How hard can it be to fall in love with a football player when you're afraid of footballs...?
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Helping out her best friend by playing the lead in that music video project for university had seemed like an easy enough feat for art student Lorelai...
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Karma. That's what it was. It had to have something to do with bad karma. Or some evil plan the universe was certainly cooking up just to spite her. Maybe a little bit of both. Maybe there really was a God, and He just didn't like her. Most likely, He had woken up this morning, thinking: let's have fun with Lorelai today. This will be awesome! Or maybe the universe had set him up to it. Yes, that must be it. God and the universe hated her. At the very least, this seemed to be the only explanation for what she had to go through these next few days.
No matter what sort of cosmic incident led up to this, they didn't change the fact that they made Lorelai face her unusual phobia - or rather quite ridiculous pet peeve. It depended on who you asked.
Football.
Not the sport, mind you. She didn't have anything against the sport, but she wasn't particularly interested in it either. No. It was the ball itself she had a problem with. One of which, for the moment, was innocently lying right next to where she was sitting in the sand of »Barceloneta Beach«, Barcelona's main beach and major tourist attraction.
The ball had a special design, different from the balls you usually got to buy in stores; as far as Lorelai could tell. A weird tone of yellow. At least it didn't look like a normal football to her. Maybe it was the La Liga design? Did such a thing even exist? No matter. The ball was just sitting there, minding its own business; whatever business a football could have anyways. And no amount of glaring could make it go »poof!« and disappear from her sight. Lorelai should know - she had been trying to do that for the last couple of minutes.
A groan interrupted her good intentions for the ball to do a Houdini. A rather squeaky and high one. It wasn't Jane's fault that she had a voice like a chipmunk, though; you're born with what you're born with. People always gave her a strange look upon hearing her voice for the first time — simply because it didn't fit with her ridiculous height and slim and sporty figure. But this, coupled with her ever-present enthusiasm, good vibes and spontaneity, added to the endearing being that was Lorelai's best friend.
»Will you please finally grow up? It's just a ball, for God's sake!« Jane scolded with that adorable Irish accent of hers. »Can we please concentrate on the video?«
Lorelai sighed and conjured a grateful smile as she watched the girl opposite her set her director's notes aside to take the ball and place it behind her back.
»Better?« Jane asked pointedly as she took up the notes again and started scanning through them.
»Thanks,« Lorelai replied sheepishly. »I just wish you had told me about the football thing earlier.«
Jane rolled her eyes. Blue, just like the colour people insisted on dressing little baby boys in. »To be fair, I thought that having the players of the FC Barcelona in the video would imply there being a football present as well.«
»A fact you didn't feel obliged to share with me until half an hour before the shoot.«
»You wouldn't have said yes to play the love interest,« Jane replied.
