London, once blue, now red

Arsenal vs Man City

The stadium was a cacophony of cheers and chants as the two rival teams took the field, the air thick with anticipation and tension. Among the sea of Jerseys and flags, the only person who stood out to me was Leah, the star defender of Arsenal and the newfound love of my life, which I know is strong since we have only just met and haven't gone on a date yet. Still, I can't help how I feel.

As the game unfolded, each moment seemed to blur into the next, the players moving with a fluidity born of countless hours spent training and preparing for this moment. But amidst the chaos of the competition, Leah and I found ourselves locked in a silent battle of our own, torn between our love for each other and our allegiance to our teams.

With every pass and tackle, every shot and save, my emotions roiled beneath the surface, threatening to spill over at any moment. My heart ached with every challenge I faced; the thought of hurting Leah weighed heavily on my mind with each play, which was evident within my playing efforts. Every pass was short, and every tackle was risky. I just couldn't get out of my head. I don't know why Leah is consuming my thoughts to this degree. We haven't even confirmed anything yet within our relationship. Suddenly, Lauren went down after a nasty slide tackle from Katie McCabe, giving us time to regroup and discuss some tactics.

Chloe K; "What is wrong"

Isla: "Nothing is wrong"

Chloe K: "Something must be wrong. You are playing like shit."

As much as I appreciated Chloe's blunt comment, I couldn't figure out why the thought of Leah was affecting my play. I didn't respond to Chloe's comment. I just went and got my water bottle, had a drink, and closed my eyes, trying to clear my head. I felt a hand placed on my right shoulder as Esme Morgan appeared on my left. I didn't dare to look at her. I knew I was playing bad; I was too embarrassed to look at her.

Esme M: "If you don't get yourself together and pick up your game, they will bench you."

At that moment, I decided I wanted to win; we needed to win, and I didn't want to lose my place in the starting eleven just because of this game.

I threw my bottle to the side and shook all my limbs; I opened my eyes and went back onto the pitch. I left all the thoughts of Leah on the side of the pitch.

The whistle blew to resume the match. We struggled to break down Arsenal's defence until Lauren suddenly had the ball. She was running down the wing but ran out of space. As Arsenal closed in, she lobbed the ball towards me. I felt the ball land at my feet, and I ran, dribbling the ball closer and closer to the goal. I had an open goal. Suddenly, I felt a pain in my ankle and was on the floor just inside the box. I shut my eyes and groan in agony as I grab my left ankle.

I roll around a bit, trying to forget about the pain until I open my eyes. Sitting up in a sitting position, I look up to see Leah in front of me.

Leah: Hey, Sorry," she says as she sticks out her hand to help me up.

I am infuriated. She just tackled me. What the fuck. I put out my hand and slap hers away.

Isla: "What the fuck Leah," I say as I stand up, storming towards the ref.

Isla: "That should at least be a yellow card; she wasn't even aiming for the ball."

I feel Leah beside me.

Leah: "I was aiming for the ball; actually, you just ended up being in my way."

Isla: "Are you fucking serious you could have seriously hurt me, Leah?" I say as I give her a little shove, which she does back to me. Suddenly, I feel Chloe's arms pulling me back as Katie grabs Leah.

Chloe K: "Calm down, Isla"

Isla: "Calm down, she just tackled me"

Chloe K: "Hey, it's football. Everything that happens stays on the pitch. It wasn't personal, and you are making it personal; she was just trying to do her job."

Isla: "Are you serious right now, Chloe? You are taking her side."

Chloe: "I am not taking her side; it just feels like you are letting things outside of football affect football."

Isla: "Whatever," I say as the ref calls Leah and me over. She gives us both a yellow card.

Chloe Kelly takes the penalty kick, which thankfully went in. Not too shortly after that the whistle blew for halftime, leaving us up one to nil. I didn't look or talk to anyone. I swiftly entered the changing room, slamming the door on my way in. I took a seat on the bench, waiting for everyone else to come in. Chatter started around me, but I was not in the mood to listen or engulf  myself into the conversation when our coach, Gareth Taylor, appeared in the changing room. I just looked to the floor, not really paying attention to what he was saying until I heard him say my name.

Gareth: "Isla, are you planning on getting another yellow card today."

Isla: "No," I say hesitantly

Gareth: "You can continue to play in the second half, but if you don't pick up your game, you are coming off."

Isla: "Okay, I won't let you down." I say as I head back out to the pitch. I find myself dribbling around a ball to keep warm as I need to maintain focus for this second half. I can't help but wonder what Leah thinks of me after that interaction, but as Chloe said, I have to leave it on the pitch and move on.

The whistle blew for the second half, and the game's intensity increased as Arsenal was eager to beat us in this match, and we were keen to secure our win. As the game continued, I felt the mounting pressure and the stakes growing higher with each passing minute. I felt disappointed in my efforts. With 5 minutes left of added time, I knew our team needed to get another goal. Chloe Kelly was taking a corner in the 93rd minute. She curled it in, and we all jumped. It hit my head and slid past the goalkeeper, hitting the back of the net. I ran towards Chloe, embracing her in a hug, and finally, the whistle for the end of the game went.

Isla: "Thank you, Chloe."

Chloe: "For what"

Isla: "For the goal and for helping me realise how much of an idiot I was being."

We quickly hugged and then went around to shake hands with the other team. I was last in the line going down, shaking hands with the entire Arsenal team, dreading my interaction with Leah. I got to the last person in the line, and it was Leah. I stuck my hand out, not expecting her to take it, but she pulled me into a hug, and I felt myself melt into her embrace.

Isla: "I'm sorry, I got ahead of myself and shouldn't have reacted that way."

Leah: "It's okay; I'm sorry too; it was a bad tackle."

Isla: "Let's leave it on the pitch, yeah."

Leah: "Yeah," She says as she kisses my cheek

Leah: "I'll see you tonight. Make sure you are at mine on time. I don't like it when people are late." she says as she walks away.

I felt clarity knowing we were able to move on. I was worried Leah would be mad at me after the whole situation.

Chloe K: "So, tell me about the plans for the date tonight." she says as she slings her arm around my shoulder.

Isla: "Not right now, Chloe, I have to go and get ready, I'll tell you tomorrow." I say as I am running towards the dressing room.

Chloe K: "OKAY THEN."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Thanks for reading i hope this is alright, i tried my best.  ❤️