ON HOLD! to the top! | élisa de almeida.

chapter one.

BRR..BRR..BRR!!!
⏱️: 9:00am

jia rubbed her eyes and repeatedly slammed her hand on her alarm clock in an attempt to turn it off, which failed about 5 times before she succeeded. the girl finally sat up and checked her clock, jaw dropping when she saw that it read 9:00.

"i have 15 minutes to get ready!" she exclaimed as she practically fell off her bed when in reality, the plan was to roll off.

jia quickly brushed her hair out and pulled on one
of her cream button-up shirts, slipping on a pair of black trousers to match as she grabbed all her things to head to the restaurant she was meeting her parents at.

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elisa laid down on the hammock in the back garden of her best friend, belle's, house. they had just come back from the national league matches so she had a few days to rest before they were back up starting training again.

belle sighed as she looked at the other, "just because you guys lost you aren't gonna do football?"

"who said that? i'm just having a rest... trust me i'll be back on my feet ready as ever. so for now, just leave me alone."

belle sighed as she got up from the chair she was sat on, closing her pocket mirror and slipping it into her purse. "layla's getting married, i wonder how much i should give?" she asked herself, knowing it was gonna make elisa really listen though. she was right, because elisa shot up after she said that.

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flashback:

the two stood in the rain, elisa's hand on layla's wrist. layla however, was just crying her eyes out - screaming and going off at elisa.

"i'm done! i can't do this anymore! if you really love football more than me then why don't you just go marry it?! you don't even have time for me, nor do you make time for me-"

"belle-"

"no!" she snatched her hand away from the taller's: "i'm done. i can't bear anymore of your excuses. goodbye, elisa."

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"i heard the grooms a doctor too!" layla continued to herself, "a lot of his friends should be coming then. elisa how do i look!" she asked excitedly.

on the other hand, elisa was stood behind her, staring at the invitation like she was shooting daggers at it with her eyes before snatching it off her best friend. the girl scoffed and ran out of the gates - causing layla to run after her.

"wait! elisa!"

after around 5 minutes of running, they reached outside the hotel where the wedding was being held.

"wait elisa! you can't do this!"

"don't stop me," she said as she walked away.

"wait you look so bad! are you crazy?! at least dress up nicely!"

behind them, jia paid the taxi driver and rushed inside the hotel where her parents were, sighing as she dreaded this encounter with them.

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"so, jia. did you go on a few dates with the girl we set you up with? i could always get a guy if not." her mother asked whilst digging into her lobster.

jia sighed at the relationship talk, "no i didn't, we both came to an agreement that we weren't each others 'one' or whatever you would consider that."

"you're too focused on that stupid agent job of yours, you should leave," her father said. even though it hadn't been long, that was already the limit of what jia could take.

she placed her fork and knife down on the table and grabbed her purse, "i'll be leaving first, excuse me." she said as she walked away and desperately went to the bathroom to go vomit out some of that shrimp she ate.

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the sports agent sighed as she wiped her mouth after vomiting for what felt like an eternity. she pushed her hair back and was about to get out of the stall before she heard two pairs of footsteps. due to this, her eyes widened and she just stayed in the cubicle, hoping they would leave soon.

"what are you doing here elisa?"

"you think you could hide the fact you were getting married from me?"

"why are you hurt? we broke up so why are you here? to destroy my wedding?" elisa scoffed after layla said this.

"you're happy you're standing here in a wedding dress in a hotel? getting married to some guy that's not even close to my level?"

layla sniffled as she broke out, sobbing.

"elisa. you're a football player. because of training you never even celebrated a birthday with me. did you even make time for me? no."

"stop crying."

"if you're here to see if i'll change my mind about this marriage, i won't. and if you're gonna try and destroy my wedding, at least wear a suit." the girl walked out with the click-clack of her heels echoing through the bathroom.

after what felt like a few minutes, jia slowly opened the stall door and peeked her head out to check if the coast was clear. then, she walked out but jumped when she saw someone next to her.

elisa furrowed her eyebrows as she looked down at the other, "what are you doing here?" the footballer jumped to the conclusion she was eavesdropping.

"me? uh, i was-"

at that moment, belle ran in, "come on elisa! we need to go!" she grabbed her best friend's wrist as the two ran out.

jia scratched her head, "she looks familiar," she muttered to herself.

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⏱️: 1:00pm

jia sat at her desk, typing away as she had her new client brief. at the top of the brief, in big bold letters said: elisa de almeida.

jia tilted her head and furrowed her eyebrows, "hey michel, do you know who elisa de almeida is?" she asked her colleague.

"i mean, if you're in france and don't know who elisa de almeida is, you must be a spy."

"i'm talking about the #5 defender?"

"yeah," michel replied, "elisa de almeida. everyone working in the women football industry should know her."

jia leaned back in her chair with her pen in her mouth as she typed in the name, clicking images. however, when she saw an all too familiar face from the bathroom stalls in the hotel earlier, her jaw dropped, causing the pen to also fall to the floor.

"that, that was elisa?!" she whisper-shouted to herself in utter disbelief before groaning and digging her head into her arms out of embarrassment.