Timeless - Mal Pugh (Third book to Attached and My Cure)

Chapter 1

"How are you going to stop USA's tough attack lead by Morgana LaRue, the superstar of this generation?" 

"I see no reason why I'd tell any of my girls playing on her to treat her any differently than the rest of the team."

"Why's that?" 

"Morgana LaRue is good, but is she THAT good?" 

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Morgana's POV

"Morgana. Get up." Mal said, shaking me awake. "Come on. Get up." 

"What could you possibly want?" I yawned, turning to face her. "It's 5am. I still have 3 more hours of sleep." 

"Look at this." She faced her phone towards me. 

"That's a picture of Kelley double-fisting two beers." 

"Wha-" She turned it back to her, shook her head and then pulled something else up. "This." 

"'Morgana LaRue is good, but is she THAT good.' Why are you showing me this babe?" 

"Look who said it." 

"I don't feel like looking. You tell me." 

"The Northern Ireland coach." 

"And why would I care about what that coach says about me? We're playing them in friendlies. I'd care about what coaches from the teams we play in the group stages of the World Cup are saying, but this doesn't mean much to me." 

"It makes me mad." 

"I know Mal. I know. But if you were on the receiving end of this, you'd feel differently." 

"And if you loved the person on the receiving end, you'd feel the same way as me." 

"Fair enough." I said. "I'm going back to sleep." 

"Don't let it hurt you." 

"I wasn't planning on it."  

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April 8th, 2023

Morgana's POV

After tallying a goal a game in January in New Zealand, carrying the USWNT to my second SheBelieves Cup alongside Mal, opening the season with the Red Stars with 3 goals in two games, and being called into April camp, my World Cup year was off to a great start. 

But Mal's might be better. 

She had a brace and a goal in the first game against New Zealand back in January, along with an assist to me. She had a third goal in the second game, and another assist to Lynn Williams. 

Then in the SheBelieves Cup, she had a brace against Canada, a goal against Japan, and another against Brazil. We swept the cup with relative ease, winning 3-0, 3-1, and 3-1 respectively. I had a goal in each game and Alex had the other goal against Japan, Hatchy with the other against Brazil.

Time to continue our great start.  I thought as I took the field, doing my handshake with Mal and then dropping into the midfield. 

The game started out very slow, we almost struggled to generate offense even with Mal, Soph, and Alex up top. 

We got what seemed to be a good chance in about the 30th minute, I played the ball through to Mal, who ran down the defense. But she was taken to the ground  and sent sliding right into the goalkeeper. There was no playing of the ball at all, the girl completely took out her legs. 

There was no foul called, but the play was stopped. Mal was down and crying, and I sprinted over. The trainers came out immediately. 

"Mal. Mal. Mal." I shook her a little bit, and she looked up at me. She grabbed my hand as the trainers came over and started talking and doing a whole bunch of things, gradually pushing me farther and farther away from her.