"Brittney look up!"
"Nice pass, Britt!"
"Take that shot, Nicole."
"Follow it, Clare!"
I watched the ball hit the back of the net off Clare's rebound, and I, along with everyone around me, cheered.
"There you go, Clare!" Her dad said from the stands.
"Nice job, C." I said, giving her a high five and running back to into position for kickoff.
I watched as she gave her family a thumbs up before the whistle blew.
Later in the game, when I scored, I looked over to the stands where all of my team's parents were, and they were clapping and cheering like usual.
It made me sad to realize that this was my last game with these girls, and probably the last goal I'll score for this team.
"That was a nice shot, dude." Nicole said as we ran back to the center circle.
"Thanks." I said, giving her a high five.
"Nice one, Britt." Said Bailey, giving me a pat on the back.
We ended up winning the game 3-0, a nice way to end my time with my team.
My coach talked to us for a little after the game, and then I dropped the news.
"Britt? You said you had something?" My coach said once he was done talking.
"Yeah, actually." I said, and I took a deep breath. "Coach and Bailey already know this, but I'm not going to be returning to the team next year."
I looked at the shock on the faces of my teammates, and the gasps were so loud the parents were probably confused.
"What do you mean?" Nicole asked.
"Where else would you go?" Asked Clare.
"We're the best team in the area."
"You're the best player here. You can't go."
"I really, really, wish I could stay. But unfortunately I'm moving." I said.
"Where?" Everyone asked at the same time.
"Bridgeview. It's about 45 minutes outside of Chicago." I replied.
"Why?" Asked Nicole.
"You guys sure do ask a lot of questions." I laughed.
"But we won't be the same without 8 The Great!" Clare said, using her stupid nickname for me.
"Yeah you will. You guys'll figure it out. It's gonna be okay."
"This isn't fair. Why do you have to go?" Nicole whined, coming over to give me a hug. "I don't want you to go."
"I don't want to go either." I sighed.
"When do you leave?" Asked Clare.
"Um, tonight."
"TONIGHT???"
"I'm sorry, guys. It was a super sudden thing and...."
"It's okay." Nicole said, finally letting go of me.
"What's even in Chicago anyway?" Clare asked.
"Good question." I said. "Uh-"
"The Chicago Bears? The Chicago Cubs? The Blackhawks? The Red Stars? The Fire?" Bailey said.
"Wait isn't Mallory Pugh in Chicago?" Asked Clare. "With the Red Stars?"
"Yes." I said.
"Wow. You're gonna be in the same city as her?"
"I'm 45 minutes outside of it."
"Why?"
"Because that's where I'm going to live."
After everyone's parents finally started getting annoyed that their daughters weren't leaving, everything started to end, and it ended so fast.
I thanked everyone for being such good friends for so long, and said bye to everyone's parents. Then I did a jersey swap with Nicole.
Bailey went through my bag to find my white jersey, and everyone wrote their names on it, with a little note.
"You need a ride, Britt?" Bailey asked.
"Yep." I said.
I turned to look at the field that was my home, my favorite place to go for the past 5 years. It was hard to believe I wasn't gonna play there anymore, ever again.
The West Tennessee Sparks. I'm gonna miss it.
"You coming?" Bailey asked.
"Yeah." I walked off for the last time, wearing Nicole's jersey and feeling a little more sad than I should after the win.
"Last ride home." Said Bailey when I got in the car.
"Crazy." I replied.
"You don't seem happy. What's up?"
"Bailey are you serious."
"What?"
"I'm moving away. I'm leaving all my friends and my team. It's hard."
"But you decided this on your own."
"I know." I sighed.
Bailey pulled out of the parking lot.
"Last ride home but not our last ride ever." She said.
"We've got one more guaranteed, and likely a lot more to go." I smiled.
"I hope for your sake everything goes smoothly and as planned. You need this."
"I hope it goes smoothly too."
YOU ARE READING
Mini Ertz///USWNT/NWSL
Fanfiction{COMPLETE} Brittney Johnston, the little cousin of 2-time World Cup Champ Julie Ertz, runs away Chicago in search of someone, anyone, to care about her in a way her parents didn't. She has to overcome a lot of ups and downs, but she makes friends th...
