Family away from family

Chapter 25 From lovers to enemies

26 September 2021

As we all return from our international duties, the familiar routine of re-joining our respective clubs takes place. For us Arsenal players, our focus immediately shifts to the upcoming clash against Manchester City, aka Lucy's team. Lucy luckily has received a green light on her injury and is available to play the game against us.

The prospect of facing City always brings a mix of excitement and dread for me. While the game itself is thrilling, the week leading up to it is always a challenge. Lucy an I share a close bond and discussing tactical information like line-ups and formations is second nature to us. However, during this particular week, we find ourselves tip-toeing around these topics, bound by the unspoken agreement not to divulge any strategic details to the "enemy".

The difficulty lies not in any deliberate secrecy but in the natural flow of our conversations. It's hard to separate my girlfriend from the competitor she is this week. We often catch ourselves on the verge of revealing more than we should, prompting a sudden silence that hangs in the air between us.

One time, Kim Little was out with and injury for a long period of time and she was available again for the match against City. I almost spilled the news to Lucy when we were talking about a player who returned after a long injury at another club, that Kim would be returning too. The club wanted to keep that news away from anyone, so City didn't know we fully got our steady factor Kimmy back.

The outcome of the game can also be something I don't look forward too. There is always a chance one of us will be very grumpy and one will be utterly happy. Don't get me wrong I love to see Lucy win, but not against us and vice versa.

So, there is no surprise here, that we won't be seeing each other this week. And I utterly hate the fact this game needed to take place after I was away with England while Lucy was not in the squad. I'm in need of some Lucy attention and boy do my friends notice it.

We are at lunch in between training sessions, Leah and Beth sitting on both sides of mine and they are annoying the hell out of me. Apparently, Keira asked Leah if I was just as grumpy as Lucy is, with it being Wednesday and we haven't seen or properly spoken each other in a couple of days.

Since she asked that question they are staring at me like I'm an animal at the zoo. "Can you both please stop staring at me all the time, you are getting on my nerves." I groan while they are watching every move I make trying to eat a sandwich in silence.

"Dude I think Kei is right, she is grumpier." Beth states the obvious.

"Beth please shut the fuck up, I'm not in the mood for your antics." I sneer.

Leah acts like she just starts to notice my grumpiness and leans back in surprise of my sneer towards Beth. "She definitely is, Beffy. What to do? What to do?" She asks herself.

I look annoyed at Le. "Ugh not you too." I groan holding my head in my hands. To my surprise, my awkward poodle, Viv rescues me from my two best friends.

"Liv, you look like you're ready to bite someone's head off. Need a break from the circus?" Viv asks kindly, with her hands leaning on my shoulders.

I chuckle, grateful for Viv's intervention. "You have no idea. They're convinced I've caught Lucy's grumpy bug."

She arches and eyebrow. "Lucy? Grumpy? I find that hard to believe."

I stand up walking with Viv to a quieter place. "Believe it or not, she can be quite the storm when things don't go her way." I say trying to lighten the mood.

Viv leans in conspiratorially. "So, spill. What's really going on?"

As I share with her the complexities of the upcoming match against Lucy, Viv listens attentively. Her demeanour becomes the one she often shows, one of understanding and she offers a supportive smile.