A Lucky Break

Filling the Gap

Hayley's POV:

I have been working at a coffee shop in London as a barista for the months of October through to December, while taking a break from my university studies. During my first semester of university, I got really sick, missed a lot of class, and decided that a semester off was what I needed to find myself again. So I packed my things and moved from my home in New Zealand to the other side of the world in England.

With only a couple of weeks before I fly back home, I'm sitting having lunch when my flatmate, Emily, walks into the staff room, about to start her shift for the day. She sits down opposite me with a sigh. She looks at me with hope in her eyes before speaking, "Could you please do me a massive favour?"

"Depends on what the favour is," I joke back with a smile while I sip my coffee.

"Play for us tonight," she begs me.

I take a deep breath. Emily plays for the local football club and has asked me multiple times to fill in for them. I had played a few games while I was in high school. By a few a mean about five. Football just wasn't my sport growing up. I'm from New Zealand, I'm a netballer. I wasn't good with my feet. "I don't know," I start to reject. The team that she plays for is not a bad team, I would be way out of my league.

"Please, please. Our goalkeeper is injured and our back up is sick. I'll owe you one. We are really in a bind," she explains.

"Ok, but you really do owe me," I say as I stand to make my way back out to the front of house. "Who are you playing," I ask as I wash my hands.

"Umm... Arsenal academy," she says quietly.

I look at her with my eyebrows raised, "And you weren't going to mention that?"

"It's fine," she brushes off my concern. "Last time we lost to them like 10 nil so it's not like we are going to win anyway. Everyone will just be happy we have a goalie."

"That doesn't sound very promising," I say sarcastically.

"Well, you already agreed to play so you're not taking that back now," she says with a smile on her face.

I throw my head back with a groan. "Fine," I breath as I tie up my apron and walk back over to the coffee machine to start the last four hours of my shift.

-

Once Emily had finished her shift, she comes back to the flat to get changed for the game tonight. She searches through her wardrobe, throwing things all over the ground. "I know I have a them in here somewhere," she mumbles under her breath. After a minute she throws me a pair of boots and shin guards, "You are good to go."

"Thank you so much," I joke.

"You are very welcome," she jokes right back at me.

We gather our things and leave the house to drive to Saint Albans for the game, eating on the way there. When we get there, she leads me over to the changing rooms where there is a group of girls sitting around already in uniform. "About time you showed up," one girl jokes with Emily.

"Like I always say, I work late, I get here when I get here. This is Hayley, our goalie for the night," she says addressing me as she walks over to the gear bag in the corner of the room.

I give a small smile at the girls as they greet me with quiet 'hellos'.

"Here is your uniform," Emily says as she comes back over to me. "And a pair of gloves and you are ready to play."

"I wouldn't go that far," I laugh.

One of the girls must have been listening to our interaction because she makes a statement, "You'll be fine. Couldn't be much worse than last time we played them. We lost by like 20."

"Well, I haven't played since I was about 16 so don't expect any better results tonight," when I say this all the girls laugh with me.

I put on my uniform, as well as Emily's old boots and shin guards before Emily leads me out to the pitch. She introduces me to the goalkeeper coach before going off to warm up. The coach takes me through a full warm up to get me ready for the game. He gives me small tips that I keep in the back of my mind for the game. Before I know it, I'm standing on the field, ready for the referee to blow his whistle to start the game. This should be interesting but then again what do I have to lose really?