Little Sanchez // USWNT

Chapter 18

"So here you are, Ace. How's it feel?" Trinity asked me on my first day of practice. 

I looked down at the one area of my leg that was still wrapped from the burns. 

"Are you actually gonna TRY to stay alive this time?" 

"Maybe, Trina, if you'd shut up and let me stretch." I said. 

"Woah, that's no way to talk to the girl that saved your life." Kelley said. "Chill out, junior. You ought to marry that girl." 

"Kelley shut the fuck up." 

"My bad. My bad." She put up her arms and walked away, and Trinity followed her. 

"C'mon, Ainsley. There's no reason for you to be so mean to everyone. Please." Ashley said, bringing her foam roller over to me. 

"I'm nice to everyone except Trina." I said. "And I'm not that mean to her anymore. I mean, I kinda owe her a lot. But I tried being nice, and we both hated it." 

"You both, or just you?" 

"Both." 

"Ainsley." 

"Alright, just me, that I know of. But I'm sure she did too." 

"How do you know she doesn't wanna be friends?" 

"We're not friends. We're teammates who don't get along. And that's not gonna change, Ashy." 

"But it could if you'd just try." 

"Ashley." 

"Please, Ainsley? For me>? Maybe? Come on." 

I was just quiet, because I knew I'm doing my best to be nice, I knew I wasn't. But I realized I developed somewhat of a weird little admiration for her, not a crush but I just admire her. Like she's brave and stuff. 

And I'm definitely going to try to be nicer, because I'm not going to blow this opportunity with the Spirit. I'm probably on the chopping block in my first day already considering what I'm going in with. 

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In the third week of preseason, they had to start making roster cuts and stuff. 

I held my breath when the roster came out. 

I thought I'd done very well in practice, like extremely well, but Trinity and I got into a fight in the second week but Aubrey Kingsbury stopped it before the coaches were able to see. 

I mean, we have no idea really. They might have seen it, but not one of them actually acknowledged it. They did see Ashley slap me in the face though, and they made her run an extra set of sprints. The spot where she hit was visible for the whole day after that. 

"AINSLEY! AINSLEY!" Ashley yelled from downstairs. "Roster is out! Come here!" 

"Oh my god." I ran down the stairs and plopped down next to her on the couch and grabbed her arm. 

"Alright alright. Here is it." 

"I can't look!" I closed my eyes and buried my head in her shoulder. "I can't!" 

"Here...." She went quiet. 

"What?" 

"You're not on it." 

"What?" I opened my eyes. 

She was laughing. 

"I'm kidding! There you are! Right there!" 

"I hate you!" I slapped her in the face as hard as she did that say in preseason. 

"Ow!" 

"Don't mess with me, bitch."