In Your Corner | ✓

Seven

"I think I might die before today is over."

I pull Grayson into my arms, pushing the back of her head so that it's drooping on my neck. I don't mind that she sniffles a little; she needs the support.

"You're not going to die, Gray," I reassure her, gently combing my fingers through her light brown hair. "It's going to be fine. We're going to go out there and kick ass."

She whines into my neck, her arms wrapping around my waist like a vice. "I don't know why I ever thought I could do this. Should have just skipped this fixture altogether."

"You thought you could do this, because you can," I murmur, even though we both know she couldn't have skipped it anyway, given that she's captain.

"But she's going to be there on the field."

"All the more reason to show her that you don't miss her. You're a badass bitch who doesn't need her around to make you feel good," I insist strongly.

Grayson's having a minor breakdown before our match against Thompson Rivers University, because her ex-girlfriend is on the team and she doesn't want to see her.

It was a pretty messy break-up, with wild accusations on both ends.

From my perspective, Grayson's ex treated her really badly and needs a good kick in the crotch.

It's been six months since they split and Grayson's not sure that she can deal with seeing her again for the first time after ending their four-year-long relationship.

My heart aches for the poor girl, because she's been having a rough time getting over everything. She's been on a sex spree, getting with any available and willing girl on campus.

Not that it's my place to judge; it just hurts to see her like this, knowing that it's all coming from a place of being upset.

Thankfully, her panicked breathing begins to slow down a little in my tight embrace.

We're standing inside the locker room, while everyone else has gone outside to warm up already.

"We kind of have to head out there, Grayson. They need us there for the warm up," I whisper gently. "It'll make you feel better once we're out there."

She pulls her head out of my neck and eyeballs me, swallowing roughly. "Yeah. You're right. I'm a badass bitch. I got this."

I grin, pulling away and patting her butt lightly as we turn to leave the room. "Damn straight, Grayson."

She sends me one last, horror-stricken look, before schooling her face into a completely focused one and pushes the door of the locker room open.

When we join our team on the field, I realise that TRU haven't even come out of the locker room yet. That's probably good, so that they didn't see Gray and I leave the locker room after everyone else. It might give them ideas.

Gray's shoulders sag in relief and then square again as she clearly gives herself a rousing pep-talk in my head.

Atta girl.

She claps her hands together, taking us through a few drills, not even batting an eyelid when TRU emerge from the locker room and Ebru, her ex, glances over at us.

In fact, Grayson hardly flinches throughout the whole game. She's a real threat in front of goal and proves that today.

We come away with a 4-0 win, two of the goals coming from Gray herself. Kat adds to the tally and Farah scores a screamer from miles outside the box in the last few minutes.