Wild Thing

-21-

Kasey turns over and shuts off her alarm; a smile runs across her face when she thinks about Kelley. She grows excited about seeing the American player again when they meet up for coffee in a little bit. 

The sound of her phone ringing so early in the morning startles her, and her first thought is of concern for her Mom, but she is surprised to find instead that Kelley is calling her. 

"Morning, Kel." 

"Morning beautiful, I'm afraid I won't be able to meet you for coffee this morning after all. I kinda forgot that today was game day, and I have team obligations and meetings." 

"It's okay, Kelley, I understand." 

"I don't suppose you would consider coming to the game early so that I could see you? And maybe even wear your O'Hara jersey." 

Kasey laughs, "I'll think about it, or maybe I could wear my new Canadian one instead."

"Please wear mine."

"Okay, I will. I can't wait to see you play. I already promised the girls that we would leave early so they could watch the warmups and maybe get their picture taken with Marie - Eve Nault."

"Your passes will allow you down on the field if you get to the stadium early enough, show them to security, and you should be able to watch the warmups from the sidelines." 

"The girls would love that." 

"And I'd like to see you before the game, so it's a win, win, right?" 

"I'll see you soon then. Bye, Kelley." 

"Bye, Kase."  

A few hours later, after making a stop to pick up Brianna, they drive to the stadium. Arriving and seeing how busy it is, Kasey is thankful that included with the passes for the game was also a parking permit. Finding the designated lot, she parks her car, and they make the short walk through the crowd to the security gate. 

"Hey, you're Kasey Wild, aren't you?" the security guard asks, and she smiles and nods. 

"I worked your game the other night, had a front-row seat for your goal. So, I see you're all wearing passes. Do you want me to show you where to stand for the warmups?" 

Kylie and Brianna both smile and nod, "Yes, please." 

Kasey smiles, "They're pretty excited about the game." 

"It should be a good one. Follow me. When the warmups are done, just come back to the gate, and someone will show you where your seats are. Enjoy the game." 

"Thank you." 

Kasey immediately feels out of place in the sea of red and white while she wears the opposition's colours. 

As members of the Canadian team walk past on the way to the field, Kylie calls to them and gets high fives, as does Brianna. Kasey makes sure to document the encounter so she can send it on to Brianna's Mom later. 

"You seem to be wearing the wrong colour there, Wild. Didn't you get the memo that we wear red? Or well in Steph and my case purple, but still, you get what I meant." 

Kasey smiles and laughs at Kailen, "Special request. Thank you for the gloves; they fit perfectly." 

"You're welcome. I had a few extra pairs, and I noticed that yours were looking a bit worn. I figured you could do with a replacement."  

"I've had those for a few years, and they definitely were needing to be replaced. Not starting today?" 

"No, Steph is starting. I'm just going to sit on the bench and look pretty. I've got a few minutes before I need to get warmed up; how would the two of you like to show me what you got?"