𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 // 𝐣𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫

✰ 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞

THEY BARELY MANAGED TO sneak away as the two girls slipped into the Red Devil Cafeteria of Old Trafford, trying their best to stop giggling. On the other side of the door stood Edward Hollowgate, a man they had a large amount respect for — though the two of them couldn't help but prank him every now and then. However, as he cleared his throat, stepping through the door, they weren't late with coming out of hiding.

"If I had been interested in hiring kids to do your jobs, I would have let my very own son know what sweet experiences he would be getting." Edward scowled, his eyes narrow as his gaze flickered between Hannah and Marie, the duo he considered to be his best partnership, and worst nightmare. Throwing one quick glance at the watch on his wrist, however, had him changing his body language. "You've got thirty minutes for lunch. Thirty minutes. No more, we've got a new signing coming through the doors to take in the stadium for the first time in an hour, and you both need to be ready."

"Yessir."

Edward turned sharply on his heels, marching out of the cafeteria, Marie being the first one to crack up as the doors closed behind his back. "I swear to God — it's a miracle we haven't been fired."

"It's not a miracle." Hannah rolled her eyes, simply nodding to the woman in the kitchen — the cafeteria was the two girls' go-to place when spending their days at Old Trafford, and after having spent a few days at the stadium, their orders were pretty much the same. "Edward hates us — or, he hates you, really — for the pranks, but he can't fire us, because when everything comes to it, we're the best he's got."

               "Have you thought more about the offer from the national team, though?" Marie questioned, mumbling a soft 'thank you' upon the waitress placing two cups of coffee at their table. "I mean — it's pretty sick that they want to bring you along to be an announcer at—," she paused, furrowing her brows. "What are they doing in America anyway?"

"Promo-tour," Hannah shrugged, leaning back in her chair as she lifted the coffee-cup to her lips. "They will be playing a match against their national team, in Chicago."

"Chicago." Marie snorted, rolling her eyes. "Seriously though, regardless of where they are playing or travelling, even if it's for a promo-tour, I'm proud to know that you're the one announcing them."

"I haven't said yes—,"

"There's no way you can turn the offer down."

Turning their heads, the two girls watched as the doors to the cafeteria opened, Hannah's brother entering the cafeteria. The young goalkeeper had only recently been called up to the first team, though his arrival at the Manchester United-academy from Stockport 4 years earlier had confirmed his position as the little brother to both girls ( though he was only related by blood to Hannah ). He pulled up a chair that had the name of Edwin van der Sar on the back, dropping down next to his older sister.

"I mean, the England-squad is pretty darn lucky with having you as their announcer," he chuckled, a goofy grin on his lips as he leaned over to give his sister a light punch in the shoulder.

"Deano's got a point." Marie shrugged, sipping her coffee. "Besides — what's the worst thing that could happen in Chicago? Sure, city's cold, well it's summer now, so I'm sure it's warm, but still. You could meet some exciting people, you could taste some new, exotic drinks — hell, you could even fall in love."

                Hannah looked skeptic, though simply sighed in response, quickly checking the time on her phone. They still had fifteen minutes, before Edward demanded they would meet him pitch-side, ready to capture the feeling of the new signings as they arrived at Old Trafford for the first time. "I mean, they are still to get an actual response from me about whether or not I'm coming, but," she shrugged, Marie and Dean sharing a glance as they waited for her to continue. "I don't see why I shouldn't say yes."

               Another goofy grin spread on Dean's face, as the young footballer leaned across the table to high-five Marie. "Now all you need to do is make sure she doesn't fall in love. She's a pain in the ass, but I don't want my sister falling in love and leaving the city."

"I would, if I was going."

"What?"

                Marie shrugged, biting into her sandwhich. "Come on, Dean; you're not actually surprised? You know my affiliation when it comes to national teams will always be Scotland, and your patriotic asses won't be able to change that, not even if Gary Neville offered a one-night stand."

               Hannah found herself choking on her sandwhich, desperately trying to swallow it down with mouthfuls of coffee. "I forgot about your ever so little crush on Nev—,"

                "Yeah, and let's go back to having it that way."

               Dean sat at the opposite side of the table, still seeming rather surprised, though he was still caught up with Marie not joining her best friend for the trip to Chicago. "But — Hannah, why don't you see if you can pull some strings? I'm sure Marie wants to go—,"

               "Not everything in life comes by pulling strings, Dean." Hannah huffed, rolling her eyes in the direction of her younger brother. "Besides, I'm sure Marie has better things to do this summer, such as picking out a house with—,"

               Marie cut her off by clearing her throat. The thing was, the photographer and her boyfriend, Manchester United's midfield-playmaker Juan Mata, had only just started really talking about going public with their relationship, and though some of the squad knew about it already ( including the squad's manager, Louis van Gaal ), they had managed to keep it secret from blabbermouth and gossip-fan Dean Henderson.

               "I'll be spending the happy, peaceful hours without Hannah around to sleep, re-watch some shows, and probably buy a cat. Or a dog." The photographer shrugged, finishing her sandwhich, before checking the time. "Now, it was lovely of you to join us for lunch, Dean, but we have to go. You know, new signings and all that jazz."

             "I should probably get ready for practice anyway." He nodded, tightly hugging his sister. "Let me know when you've made a decision about going to Chicago, yeah?"

               The two girls quickly dropped their plates off by the kitchen, recieving a grateful smile from the waitress, before heading out the doors. Few things were as majestic as walking the halls of Old Trafford, the Theatre of Dreams, yet it was an every day thing for Hannah and Marie. It wasn't until they arrived in the players' tunnel, however, that Marie realized Hannah was no longer by her side, instead jogging behind to catch up the photographer.

              "Did I magically transport, or did you stop?"

               Hannah rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "I replied to England's media team. I took the job. Three weeks in Chicago, and I leave in two weeks." She sighed, watching the grin spread on Marie's face. "But first — let's welcome Bastian Schweinsteiger, and then we'll deal with Chicago later."