OFFSIDE

9

❝ Luck of the draw only draws the unlucky, and so I became the butt of the joke. ❞
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Elena's POV
A bit awkwardly, I walk onto the field towards the stands. It's still quiet. Two men stroll across the field, placing various cones.

I take a seat on the side of the stands, leaning against the railing for comfort. I pull my book out of my bag and open it to where I left off. Pedro was right; this book truly makes you feel connected to the characters.

Colored tabs are scattered here and there, and he made notes. I thought that was more of a woman thing. I smile and turn the next page.

"You must be Elena!" I suddenly hear an enthusiastic woman's voice. I look up, and a brunette is walking onto the stands. I smile and stand up. "That's right."

"I'm Julieta, Fermín's sister," she says. I try to extend my hand, but she immediately pulls me into a hug. "I'm really glad someone my age is finally here. It's always so boring being alone," she rattles on.

I smile at her. "Nice to meet you."

"Fermín told me you don't know many people here yet. That's about to change. I'm going to take you everywhere," the brunette continues enthusiastically. "If you want, of course."

"Yes. Sounds like a lot of fun," I smile. In the beginning, I'm always a bit awkward, but I hope I can get past that quickly. Julieta genuinely seems very nice. Her brown hair reaches just past her shoulders, with a slight wave. Her blue eyes really stand out, and she has freckles.

"Have you met the guys yet?" she asks. I nod and put the book back in my bag. "A few. The others will come later."

The girl nods. "Fermín has been talking a lot about your boyfriend, Gavi. Is that his real name?"

I start to laugh. "No. His full name is Pablo Páez Gavira, but everyone has called him Gavi since he was little. It's more like his identity," I explain. Julieta nods, and a few players enter the field. They pay absolutely no attention to the stands and focus on themselves.

Two girls with a camera also enter the field, making a video of some players coming over. "That are Sarah and Mae; they handle the team's social media."

Then I see Pablo running onto the field. He looks at the stands and waves. I smile and wave back. "He's really cute," Julieta remarks. "It's cute to see how happy he is here."

"How long have you been in a relationship?" the brunette asks. "About eight years," I tell her. The girl chokes for a moment and then starts coughing. "Eight years?"

I nod. "We were twelve and thirteen. We've known each other our whole lives."

"Wow. Bizarre," she mumbles. I nod again. "Yes, and now I'm here."

"You're not a football fan, are you?" she asks. "How do you know that?" I chuckle. "I can tell. You're at an FC Barcelona training, reading a book," she laughs. I look at her caught off guard. "I don't have much interest in football, but I want to support Pablo," I say.

Meanwhile, about thirty footballers are on the field, starting to warm up. I look at Pablo and see him waving at me. "He wants to introduce you to coach Xavi," Julieta says. I look at her a bit nervously and then stand up. I walk down the stands, and Pablo runs toward me.

"I want to introduce you to the coach and Pedri," he says. I nod and bite my lip.

I've felt a mix of excitement and nervousness as Pablo guided me toward Xavi, the coach. As we approach him, Pablo smiles and says, "Xavi, this is Elena, my girlfriend."