A New Chapter

Nice to Finally Meet You

What they said about London weather was true, it was pouring out as you found shelter under a bus stop. Your cold hands busy googling 'cafes nearby' to try and get a warm beverage for yourself.

Of course you missed Lyon and of course you were worried about restarting your life, but you were never one to let your worries consume you if it meant moving forward. With the 2023 world cup coming and Lyon benching you every 3 games, it was getting frustrating. When Arsenal called for the move, it seemed like a no-brainer. The manager had promised you every opportunity to prove yourself. Game time mattered more, with you already having your fair share of trophies.

All of  a sudden, your phone starts ringing. Unknown number.

"Hello? Lauren?"

"Yes..?" You asked, a bit confused.

"Hi, I'm sorry if this is weird, but we got your number from the team contact sheet and we were throwing a party tonight at Beth and Viv's so we figured- well Kim figured we should call and ask you to join so we can all properly meet, are you busy tonight by any chance?" The caller sounded very.. Irish.. and very scattered.

"Um, I'm sorry who is this?"

"Oh right fuck, I'm Katie." When she was greeted with silence from you, she added " Mccabe. Katie Mccabe, we're gonna be teammates at Arsenal."

You chuckled a bit "Right, I'll be there Katie, will you please send me the details?"

"Oh don't you worry love, London traffic can be shitty,  we're gonna carpool! You send me your address and we'll see you there!"

You had a feeling this was going to be a long night, but you figured this was the best opportunity to meet the girls all at once and not make the first day of training next Monday feel as stressful. So you sent Katie your new address and you left the bus stop in a rush to pick your outfit.

--

You decided on a simple casual outfit, considering it was a house party. You haven't unpacked your boxes, a part of you not wanting to deal with the memories that are attached to each items.

The party was going to start relatively early, so you settled to a light snack: a little bowl of cereal. When the time did come for someone to pick you up, you started anxiously pacing around in your living room, waiting for a car outside of your new home.

A white car pulls up not long after and you hurriedly grab your keys and lock the door behind you. You walked cautiously towards the car, making sure it's an actual teammate and not a random man who just so happened to park in front of your house at the designated time.

The driver pulls down the window only for it to reveal Leah Williamson, captain of the England team and now, your teammate.

Over the years, you've met Leah several times. During a friendly once when the French team beat them 3-1, champions league nights, and of course, media events. Leah reminded you a lot of your ex, Alexia. They were beyond just football players, but meant a lot outside the pitch as well, doing their camera duties and speaking duties to inspire and represent others like you in the game.  You admired that about the both of them, you could never become this celebrity figure that they are.

When you first started building a name for yourself back in 2019, your skills were everything everyone talked about. Afterwards, as the sport got bigger for better or for worse, they started analyzing your every move in life. This of course was also a side effect of dating the most famous female footballer at the time. It was hard, coping with the both of your busy schedules and rising fame, but the relationship will always be something that has taught you so much.