“The chances of us running into each other a fourth time seem slim, don’t you think?”

“What makes you think I want to run into you again?” I retort.

His only response is a devilish smirk and passing my phone back to me before he turns to the right.

I head in the opposite direction, down the hallway toward the room we meet in for film. A dark-haired girl is approaching the stairwell from the opposite end of the hallway. Annie? Ali? I’m terrible with names, and I can’t recall hers. It’s the second week, but I haven’t been spending as much time with everyone else, thanks to my knee.

“Hi, Saylor,” she says as we draw closer. Her voice is sweet and shy, with a distinctive British accent. And she knows my name, which makes it worse; especially since she’s the first person aside from Ellie to acknowledge me here.

“Hey,” I reply. “Ready for film?”

She lets out a little laugh. “Not looking forward to it, to be honest. I’d rather be out on the pitch. Though I’m guessing you get that more than anybody.”

“Yeah,” I agree.

“How’s your knee?”

I slant a side glance her way as we enter the stairwell. It’s an innocent question that could also be construed as fishing for weakness. Injuries are ordinarily kept under wraps for just this reason, but not participating in anything more strenuous than sit-ups was bound to raise some suspicion. Not to mention the knee brace I’ve been wearing around the house. “All clear.”

“Glad to hear it,” the girl replies. Her tone sounds genuine, but I don’t fully drop my guard. “My cousin plays in the States. Said you’re absolutely insane on the pitch.”

I don’t say anything at first, just keep walking down the stairs. False modesty has never been my forte. “You must not be terrible, if you’re here.”

“Saylor!” We emerge from the stairs, and Ellie’s waiting in the hallway. “Hey, Alexis.”

I was right about the A, at least. “Hey,” I reply.

“What happened to you this morning?” Ellie asks.

I shrug. “Went for a walk. Got a coffee.” I hold up the mostly empty cup as evidence.

“All right. We’d better get in there.” Ellie heads toward the door that leads to the same room we met Coach Weber in the first day.

The seat formation is the same, too. So is the silence when I enter with Ellie and Alexis behind me.

Coach Weber is already at the front, setting up the projector next to the whiteboard she’s already drawn out a play on. I feel her steely gaze on me as I make my way to one of the few free folding chairs. Ellie plops down on the one beside me. To my surprise, Alexis takes a seat on my other side.