YOU'RE SO SWEET, JAMIE. YOU REALLY ARE THE MOST CONSIDERATE, THOUGHTFUL PERSON ON THE TEAM.

[ season 1 — episode 02 ]

THE SLOW TRICKLE OF WATER THAT THEY WERE WATCHING leave the showerhead was ridiculous. No wonder someone made a note about it — honestly, they didn't understand how everyone didn't complain about it even without the box.

Daisy came over after she was done at the dance studio, still in a light purple leotard with a skirt built in. She threw on a plain white sweater, making it look like she was in a regular dress as she went about her day, not having to worry about changing again for her second class in the afternoon.

"Boy. That is bad," Ted noted. "Somebody ought to check this thing's prostate."

"I'm on it," Daisy said.

"Think you can fix it, Doc?" he asked her.

"I'll need to check out behind this wall," she said, touching the tiles. "But I could bring some tools and work on it during the match. It'd be a surprise after they win."

"Thanks, Mario," Beard said, bumping his shoulder into hers.

She peered up at him playfully. "You know I prefer Luigi."

Then the three walked out of the shower. Training was over for the day, and all the men came in while they were checking out the pressure issue. But before anything else could happen, Ted set his plan into motion.

"Hey, Sam. You gotta pop upstairs real quick. Higgins wants to talk to you," Ted lied, urging Sam to hustle. "Let's go. Move it, move it."

Nate watched as Sam rushed down the hallway. "Yep, yep. He's gone, he's gone," he said before running to the office to grab what he needed.

"Shut the door, shut the door," Ted ordered as Daisy did so. And though Bumbercatch was confused, he leaned up against it on the off chance Sam came back.

Then Ted got all their attention. "Hey. Yo, hey, guys. Listen up, listen up. Okay, Sam's birthday is on Saturday. So I was thinking we'd all chip in and get him something nice. Nice gift or something. Right? So, Nate's gonna be coming around with yet another impressive box."

Nate returned, this time with a pink box that had pipe cleaner ears and googly eyes. And at the opening that he cut out, there was red paper like a tongue.

"Look at this. It's got a face!" Ted exclaimed, even more delighted.

"He has a face," Nate specified.

"Sorry, it — he. He," Ted corrected.

"His name is Shawn," Daisy spoke up. Nate showed her the box earlier when she first arrived and was waiting for her father and Beard to stop and check out the showers.

"You put the money in his mouth," Nate explained.

"Okay, you hear that, y'all? You put the money in his mouth. Got it? Okay, good. Go get 'em, Nate," Ted said while sending Nate around to collect from the players. Then he smiled at Daisy. "Go on and help him out."

So, even if she didn't have a box, Daisy took the opposite side of the locker room. She greeted each of them with a smile.

"Money please," she said, making Babatunde snort in amusement as he handed over a couple of pounds. She went down the line, thanking each of them for feeding Shawn and making Sam happy.

The only real hitch was Jamie. When Nate got to him, he nervously explained again that the money went into the mouth of the box.

Rather than money, Jamie took the gum from his mouth. "Yummy for you," he said in a mocking voice, shoving the gum inside. "It's spearmint. Make the money smell nice."

"Thank you, Jamie," Nate muttered, deciding not to make a scene. "That's incredibly thoughtful."

But Ted wasn't going to let it go. When Jamie stood, he chased after him. "Hey, Jamie. Real quick. Just wanna have a chat. Did you put gum in the box there?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah. Yeah," he said, not caring enough about Ted's opinion of him to lie.

Ted nodded, expecting the answer. "Now, why'd you go and do that?"

"Sorry, Coach," Jamie mumbled.

"Nate's just trying to help us out here. He's part of the team, right?"

"Yeah, right, Coach," he agreed. "Yeah, yeah. And I see this team like a band."

"I love that," Ted told him, thinking it was the closest thing to teamwork he would get at the moment.

"And if we were the Rolling Stones, I'd be Mick Jagger, 'cause I'm the front man."

"Sure."

"I got the moves."

"Got a tiny waist, yeah. The whole bit. I get it," Ted agreed. And though she was annoyed, Daisy couldn't help but laugh, which earned a scoff she was pretty sure came from Roy.

"And Roy would be Keith Richards, 'cause he's old and everyone's surprised he ain't dead yet."

Roy, again in just a goddamn towel, stood up and glared at Jamie. "What the fuck are you saying?"

Jamie looked the older man up and down, rather unimpressed. "Roy, mate, if you're gonna go to the shower, you should take your sweater off first, pal."

With an eye roll, Roy just turned away. And he fucking hated that Daisy couldn't help but giggle at Jamie's joke about him. However, Ted wasn't as amused as his daughter, just staring down Jamie until he stopped laughing.

"I'm just taking the piss, mate. Yeah," Jamie said, holding up his fingers like he was a boy scout. "I'll be better. Promise."

Even though he didn't believe it, Ted gave up for the time being. "Glad to hear it. Yeah."

As Ted walked away, Jamie quickly began moving his hand like he was jacking off, clearly calling him a wanker. And Ted saw it through one of the mirrors but decided against reacting even as the other players laughed.

Daisy waited until the laughter died out to go over to Nate and add the money she'd collected to the box. The gum was still hanging onto the tongue, which she pulled off and dropped in a trash can. Then she took in a deep breath and put a smile on her face.

"Hey, Jamie?" she asked, getting his attention — and several others. "I know I'm new to the sport, but you're supposed to be one of the best players, right?" She tilted her head innocently, an almost dumb expression in her wide eyes.

"Not one of, love," he said, smirking as he sauntered up to her. "I am the best."

"Oh, wow," she said, sighing and batting her eyelashes. "So, you like, have the best hiring contracts and get the nicest sponsorships, huh?"

"Totally," Jamie said, running a hand through his slicked-back hair. "I'm the fuckin' face of Lynx, you know."

Daisy ignored the fact that Lynx was basically the equivalent of Axe body spray over here, which was incredibly embarrassing for Jamie even if he didn't know it.

"That's so cool," she told him before frowning. "But then I guess I was wrong."

Jamie paused, getting a bit confused. "Wrong about what, exactly?"

She just smiled innocently while tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, looking up at him sweetly. "Well, obviously, everyone else just chipped in how much they could afford for Sam's birthday. I figured you must be tight on money and was gonna offer to cover your share. And there ain't nothing wrong with pinchin' pennies — well, I guess you don't have pennies over here. That don't make you low class or anything, though."

Several 'ooh's and snickers went around the room, everyone realizing what she was doing. Jamie was a bit slow to realize though, and he wouldn't until the money was already out of his wallet and he was in the car with Keeley.

"I am not low class," Jamie said, getting defensive. "I was just fuckin' around with him before. But I didn't have me wallet on me, did I?" Jamie then made a point to go back to his locker — the same spot he'd been when Nate came around — and grab his wallet. Jamie pulled out several large bills and waved them in Daisy's smug face. "See this? Way more than these others gave."

"Oh, you're so sweet, Jamie," Daisy said, grinning up at him as she took the money. She used her free hand to touch his bicep, distracting him as she held the cash behind her back, which Richard snatched and ran over to Nate and the box. "You really are the most considerate, thoughtful person on the team."

"Exactly. Don't go forgettin' that, love."

✵︎

"Hi, Sam," Daisy greeted as they passed each other in the hallway. Her father was in the middle of a press conference again, and she was making her way toward the room to meet him.

"Afternoon, Daisy," he said, smiling and nodding to her. "How are you settling in?"

"Really great," she told him. "But actually, I was wondering if I could ask you a favor?"

"Oh, I do not think I can deny anything the coach's daughter wants," he joked, moving to stand by her. "What is it?"

"Well, like I said, my birth mama was from Nigeria, but I never really got to know her before she died. And Daddy was really great about teaching me things about there growing up — you know, wanted to make sure I knew where I came from even in the middle of Kansas," she said, letting out a weak laugh. "But I thought maybe you — Isaac and Tommy too if they don't mind — could teach me some things every now and then?"

Sam's eyes instantly brightened. "Oh, that would be my greatest pleasure, Daisy!" he said excitedly, his mannerisms reminding her of a golden retriever. "We must start with foods and some of my favorite places there. And maybe I could teach you to speak in some Nigerian dialect as well?"

"That'd be great," she said, beaming. "Thank you so much, Sam."

"No," he said, shaking his head. "O ṣeun bẹ — that is thank you in Yoruba."

Daisy silently formed the words before repeating them, it sounding a little off with her Kansas accent. But she didn't care, just so excited to learn it. "O ṣeun bẹ, Sam."

"Perfect!" he told her before excitedly hugging her. And Daisy just happily hugged him back — it was another step toward Richmond feeling like home. "And I know McAdoo and Winchester will love to help."

"Can't wait," she said as they stepped back from each other. "I've got to find my dad, but I'll see you at the match Saturday if not before."

Both of them had a skip in their step as they parted, Daisy already making Sam happier than he'd been in days by such a simple interaction. She made her way down the hall to the press room and poked her head in.

Cameras were flashing as her father answered questions. Daisy silently slipped inside, standing next to Rebecca, who greeted her with a polite nod.

"Marcus, what you got?" Ted asked. He was always great at remembering a name after hearing it once.

"How are you feeling about taking on Crystal Palace this weekend?" he asked.

"A palace made out of crystal seems mighty fragile if you ask me," he answered, chuckling along with almost everyone in the room. Daisy saw the genuinely pleased smile on Rebecca's face and felt proud of her father's smooth answer — Rebecca didn't seem like she was easily impressed.

Ted then picked the next out of the sea of people calling his name. "Yeah, right there."

He was already saying his name as he stood. "Trent Crimm, The Independent."

"Oh, I remember, Trent," Ted told him, smiling. "My daughter introduced me to your lovely niece last night."

"Ah, she is wonderful," Trent said, the corners of his lips turning up, not going unnoticed by the two Lassos. "But I'm just curious. Could you explain the offside rule?"

He sure as hell couldn't, Daisy knew. But Ted easily covered that up. "Well, Trent, I'm gonna put it the same way the US Supreme Court did back in 1964 when they defined pornography. It ain't easy to explain, but you know it when you see it." That of course, got several laughs just as his Crystal Palace joke did. "Yeah, this gentleman right here."

"Ernie Lounds, The Sun," the man said as he got up. And several people in the room groaned, telling Daisy that The Sun must not have been a credible news source. But he wasn't bothered by their dislike. "Thank you. This question's for Ms. Mannion."

"It's Welton," Rebecca immediately corrected while stepping forward.

"Of course. My apologies," he said, not looking like he meant it that much. "Any thoughts on the newest Rupert girl?"

"Well, Rupert and I are no longer together, so he may consort with whatever model-actress, actress-model he pleases," she said, not wanting to really think about him at all.

"No," Lounds said as some laughed at the model-actress comment. "The girl who came forward today is another one who was with Rupert while you were married. I mean, she says it started five years ago. And they kept it going until, well, still."

Daisy looked at Rebecca, who for the first time since learning who the woman was, looked fragile. But her moment of weakness was gone a second later, disappearing from her face as she smirked. "Oh, and all this time I thought men couldn't multitask," she said, turning it into a joke that earned some chuckles. Then she raised a hand. "I'm afraid that's all we have time for. Thank you so much."

Rebecca left so abruptly that Daisy couldn't get a word out. She stared at her father for a second before rushing after the older woman. But fuck, her legs were a lot longer than hers, so she only caught up once Rebecca reached her office.

"What is it, Daisy?" she asked, trying to control her tone as she sat at her desk. She wanted to pull out her laptop and read about this new girl that was mentioned.

"I wanted to make sure you were alright," she said, coming closing. "That guy was just an asshole and he knows it."

"Yes, well, he does work for The Sun," she muttered while grabbing the box of biscuits that Ted brought her that morning.

"Can't you have his press pass revoked or something?" she asked.

"There'd be no point," she said, shaking her head. "It'd cause too much of a fuss, and I'd be accused of overreacting or some other sexist nonsense."

Daisy frowned and sat in the chair across from her desk. "I'm sorry. That sucks."

Rebecca took in a deep breath through her nose and nodded. "It does suck."

"Look, I know we don't know each other, but if you're ever here in this big facility full of mostly men, you're always welcome to come to me," Daisy offered. "Even if it's for something as petty as complaining about your crypt keeper of an ex."

Rebecca snorted at that, reminded a bit of a toned down, less crass version of her best friend. "I assumed you'd be like your father and not be one for complaining."

"I do love to look on the bright side and don't love being rude or cruel, but there are exceptions," she said. "And if I went through what you did? No offense, but I would've probably hired an arsonist to burn this place to the ground and collect the insurance money now that you own it and not him."

"Daisy Lasso!" Rebecca said, surprised by just a devious plan. She couldn't help but laugh. "You are not what you seem!"

"Well, that's just a hypothetical," she mumbled sheepishly. "I'd definitely back out of a plan like that at the last minute. I don't even like doing little pranks on people."

"True, I don't think you'd make a good arsonist," she said. "Thank you for checking on me, Daisy."

"Of course," she said, nodding while standing. "Now, is it safe to assume that as soon as I leave, you're gonna devour those cookies and look up that girl he was talkin' about back there?"

"I may not believe in psychics, but that was a little too accurate to my plan," Rebecca said, eying the younger girl.

"When my boyfriend cheated on me in high school, I spent my prom night doing that. Was locked up in my room, wearing the dress and everything, going through a box of Nilla Wafers dipped in peanut butter while going through her Instagram."

"Hmm, I suppose some experiences are truly universal."

"At least for us girls, they are."

✵︎

Thankfully, Ted's workday ended just before Daisy's began, meaning they could walk from the training facility together. While Daisy was heading to the studio, Ted was searching for a model who was scheduled to be doing a photo shoot for some alcohol brand in the park. Rebecca ended up suggesting he talk to Keeley to try and understand Jamie a bit better.

Suddenly, the father and daughter duo understood Keeley's earlier questioning. She was in a golden dress with her hair straightened and blown out like a messy mane while posing next to a person in a green body suit who would be turned into a lion in editing.

"I love it. Give me a growl, yeah. Sexy, yeah. Yeah. Beautiful. Yeah, all right," the photographer went on and on as he snapped photos of Keeley. And he finished just as she looked to the side and spotted the two visitors. "Let's set up for the next shot."

"Hi," Keeley greeted while coming over, a pleased smile on her face.

"Hey, how you doing?" Ted asked.

"Yeah, I'm all right. How are you both?"

"Great. Heading to work," Daisy said, holding up her flats to change into once she was at the studio.

"Yeah, not bad. So, you went with the lion, huh?" Ted asked, nodding to the shoot.

"Yeah."

"I'm a little hurt, but it looks cool," he admitted.

"I look insane," she said, laughing. But then she looked on her shoulder and grimaced. "But I do think it's a better look than the panda."

They followed her line of sight and saw the other model, who was still getting ready with her hair in curlers. There were black circles drawn under her eyes, making her look horrible, like she'd been in a fight or something.

"Maybe, uh, maybe they should be less literal with her makeup," Daisy suggested, trying to hide her cringe. But it looked so bad.

"Oh, yeah," Ted agreed, shaking his head.

Keeley then looked to her left at the catering tent. "Fuck, I'm famished."

"Yeah? Most lions are," he joked, making both girls laugh.

"Look. Let's get some food," Keeley decided. "You hungry?"

"Oh, I've got to run, but thank you," Daisy said. "And you look so freaking gorgeous, as always."

"Thank you, lovely," Keeley said, squeezing her hand. "Now go on. Jamie said you did ballet training. Break a leg."

Daisy was surprised Jamie took the time to remember, let alone mention, what she did for a living. But it was nice, knowing that the team didn't completely ignore her. So, she left the photo shoot behind, still in a great mood.

And that mood bled into the lesson, which the group of children picked up on. She taught them how to do a proper leap and then let them pick out fun songs to play from her phone as they took turns practicing their leaps back and forth across the room. Then just before ending, she had them go over the different positions to keep it fresh in their minds. Each of them was quite excited as they left with their parents, making sure to say goodbye.

"Bye, Miss Daisy!"

"I can't wait for next time!"

"Thanks for playing Love Is An Open Door, Miss Daisy!"

The last of the class to remain was Phoebe, who was watching the door like a hawk. "He swore he wouldn't be late," she said, stomping her foot.

"He's not late," Daisy informed her while looking at the time on her phone. "He's got four minutes before I officially declare him late. Now, c'mon, get your shoes on."

"Alright," she said, sitting down to swap them out. "Are you gonna go to Uncle Roy's match on Saturday?"

"Oh, definitely," she assured her. "With Roy on the team and my dad coaching, they're sure to win."

"You better not have just fuckin' jinxed it."

Daisy turned quickly when she heard Roy's voice, who was standing in the doorway, his standard flat expression on his face.

"There's no such thing as a jinx," she informed him matter-of-factly.

Roy's eyes went wide. "I can't believe you just fucking said that. Something isn't jinxed until some dollop says there's no such thing and that something is sure to happen."

She couldn't help the smile that grew on her face, unable to believe someone as stoic as Roy took jinxes so seriously. "Alright," she said, giggling as she knocked on the wooden floor. He just raised a confused eyebrow at her actions. "Knocking on wood is how you undo a jinx back home."

"Better work," he grumbled. "You ready, Phoebe?"

"Just about," she said, struggling to tie her shoes. But neither adult moved to help her, knowing she needed to learn properly.

"Best of luck at the match, all jinxes aside," Daisy told him, leaning against the bar along the wall. "I do hope Sam will be cheered up from his birthday."

Roy nodded in agreement, hoping for the same as he'd seen how down Sam had been as of late. Then he studied Daisy's face as she watched Phoebe with a small smile on her face.

"That was... nice, what you did," he suddenly spoke again, drawing her attention.

"What was?" she asked, confused but also sure he wasn't talking about the knocking on wood for his own superstitions.

"That bit with fucking Tartt," he clarified. "It was smart — or rather, he's stupid. You basically robbed him blind for some cake."

"Well, I wouldn't know because I've not memorized the currency system yet," she admitted, shrugging it off. "And it didn't hurt Jamie — if anything, it made him feel bigger and better to just hand out money like that. We can get some really nice things for Sam now."

"You gonna hassle Tartt like that for every birthday?" he questioned.

"Well, if not me, then any of you can do it now that you know it works," she offered. "You don't always have to use violence and shouting to get what you want."

"No, but it's easier that way," he grumbled. Then Phoebe was back on her feet, shoes tied for the most part. "Time to go."

"Bye, Miss Daisy," Phoebe said, grinning at the woman. "I'm gonna measure our flat by how many leaps it takes to cross."

"You're gonna what?" Roy asked, quite confused. Then he shook his head. "Wait, no, don't care. That's your mum's problem. Let's go."

It wasn't a full goodbye, but as they left, Roy nodded to Daisy and said her name, which she appreciated. He may not have wanted her in the locker room, but he was sure fucking pleased she'd been there to work Jamie like that in front of everyone.

✵︎

The game against Crystal Palace finally arrived. Daisy was sitting on her Uncle Beard's desk, her pink tool kit next to her, ready to work when the boys went out. Higgins got her a key to the room that led to the plumbing. She'd turn on a TV and play it loud to listen to their progress.

But before that, there was something very important to cover. So, when Ted nodded to Daisy, she slid off the desk and exited through the connected office to stand in the hallway. Richard and Babatunde were waiting with gifts in hand, and she would push in the cake that was set up on a rolling cart with balloons tied to it.

The door to the locker room was cracked so that they could hear Ted as he clapped and got all the players' attention. "All right, fellas, here we go. Here we go. Coach, you got any last words?"

Beard just pointed to the whiteboard with their game plan scrawled down. "Speed on the outside."

"Speed on the outside. You heard the man," he repeated. Then he looked at Sam, who was sitting with his eyes closed, praying to himself for a good outcome in the game. "That's all we got for you, except for one thing, and that's Happy Birthday, Sam!"

Sam instantly looked up as everyone cheered and Richard threw the door open, Daisy pushing in the cake with a big smile. A few others pulled out gifts they'd been hiding in their lockers. Truly, Sam couldn't be happier as he stood, not bothering to hide his excitement.

Babatunde was the first to give him a gift, which was a framed poster of some of the most famous Nigerian athletes. Sam was excited to show it off. "Babatunde's the best," he insisted.

"Hey, now," Richard said, handing him a gift bag. "He's not the only one. Enjoy."

Sam then peeked inside and pulled out the first thing he saw, which was a huge bag of food that Isaac specifically tracked down.

"Hey, man, you guys got me Chin Chin," he said, smiling softly. "Wow, this is all I used to eat growing up."

"We know you haven't been home in a while, so we thought we'd bring some home to you," Ted explained.

"You guys, man," he mumbled, putting his hand to his chest. Then he looked at Daisy and nodded to her. "O ṣeun. O ṣeun bẹ."

"No cake 'til after the game, though," Daisy told him, shaking her head. "Be somethin' to look forward to."

As the excitement died down, Ted walked up to Sam and shook his hand. Daisy had to smack Bumbercatch's hand to stop him from using his finger to scoop up some icing as she listened in. "Hey. Happy Birthday, Sam."

"Thank you, Coach."

"We got a few things in there for you," he said, pointing to the bag that had the Chin Chin.

Sam ended up pulling out a small, green army man. Earlier, Ted received a package from Henry that had a lot of fun things for him and Daisy to have, including a bag of the toys and some of their favorite barbecue sauce from back home. Sam didn't seem familiar with the toy though.

"Coach, what's this?" he questioned.

"Well, my little boy gave me a whole bunch of these. You know, help keep me and Daisy safe while we're away. I miss him, you know," he told him.

Sam nodded in understanding and smiled down at the army man. "My dad used to always pinch my earlobes for good luck."

Jamie had to them ruin the nice moment by scoffing. "Give me a fucking break," he muttered, earning a glare from Daisy. The boy just sighed and rolled his eyes. "Sorry, Coach."

After that, Sam looked back at the army man and then frowned. "Coach, is it okay if I don't keep this? I don't really have the same fondness for the American military that you do."

"Yeah," Daisy chimed in. "What with the imperialism and what not."

"Right, yeah," Ted said, understanding as Sam handed it back.

"Yeah, Imperialism," Sam said again. "But thank you, Coach. Thank you."

Ted nodded and clapped him on the shoulder before looking around the room. "All right, fellas. Let's get out there and show Crystal Palace whose house this is, right?"

All the men cheered and ran out, ready for the game. Daisy made sure to kiss her father and uncle on the cheek for good luck before going to the office to get her tools.

"You not comin' out?" Roy asked her, the last to pass, raising a bushy eyebrow.

"I'll be there in just a sec," she lied, wanting the water to be a surprise after they all worked hard and were tired from playing.

He simply nodded at her answer and followed the rest of his team. Then Daisy was free to get to work, starting with the plumbing first.

All she had to do in there was adjust a few valves connecting the water heater — though Higgins told her it was called a geyser over here when she explained what she'd be doing — to the showers. Afterward, she moved on to the actual shower room. She removed each shower head and ended up removing the flow restrictor that was built in, doing her best to ignore how it was actively harming the water conservation effort. Finally, she also scrubbed all the built-up calcium and minerals that were blocking the edges of each small spout on the shower heads. By the time she was finished, she knew the team wouldn't know what hit them — literally, because they weren't telling anyone that the pressure was fixed, leaving them to learn on their own.

And throughout the whole time, she listened to the match that was playing on the TV in the locker room. Even without it, she could hear the deafening sound that was everyone in the stadium chanting 'Wanker!' at her father every now and then, telling her exactly how the game was going.

✵︎

Richmond lost against Crystal Palace, which was rather disheartening given that they'd already beaten the team earlier in the season. It felt like their progress was moving backward. Daisy did get to watch the last fifteen minutes in person, though that didn't really help her to understand what was happening, but at least she got to see Jamie score the only goal for Richmond.

Since Daisy hadn't turned off the TV after finishing working, one of the sports channels was critiquing their failure, and none of the disheartened players bothered to turn it off. Daisy could hear it as she made her way back to the locker room, having given them all a few minutes in case Ted or Beard wanted to say something about the loss.

"Richmond fall to thirteenth place," one of the anchors named Arlo was saying.

Jamie was coming out of Ted's office, looking rather upset with himself as he did, his hands balled up underneath the fabric of his shirt. And he wasn't the only one, Daisy noticed. Practically everyone had their heads down.

"I'm sure they won't be there very long," his partner claimed on the TV.

"Is that optimism, Chris?" Arlo asked.

"No. Actually, I'm wearing Obsession by Calvin Klein."

The only one to not have his head down was Roy, who began shouting angrily. "That was fucking embarrassing!" he exclaimed. Nate had been trying to hand him a water bottle, but Roy just threw it down, which startled Nate.

"I - I am equally livid," Nate stuttered before ramming his elbow back into the window of the office door. He ended up shattering the glass, startling all of them. Ted looked at him through the glass, silently asking him 'what the fuck?' with his expression. Everyone else was just as shocked.

"Blimey, mate."

"Jesus Christ."

"Didn't know he had it in him."

"Oh, my god," Nate whispered, horrified with himself.

And Roy looked really pleased as he nodded to him. "Good lad," he complimented before storming off to get ready for a shower.

Again, Nate looked at the broken glass. "Oh, my god," he repeated.

"Do you have any tape?" Daisy asked him, cringing a bit.

"Y - yeah," he stuttered out before running and grabbing a roll of yellow tape.

They were careful as they opened the door, and Daisy helped him tape over the window to make sure no pieces of glass would fall and get stepped on before the window could be replaced. As they did that, Ted came back out to talk to them and cheer them up.

"Hey, come on now. Hey, let's shake this one off, all right? Start getting better on Monday," Ted told them. Then he pointed to Beard. "Until then — Hey, DJ Beard-o, why don't you help pick up the mood in here, all right?"

Beard walked to the bench in the middle of the room and put down a speaker, beginning to blast some music loudly.

"Little Phife Dawg and Q-Tip comin' at you," Ted said, moving to the beat a little. "Come on now. Everybody get some cake. You know, it's Sam's birthday. Go ahead, get some sugar in your system. Go on now."

It started slow, but eventually, everyone got up and had some cake. Then they began dancing and laughing, letting the loss of the day roll off their backs. Ted even managed to get Higgins to come down and join them — he tried to convince Rebecca, but it was pointless.

Daisy had just as much fun, singing along and dancing. Sam came up to her with the bag of Chin Chin, wanting her to try it, which she happily did.

"Oh, this is delicious," she said, chewing a mouthful of it.

"It is friend dough. Fried dough is always delicious," he said, laughing. Then he glanced across the room. "Babatunde! Bring the poster!"

Babatunde quickly grabbed his present and came over, Winchester not far behind him.

"These are some of the best athletes to come from our home," Sam told her before pointing to their pictures. "Chioma Ajunwa was Nigeria's first Olympic gold medalist. She did multiple sports but won in the long jump."

"Ooh, and that's Enefiok Udo-obong," Winchester pointed out. "Got silver in the 400 meters, but then the American that won the gold admitted to cheating, so he got upgraded to gold. Big moment for us."

"Then you got Teslim 'Thunder' Balogun," Babatunde told her. "Easily the most famous footballer from Nigeria."

"Well, maybe Sam will be just as big," Daisy said, nudging his shoulder.

"Oh, I wish," he said, shaking his head bashfully.

"Fucking hell!" When Colin ran out of the showers, yelling at the top of his lungs and completely naked, everyone looked at him while Sam automatically put his hand over Daisy's eyes.

"Thank ya," Ted told him, nodding to Sam. Daisy just rolled her eyes, while also missing how Roy calmly walked out of the shower, at least bothering to have his towel wrapped around him.

"Coach fixed the shower pressure!" Colin announced excitedly.

Instantly, everyone got just as excited as they did about the cake and began thanking him. Ted put up his hands and shook his head. "Now, boys, you'd better be thanking my little Oopsie Daisy. She did it while y'all were out there playin'. She's good with her hands — no idea where she gets it from, 'cause it sure as heck ain't me."

"Oh, I could kiss you, Daisy," Colin told her.

"Please, don't," she quickly said, figuring he was still naked. "Until you've got pants on, at least."

"Nah, mates, you gotta try it," the boy went on. And Roy threw a towel at him to cover up. "I could feel it in my bones, I could."

"Cover up, you fucking twat," Roy said in a gruff tone. "Daisy don't wanna see that."

Once Colin had the towel around his waist, Sam freed Daisy and let her see again. But it was rather pointless because a moment later, the team began fighting over who the first ones to shower would be.

"Me next!"

"No way! You were benched the whole fucking game."

"I'll fight you for it!"

Before she knew it, clothes went flying, and not just shirts. Daisy quickly shook her head and moved for the door, trying to avoid seeing anything she wasn't meant to.

"Meet you outside, Daddy," she called, just aiming a thumbs up in his general direction since she didn't look back.

"Thanks for the hard work, Darlin'!" he told her.

Daisy let out a relieved breath once she was in the safety of the hallway. She kind of wished she'd grabbed another slice of cake before leaving, but no way was she gonna risk going back in there. So, she just walked around the facility for a bit before going outside, figuring the parking lot would be mainly empty since the game ended a while ago. But much to her surprise, a semi-familiar reporter was leaning against the brick wall and scribbling in his little notebook, lurking until more people he could interview came outside.

And he considered Daisy one of those people.

"Excuse me," he spoke up. "If I'm not mistaken, you're Coach Lasso's daughter, yes?"

"Yeah, that's me."

"Trent Crimm, The Independent," he introduced, walking over to her.

Daisy couldn't help but grin and shake his hand. "Daisy Lasso, Richmond Dance," she copied him, making him chuckle. "It's nice to meet you. Allora has told me about you while working together."

"Yes, I asked her for a quote on you. All she said was that you were a fantastic dancer," Trent told her. He'd asked her about meeting Ted and Beard and what her thoughts were after having dinner, but Allora was smart enough to keep her mouth shut, knowing how her uncle was.

"I'd like to think I am. And she's just as wonderful."

"Yes, she is," he said with a fond smile for his niece. "I was wondering if I might ask you a few questions or get a quote?"

"Wow. I didn't reckon I was important enough for that kind of attention, but go ahead, Trent Crimm."

"What are your thoughts on the public's reaction to your father's hiring as the new manager for Richmond? Do you think it was a mistake on Rebecca Welton's part? That she might be making a fool of this club by doing so?"

"Well, my father don't have Twitter, so you can keep tweeting all those things he's never gonna see," she said, laughing a little. "And I know he doesn't seem like a smart decision, but from what I've learned about Ms. Welton since getting here — she knows what she's doing. She's smart and strategic, but because she's a woman, I think a lot of people decide to ignore that about her. This club whatn't winnin' when Mr. Mannion was the owner either, but no one questioned him keeping the last coach on his payroll for so long. So maybe the public should just give my father and Ms. Welton the time to prove that this is her club now, not Mr. Mannion's."

Trent studied her, genuinely surprised by her well-thought-out and put-together answer. "Interesting opinion," he noted. "And care to comment on reports that, despite the harsh defeat, Richmond are currently playing music and eating cake to celebrate the loss?"

Given that Jamie Tartt was the only one to have left yet, it was safe to assume he complained to Trent about it. But Daisy just shook her head and laughed.

"They aren't celebrating the loss, Mr. Crimm. They're celebrating Sam. He turned twenty today, and we were gonna give him a party whether we won or lost," she explained. "You know, our lives and the team are better for having him here with us at Richmond. And no matter how the season goes, every member of the team deserves to be celebrated on their birthday — deserves cake. Heck, if there's a press conference on yours, I might even bring a cupcake for you."

"I must say that would be a first," he said, chuckling. "And thank you for clearing that up."

"Of course. You know, a match doesn't just start on the field — pitch," she quickly corrected. "It starts in the locker room with your players. Football is their life and sometimes they need to be reminded that it's not just the wins and losses."

"And ties," he added.

"Right," she said, frowning. "Ties are silly and very un-American. There's gotta be a winner back home."

✵︎

Finally, Beard and Ted were done for the day and ready to walk home with Daisy. She ended up chatting with the reporter for a few more moments — not about soccer, but about how Allora was treating her at work and how she was settling in. It was nice to know he could turn his journalist side off from time to time.

Though when Sam came out along with a few others, Trent was right back to work, asking them about the game. And it made Sam's night when the writer wished him a happy birthday before bringing up how well he played despite the loss. So, Daisy simply waved goodbye to all of them and found her father so that they could leave.

"I hate losing," Beard mumbled as they walked through the neighborhood. Daisy liked how well-lit it was at night, making it look even prettier than usual.

"Bird by bird, Coach," was all Ted told him. They couldn't focus on the loss.

"Good night, Coach. Night, Daisy Chain," Beard told them as they reached their parting point. He'd go right while they went left.

"Night, Coach," he shot back.

"Night, B."

As they approached their apartment, they ran into the young schoolgirl from the day before, whose name was Shannon. Ted tried to steal her soccer ball from her that morning but he wasn't fast enough.

"Here's trouble," Ted said, smiling at her.

"I saw the match," Shannon told them.

"Yeah? What'd you think?"

"You were rubbish," she said honestly.

"Yeah, just a little," Daisy admitted. Even Ted nodded.

"Yeah, but I did wanna get your advice on one thing," Ted then said, looking at her pointedly. "What do you think—"

Suddenly, he swooped in and knocked the soccer ball out from under her arms, making her laugh. "Look at that! Got ya!"

"Yeah? All right, I underestimated you," Shannon said, trying to get it back as Ted kicked it between his feet.

"Yeah. See, no one sees me coming," Ted told her in a cocky tone. "Come on, what you got? What you got?"

Of course, Shannon only took a few seconds before getting the ball back.

"That was quick. Okay, I'm gonna take my backpack off now," he said. "We're gonna really do this. Daisy, help your old man out."

"Nah, I'm good," she said, sitting in the chair that he set his backpack down next to. "I think I'd rather watch a sixteen-year-old wipe the floor with you."