A/n. Sorry for this long A/N (sorrysorrysorry. I hate them but think of it as the nasty admin that needs to be done) but a couple of things that I'd like to say about this fic to clarify a few things that seem to be confusing some people.

- This is set in modern day, 2012 in Manchester.

- The ages of the group vary from 16 to 18 because they are in years 12 and 13. Alex and Shaz are 16. Chris, Phyllis, Sam and Annie are 17 and Gene and Ray are both 18.

- Each chapter is going to have a couple of lines form a (usually) modern song that is from my music collection at the top that relates to the chapter.

And finally - I literally know nothing about rugby and spent a ridiculous amount of time looking up little details - such as if it's started with a whistle *rolls eyes* - and so if you're a rugby fan, please just accept most of what I've written as artistic licence!

Massive thanks to Elle for being the other half of the brains behind this and thanks to all those who have reviewed so far! It's SO appreciated. I reread the last chapter and realised it was FULL of spelling errors and missing words, so have another apology - I know how annoying it is to have the rhythm interrupted by mistakes *rolls eyes*. Anyway! I hope this chapter lives up to what you're all expecting and so, on with the show!

MBRB'xoxo

You held your head like a hero,

On a history book page.

Long Live - Taylor Swift

The next three days passed quickly and Alex found herself becoming very fond of the group of people that she had found herself in. She came to know how everyone fitted in and what role they played - Annie was smart and was often to be found working through her breaks and her free lessons, catching up on work and coursework that needed to be done, but she was very much the glue of the group. Shaz always seemed to be sat down on the sofas with a notebook in her lap, filling its pages with detailed and delicate doodles. She was most definitely the 'arty one' and Alex found herself drawn to the gentle girl with her choppy hair and large eyes. Phyllis, Alex had quickly realised, was very tomboyish and kept the lads in line whenever they were around with her sharp tongue and willingness to bat them on the arm with her fist. They had all welcomed Alex into their circle and she felt like she'd known them for far longer than the three days that she actually had. The boys were often found sat with them because of Annie and Sam's relationship and their company was welcomed by them all. Gene, Ray, Chris and Sam all had their little quirky characteristics that made them an unlikely friendship group but one that just seemed to work. Chris kept Alex constantly laughing with his daft comments and she'd soon lost count at how many times she'd let out a sigh at Rays comments about the latest female that happened to be in his line of vision.

As they sat together on Thursday lunch, Alex looked over as Gene, Annie and Sam came through the doors after coming out of their Business lesson a little later than usual. Sam held Annies hand loosely but was turned to Gene heatedly discussing the upcoming Rugby match.

'Bamo's better than you think. His tackles are bloody good' Gene was saying as the crossed the room to where Shaz, Chris and Alex were sat.

'He'll be done for foul play within the first 10 minutes!' Sams expression was one of pure annoyance as they argued over who would be playing the cupped his ear mockingly and leant closer to Sam.

'Oh, wait, sorry. Who's captain?' Annie giggled and sat down opposite Alex as Sam mumbled his answer.

'You'

'Right you are. Shut yer trap. Alright, ladies?' he turned his attention to the three of them sat down. Chris looked insulted and corrected Gene immediately.

'Err, I'm here aswell, Guv'

'Point being, Christopher?'

'You said ladies!' he told him indignantly.

'Very observant of you' he winked at him, shoved his bag down on the floor and took a seat. 'You all coming to the match?' he asked, looking pleased at the confirmation that he got from everyone. Except Alex. She didn't really understand Rugby and had never been interested in attending a game before so when she had been asked the previous day if she wanted to come with them, she had given them an unsure 'maybe' and left it at that. She had underestimated how much rugby games appeared to mean to this particular six form, and being in a group of people who were close friends with members of the rugby team and the team captain clearly meant that you were expected to attend as many games as you could. 'What about you, y?' he asked, noticing that she hadn't enthusiastically nodded with the rest of them. 'Going to grace us with your presence?' Alex gave him an unsure look and a half smile.

'I don't know...' Gene looked scandalised at her words and then frowned as Shaz snickered beside her at his expression.

'Too high and mighty to spend extra time with the peasants?' Gene asked, a twinkle in his eyes. Alex smiled and shook her head.

'I don't really get rugby' she admitted. 'I won't know what's going on' Gene rolled his eyes and gave her a look that indicated she was clearly insane.

'You don't need to 'get it', you daft mare. You just turn up and cheer us on! Raise morale, give us something to play for!' Ray came and sat down as Gene finished and gave Gene a questioning look.

'Whats this?' he asked, sitting down. Gene inclined his head towards Alex.

'Lady Alex over there is saying she won't be attending the match. Doesn't want to get her fancy boots all muddy' Alex shot him a look and tried to keep the grin off her face.

'It's not that at all, I just don't understand the game. And you keep my boots out of this' she scolded lightly, dropping her feet from the table in front of her and hiding her heeled army style ankle boots as she reached forward and took a sip from her cup of tea and cradling the mug in her hand.

'You don't have to understand the game' Ray frowned as if it hadn't ever occurred to him that people who came to watch would understand what was going on.

'That's what I told her!' Alex laughed a little and held one hand up in defeat, keeping the other around her mug in her lap.

'Okay, okay! I'll come. Jesus christ, I didn't think it was such a big deal!' she laughed, drinking down the last sip of tea and placing her vintage looking mug with its delicate rose pattern back on the little table that sat in the middle of their circle of seats.

'There we go' Gene winked at Ray and then turned back to Alex. 'So do I get your handkerchief as a token of your support then?' he teased and then quickly dodged Shaz's bottle of water that Alex had grabbed and thrown at him with a chuckle.

x-x-x-x-x

Four 'o'clock on Friday afternoon and Alex was stood on the sidelines of the school rugby pitch with Annie, Shaz, Phyllis and Chris hopping from one foot to the other trying to keep warm. It wasn't a bitterly cold afternoon yet, but the autumn air was definitely crisp and a little nippy making Alex wish that she had brought either a thicker coat or a scarf. She rubbed her hands together to try and generate some warmth and shifted her weight again as the boys came jogging onto the field and formed a huddle.

'Come on, boys!' Annie yelled with a little jump as she saw Sam look over to her and give her a wink before having his attention dragged back to the team by Gene. The whistle blew and the away team, Lereto College, kicked off, the ball being thrown, bounced and kicked faster than Alex could keep up with. She wasn't sure if Annie and Shaz knew what was going on, but they were cheering enthusiastically none-the-less and Alex found herself enjoying watching the game more than she thought that she would. There was quite a large turn out and a lot of good-hearted cheers and boos from both sides which made for a good atmosphere despite the chilly November wind that was whipping across the pitch. Annie jumped up and down a little on the spot with excitement as Ray got a hold of the ball and pounded down the pitch. The enthusiasm from the girls was completely infectious and Alex found herself jumping up and down with them, cheering Ray on and joining in with the rising level of noise coming from the North Manchester College supporters, culminating in a massive cry as Ray kicked the ball over the line, scoring the first 3 points of the match. Shaz looked over to Alex as she clapped and cheered and gave her a little smile, glad that she was enjoying herself.

'Having a good time?' she asked as Alex caught her eye. Alex just nodded vigorously, smiled broadly at Shaz and then turned back to the game.

x-x-x-x-x

Alex was barely aware of the wind getting colder as she cheered and booed heartily, getting fully involved in the game. Tension was growing amongst the home crowd as the scores remained at 19-24 with the ball closer to the away teams side of the pitch than they really wanted, but the girls (And Chris) cheered loudly as Gene grabbed the ball and made his way back down the field.

'Go on, Gene!' Annie yelled encouragingly as he pushed past the opposing teams defenders.

'Come on, Guv!' Alex found herself yelled at the top of her lungs, her whole body tense as he passed them. Shaz and Chris shot her a surprised look at her use of his nickname and Alex herself wondered where it had come from - she'd only every called him Gene before - but she shook off their glances and kept her eyes firmly fixed on the team captain. As Gene gripped the ball and threw himself on the ground over the line scoring an extra 5 points, she felt herself curl her fists into balls and punch the air, cheering as loudly as she could along with the rest of the NMC supporters and the whistle was blown to signal the end of the game.

'We won!' Chris yelled, opening his arms to a thrilled Shaz who hugged him tightly. Annie and Alex both kept their eyes on the boys though, Annie waving and clapping at Sam when she managed to catch his eye. Gene stumbled to his feet from where he lay on the floor and received a 'manly' pat on the back from Ray as his eyes darted over the faces in the crowd. Finding Alex, he gave her an exaggerated wink and an uncharacteristic smile that caused her to grin back at him and lift her hands up and towards him to show her clapping and cheering him. He seemed to appreciate the gesture because he gave her the smallest of bows and then turned to where his team were congratulating each other and thumping Gene on the back.

x-x-x-x

After going down to the local Mcdonalds and getting something to eat to celebrate their success, the group stood out in the street saying their goodbyes. Shaz was trying to convince Alex to go out with them on Saturday night with her and Annie, and Ray was whacking Chris on the shoulder for being such a poof because of the daft things he had been saying. The group dispersed as they each made their way home leaving Gene and Alex alone to walk in the direction of their houses together.

'Enjoy youself, Price?' he asked her as they made their way off the high street and down one of the lesser pathways. Alex beamed at him and nodded.

'I actually did'

'No need to sound so surprised. Watching me run up and down was the highlight of your week. Other than meeting me which was the highlight of your month. Obviously.' he told her, his eyes fixed forward and a pout on his lips. Alex marvelled at how he could have such a teasing tone to his voice and yet remain looking so sullen but she supposed that his angry looks were one of the reasons why there was a whole group of girls who swooned over him.

'In your dreams' she laughed, shaking her head in denial. The bitter wind had picked up and whipped her long waved hair around her face and she shivered and sucked air in through her teeth as she reached up to move it out of her eyes.

'Cold?' he asked, noticing that she pulled her arms right around herself, hugging her military jacket tight to her body as soon as she had adjusted her hair. Her eyes darted to him and then focused back on her feet as they walked as she shrugged her shoulders unconvincingly.

'It's a little chilly' she laughed.

'That's what you get when you don't wear any bloody clothes. You'll turn into a flaming icicle at this rate!' Gene scolded, waving a hand at her leggings, loose blue top and thin black jacket. A small smile played at his lips and Alex looked over at him with a questioning frown on her face.

'What?'

'Pricicle' is all Gene said, confusing Alex even more.

'What're you on about?' Gene let out the smallest of laughs, momentarily wiping the pout away and transforming his face.

'You'll get so cold you'll turn into a Pr-icicle.' He was clearly finding himself hugely amusing and Alex couldn't help let out a little snort of laughter at his horrific joke, but she also had the feeling he wasn't going to let this go very easily. She was, however, distracted when his hand went up to the scarf around his neck and started to pull it off. 'Here' He held the deep blue scarf out to her but she shook her head and told him that she really was fine. Gene tutted in response and kept the scarf folded in half as he had had it before as he flicked it round her neck and let go so that it lay over her shoulders. Alex shot him a disapproving look but looped tied the scarf around her regardless, appreciative of the extra warmth that it was providing her already. 'Daft mare' Gene mumbled, shoving his hands back in the pockets of his heavy coat as they continued walking.

'Bloody man' Alex mumbled back, equally as annoyed. The little look she shot him out of the corner of his eye caught the identical look that he was shooting her and she couldn't help but start laughing at their childishness.

'This is me' she told him softly, slowing outside a gate that topped a path way across a neat little garden leading to a reasonably large looking town house. It didn't look much different from the rest of the houses that lined the high end street but Gene decided that it suited her anyway. He would expect nothing less than a pricey looking house from the girl in front of him and he turned to face her, looking down at her. He stood a couple of inches above her now that she wasn't in her heels and she was looking at him through her lashes slightly, but he was pretty sure that she wasn't aware of it.

'I'll walk you to the door?' he asked and Alex laughed a little, a questioning look on her face.

'If you want' she giggled with a slight eye roll as she unlatched the gate and walked up the garden pathway with Gene following behind her.

'I don't want to be accused of not being a gentleman, Price. If you were to fall and crack your little head on the pavement, you'd no doubt sue me for negligence' he nodded matter-of-factly as Alex looked at him doubtfully.

'I'm not an idiot, Guv'

'You're common sense isn't all that great from what I've seen, actually. Head full of brains but useless at life' Alex's jaw dropped in mock insult.

'You watch what you're saying! I'll be your boss one of these days and I'll make sure you get no holiday leave'. Gene only shook his head no and they fell into a comfortable silence. Alex became aware that she was still wearing his scarf and reached up to pull it off, but Gene shook his head again.

'Just give it to me on Monday'. Alex nodded and began to rifle for her bag.

'Oh, shit. I've forgotten my keys' she muttered and then frowned as Gene gave her a look that clearly said 'I told you so' which Alex ignored and lifted her hand to knock on the front door.

'Well, I'm glad you weren't completely miserable watching today' he told her. Alex nodded and smiled.

'I enjoyed it. Thanks for walking me home' before Gene could reply, the front door opened and Alex's Mum stood there.

'Where's your k- oh. Hello' she stopped herself, looking at Gene with a smile. Gene inclined his head to her and said a quiet hello.

'This is Gene, Mum' Alex told her mother, trying to bite back a laugh at the overall awkwardness of the moment.

'Hey, Gene' Caroline said again, aware that Gene was looking less than comfortable.

'Hey, Mrs Price' he turned back to Alex. 'I'll see you on Monday then'. Alex smiled a yes at him and crossed her arms across her, swinging her shoulders side to side slightly. A moment of silence passed over the threesome and then Gene rocked back on his heels, gave the hint of a smile, said 'See ya' to both of them and then turned to walk away from the mother and daughter. Alex walked past her Mum and into the house laughing quietly to herself and shaking her head a little after exchanging a look with her mother.

'He seemed nice' Caroline told her, her tone dripping with amusement.

'He is' Alex agreed, pouring herself a glass of water and leaning against the kitchen table.

'I don't recognise that scarf' she said with a raised eyebrow and her eyes sparkling. Alex gave her Mum a knowing smile, realising exactly where she was going with this. Forming a fake shocked look, she brought a hand up to cover her mouth in feigned surprise.

'Really? That's because it's Gene's!' she dropped her fake 'o' of a mouth for a smile which Caroline returned. 'He's just a friend, Mum'. Caroline raised her eyebrows and looked at her daughter with doubtful amusement.

'If you say so.'

TBC...