this is me trying

Chapter 3 - Earth to Eva

The season was soon set to start. I would be playing in the WSL. I had always watched the League. Since its inception, I would actively try to watch each game, on whatever dodgy website I could, and bought whatever VPN I needed to. I loved seeing how far our game had grown, but I never thought one day I would be playing in it. I never thought one day I could be making my debut for a WSL team, let alone the club I had been watching since I was a kid.

Manchester City has always been the team for Norwegians. So many have played for this team, and it was only fitting that Pappa, and all my other family members loved this club as much as I did. And this all meant only one thing: I would never play for any other club. It would always be City.

"How are you feeling?" Hayley asked me, as we drove to the ground together. We were up against Everton in the first game of the season. Once at the ground, we would take the short trip to Liverpool with the team.

"Excited," I replied, looking out the window, trying not to show Hayley the tears that were coming from my face with fear. Watching the rain drizzle outside reminded me of home. Reminded me of the rain we would get in winter in Trondheim. It was never pouring, but it was there. It was there just to remind you that it could be.

"That's good. Me too, I think."

"Well, not too fun for you going up against your old team," I laughed.

"Yeah, definitely not," Hayley chuckled softly, "and girlfriend."

"And girlfriend," I repeated.

"Yeah..."

"It'll be fine. We'll be fine," I said, trying to sound reassuring, not only to assure Hayley but also myself. "Can I put music on?"
"Sure," Hayley replied. I grabbed the aux cord, plugging my phone in and selecting a variety of songs to queue from my playlist.

I had never loved music as a kid. It never distracted me enough to entertain me. I would get bored listening to it, never feeling the rush of adrenaline most people feel when they listen to a good song, or hear an album that makes them get goosebumps. But, over recent years, I had found a newfound appreciation of it all. I found the artists that I liked, and the songs that made me feel something. That was always a bonus. Feeling something was always a bonus.

When we arrived at the ground, we all hopped onto the bus, and I went to sit down on an empty seat. I saw Ellie across from me, already fast asleep, and I heard from the back, the loud ones. Jill, Georgia and Keira were all seeming to have a blast at the back.

"What'd you doing there?" Lucy said to me, as she walked down the bus. Lucy was injured, but still came on the team bus to the match. She was going to have surgery on her knee, and would be out until after the Christmas break. But she was adamant to come and watch, and wouldn't take no for an answer, especially as Everton wasn't that far away.

"Sorry?" I asked, confused.

"Come on," she said. "Come down the back. You'll have a lot more fun." Lucy grabbed my bag, and I looked down the corridor, and took my chance. Why not? What harm could it do to sit at the back? I may even have some fun.

"Eva Valtersen," Jill said to me. "Glad you've join us." I smile at Jill, and sit down beside Georgia. Lucy and Keira are across the table from me, and Jill, Alex, Steph and Janine are on the other side of the aisle.

"So, Evy, that's your nickname by the way," Georgia said. "How do you feel? First game here. You good?" I wouldn't tell the truth. I wouldn't say that my heart is about to burst with fear, and my brain is running 100 miles an hour trying to tell me to get away from here.

"Yeah, I'm good. Excited, I think," I replied.

"Don't get too excited," Keira said. Keira was also injured for this match, but hers was just a niggle, and she would return in a few matches. But similarly to Lucy, she wanted to come along. She wanted to support her childhood team. Her childhood club.