Chapter 4: Team player

The rugby gang questioned me as I tried to see Jane through the gaps between the gents. I saw her walk outside with Rocksyn, who also seemed to be interrogating her.

"Bro, what just happened?" Cameron asked; he seemed surprised by the kiss. I don't blame him, even I was surprised. Who knew I would want to kiss Jane?

"Listen up, mates," I remarked and smirked at them. "The quiet girls are always the freakiest." I laughed, and they all started cheering. "Excuse me for a moment; that kiss wasn't over yet," I added and pushed past them to walk in the directed Rocksyn and Jane went. I stopped by the door and listened in on their conversation outside.

"That… that was my first kiss," Jane said. She sounded excited, which was good. Her first kiss was in grade 8? I was about 12 when I kissed a girl for the first time. She was part of the mission, and my handler suggested that dating her would make her trust me quicker. Dad was right. After that kiss, I really enjoyed kissing girls. So, I kind of went around kissing all the ones that liked me.

"Jane, I'm speechless. I know we dared each other to do something no one expected… but I would never have thought you would waste your first kiss on Taine Mecer. Remember I warned you he just played around with girls? Girl, that kiss meant nothing to him." Rocksyn responded.

Uh, so my reputation has reached Encore High. Impressive. Also, it was all just a dare? At least Rocksyn knew the truth. That kiss did mean nothing to me. Jane was just part of the mission. She was just a target. I pushed away from the wall and walked off. The mission was clear. Get to know her better. I guess I could add virgin to the list.

"Why didn't you go after her?" Jarrod inquired when I walked over to the group again.

"Jane had enough excitement for one day. Don't wanna scare her off just yet." I shrugged.

***

After the social, Cameron dropped me off at home. My mom asked me all about it; I told her what we had done but left out Jane entirely. She knew I was on a mission, but the details were classified, which meant my mom would never meet Jane. There was no point in telling my mom about her in any case.

Cameron picked me up for school the following day as promised. The rest of the grades had also started school today, so Encore was busier than yesterday. I greeted all the girls in older grades that stared my way and flirted with the ones I found cute. Age didn't bother me. I walked past the lockers, where Jane was busy packing away her books. She simply ignored me as I walked past.

Jane literally ignored me the whole day. It felt like every time she saw me headed her way, she would turn around or start a conversation with someone else. It was starting to become annoying. I forced Cameron to distract Rocksyn while I held Jane back as the bell rang for the end of the school day. We had just had Geography, and she was still packing up her things when I sat down next to her.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" I asked. Jane shrugged and went back to putting her books into her bag.

"Excuse me." She stated and wanted to leave.

"I'm not moving until you answer my question." I shook my head.

"It was just a kiss." Jane softly replied, but her gaze didn't meet mine. Just a kiss? Fuck that. That kiss was the best she would ever experience in her life.

"I'm sorry if me kissing you was too forward." I apologised. Maybe Jane needed to open up slowly. Time to be the sweet guy.

"I, uhm… It's okay." She muttered and fiddled with her bag. She still didn't look at me, which started to irritate me. I am Taine Mecer, and I'm a hell of a guy to look at. Why didn't she just look at me when we spoke? Which is rude, by the way. I tilted her head upwards with my index finger under her chin. Her eyes finally met mine. Her brown eyes were starting to drive me insane.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" I repeated.

"I don't know," Jane replied. I raised my eyebrow at her. She didn't know? What kind of an answer was that? "I'm just … scared. Why would you want to kiss me? Do you like me… or was it just an at the moment type of thing?" She added.

"I would like to get to know you better."

"Okay, but why?"

"Don't question everything, sweetheart. Sometimes I feel specific ways without reason. You are worthy of being chased after and having a gent put effort into getting to know you." I smiled and stood up from the desk. Jane nodded and walked away. I wanted to talk to her more, but she seemed like she had somewhere to be. I also noted that her self esteem seemed to be low, and she was sceptical about everything.

I had tryouts in half an hour, so I walked over to the rugby fields after quickly changing. Cameron and the rest of the gang were also waiting.

"Dude! How were things with Jane?" Cameron asked and jogged up to me.

"We barely spoke." I shrugged. "She had somewhere to be."

"Sorry, man. Rocksyn and I chatted a bit. Bro, she smells like vanilla. Hmmm, reminds me of biscuits my Ouma bakes."

"I'm glad you got to speak to her. Want to warm up together?"

"Yeah, dude. I'll round up the boys." He smiled and called all the guys that were here for tryouts together. I took over and showed them stretches I knew from training which helped me warm up for rugby. The coach arrived while we were stretching and seemed to be impressed.

"Looks like we will have a dedicated team. Taine, I see you have the potential to be captain." The coach smiled. I thanked him, and he started tryouts. We did cardio exercises to test our endurance, then the coach sent us on a sprint around the field. I stayed at the same pace as Cameron, so I didn't stand out too much; we were about 5th. I definitely was at an advantage since I knew how to observe my energy and was extremely strong. We then split into 2 teams and played a quick match. I helped Jarrod and Cameron score some goals and tackled players that tried to take the ball from them.

"Great defence Taine. Excellent strategy, boys!" The coach yelled. My heart was racing from the adrenaline as sweat covered my forehead. I wiped it away and took a deep breath. I noticed my opponents glance at each other and slightly nod. Their rugby boots flung a patch of dirt in the air as they sprinted my way. Their tactic was to take me out, so I didn't tackle anyone who defended.

I darted towards them and connected my hand to the first guys head, which pushed him to the left. I rammed my shoulder into the second guy, which knocked him over, then ran after the forward who sprinted ahead with the ball. An opponent tackled the forward, which made him drop the ball. I picked it up and scanned around me, then shouted for Cameron to catch the ball. I protected him as he ran forward, and we scored another goal. The spectators cheered, and the coach blew his whistle to indicate the game was over. My team had won. We gathered around the coach and plopped ourselves onto the ground.

He congratulated a few players and gave tips that would have improved the game. He then explained that the list would be up tomorrow for who made the cut for the team. The team would practise every Wednesday and Thursday from 2:30 till 4pm. He thanked us then dismissed us for the day.

"Taine, can I have a word?" The coach asked and pulled me to the side.

"Yes, sir." I nodded.

"My boy, you have great potential. I would love to have you try out for the first team, but the school won't allow it since you are only a grade 8. You are a perfect defence and an excellent team player. Keep up the good work." He stated. I thanked him then ran off after Cameron.

I noticed Rocksyn and Jane walk off towards a car. I didn't even see that they came to watch the rugby trials. Jane glanced back at me, but Rocksyn grabbed her hand and pulled her off. I wanted to run over and talk to Jane, but I decided against the idea. A car's lights flashed, which caught my attention. I recognised Peanut in the driver's seat.

"Cameron, my aunt is here to pick me up. Sorry that I won't catch a lift with you." I stated.

"No worries, dude. See you tomorrow." He smiled then walked off.

"Peanut." I greeted her and climbed into the car.

"Glad to see you fit in well at the school, Shiv." She replied. "I have an update from D.T.A regarding your mission."

"I took down information about the target. I wasn't sure whether to forward the data. We have been acquainted, and I am slowly getting to know Jane."

"Good, forward the information to me. The leader has sent word that your mission has shifted. You are required to make the target fall in love with you; that way, you can be closer to her and protect her."

"Protect her from what exactly?"

"Beats me. That's all the information sent. Guess it's time for you to get a girlfriend. It shouldn't be too difficult; you have the looks." Peanut winked. She was also starting to look a lot better, and her bruises were between yellow coloured or fading. She also gained a bit of weight and no longer looked starved.

"You look better," I added.

"Aww, thanks, Shiv."

"Right, so I need to date her. Have any hints when it comes to girls?"

"Uhm, listen to her, be interested in things she likes, make her laugh… mostly make her laugh. Do something that will make her remember you to stand out from the other guys. Be different."

"I'll also keep my training in mind." I nodded. Peanut stopped in front of the orphanage, and I climbed out of her car.

"Good luck!" She smiled and then drove away.

I helped my mom fix a pipe that burst then played rugby outside with a few kids. I showed them some tactics and then ordered them to go wash for dinner. We had chicken and rice, with jelly for dessert. I then did homework in the study area and chatted with the older children about school. They helped me create a bouquet of paper origami roses for Jane, which was part of my plan to make her fall for me.

I then said goodnight to my mom and went to my room. Cameron wanted to know how things with my aunt went, which I had to develop a cover story for. I told him she came down to talk to me about going to stay with my dad. Blaming my dad was always the go-to story. People seemed to accept it and not ask too many questions. Someone cleared their throat when I walked into my room. I pulled out the knife from my sock and held it, ready to defend.

"Agent, I have been sent from the leader of D.T.A. Code name, Nemis." The man in my room stated. He stood near my bed, and I noticed he slightly moved the picture of my brother and me. I asked him the phrase to prove he was D.T.A., and he answered perfectly.

"What can I do for you, Nemis?" I asked, and a small smile spread across his face.