Fermín and Clara have known each other since the day they were born.
He is her twin brother's best friend and has come back home to Andalusia after the 2022/23 season.
They meet again... and what will happen?
The next morning, we took a flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles and arrived at LAX around lunchtime. We took a taxi to our hotel, the one where the team was also staying and Fermin's parents were excited to see him again. He had texted and told us that he was feeling better, but the ones who had been sick weren't allowed out of their rooms as a precaution. Training activities were scheduled to start again tomorrow and the team's doctors didn't want to take any risks.
As we were still adjusting to the time zone here, we decided to just relax by the pool in the afternoon and have dinner at the hotel before we'd have four full days to explore Los Angeles and its surroundings. On the first full day of our stay, we went to have breakfast at the hotel's food hall first and did the awkward move of sitting down at a table and standing up again after 2 seconds to go the buffet.
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📍 InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown clara_1106 No regrets, just buffets 😋
isa_bragas_ Are you still wearing pyjamas? 😄 Replying to isa_bragas_: clara_1106 Why does everyone keep asking me that? 😫 I thought the set was cute cristoml10 The set is cute Replying to cristoml10: clara_1106 Ooopss I just slipped on your sliminess 🤢
While we were eating, Gavi's parents came over to say hi, as did his sister Aurora and her boyfriend Javi, with whom Carlos had just been in Ibiza a few weeks ago. "Hi, it's so good to see you again" Aurora greeted me with kisses on my cheeks. "It's good to see you too" I replied and hugged her. Our family knew Pablo and his family from our visits to Barcelona when the boys were still in La Masía and Aurora and I had bonded quickly as we were the same age and... girls who just watched the boys play. "You young people should do something together and us oldies will take it slow. These American cities are so bloody modern and... fast" Pablo's father Pablo (they had been equally creative as the Lopez' in naming their son) said.
We agreed to do something together starting tomorrow and we would spend today still with Fermin's parents only. The players had been feeling better and already driven to their training center, which meant that we would see them this evening here at dinner.
We decided to do the Hollywood attractions today and visited the Walk of Fame first and then the Dolby Theater, where the Oscars take place each year. It was so fun to see these places, which I would usually only see on pictures or videos, in person. We grabbed lunch at a typical diner before going on Rodeo Drive, where we mostly did window-shopping instead of actual shopping due to the hefty price tags. Our last stop for today was a hike to the Hollywood sign, at which we had an amazing view over the city.
At dinner, the players and their family/friends were allowed to eat together and we all greeted and hugged Fermín, who then sat down with us. Pablo also came over to say hello quickly before he went to sit down with his family. Fermín told us all about their training sessions and how he felt like, playing with the "big guys". He was so excited and had a glimmer in his eyes when talking about football. It really was his one true love.
The next morning, Javi, Aurora, Carlos and I decided to visit the Universal Studios for the day and we spent our time at the theme park and did some of the studio tours. Carlos and I were the biggest Harry Potter fans and couldn't miss out on the Wizarding World there. It really was a perfect day. That evening, Pablo and Fermín were allowed to join us for dinner and we had an amazing time at a sushi restaurant with a view over the whole city. Pablo was generous enough and paid for everyone and on our walk back I made sure to thank him.
"Hey, thanks so much for inviting us" I told him as I had walked a few steps ahead to catch up with him. Thankfully, there were no people caring about him as European football wasn't really big in the US and most of the people on the streets had better things to do than taking notice of a bunch of teenagers. In Barcelona he probably would have been swarmed by fans immediately. "Sure. How have you been doing?" he asked, not having seen me in over a year. "Good. I did my gap year, teaching at an elementary school in Ghana and in September I'll start uni in Barcelona!" I told him happily. "How cool! What will you be studying?" he asked. "Architecture. It's tough, five full years and one exchange semester during that time. But I'm excited. I'll study it in English at the International University so that I'll have more chances to be employed abroad if it doesn't work out in Spain - the work situation really isn't the best there..." I explained. "You're so clever. I can't even really speak English" he chuckled. In the meantime, we had arrived at a red light and the group assembled back together.
The light turned green, but I was held back by someone lightly pulling my dress. "What did you talk about with Pablo?" Fermín asked, us being behind the group now. "Just about my life. Why?" I asked annoyedly. "Don't go flirting with my teammates." he just said sternly. What the hell? "Hold your horses, Fermín. You're officially on the second team. Those here aren't your actual teammates." I shot back and stomped ahead angrily. Maybe I had hurt him a bit, but who was he to tell me who I could flirt with or not? And I didn't even flirt with Pablo, it was a simple conversation with an old friend.
Back in our hotel room, I told my brother about my conversation with Fermín and to my dismay, he wasn't on my side. "He's right, Clara. You shouldn't do that, they're his colleagues" he just said. "I wasn't even flirting! I don't know why you guys are going all Gorilla on me now for talking to other guys! I've done it before" I replied angrily. He just shrugged and went to bed, leaving me boiling.
The next day, we explored Downtown LA with Aurora, Javi, as well as the Paez' and Lopez'. It was a slow day, just walking around and taking in the city's atmosphere. I made sure to send lots of pictures to my parents to thank them for the possibility of this trip - I knew that I was blessed.
And then, it was finally match day. That morning, us youngsters visited the UCLA campus as well as Santa Monica and Venice Beach, before making our way back to the hotel. When we arrived at the lobby, the receptionists called us over, giving us a package each. We went up to our respective rooms and I opened the small parcel, revealing two new Barca away kits. I loved the white with blue details and turned around to see a 29 prominently on the back. "Hey, why does your shirt have a number?" my brother exclaimed and I looked at him holding his numberless jersey. "Maybe he forgot or switched them. He's not the brightest" I shrugged, still a bit pissed at him because of his words yesterday, and laid the shirt on my bed to wear after my shower.
When we were all prepped and ready, we took the shuttle bus the team had organised for friends & family. They fame would be played at the SoFi Stadium and if you ask me, it was very generous of Taylor Swift to lend her concert location to 22 idiots running around on a grass pitch. The game was action-packed and by half-time it stood 2-2, Fermín still on the bench. But in the second half, he came on for Gundogan and his parents, my brother and I made sure to stand up and clap as loudly as possible as he ran onto the pitch. He was subbed off again in the 79th minute, but I was very emotional, seeing him play on the field and doing what he loved most. Unfortunately, it ended in a defeat, but it was great entertainment and only a pre-season friendly test game, so we weren't too disappointed.
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📍 Los Angeles clara_1106 LA, you've been a blast 💥
fatimarin 😍😍😍 pablogavi Ahahahahhah Dad knackered on the bench carlos_1106 Never ask me to take pictures of you again, I'm sick of it
