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David Wymack.
Their coach. Not everyone said it out loud, but all of them valued his patience and care. And of course, they all wished they could thank him somehow — for everything he’d gone through, both mentally and physically, over the years of training them.
Neil flipped through a magazine lying on the table, not really paying attention to the pages. Wymack’s birthday was coming up. Not just a birthday — a milestone. Neil wanted to give him something. It wasn’t really in his nature to show affection like that, but Wymack had become an important figure in his life while he’d been part of the Foxes. And still was.
Neil wouldn’t call it a fatherly bond, but it felt close to that. He was sure the others felt the same way.
In just a week, the man would turn fifty-five. Neil wanted to do something special — something that would mean something only to the Foxes.
He frowned in thought, eyes wandering over the magazine until they caught on one page.
It showed a pair of rings. Simple metal bands, engraved with just two letters: “NO.”
The *N* was on the left ring, the *O* on the right.
Something clicked in his head.
“What are you looking at?”
Andrew leaned closer, peering at the page.
“Coach’s birthday,” Neil said. “I think we should get him something special.”
Andrew snorted. “You don’t think he already has something special?” He dropped down beside him.
“What do you mean?”
“The Foxes,” Andrew said dryly. “The most *special* kids anyone could ask for.”
Neil snickered. “Yeah, fair point. But come on — what about this?” He pointed to the rings.
Andrew studied the page, then hummed. “You’re getting sentimental.”
“Shut up,” Neil muttered, grabbing his phone to snap a photo. He was going to show the others.
Nicky burst into laughter the moment he saw it, eyes shining.
“This is *perfect*! Absolutely perfect!” he said, almost crying from laughter.
Renee smiled, nodding in approval.
Allison raised an eyebrow, immediately asking about the price.
Matt gave a silent thumbs-up.
The rest didn’t say much — but they didn’t object either. Neil counted that as a yes.
By the time the big day came, everything was ready. The rings rested in a small box — bright Fox-orange, tied with a white ribbon.
They’d decided to give it after practice, pretending nothing was up until then.
Of course, people like Nicky didn’t do “pretending” very well. He was bursting with excitement, and a few players had to literally shut him up so he wouldn’t ruin the surprise.
After practice, everyone gathered in the locker room. Kevin was tasked with bringing Wymack there, and Nicky would give the signal when they were close.
The locker room was chaos — half panic, half anticipation. Even Renee wrung her hands nervously.
Neil was trying to organize them into a semicircle, giving last-minute instructions.
Finally, he nodded to Nicky by the door. Nicky gestured to Kevin, then flipped off the lights before rushing to join the group. Renee turned on her phone flashlight to keep him from tripping, then turned it off again once he was in place.
Footsteps echoed closer. Neil drew a shaky breath.
Kevin turned on the lights.
“Happy birthday, Coach.”
The Foxes broke into a soft, awkward version of a birthday tune, and Neil stepped forward, holding out the box.
Wymack blinked at the small square, chuckling as he took it.
“Better not be a bomb,” he muttered, opening it carefully.
When he saw the rings, his eyes widened.
“NO?” he laughed. “Interesting choice. How’d you land on that?”
“Long and painful debates,” Nicky said solemnly.
“Thanks,” Wymack said, smiling, giving Neil a pat on the shoulder.
The others crowded around, waiting for the same praise. Kevin was quietly waiting in the corner, letting everyone else have their moment.
Neil might’ve called it shyness if he didn’t know Kevin better — he just didn’t like loud scenes.
Neil himself had slipped out of the crowd soon after, for pretty much the same reason.
“You haven’t given him your gift yet?”
Kevin shrugged.
“Later.”
“What’s that? Don’t tell me our Kevin Day is getting shy,” Neil said, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
“Shut up,” Kevin snorted, though a flicker of nervousness didn’t escape Neil’s eyes.
“I think he’ll like it,” Neil said softly.
He knew perfectly well that, gifts or not, Wymack would’ve been happy just to have them there with him.
The thought warmed him from the inside, and he couldn’t help but smile.