Breaking the Mold (Alex Morgan x OC)

Your commitment to excellence and will to win will endure forever

Sorry for not updating this for a very looong time. Been busy a lot also while writing this chapter.

Hopefully the next part shouldn't be far away now. Anyways, enjoy!

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Alex's POV

Things are looking up for the team now since we've clinched our spot in the playoffs. We were all working hard towards a second NWSL Championship, and the competition was ramping up fast. For Ellie's actions 2 weeks ago, she was handed a 2 game suspension and a fine. I didn't know what the amount was, and she wouldn't tell me. There's a whole new side to her I was now seeing that scared me, a real angry and violent side. Off the field, she'd be okay, hiding the anger inside of her but when she's on the field playing, that's when the pent up anger comes out.

Sports journalists were picking up on her aggressive playing, the late hits and tackles, and started comparing her to former NFL defensive end Lyle Alzado due to her violent nature on the pitch, and now are calling for the league to do something about it while criticizing the Stingers as a whole, which has been already happening for years now. Plus, the media has been putting out articles about how our relationship is having a rough patch and we've been told to not say anything about it. All of the increasing attention wouldn't be helping at all regardless.

Despite the criticism, the team is sticking together and trying to focus on our upcoming games. We've been doing extra drills and practicing techniques to stay calm and composed on the field. We also had a new player join our team, Taryn Hendricks, a 6 '2 defensive midfielder who came from Manchester United. She is often called 'The Stork' which was a nickname given to her while over in England. Taryn was quick to adjust to our misfit renegade machine and we quickly found out how eccentric and odd she is. On the day of her first practice with us, she rode a white horse onto the field, wearing her practice uniform and a silver helmet with her number 87 on the sides. I was standing next to our Assistant Coach and we both looked at each other and said, "Yeah, she fits right in."

In the midst of all this, I can't help but feel that one day Ellie could ruin her career with her actions. I worry about her and the consequences she might face if she continues down this path. It's tough when she puts on a mask at home and pretends like everything is fine, but I can see the anger simmering just beneath the surface. I want to help her, support her, but it's difficult when she won't let me in.

The weather today was gloomy and grey, the rain pattering against the windows as Ellie pulled me onto her lap, wrapping her arms around me tightly. She buried her face in my hair, her grip a mixture of comfort and desperation.

"I'm sorry, Alex," she whispered, her voice muffled against my ear. "Sorry if I'm scaring you or if I've been distant. I don't know how to control it sometimes."

I turned in her embrace, looking into her eyes. "You don't have to apologize, Ellie. I just want to understand what's going on with you."

She sighed, her grip relaxing slightly. "I dunno, to be honest. Ever since I went back home to see mom the other night........" She trailed off.

I could see the pain etched on Ellie's face as she mentioned her visit back home. It was clear that something significant had happened, something that had unleashed this newfound anger within her. I gently cupped her face, her smooth skin warm against my palm.

"Ellie, what happened? Talk to me," I urged softly. "I want to help you through this."

She took a deep breath, "Alice started yelling at me for some reason, then Bruce and Rachel came in and started being dicks. Just the usual shit they say, and then Alice said something that really pissed me off and I guess you could say hurt me." She said, her eyes pent up with rage.