hey lover - c.g.

12.

monday 15/01/2024
cobham training facility

"THIS ISN'T FAIR," Levi groaned, watching as Chandler juggled the ball in front of him, smiling triumphantly.

The group had been doing rondos for the past 20 minutes and none of them had managed to meg the girl, much to their dismay.

Every chance they got, Chandler was quick to react. As an initiation, the girl was in the middle of the group the entire time, the boys trying their best to embarrass him, yet it didn't seem to happen.

"I told you, defense is A1," She laughed, passing the ball back to Levi. 

"Fair enough," He grumbled, the girl could tell he was still burning. The England player sucked his teeth in annoyance, just as one of the assistant coaches approached the group, ready to deliver their first drill.

"Two lines," He instructed, pointing to each side where orange cones lay. "Attackers and midfield split up and defenders with Poch."

The group quickly divided themselves, Chandler taking the line on the right, along with Cole, Carney, Raheem, Mudryk, and a couple of players.

She looked across from her and noticed Conor, Noni, Enzo, Broja, and a couple of other players of the squad.

"It's easy, just a 2 on 2 drill," The coach explained, placing the whistle on the edge of his lips. As he blew the whistle, Conor was quick to take off with the ball, Cole, who was standing in front of her sprinted off to join the blonde.

While she was watching Conor and Cole take on Levi and Trevoh, she didn't notice Noni's glares from across the pitch.

"Brudda, I don't care what anyone says," Noni whispered, leaning into Armando, "She ain't getting the ball, man."

"Oh come on, Nons," Broja whispered, elbowing his teammate in the side. "Don't be rude."

"She's come to replace our positions, don't you get that?" He explained, motioning between the two of them.

"Last thing I need is John Stones' fucking sister trying to outdo me," He scoffed, taking his spot behind the cone.

He watched as the girl stood parallel to him, a couple of yards away, looking in his direction.

The whistle blew and Chandler took off, sprinting down the pitch as Noni received the ball from his left.

Determination etched across her face, her eyes locked onto Noni as he raced ahead with the ball. Her heart pounded in her chest as she extended her hand, vigorously waving toward the English player, desperately trying to keep pace with his lightning-quick movements.

"Noni! I'm open!" she called out, her voice filled with urgency, as she strategically positioned herself in a prime spot for a goal opportunity. But her plea went unanswered, and Noni continued to dribble the ball with finesse, seemingly oblivious to her presence.

The anticipation hung in the air as he unleashed a powerful shot, sending the ball hurtling towards the goal, where Marcus, leaped into action, making a spectacular save by deflecting the ball away with a dramatic punch.

Chandler now halted in her tracks, sucked in deep breaths, trying to regain her composure. Frustration etched her brow as she watched Noni retreat to his starting position. Why didn't he just pass? She was clearly open.

Of course, she didn't want to make a big deal out of it, considering that it was her first day. She looked over her shoulder and noticed the cameras still pointed at her, still filming her every action.