Chapter Four: Champions of the Mud

He passed outside the box. Lin approached, then touched the ball aside to reveal a wider angle. Gary Nolan charged forward. Two weeks ahead of schedule, permitted only twenty minutes, he drove the ball into the top corner with his bandaged leg. 1–0. Gary ran to Eli. The winger opened his arms, then flinched as if expecting a punch. Gary lifted him off the ground. “Saw me this time?” “You're too slow to miss.” Six minutes of stoppage time lasted six years. Lin headed the final corner into touch. The final whistle cut through the sea wind. Greyport Athletic were ninth-tier champions. Oscar knelt in the mud. Mara held her phone but, for once, did not look at numbers. Danny limped over and placed the armband on Lin.