Fearless - Ashley Sanchez

Chapter 1

Crazy how much time flies. It feels like yesterday that I was playing my first soccer game with the USWNT U-17 squad. 

And it reminds me of my first time playing with my first club soccer team at 7 years old, and meeting my best friend in the whole world, Trinity Rodman. 

We met at that first practice and clicked instantly.And we were also 7, so that was when life was simple and you could just walk up to someone and say 'wanna be friends?' and she'd say yes and you were suddenly best friends. 

That's basically our story. 

But it's been a few months since I last saw her because life got crazy for both of us, but we still kept in touch and talked frequently. 

I got drafted into the NWSL a few days ago, and I was drafted to the Kansas City Current, but then they traded me to Washington Spirit, which is where I wanted to play in the first place, because that's where Trinity plays. 

So here I am, standing outside of her door, getting ready to knock. 

Why am I nervous? She's been my best friend for 13 years! 

I knocked on the door, heard a scream, heard some eunning footsteps, and then the door opened. 

"KYLA!" She screamed, squeezing me in a hug. 

"TRINY!" I yelled, squeezing her back. 

"I can't believe this is actually happening. Oh my gosh. It's been way too long." 

"It really has." I hugged her again, and I heard a laugh from behind her. 

"Get a room, you two." Said a girl's voice. 

"Ah. Kyla, this is Ashley Sanchez. I assume you know who she is?" Trinity said, letting go of me and stepping to the side. 

"Hi." I said, waving a little bit. 

She was a million times prettier in person than she was on TV or in pictures. 

"How are you?" I asked, sticking out my hand for her to shake it. 

"We don't do handshakes here. Only hugs." And she gave me a hug. "I mean, we are going to be teammates, plenty of those will go around." 

"This is the best moment of my life." Trinity yelled, running aroundher living room happily. "The moment you two finally meet I always knew would be the best of my life!" 

"Pretty good day of my life too." Ashley said, winkingg at me. 

I tried not to make a confused face as she turned around to look at Trinity. 

"You need to settle down, otherwise I will not be attending getting ice cream later." She laughed. 

"Sorry." Trinity said, sitting down on the couch. "Come on in, Ky." 

I reached down to grab my suitcase, but Ashley said "Don't worry about that. I got it." She picked it up and brought it to the living room. 

"Do you have any idea when my apartment will be ready?" I asked, sitting down on the couch. 

"No idea. But you came, what, a week early? So probably not for a week. Unless you ask them to speed it up. You can stay here if you want. I only have 1 room though. And I have to go to New York tomorrow for a brand deal. And I'm staying there overnight. So the apartment is all yours if you want it." 

"Oh great. You're gonna leave me alone here my second night?" I laughed. 

"Well when she's gone I can show you around the city if you'd like." Said Ashley. 

"I would like that, actually." I said, smiling at her. 

"Good. It's a date then." 

"Awww my two best friends are hanging out!" Trinity said. 

We all chatted for a while, then we went to go get dinner and ice cream. Trinity seemed so happy, and I kept catching Ashley staring at me a bit. 

 Now that she's really talked to me she probably hates me. I thought. I'm not trying to come between her and Trinity. 

When we got back to Trin's, we watched a movie, because it was too late to go out again but not late enough to go to sleep. 

"Wait, that's new." Ashley said in the middle of the movie, pointing to my guitar "Is that yours?" 

I nodded to her, and she smiled. 

"What can you play?" 

"What do you want me to play?" 

"OOh, Can you play....Fearless by Taylor Swift?" 

"I love that song!" I said happily. 

"Me too!" 

"In the middle of the movie? Really?" Trinity asked. 

"Sorry. I'll play it later." I said, sttling back into my spot on the couch. 

I reached to grab the blanket from the back of the couch behind me, because it was getting cold in here, or I was just getting tired. 

"Can I?" Ashley asked me, holding the corner of the blanket. 

I nodded, and she moved closer to me so that she could get under. 

"Trin, can we make a sick fort?" Ashley asked her, laying her head back on the couch. 

"Another time. I have to leave tomorrow, remember?" She said. 

"Please?" I asked. 

"With what fort materials?" 

"These couch cushions." Ashley said. 

"And these blankets." I said. 

"Do whatever you want I guess. I'm too tired for this and I have to get up early tomorrow morning." Sighed Trinity, and she stood up and stretched. 

"You're going to bed?" I asked sadly. 

"Yeah, you won't join our fort?" Asked Ashley. 

"I have to be up early tomorrow!" She said. "Now goodnight." 

I jumped up to give her a hug. "Goodnight. I missed you." 

"Night, Ky. Love ya." 

"Me too!" Ashley jumped up to give her a hug too, and they echanged goodnights and I sat back down. 

"So you want to make a fort?" She asked me. "But first can you play me the guitar?" 

"Yeah I can." I went across the room to get it, and took it out of the case carefully. 

"Can I touch it?" She asked. 

"Yes." 

She ran her finher along the wood, and then she plucked the strings gently. Then she strummed it, and it made an ugly sound because it wasn't tuned. 

"Wow I'm terrible at this." She laughed, and I did too. 

"That's not you. It's just out of tune. I'll fix it." I quickly tuned up the guitar to the key Taylor Swift plays Fearless in, and I played the opening few notes. 

"WOW!" Ashley said happily. "You're so talented." 

"I can't sing though." I laughed. 

"It's okay. We can just pretend you can." 

"I don't think you want to hear me sing." 

"I do!" 

"Fine." 

"There's something about the way, the street looks when it's just rained, there's a glow off the pavement, you walk me the car. And you wanna know I wanna ask you to dance right there, in the middle of the parking lot." I sung softly, because I knew Trinity was going to sleep. 

"You have a beautiful singing voice. I don't lnow what you're talking about!" Said Ashley, smiling at me. 

"Thanks Ash."  I said shyly, trying not to blush a bit. "Wanna hear the rest?" 

"Mhm."