It All Leads Back to You

Chapter 4 - Leah

20 Something

Walking around the Emirates with my Euro winning teammates was fun. It was exciting. The boys congratulated us again and so did the crowd of sixty thousand.

Beth had wrapped an arm around me while we walked around the stadium. We were happy. We were living through some of the highest of highs.

I couldn't be happier.

"How are you feeling?" Beth asked me once we were finally alone.

"Great, actually." I sat down in a red chair. "It's been a long season, that's for sure."

"Don't go wishing it away now. We still need you." She smiled. "Now we've got this season, a few more games with England, then a break."

"I'm excited though. It's going to be fun. Even though I'm in need of a break."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Katie McCabe's booming voice came into the room. Laura followed her in from behind. "You girls gossiping without me?"

"It's hardly gossip." I laughed. "We saved all the good stuff for you, Katie. Don't worry."

"Good. The boys are about to start. You two coming?" She stood behind me and slapped her hands on my shoulders.

"We're coming." Beth said. "Hold your horses."

I got up and stood with Laura. I wrapped an arm around the girl. She wasn't much younger than me, but she felt like a responsibility of mine.

"You doing alright, Laura?"

"I'm good." She smiled. "I know I've said it a hundred times, but congratulations again."

"Thank you. I'm excited for the season, Laura. You're going to do great things. I know it."

"Best season of our lives?"

"For sure."

We ended up watching the entirety of the guys' game. They played great. They're huge supporters of ours and I love supporting them as well. We all do.

I started thinking about Beth asking me how I was doing. I did feel good. I felt great. I felt like I was on a never ending high.

The Euros felt like a dream. A fantastic, lifelong dream that I couldn't find anywhere else. On the outside, we looked so put together. Nobody knew what the inside looked like but us. It was put together and happy, but there were times when we didn't believe in ourselves. That's where my job became hard.

Being a captain wasn't easy. There was so much required of me, but if Sarina trusted me, then I just knew I could do it. so, I did it. I did it while hearing the ins and outs of everything. I was involved in every meeting. I had interview after interview. All of it was impossibly hard, but that's where I was able to use my family as the outlets.

I was still their captain, and I'd hoped to be leading England out at the World Cup in less than a year. The World Cup was England's next step. We wanted the thrill of another final that big. A final I knew we could win.

Recently, I'd been thinking about England's next step off the pitch. I had a few ideas brewing in my head. I hadn't shared my thoughts out loud yet, but now that I'm sitting on the couch of mine and Lia's shared home, I was ready to share my thoughts.

Lia had been a big supporter of mine for years. She'd become one of my closest friends since she fucked it up. She was the one who told me it was time to go, so I wouldn't get hurt worse than I'd already been.