Thank you, Kelley

Chapter 51

Meghan's POV:

A few months have gone by since we got back from the Olympics. It was a crazy whirlwind of media meetings, getting back to my school work and the girls team back in Utah. But before I know it we are back at camp again. We're all sitting around taking a water break and chatting.

"Who is that person over there? They've just been sitting there watching us practice. It's starting to get weird." Rose points out.

I glance up and even from a distance, my heart drops. I know exactly who that is. I could never forget her.

I get up and start to make my way in her direction. She is on the far side of the field leaning against a small fence.

"Where are you going, Meghan?" I hear Lindsay's question.

Without a look backward I respond. "Call the police." and keep walking away from the girls. I want this confrontation to be as far away from them as possible. Thankfully Kelley and Emily are in a debate with Pineo about something. I really stopped listening as soon as I spotted her. And it's good cause they would probably try and stop me from approaching her.

I hear several of the other girls ask what's happening but I just keep walking.

It only takes me a few moments to cross the practice field before I am only a few meters away from my worst nightmare. Just like I always knew would happen. Paige stands in front of me.

"What are you doing here?" I question trying to play uninterested.

She stands surprisingly still eyeing me.

"What? Not happy to see me?" With this, she slides her hand ever so slightly out of the front pocket of her hoodie. I can see, in her hand, the butt of a gun poke out. Fuck. I should have seen this coming. I always knew she would come back and try to kill me.

"What are you going to do? Shoot me right here. In broad daylight?" I scoff at her. At least if that's how it ends I will have all the girls as my witnesses and she will finally get what she deserves.

"You really think I'm that stupid?" She responds coldly.

"I have no idea anymore. How did you even find me?"

"Come on Meghan! You are all over the news. 'USWNT's youngest member Meghan Hull' You really thought I could ignore that."

Shit. I should have known. How could I be so stupid? Of course, she would be able to track me down at some point.

"Maybe I wasn't hiding," I say trying to sound confident and not tip her off as to how scared I am of her. But I can tell she sees right through me. Maybe coming over here was a mistake.

"What do you want?" If she is going to do something I would rather get this over sooner rather than later.

She grunts and starts to respond before I hear footsteps behind me.

"Meghan? What's going on?" Shit. Emily. This is going sideways fast.

I turn to face her. "Hey! We're all good. Just talking to this fan. Why don't you go back to the girls?"

"Ahh..." I should have known. She knows me too well. She picks up on my nervous energy.

But it's too late.

I turn back just as it happens. Paige pulls the gun from her pocket and points it right at Elimy. I dive wildly at her trying to knock the gun out of her hands.

Bang! Bang!

I crash into Paige and we hit the turf. Time speeds up. She and I struggle for the gun. Someone is screaming. We wrestle for the gun. Somehow the gun is knocked out of both of our hands and slides across the turf a few feet away. Punches are thrown. Several collide with my head before I get a few in against her. I will not let her do this to me again. Not again. I have the upper hand as I roll on top of her. All I can see is red. Punch after punch lands on her face. I make up for all the time she hurt me. All the nightmares. All of it. When I come back to reality she is unconscious below me. I finally climb off of her and kick the gun further away.