Will She Be Like This Forever?

Chapter 75

But I'm in the trees, I'm in the breeze

My footsteps on the ground

You'll see my face in every place

But you can't catch me now

Olivia Rodrigo

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Sunday 17th July 2022

This is going to be hard.

Jo came home the day after she spent the night with my family, and she seemed much more open. She was talking, laughing, butting into conversations which surprisingly made me happy. She didn't want to come back with me, but she also didn't want to be far away from me. I promised that she could see Lauryn and my parents again soon, and after she said goodbye to them all with big hugs, she came back to SGP.

We had recovery and all that jazz before we crammed into the common room and watched Mapi play. The whole game was chaotic, and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. "Come on, Mapi. Come on." I whispered as she was defending. "She's got it. She's fine." Lucy chuckled. They couldn't score, but neither could Denmark.

Mapi was fighting a little... too hard. "Maria! Arret!" I shouted at the TV. "Calme-toi. (Calm down)" Lucy spoke. "You're seeing this, Luce! Elle se bat sans raison ! (She is fighting for no reason!)" I spoke again. "She's doing what she seems fit. Look. It's finished now. She hasn't been booked." She held my hand, but I took it away. "Come on, Mapi." I begged.

The whole game was hard, and I didn't want to watch it. I was a nervous wreck. In the 90th minute, right at the end, Martha scored for Spain. I celebrated, then stopped immediately. "Oh no, nena." I whispered, head in my hands. "You'll be okay. She will still love you, no matter what." Leah smiled.

"I thought you said you didn't have a girlfriend?" Jo asked, sitting in front of me. "I don't... Mapi is... special. She's special to me." I replied. "They're in love." Georgia added. "Yeah, I guess you could say that." I smiled. "Then why aren't you together? Why aren't you dating?" The little girl asked. "She lives in Spain. I... can't." I whispered.

We have to play against each other now.

I called her that night, telling her how proud I was of her, and we decided to meet up for a little talk and kind of a date... she asked me to bring Jo. I asked the little kid how she felt about that, and she seemed excited. We woke up early this morning and decided to quickly shower and get ready the day. We told Sarina what was happening, and she was wholeheartedly okay with it; she knows how much family means to me.

I was prepping myself for the talk, the day, and I got a little worked up. "Calm, baby." Ellie spoke as Jo was in the shower. "What if I win and she doesn't like me anymore? What if she wins and it makes us weird? What if sh-" I rambled. "She will keep loving you. You will keep loving her. Yous are perfect for each other. You've got each other always. I promise." Ell whispered, holding my hand. "You can't promise that." I spoke. "You know what? I can't, but I can promise you that she won't change because of a match." she smiled. "Fine."

I chucked on my ripped jeans and my hoodie as I waited for Jo to finish getting ready. "Hurryyyy." I groaned as she did her makeup. "You don't even need makeup. We're only going to Manchester." I laughed. "I'm coming! It's not even makeup. It's mascara and lip gloss." she smiled, walking out, and looking cute. "Pretty." Ellie smiled. Jo was dressed in her black ripped jeans and an oversized shirt that she brought from her dads. "I wear this every day." she whispered. "When we are out, I'll get you some new clothes, okay?" I asked and she nodded.