We had our skipper Michael Dobson back at right wing-back for the first time in a couple of games, which was definitely going to be a boost for us, and I was restored to the starting lineup after the midweek Vans Trophy defeat, with Eddie Hutchinson dropping down to the bench and Jay Lovett losing his place in the squad completely after a below par performance. And as if by magic, the return of Dobson seemed to bring back the Brentford of old, as our three-pronged attack caused havoc in the Chesterfield defence, Leon Constantine and Kevin O’Connor looking to make runs in behind the defence whilst I tried to find the perfect ball to set them free, something I managed to do a few times in the first half, the first coming after just six minutes. I played a through ball to Constantine on the left of the pitch, and he played an early low cross into the middle looking for O’Connor. His first touch sent the ball back into the middle of the penalty area and right into my path, but as soon as I got to the ball Carl Muggleton had come off his line to close me down, and he managed to get a touch on my hurried shot, with Gareth Davies hoofing the ball clear to complete the clearance. Things were to get more frustrating as the half went on. We continued to carve their defence apart with ease, but they continued to get away with it. Muggleton was looking good between the posts, and when he wasn’t able to stop a Leo Roget header, a combination of Steve Blatherwick and the far post did stop the ball. We still didn’t manage to score when I was presented with an open goal towards the end of the half. Constantine again got free on the left and ran into the area, tempting Muggleton off his line to close him down. Just as the keeper was about to make a challenge, Constantine rolled the ball right to me to slot the ball home, but the ball had just too much pace on it, and I didn’t manage to stretch enough in time to get a meaningful touch, and the ball rolled harmlessly out for a goal kick, going a good few yards wide of the mark. It always looked like being one of those games where we’d play well but just never find the back of the net. All we needed was Chesterfield to take the lead and our misery would be complete, and just before half-time they did. Chris Brandon caught Jamie Fullarton dawdling on the ball in our half, went past Philippe Christanval on the edge of the area and stroked a lovely shot past Paul Smith’s left hand and just inside the right hand post to give his side the advantage going in at half time. We had to buck our ideas up in the second half and force an equaliser. After creating so many chances in the first half, it was inconceivable that we wouldn’t at least create one or two decent ones in the second. We just had to take them this time, like Chesterfield had done with their first real chance, and like they did a few minutes after the restart with their second real chance. Muggleton cleared upfield, and a couple of Chesterfield players ran on, looking for a flick on that didn’t come. When the ball fell to the goalscorer Brandon, he hit the ball over the top to the very offside looking Davies, who headed back across the penalty area for Glynn Hurst to belt in from inside the penalty area. None of our players had moved, and just stared at the linesman in disbelief as he failed to raise his flag. That dealt us a crushing blow. The goal just before half time was bad enough, but to have gone two down just after we’d started to pick ourselves up again was awful. Judging by some of our finishing, we just didn’t seem to believe that we could score a goal, let alone the two we needed to get something out of the game, and we just gave it up there and then. Chesterfield were perfectly happy to defend their lead, and we just didn’t seem to be bothered about trying to rectify the situation. So after all that, it was four defeats in a row, we’d scored no goals scored, our captain limped down the tunnel at the end of the game with a recurrence of the toe injury that had kept him out of the previous games, and there was still the complete mess that was my life to sort out. There was never going to be a better time to be me... Final Score:- Chesterfield 2-0 Brentford Team:- (3-5-2) Smith 7; Roget 8, Christanval 8, Marshall 7; Naysmith 7, Dobson © 7, Fullarton 8, Rowlands 9, Greenan 7; Constantine 7, O'Connor 6 (Peters sub 71, 6). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted November 30, 2003 Author Share Posted November 30, 2003 I looked at my watch. “She’s not coming, is she?†Beth sighed impatiently. “Probably not. Now can we please go and see this sodding film?†I looked at her. She was obviously starting to get quite annoyed with me. “You alright?†“...Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve just got a bit bored standing here for the last couple of hours with you saying barely anything but ‘Where do you reckon Jen’s got to?’†“Sorry ‘bout that. I just really hoped she’d come.†“I know! You’ve said about fifteen thousand times! I mean, she didn’t even say she was coming for God’s sake!†“I guess... I just-“ “Really hoped she’d come? Why don’t you just ring her and ask her?†“I...I can’t...†“Why not? What’s going on with you two? You keep going on about Jen, but you’re too scared to actually speak to her, and Jen’s been sulking at home for the last few days...†“You’ve spoken to her then?†“Barely. There’s something wrong, but she won’t talk to me.†Then something clicked in her head. “Has something happened between you two?†“...Sort of.†“And by that you mean?†“She sort of kissed me.†“Ah... Was it a friendly kiss or was it a...proper kiss?†“Oh it was definitely a proper kiss. She was really drunk though, and when I didn’t... She just ran off. I haven’t seen or spoken to her since.†Beth stared at me for a moment. “Are you really this stupid, or are you just messing Jen around for a bit of a laugh?†“I’m sorry?†“Do you not see what’s going on? You like Jen, yeah?†“Yeah.†“And she kissed you, yeah?†“Yeah.†“And she slept with you, yeah?†“...Yeah†“Then what the hell are you doing here with me then?!? Go and see her, talk to her, tell her how you feel!†“...But what if she doesn’t want to know?†She groaned. “Nick, you won’t find out unless you ask her, will you?†“What about the film?†“Oh for... We can do this any time!†“You sure?†“Of course! Jen’s more important than some stupid film. Just go and see her, yeah?†“Alright, alright, I’m going. I’ll see you later.†“Yeah, later. Oh, and good luck.†I smiled. “Thanks. I’ll probably need it...†Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted December 1, 2003 Author Share Posted December 1, 2003 “Oh Nick... I’m really glad to see you.†I gave her a funny look. In all the years I’d been knocking on this door asking for Jen, her mum had never looked that pleased to see me. “Erm...why?†“Well, Jennifer’s been... She’s been pretty bad for the last couple of days, barely coming out of her room. She hasn’t been going to sixth form, so she’s probably going to fall behind the rest of her class... I’m just starting to get really worried. Have you got any idea what’s wrong?†“Not really...†“Oh... Anyway, perhaps she’ll talk to you. She won’t tell me anything, and when Beth was round yesterday Jennifer just kept telling her to go away. This isn’t like her at all...†“Yeah, Beth mentioned that Jen wasn’t talking to her. You don’t mind if have a go, do you?†She smiled at me. “Of course I don’t. She’ll talk to you about whatever it is, I know it.†I nodded, and started to climb the stairs. This wasn’t like Jen. If there was something wrong she’d normally just try and carry on as if nothing had happened, not hide herself away and hope that the problem would just go away. I knocked on the door. “Jen?†There was no answer. “Jen? I know you’re in there.†“Just go away Nick. Please...†“I know you’re upset, and we’re all starting to get a bit worried. Just open the door and we can talk about it, yeah?†She didn’t reply. “Jen? Look, I’ve not got anything better to do, so I’ll stay here all day if I have to. I’m happy to talk to you through this door, but it’d be much easier if you let me in.†She still didn’t answer. “Right then, I’ll just say what I have to say then. Might be easier this way... I’m sorry about the other night. I don’t know what happened. When you...kissed me, I wanted you to. I wanted to kiss you back but... I just couldn’t. I was scared...†Suddenly there was a click of the door being unlocked, and the door opened slowly. She was standing there in her dressing gown, holding a half-empty bottle of vodka in her left hand. “What do you want Nick?†“I just want to make sure you’re alright.†“Well, I’m fine. Thank you ever so much for your concern, but if you’ll excuse me I’ve got things to do.†“Like finishing that bottle off before lunch?†Jen looked down at the ground. “Yeah well, what’s it got to do with you?†“I just don’t like seeing you upset, not when we can do something about it.†“And what would that be? To talk about it? Oh yeah, that’ll make everything better. All I have to do is talk to you and then all my problems will disappear, and I can carry on like there’s nothing wrong...†“Jen...†“But I don’t want to carry on like there’s nothing wrong any more, OK? I’m fed up having to hide my feelings inside, having to pretend that everything’s fine when it’s not. Beth always said that I should just get it over and done with and tell you, but I never could. She always used to say that if everything was out in the open then I’d feel better, and then I could actually do something about it...†“Jen...†“But I never could, you know? I was always too worried about what you’d say, how you’d handle it and what you’d do once you knew...†“Jen! What are you trying to say?†“...I love you.†Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 oh lordy! less like me now, but still a hell of a story. keeping me (your own personal stalker) gripped Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 still going good. Keep it up man! Nice how you seem to leave us hanging here and there..makes the story even better! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted December 2, 2003 Author Share Posted December 2, 2003 I looked at her for a moment, not quite able to believe what I’d just heard. “I love you Nick. I have done for as long as I can remember, but... I was just too scared to tell you, too scared you’d tell me to get lost. Of course it doesn’t matter now, because I already know you couldn’t give a tóss about me...†“Oh God... Why didn’t you say anything?†“How could I? You loved Beth. We both knew that you wanted her, not me. If I’d said anything to you you’d have just said ‘Oh thanks Jen, that’s nice, but I’d rather have Beth if it’s all the same,’ wouldn’t you?†“But...what about after we...?†“After we slept together? It didn’t mean anything to you. It didn’t matter that I’d been dreaming about that night for years. I mean, if I’d said anything, you’d have still said the same thing, that it was just a one-off, that we were both drunk, and you didn’t feel anything for me...†“That’s not true...†“Oh really? Well you’ve been doing a fúcking good job of convincing me otherwise for the last few years...†“Jen, you know that I really care about you. I can’t imagine what my life would be like without you in it, and I don’t want to.†“But you don’t want me, do you? If I offered it to you on a plate, if I said ‘You and me, in my bed now,’ you wouldn’t want to, would you?†“Jen, don’t...†“Would you?†“I...I...†“Come on Nick! You wanted to talk about this, so come on, let’s talk about it!†“OK then, I want you! I can’t stop thinking about you! Is that what you want to hear?†“You’re just saying that though...†“How do you know? How do you know that I don’t dream about us being together every single night when I go to sleep? How do you know that when I wake up in the morning, part of me desperately wants you to be lying there next to me? How do you know that when I do this...†I leaned towards her and kissed her on the lips. I didn’t really have a clue what to expect from Jen. She could just turn away, she could push me away, she could just do nothing, and freeze like I did, but she could also let me kiss her. You never know, she could enjoy it... “...I don’t mean it?†Jen just stared at me for a moment, shocked at what I’d just done. To be honest, I was pretty shocked at what I’d just done, but there was no taking it back now. I looked at her, desperate for some kind of response, just anything to break the silence, but she just kept staring at me before looking away for a moment. “Jen?†Suddenly, before I even knew what was going on, she’d flung herself at me, pushing me back onto her bed and she started kissing me before she quickly pulled away. “...You do want this, don’t you?†I nodded slowly. I certainly wasn’t going to forget what happened this time... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjorn Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 absolute class nick. This is one of the best story's I read in a whole time on this board. So get out of her bed and start writing again Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted December 3, 2003 Author Share Posted December 3, 2003 Afterwards we just lay there for a while, not really sure what to do next. No matter how much we had wanted it to happen, it still felt a little bit awkward being there with Jen, knowing what we’d just done together. Jen was lying there, puffing away at the cigarette she'd just lit up. I did for a while think about telling her not to, reminding her that she's been supposedly giving up smoking for the last couple of years, but in the end I didn't bother. I didn't really want her throwing me out given the slight state of undress that I was in... However, I knew that someone had to say something sooner or later, just anything to break the silence that was hanging over us, and it might as well have been me. "So... What do we do now?" "I don't know... Get dressed?" "No, I meant...you know, about us." "Oh," she said nervously. "I though you..." I forced a nervous laugh out. "Yeah, I know... It was alright for us to that though, wasn't it?" Jen took the cigarette from her mouth and looked at me. "Of course it was. We both wanted it, right?" I nodded. "Well yeah, of course I did... And if I was to ask if you, erm, wanted to do it again, you'd say you would, wouldn't you?" "Jesus Nick," she said, rolling her eyes, "we've only just finished for God's sake! I'm not a bloody machine..." "No, I meant..." I looked at her, a cheeky grin spread widely across her face. "Oh, you're going to be like that, are you?" She laughed. "Sorry, I just couldn't resist. And yes, I would be honoured if we could express the feelings we have for each other in a physical manner at some point in the future, but not right away, yeah? I mean, you know I haven't really ever had a proper boyfriend, and I don't want to miss out on all the stuff that happens at the beginning." "Like what?" "Oh you know, like going out on a date together, getting to know each other better, and all that sort of stuff." "But we already know each other about as well as we're ever going to, don't we?" "Yeah I know, but still... I just want this to be right, to be perfect, yeah? I don't want it to just be about sex. Well, not yet anyway..." "OK, we'll do this slowly. Can't say I particularly fancy diving head first into a serious relationship or anything..." "Ooh, a relationship? Is that what this is?" I gave her a confused look. "Well yeah, unless I've got all this wrong or something..." "Nick, I'm just teasing you! Jeez, you're too easy, you know that?" "Sorry, I'm just a bit...you know..." "Yeah, I know. How about this then? You get dressed and go off home or wherever, and think up what nice places you can take me next weekend for our first date, yeah?" "...And why do I have to do it?" "Because I'm going to be busy gossiping to all my friends about how good or bad you were, aren't I?" Suddenly I became very worried about what she'd just said. "...You're not really going to, are you?" "...Nah, I won't tell anyone. Well, obviously I'll mention it to Beth...unless you don't want her to know." "Well, she knows pretty much everything else, so I don't see why not. Just leave all the...gory details out, yeah?" She smiled. "Yeah, OK then. This can be our little secret for now. It'll be more fun this way." "Yeah, I guess," I said, slipping my shoes on as I spoke. "I'll see you later then." "Yeah, later Nick. And get thinking about next weekend, yeah?" Get thinking about next weekend? I could barely stop thinking about it... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 about time there! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted December 6, 2003 Author Share Posted December 6, 2003 English Second Division vs Rushden & Diamonds (h) However, before the big date there was that little matter known as my football career to take care of. Four defeats on the bounce had left us sliding down the table, and if we wanted to keep up the pace set by the likes of Sheffield Wednesday and Brighton we’d have to buck up our ideas and get back on track as soon as possible, starting with the visit of Rushden. They were struggling to come to terms with life in the Second Division, and were lying in a lowly 16th, just a handful of points above the relegation zone. We were determined to make the most of this opportunity to regain our form, and with a fully fit squad to pick from, we probably weren’t ever going to have a better chance either. It wasn’t long until we carved out a decent opportunity to end our goal drought. I got the ball thirty yards out and shaped to hit the ball, but instead played it into the path of Leon Constantine. He took a superb first touch and found himself one on one with Rushden keeper Billy Turley. Unfortunately for us Turley was equal to the challenge, and pulled off a great save to deny Constantine, saving a low, well-hit shot with his legs. However, he was helpless to stop my follow-up shot as the ball ricocheted off a defender, fell right into my path and felt the full force of my left foot, flying into the back of the net to a massive cheer from the stand behind the goal. After over six hours of play without a goal, it was certainly a very welcome sight to see our fans celebrating a goal for once. However, Rushden knew that it was possible to score goals against us, as the previous matches had proved, and set about getting an equaliser. First of all there was a well saved header from Paul Hall. He met a well struck Stephen Cooke cross near the penalty spot, and although his header certainly had a lot of power behind it, the direction was severely lacking as it went straight into Paul Smith’s hands. The visitors came even closer to an equaliser midway through the first half. Paul Underwood swung in a corner from the left which was easily headed pout by Kevin O’Connor, but the striker could only clear as far as Marcus Bignot, who was lurking on the edge of the area. He controlled the ball well and hit a shot which Smith initially seemed to have covered, but got a touch from Philippe Christanval on its way through and forced an excellent save from the keeper low to his right. Rushden continued to search for the equaliser, but we dealt them a heavy blow just second before the half time whistle. Martin Rowlands and Michael Dobson combined on the right hand side, with a clever one-two allowing Rowlands to get to the by-line and get a good cross in. Turley came racing off his line to punch the ball but never got anywhere near it, leaving Constantine with an empty goal to aim at, something that even he couldn’t miss, and we were two up going in at the midway point. The second half was a bit of a non-event to be honest. Rushden never looked as threatening as they had in the first half, and seemed to lack a bit of belief, a feeling we had become all too familiar with over the last few weeks. We were perfectly happy to sit on our lead, soak up any pressure that they applied to our defence and to spring into action on the counter should the chance arise. Constantine, buoyed by his goal, looked quite dangerous and nearly added a third when I sent him clean through. As Turley came out to meet him, the striker lifted the ball nicely over the keeper, but just over the bar as well. In the end it didn’t matter. We got the win that we desperately wanted, and a decent performance to match had got us back on our feet, and our attention could again focus on the automatic promotion places, and next week’s derby at Loftus Road, something that everyone was looking forward to. I, however, had something else to look forward to in the mean time... Final Score:- Brentford 2-0 Rushden Team:- (3-5-2) Smith 8; Roget 7, Christanval 8, Marshall 6; Naysmith 8, Dobson © 8, Fullarton 8, Rowlands 8, Greenan 8(1); Constantine 7(1), O'Connor 8. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted December 6, 2003 Author Share Posted December 6, 2003 “Thanks Nick, I’ve had a really lovely time,†Jen said as we stopped by her front door. I looked at her and smiled. I wasn’t quite sure whether she was telling the truth or not, given the evening we’d had. I’d always thought that even I couldn’t make a mess of a date as simple as a trip to the cinema followed by a pizza, but apparently I was wrong. First of all Jen had insisted that I keep all my plans for the evening a secret from her, which caused two main problems. The first was that since Jen had no idea where we were going, she had no idea how to dress for the occasion, and in an insane bout of optimism she’d decided that we were going to be going somewhere a good deal more upmarket than the local cinema. This probably explained the look of surprise on her face when she opened the door wearing a dress, whilst I stood there in an old pair of jeans and a t-shirt... The second problem was that I had to guess which film she wanted to see, which was never going to be very easy. I liked films where people had fights, people had guns, and people had fights with guns, with as much destruction of property on the side as humanly possible. Jen, however, liked films with Hugh Grant in them. In a perfect world there would have been a film which marries these two different genres, ideally ending with Hugh Grant being blown into very small pieces, but that wasn’t to be. Instead we had to settle for a romantic comedy, which was contrived to say the least. Jen did seem to pick up on my boredom about halfway through the film, but as she seemed to be somehow enjoying it, it didn’t really matter. But that was only the beginning of the fun. Despite booking almost a week ahead of the night, my local Italian restaurant apparently had no record of a reservation made by a Mr Greenan. They did have a reservation made by a Mr Greenman, but not by a Mr Greenan, and despite my protests that it was a simple spelling mistake, they insisted that they could not give us the table, as the mythical Mr Greenman may arrive and take his non-existent business elsewhere, meaning we had a half hour wait for a table, where we could wait for another half hour before actually being served the wrong meals. It was a good thing for them that I was in a reasonably pleasant mood, and could just about see the funny side of our first date going slightly wrong, otherwise I may have been forced to strangle someone with a piece of tagliatelli... “You mean that? I know it didn’t all go that well and everything, but...†“Hey, it doesn’t matter that the film was rubbish and that the meal was nasty. What matters is that we got to spend some time together, as a couple, which was all I wanted.†“I guess so... I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?†“Yeah, OK... Oh, and just before you go...†For a moment she just stood there and looked into my eyes, before planting a quick kiss on my lips. “Thanks Nick.†She smiled at me again, opened the door and went inside, closing the door behind her. “That’s OK. It was my pleasure...†Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted December 7, 2003 Author Share Posted December 7, 2003 “I still can’t believe it happened...†I gave Beth a funny look. “What do you mean?†“Well, you and Jen. I mean, you two are so bloody hopeless when it comes to things like this.†“I am not hopeless!†“Oh yeah? How many girlfriends, and I mean proper ones, have you had before Jen?†“I...†There was a pause while I desperately tried to think of a decent response. Beth smirked, knowing she’d been proved right. “OK, so I am hopeless. What’s your point?†“Well, I’d started to give up hope. I thought you two were going to sit there going ‘Ooh, what should I do?’ for the rest of your lives...†“I probably would have done if you hadn’t told me to go and talk to her. Thanks for that.†I smiled at her, and she smiled back at me. “No problem Nick, that’s what friends are for. And speaking of friends, when are you going to tell the guys?†“...We’re not. Well, not yet anyway.†Beth stared at me for a moment. “You’re kidding me?†I shook my head. “No, we’re going to try and keep it as quiet as possible for now.†“Even though Joe and Al will still take the pÃss out of you for not having a girlfriend?†“Well, they still take the pÃss out of me because I haven’t...you know...even though I have. Twice. Anyway, we’re trying to take things as slowly as possible, keep it low-key, you know? If we go and tell everyone they’ll get all excited like you have, and make out that it’s a lot bigger, a lot more serious, than it is at the moment, and we don’t want that. We want to take things at our own pace, get to know each other again now that we look at each other differently, and then when we feel we’re ready, we’ll tell everyone.†Beth smiled at me. “What?†“Oh nothing...†she said. “It’s just... I wish I could find a guy who’d ‘take things slowly’ with me. As soon as guys see me they’re only ever after one thing. I guess I ask for it though...†“How do you mean?†“Well, the way I look, the way I dress, the way that as soon as they look at me nicely I’ll throw myself all over them.†“Hey, that’s just the way you are.†“What, a slag?†“No, you know what I mean. Just because you like to have a bit of fun and you don’t dress like a nun or something, it doesn’t mean guys should be able to expect to...get off with you straight away. You look hard enough and you’ll find the right person for you, the one who’ll treat you right. I think I have...†“You know, Jen’s a lucky girl. Just don’t do anything stupid, you hear me?†Me? Do something stupid? I don’t know what would have given her the idea that I’d do something like that... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted December 8, 2003 Author Share Posted December 8, 2003 English Second Division vs Queens Park Rangers (a) You could tell that this was going to be a big match right from the off. We got to the ground at about the same time as the television crews, who were broadcasting the match live, which was something of a new experience for me, while the quite impressive stadium was already beginning to fill up nicely, although many were keen to grab a quick pint before getting here just ahead of the lunchtime kick-off, another novelty for us. This was a match we really wanted to win. Apart from just the local rivalry, QPR were also up there with us at the top of the table, and a win here would show everyone we were serious contenders for promotion, and not just a team on a good run of early-season form who’d disappear come Christmas. We were pretty well prepared for the match, a decent return to form against Rushden had been followed by a few good days on the training pitch, and we were confident of being able to get a decent result. However, our confidence took a dent when Paul Smith twisted his knee in the pre-match warm-up, meaning he was unable to play, meaning Alan Julian got his first start of the season between the posts. The match itself started pretty ferociously, with tackles flying in right from the off, with my slightly over-zealous challenge on Tommy Williams earning me a yellow card after just a couple of minutes. Jamie Fullarton also found his name in the book early on, which meant he’d miss our League Cup match at Norwich through suspension. When the game calmed down the home side started to take charge of the midfield, and created a couple of decent chances. Richard Langley hit a couple of efforts from close range free kicks wide if the mark, while Andy Thomson wasted a good chance to head Rangers in front when he nodded wide from a few yards out just before the end of a goalless first half. However, the second half was almost an entirely different match. We were far more direct, far more to the point, and it paid off ten minutes after the restart. Martin Rowlands played a good ball over the top of the defence to set Kevin O’Connor free on the right, and his low cross found me near the penalty spot where I struck a low shot past Nick Culkin to give us the lead. Things got even better just two minutes later. Gary Naysmith took a quick free kick on the left, and knocked the ball towards me on the left corner of the area. When I looked up and realised there was no-one even making an effort to join me in the area, I cut outside Clarke Carlisle and hit a vicious shot with the outside of my left foot. The ball sailed towards the far post, swerved back towards the goal at the last minute, hit the post and went in, much to the disgust of the home fans behind the goal, something I only just managed to notice before running off towards our fans to celebrate with the rest of my team-mates. QPR didn’t know what had hit them, and never looked like getting back into the game. In fact, if anyone was going to score it was us, with Leon Constantine thwarted by Culkin after being put clear by Eddie Hutchinson, who replaced me with a quarter of an hour left, something which wasn’t complaining about. When the final whistle came with the score still at two-nil, our fans let out an almighty roar which echoed around the rapidly emptying ground, with a vast majority of the home fans deciding they’d seen enough well before the final whistle. It was a great result for us which sent us back into the top two, as well as sending out a message to the rest of the division that we weren’t here just to make up the numbers, and were serious promotion contenders. Final Score:- QPR 0-2 Brentford Team:- (3-5-2) Julian 7; Roget 6, Christanval 7, Marshall 8; Naysmith 8, Dobson © 6, Fullarton 7, Rowlands 8, Greenan 8(2) (Hutchinson sub 75, 6); Constantine 7, O'Connor 7. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted December 10, 2003 Author Share Posted December 10, 2003 I knocked on the door. As soon as I noticed my reflection in the window, and how more messy than normal my hair looked, I started to run my fingers through it in a poor attempt to make myself look halfway presentable before the door in front of me opened and a friendly female face greeted me. It just wasn’t the one I was expecting... “Hi Nick.†“Lauren...?†I wasn’t quite sure if it was seeing her that had surprised me the most, or the fact that she was wearing next to nothing, although that in itself wasn’t at all surprising. Lauren was very unlike Jen in many many ways. Although they were physically very similar, you did get to see a lot more of Lauren, something that she didn’t care about but annoyed Jen greatly, mostly because the vast majority of any potential boyfriends that Jen had brought home had either been scared off by Lauren, or she’d got in there first. However, one thing they did have in common is that they were very bright. Jen was attempting to follow in her sister’s footsteps by going to Cambridge, which was where Lauren was supposed to be, studying day and night for her final year exams coming up in a few months, instead of skiving off at home. However, the chances were that she’d do perfectly fine without doing very much at all as she did seem to get a lot of help from her friends, who were mainly male, were mainly geeks, and pretty much did anything she wanted if she so much as spoke to them. In fact, she always used to joke that the only reason she got into Cambridge in the first place was by offering to sleep with the admissions tutor once she started there, although given some of the things Jen had told me about her you wouldn’t have put it past her. “Come to see my sister have you?†“Yeah...†“I’m just getting Mum to do some washing for me. It’s easier if I get her to do it for me.†“Yeah...†I’d completely forgotten what I was doing there by now, and just stood there staring at her. “OK, do you want me to go and get Jen, or would you like to carry on staring down my top?†“Yeah... Oh, I mean I wasn’t... I didn’t... I...†“Don’t worry about it Nick, I don’t mind.†She moved a bit closer to me, and grinned. “Perhaps I could let you have a closer look later on?†I laughed nervously. “Yeah, I don’t think Jen would be too happy about that, would she?†“I wouldn’t be too happy about what?†Jen said, appearing over Lauren’s shoulder at the foot of the stairs. “Jen!†I said hurriedly. “Hi!†“Yeah, hi Nick. Do you wanna...?†“Yeah, yeah,†I said, frantically nodding my head before following her up the stairs. “I’ll be in the front room if you want me, OK Nick?†Lauren said behind me. I stopped, turned round and looked at her nervously. “Erm...†“Lauren!†Jen said sharply. “OK, I’m just having a bit of fun. Jeez, you need to lighten up...†Lauren then marched off towards the front room. I looked back towards Jen to see her slowly shaking her head. “I’m going to kill her one of these days...†Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
I\'m Not Ruud Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 oooh...nothin like a hot sister to stir things up.. do you get this much attention irl? if you do, you're a lucky, lucky man. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HD Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 relentless Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted December 11, 2003 Author Share Posted December 11, 2003 Cheers guys. I'm Not Ruud - unfortunately not . Still, I can dream, can't I? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- “So,†Jen said as she sat down on her bed, “what do you want to do then?†I sat down on the end of the bed and faced her. “Well, I wasn’t really doing anything, so I thought we could just hang out or something. You know, just like we always do.†“Yeah, that sounds alright to me. Got a few albums the other day that we could listen to if you like.†“Oh God, nothing too depressing I hope...†Jen gave me a funny look. “And when do I ever listen to anything depressing?†“Erm, there’s that little band you like called Radiohead. You know, the ones on the posters on these walls?†“Radiohead aren’t depressing! It’s just that their music can evoke an emotion inside you that can make you reflect on some of the more negative aspects of life.†I looked at her for a moment. “...So they’re depressing?†She gave me an angry glare. I didn’t really expect anything less. “You wanna listen to these albums or not?†“Yeah sure...†She leaned over towards her stereo and started playing around with it in an attempt to get it to play something. “Oh, I almost forgot. I hear congratulations are in order.†Jen looked over her shoulder with a puzzled expression on her face. “What for?†“You know, getting that interview for Cambridge. Beth told me all about it earlier.†“Oh yeah. Thanks.†“...What’s wrong? You don’t seem to be all that pleased about it.†“Well yeah, of course I am. It’s just that almost anyone can get an interview. The hard part’s going to be actually getting through the bloody thing and then getting all the grades I need, and that’s if they don’t tell me to get lost straight away.†“Hey, you’ll do fine. You keep on doing all the work you’re doing now and you’ll ace all your exams.†“...Maybe.†“Yeah, you will. And the interview’ll be a piece of cake. I mean, if you turn up and be yourself, how will they possibly be able to say no to you?†“...Thanks Nick,†she said as she smiled at me, ever so slowly edging her way across the bed towards me, before finally moving even nearer to kiss me. “Hey Jen, I’m just gonna...†As soon as Lauren had opened the door Jen seemed to leap halfway across the room and started to stare aimlessly out the window, playing with her hair as she looked out into the back garden. “I’m sorry, was I interrupting something?†Jen looked back at her. “No.†“You sure?†“What, are you trying to say that me and Nick...?†She laughed really loudly and falsely, probably not realising how utterly put on it sounded. “You’re just being silly...†“Yeah,†I said, trying to help Jen out, “come off it Lauren. I mean, we both know that you’re the only girl for me.†Lauren looked at me for a moment. “Yeah, you wish...†“Oh but I do!†I said sarcastically. “I dream about you night and day. I dream about your beautiful, long brown hair, your gorgeous eyes and your perfectly formed, wonderfully pert bre-†“Look,†she said, interrupting me, “I’m going over to Ben’s house to get some stuff. If Mum asks, I’ve gone shopping, right?†“Sure,†Jen said. “If Mum asks, you’re out getting stoned. Got it.†“Jen!†“Hey, calm down. I’m not going to tell her, am I?†Lauren glared at her for a few more seconds. “...You’d better not, OK? See ya.†“Yeah, see you sis.†She waited for a moment for the door to close before she turned back towards me, grinning cheekily. “Now where were we...?†Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 still stalking, dont be alarmed:P Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted December 13, 2003 Author Share Posted December 13, 2003 Oh right, I was wondering what that rustling in the bushes outside was ------------------------------------------------------------ English League Cup Third Round vs Norwich City (a) So, after a big win away to QPR at the weekend, we had a nice and simple trip to East Anglia to face Norwich in the League Cup, and there was probably never going to be a better time to play them. After yet another defeat that had left them languishing in the Division One relegation zone, manager Nigel Worthington was given the sack, and probably a farewell cake, by Delia Smith, and Michael Skibbe, who was previously part of the German coaching set-up that got the team to the World Cup final, was appointed just a day later. We would be his first opponents in his new role, and we weren’t particularly keen for him to get off to a good start. We had a couple of changes to make to the lineup. The good news was that Paul Smith was able to take his place in goal again after injury forced him out of the QPR game, and Alan Julian was back on the bench again. The bad news was that Jamie Fullarton picked up his fifth yellow card of the season on Saturday, and was therefore out of this match through suspension. Eddie Hutchinson took his place in central midfield. The fact that we were only five league places below Norwich showed in the opening exchanges, as there didn’t seem to be a great deal of difference between the two sides. We worked hard and attempted to hit them on the break, using the pace of our attack to expose any gaps they had in a severely demoralised defence, while they tried to get the ball up to Iwan Roberts as quickly as possible and feed off any scraps he could win them. At first, our game-plan seemed to be a bit more successful when we possibly could have taken the lead. Gary Naysmith hit a longish ball into the left corner for Leon Constantine to chase, and when the striker got to the ball ahead of Neil Emblen, he whipped in an excellent cross towards Kevin O’Connor whose header forced an excellent save out of Robert Green, with Craig Fleming tidying up just before I could pounce on the rebound. However, with some big guys in their lineup, Norwich were causing us problems from set pieces. Roberts came close with a header after twenty minutes, and in the closing minutes of the first half Adam Drury swung in a dangerous free kick which, although the main targets missed it, found Paul McVeigh, who controlled the ball well, turned and fired a shot just inches wide of the far post. Despite their supposedly better players, Norwich weren’t really causing us too many problems. In fact, if you had to say who was on top, you’d probably just about go for us, which gave us the belief that we could go on and cause another upset here, which was what our defence was probably thinking about when we went behind just after the break. Phil Mulryne went across to take a corner from the left and played the ball into the completely unmarked Steen Nedergaard, who headed the ball in from close range without so much as a challenge, much to the delight of the majority of the crowd. We now had to pick ourselves up and try to get an equaliser, something that was far easier said than done. Constantine wasted a decent opportunity when Michael Dobson crossed after good play down the right, and while Martin Rowlands had a fair amount of well struck shots from distance, none of them ever looked like really troubling Green. Our best chance by far of the match came with twenty minutes of the match remaining. Rowlands picked the ball up in the centre circle and immediately hit a ball through the middle of the defence looking for O’Connor’s run. Green came racing out of his area but was never going to get there before O’Connor, which left the striker with the seemingly easy task of just playing the ball past Green, but make a complete mess of it and gave it straight to the keeper, who couldn’t believe his luck as he hoofed the ball into the stand. That miss seemed to knock the stuffing out of us. We weren’t likely to get a better chance than that, and as Norwich kept defending resolutely, we never looked like creating any chances whatsoever. Even the introduction of a third striker in the shape of Mark Peters, who came on for Scott Marshall, and Mick’s orders that everyone was to get in the penalty area for any set pieces we might have failed to create even a half chance, and as the clock ticked by, we knew we were getting closer and closer to the end of our League Cup campaign, which was finally put out of its misery to the sound of the referee’s whistle, followed by the cheers of the home fans, happy that their new manager had got off to a winning start. We weren’t particularly pleased about how the game had gone, but then again we never expected to get this far, and I guess it was fun while it lasted. Final Score:- Norwich 1-0 Brentford Team:- (3-5-2) Smith 6; Roget 7, Christanval 7, Marshall 8 (Peters sub 87, 7); Naysmith 8, Dobson © 6, Hutchinson 6, Rowlands 7, Greenan 7; Constantine 7, O'Connor 7. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted December 17, 2003 Author Share Posted December 17, 2003 With our participation in both the League Cup and the Vans Trophy over, the only distraction we had from the league was the FA Cup, where we were paired with Oldham Athletic, who were lying just outside the last of the Second Division playoff places at the time. It was not going to be an easy task to come away from Boundary Park with anything, but a narrow 2-1 victory early on in the season would give us confidence that we could beat them again and perhaps get ourselves into a money-spinning televised game, something that the board were very keen on. Although they were keeping their financial cards close to their chests, it was pretty obvious that the cash flow, which at the start of the season was low to say the least, had almost completely dried up. A few of the fringe players who hadn't got many games so far this season were told that they could move on, and that pretty much any bids would be accepted, meaning our already small squad could become even smaller. Then there was the question mark hanging above my head. According to some of the backroom staff there were a couple of people watching me in the QPR game, one from West Ham and the other from Charlton. Although there hadn't been any actual approaches as far as I was aware, there had been whisperings from the boardroom that they wouldn't exactly be gutted to see me leave and a nice fat cheque arrive in my place. I was perfectly happy to stay at Brentford for the time being. I was guaranteed first team football if I was fit, and as I’d been there for a few years it felt like home, something that I didn't particularly feel like changing at the moment. The other thing was Jen. I knew that she'd be leaving for university next year which would probably make things between us a little bit difficult if I was still living at home, but if I was somewhere on the other side of the country it would be a serious problem. That, of course, was assuming that we were still together come next year. Although things did seem to be going alright so far, it didn’t seem like much had changed between us, apart from the odd little kiss here or there. I mean, it's not like I was complaining. It was just like before but with 'added extras', which was good, but I had one of those feelings inside me that I’d be my usual idiotic self and mess it up just like I messed everything up. I’d done some pretty stupid things before, and I was almost certain that would stop because I was with Jen. That said I probably wouldn’t have been with Jen in the first place without doing something stupid, so I guess idiocy can have a good side... Perhaps it was just because we were ‘taking things slowly’ that things didn’t seem to be all that different. It had been nearly two weeks since we’d quite literally got together, and I had no idea when anything like that was going to happen again. At first I didn’t mind all that much, as it was what Jen wanted, and I was happy to do what she wanted, but as time went on I started to think more and more about it. Why didn’t she want us to sleep together again? Didn’t she like it the other times or something? Was it something I’d done? Was it something I hadn’t done? Or was it just me being paranoid as per usual? Perhaps it was something I needed to talk to her about instead of possibly worrying about needlessly... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rekwob Toille Posted December 17, 2003 Share Posted December 17, 2003 good stuff nick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HD Posted December 18, 2003 Share Posted December 18, 2003 And to think he told Olly to post this first! Bet he wishes he hadn't refused now... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted December 18, 2003 Author Share Posted December 18, 2003 I know! I mean, it was originally going to be all about a young Swedish footballer called Olaf Wankles, but he had to go and be an idiot, didn't he? Anyway, cheers Elliot and HD ----------------------------------------------------------- “History section? Erm, if you go up those stairs then it should be down the second row on your left, OK?†“Thanks.†“You’re welcome.†Jen then looked to her right. “And how can I help you?†“Well,†I said, “I was sort of thinking we could have a little chat.†“What, now?†“Yeah. I mean, you always say you get bored when you’re here, and I wanted to talk to you, so I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone.†She looked at me and sighed. “That’s a nice idea Nick, but if I get caught talking to you for too long then my boss’ll have a right go. She’s been looking for an excuse to sack me for ages now.†“She won’t give you the sack for talking to someone surely?†“You don’t know her. She gives out formal warnings if you look at her sideways...†“Well, if anyone asks I’m looking for a book, aren’t I?†“What book?†“I don’t know. I’m just making it up.†Jen laughed to herself. “Yeah, I can really see that one working. If anyone asks you’re looking for the poetry section, alright?†I gave her a puzzled look. “Why the poetry section?†“Because you’re looking for some romantic poetry to send to your lovely, lovely girlfriend.†“And why would I want to do that?†“To impress her of course! You might impress her enough for her to ask you to...stay over at her house tonight.†She looked up at me nervously. It looked like I wasn’t the only one who’d been thinking about this. “I thought we were supposed to be taking things slowly?†“We are, it’s just I thought that we might be ready to take the next step...again.†“...You think?†“Yeah... You do want to, don’t you?†“Of course I do, it’s just-“ “Sorry, I’ve got to...†she said as she moved along the counter towards an old man and a pile of books. “Can I help you?†Typical, I thought as I watched her start scanning the books in. I started to get all worried that she didn’t want me, and then just as I’m about to talk to her about it she tells me that she does want me after all. It was almost as if she knew exactly what was going through my mind and saved me the bother of having to tell her. She was always being helpful like that, but then she was generally a very helpful person. Take the library for example. She hated it here, sitting around for hours on end surrounded by books she wasn’t allowed to read, old people who’ve got nothing better to do that go round and complain when they find a book in the wrong place and fellow employees who barely spoke to her and apparently were already looking forward to her leaving next year, if not sooner. However, even with all this she still did her best, she still smiled as she served people and she still tried to help people as much as possible despite the voice at the back of her head urging her to tell them to fúck off and find their own sodding books, something that I’d have said within my first five minutes there... I was very fortunate as I didn’t have to go and get a proper job at the moment, which given my previous attempts at proper work was a very good thing indeed. After finding myself a little short on money a couple of months before Christmas one year a weekend job at WHSmith seemed like a perfect idea. In the end I didn’t even make it until the end of the Saturday. It seemed the local idiot brigade had been unleashed onto the streets that day, and their sole aim was to make my first, and last, day there as memorable as possible. Questions like “Where’s the new Harry Potter book?â€, “Do you have the latest Westlife album in stock?†and “Where’s the nearest post office?†were often met with answers along the lines of “Right in front of youâ€, “Why don’t you go and ask in the music department instead of stationary?†and “Why don’t you go screw yourself?â€, the last of which was promptly met with a “You’re sacked†from the manage. I don’t think I could have been any happier if I'd tried... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted December 20, 2003 Author Share Posted December 20, 2003 “...Oh thank you ever so much.†“My pleasure. Take care, OK?†She smiled at him as he left before moving back across towards me. “Now, you were telling me why you don’t want to sleep with me. Carry on.†I gave her a funny look. “I didn’t say that, did I?†“Oh, so you do want to then? I’ve got a break I can have in a few minutes and I know of a storeroom where we could...get busy.†She smirked at me. It was another one of those moments where I wasn’t quite sure how serious she was being. “I thought you were worried about getting the sack?†“I am...†“Well I’ve got a funny feeling that what you’re suggesting might just be a sackable offence.†“What might be a sackable offence?†a loud voice said behind me. “What have you been up to now Jennifer?†I looked over my shoulder to see a large woman staring angrily at Jen, and I looked back to Jen and the look of terror on her face. “Mrs Rowntree! I haven’t...I’ve not...†“Has she done something wrong again sir?†“I’m sorry?†“This one isn’t one of our most useful employees I’m afraid. If she’s been causing you any trouble I’ll gladly get to the bottom of it.†“Well actually she’s been really helpful if you must know. I was asking for the location of the poetry section and any particular recommendations that...†I turned and looked back at Jen for a moment. “...I’m sorry, what’s your name again?†“Er, Jen.†“Yes, I was asking Jen whether she had any recommendations and she was most helpful. I’d say she was a credit to this library.†She looked at me, glaring through her glasses which were perched on the end of her nose. “Very well...†she said before turning on her heels and striding across to the other side of the room. I looked back at Jen. “Thanks Nick. You’d better go though.†“Yeah, I guess. When do you finish here?†“Half five.†“Right, give me a ring when you’ve finished and I’ll meet you out front, OK?†“OK. See you later.†“Yeah, later Jen...†Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted December 23, 2003 Author Share Posted December 23, 2003 A few hours later and we were sat on Jen’s bed kissing. We would have been up there sooner had her mum not insisted that we tell her about our days in excruciating detail, and then have dinner with her before she went out. I sort of wondered whether this might have been a good opportunity to tell her about us, especially with her noticing that we’d been spending a lot of time together recently, but Jen thought differently. She told her that we were just making the most of the time we had before she went off to uni next year and I went off to play for Real Madrid. She seemed to buy it, and went on to tell us a few different stories about things we’d gotten up to when we were younger, each story infinitely more embarrassing than the last. Thankfully, after much prompting and hinting from Jen, she finally left, and we finally had the place to ourselves. Jen barely waited for the door to close behind her mum before he grabbed my hand and raced up the stairs, pulling me along as she went. However, her initial eagerness seemed to fade away as soon as we got there, with Jen sitting down and patting her hand on the bed next to her, trying to get me to sit down too. “Come on Nick, it’s not like I’m going to just jump on you, is it? I want us to talk about it first, make sure that this is what we want to do.†So I sat down next to her and looked down at the floor before she put one of her hands on one of mine. I looked up at her and smiled. “You do want this, don’t you?†she asked. “Of course I do... You?†She leaned towards me and kissed me on the lips. “Does that answer your question?†So there we were, about to take the next step in our relationship when... “DA-DA DER-DER DA-DA DER-DER DA-DA DER-DER-DER!†...her phone went off. I stopped what I was doing, half not realising what was going on. “Ignore it...†she said, attaching herself to my lips once again. I guess she was... “DA-DA DER-DER DA-DA DER-DER DA-DA DER-DER-DER!†...right. I mean, it was only a... “DA-DA DER-DER DA-DA DER-DER DA-DA DER-DER-DER!†...phone. It was only mildly irrita... “DA-DA DER-DER DA-DA DER-DER DA-DA DER-DER-DER!†“Perhaps you should...?†“It’ll stop in a...†We both paused while we waited for it to go off again, but it didn’t. “See? Just forget about it. If it’s important they’ll ring back...†I smiled as she moved back towards me. “Now where were we?†she said as her lips approached mine. “DA-DA DER-DER DA-DA DER-DER DA-DA DER-DER-DER!†“Oh for God’s sake!†she said angrily, jumping off the bed and picking her phone up off her desk. “Hello?......Yeah, what do you want Beth?......Oh, I was busy doing something......You what?......Oh shÃt...†She then looked at me and sighed. “...Yeah, I’ll be over as soon as I can, OK? See you later...†She pressed a button on her phone and then slammed it down on the bed before taking a deep breath to calm herself down. “Come on then, let’s go.†“Why, what’s happened?†“I’ll tell you on the way...†Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted December 26, 2003 Author Share Posted December 26, 2003 “I still can believe it,†Beth said, taking another tissue from the box and rubbing it under her eyes. Jen had her arm round her shoulders, desperately trying to cheer her up a little bit. “Hey, it’ll be alright. I mean, at least it was probably pretty quick. I don’t think she would have suffered much. I know it’s not much but...†Beth looked at her for a moment and then started sobbing again. “I guess so... It just seems so unfair. She was still quite young, and I loved her so much.†“We all did...†Jen looked over to me in the chair opposite them. “Didn’t we Nick?†“Oh yeah,†I said, smiling when Beth looked over to me. “She was really great.†“Really?†She looked back at Jen again. “I never thought you lot liked her.†“How could you say that?†“Well, you remember that time she scratched you?†“And which time are you talking about? The time she scratched me for trying to feed her, the time she scratched me for stroking her or the time she scratched me for sitting on her spot on the sofa?†Beth made a little laughing noise, and then sniffed a couple of times. “Yeah, she was a playful little thing...†“She was a little something, that’s for sure.†“I remember when she was little, when I first got her. She was so small, so cute, so...so...†She then burst into tears again. Jen took another tissue from the box and handed it to Beth. “I’m sorry.†“Hey, it’s OK. You cry all you want. I mean, it’s not like I was doing anything important...†She looked towards me and smiled. That wasn’t what she was saying on the way over here... “And I know you won’t want to hear this now, but you can get another cat.†“I don’t want another cat though. I want Jess...†“I know, and no-one’s ever going to be able to replace her, but you’ve had other cats, and I’m sure that at some point in the future you’ll find a cat that can make you as happy as Jess did.†Beth sniffed a couple of times. Jen handed her another tissue to blow her nose on, which she did loudly. “I guess...†“Have you told your mum and dad yet?†“No... They’re not back until tomorrow, and they’ll probably just get annoyed if I disturb them. Besides, it’s not as if they liked her much anyway.†“Oh...†Jen then looked over towards me. “Perhaps I should stay over here tonight, keep you company.†Beth gave Jen a surprised look. “What?†“Well, it’s just that I’m going to be on my own tonight too, so perhaps we could get together, have a nice girly night in.†“You sure? I probably wouldn’t be much fun.†“It doesn’t matter. I’ll stay if you want me to.†Beth looked at Jen and smiled. “Thank you.†“It’s OK. You wanna stay Nick?†“What, for your nice girly night in?†“Yeah, why not? You could probably do with some good makeup tips, and I’m sure there’s something we could do with those nails. What do you reckon Beth? I’d go for a nice greenish-blue myself, match his eyes nicely.†“I think he could do with a bit of blusher, bring out those cheekbones nicely...†I stood up quickly. “I might give it a miss if that’s alright.†Beth smiled. “Yeah, I’ll let you off this once. Thanks for dropping by though, I really appreciate it.†“That’s alright. If you want to talk about anything just give me a ring.†She nodded her head. “Will do. See you later.†“Yeah, later Beth. See you tomorrow Jen.†She smiled at me. “See you Nick.†And off I went home, back to my empty bed. Of all the nights for Beth’s sodding cat to run in front of a sodding car... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredbulbasaur Posted December 27, 2003 Author Share Posted December 27, 2003 English Second Division vs Luton Town (a) After our League Cup exit in midweek, our next match was again away from home, although this time is the far less daunting surroundings of Kenilworth Road, home of Luton Town. They weren’t doing too well this season, lying a lowly 17th in the table, and after our recent upturn in form which had got us back up to 3rd in the table, we were expected to come away with the three points. However, we were expected to come away with the three points from our match with Stockport and we didn’t, so we knew that this wouldn’t be an easy ride. Happily we had another full strength squad to select from with Jamie Fullarton returning from suspension, and he came into the centre of midfield in the place of Eddie Hutchinson, who dropped down to the bench. Other than that it was the same lineup that had restricted our First Division opponents to a single goal on Wednesday, and we were confident that we could do better than that against Luton. It wasn’t long until we showed why we had reason to be confident. Four minutes into the match Matthew Spring swung a free kick in from the right which I headed out towards Kevin O’Connor near the halfway line. He turned towards goal and quickly realised that he was somehow clear in behind their defence despite being in the centre circle, and promptly raced through towards Carl Emberson in the Luton goal and slid the ball under his despairing dive. The next few minutes were quite tight to say the least. Luton seemed desperate to get back into the game and tackles came flying in from all angles, with Ahmet Brkovic lucky to stay on the pitch after a nasty challenge on Fullarton. There were a couple of near misses too, with Martin Rowlands firing inches wide from thirty yards, while at the other end Spring had a thirty yard free kick well saved by Paul Smith. It was obvious that the next goal was going to be crucial, and when it came eighteen minutes into the game it looked like the result could already be beyond doubt. O’Connor again found himself clear in behind the defence after a good pass from Rowlands, and again he ran in on goal towards Emberson. However, this time instead of shooting past the helpless keeper O’Connor squared it to the unmarked Leon Constantine, who couldn’t miss an open goal from a few yards out and put us two up. It wasn’t long before it was three-nil, and it was almost a carbon copy of the second goal. Constantine found himself free on the left hand side and ran in on goal before squaring the ball to me in the middle of the penalty area. Again Emberson was completely helpless to stop me firing in my fifteen goal of the season so far and probably deciding the result with only twenty-two minutes played. Luton were quite clearly beaten. They didn’t seem like they had the quality to trouble us when they were level, and with their confidence now shattered they looked even less likely to cause us any problems, and it showed in their play. They didn’t seem bothered about the match any more, and seemed content to play out time, despite a good hours worth of the match still to go. We weren’t complaining though as it gave us the chance to rest a couple of our players for the FA Cup match at Oldham next Saturday. Rowlands came off at half time and I came off on the hour mark, just after troubling Emberson with a fiercely struck free kick from twenty-five yards, and just before Spring, by far Luton’s most impressive player, forced another decent save out of Smith from distance. In the end we got the three points after a complete damp squib of a second half, which lifted us into second after Brighton failed to win at Grimsby. It was suddenly all going so well again, but you couldn’t help get that feeling that it could all so easily come apart again... Final Score:- Luton 0-3 Brentford Team:- (3-5-2) Smith 8; Roget 7, Christanval 8, Marshall 7; Naysmith 8, Dobson © 7, Fullarton 8, Rowlands 8 (Hutchinson sub 46, 6), Greenan 8(1) (Peters sub 61, 6); Constantine 8(1), O'Connor 7(1). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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