Two sisters. Two lives.

The start of the Plague

We get to the stadium and all the girls were in a good mood, I had gone on a walk with Leah this morning and we just talked. I sat on the coach with Chloe and we walk in, we were listening to Chloe's playlist, it was playing 2002 by Anne-Marie.
We get to the changing rooms and we had already been told the starting lineup and I was a part of it.

Most the girls go out to warm up, "you ready?" Leah asks me. "More than ever" I say and we walk out. We go into this storage room "Leah?" I question. She kisses me, it felt good. "You go first" she says
I walk out and Alessia and Ella were there. "What were you doing?" Alessia asks
"Sorry, I thought it was the changing rooms, forgot my jumper" I say and laugh
"You won't need your jumper it's boiling" Ella says
"Alright" I say and we go.

We start warming up, there is a loud roar when Leah comes out. She gets behind me in line "you good?" She asks
'Yeah" I say
We finish warming up and go inside "right let's push for the win today girls!" Sarina says
We all say "team"
The subs go out as well as the staff. I see Leah at the front in front of Mary. I was next to Georgia.
We walk out and sing the national anthem. Spain sing their anthem and then we get ready to kick off, we take the knee against racism and then the game starts as Russo kicks it off.

I get the ball after Leah passes me it, I run forwards. I felt a twist.

I scream, the pain knotted inside my knee pulling it tighter. I hit the ground repeatedly.
I felt tears prick my eyes. I hear the whistle go. I feel arms on me.

The smell of grass surrounded my body, everything felt unrealistic. Like this was a bad nightmare and I was about to wake up, I get rolled on my back and see the sky, it was azure and the clouds swayed happily. Like they were trying to tell me it's not that bad, maybe it's a sign from my mum. Maybe she's watching me, maybe she's expecting me to get back up. I feel something hit my thigh, I look down my own tears. Shit.
I see Leah and Beth beside me.
"I've done my knee" I practically scream in pain I lie back down, my hands laid on my forehead. The pain was unbearable. The physio gives me a painkiller. I take it and it eases it off a bit.
The physios call for a stretcher. I felt tears fall down my face so Beth wipes them away.

I get myself on the stretcher and pull my top up to wipe my tears. "You'll be okay" Leah says holding my hand
"We've got 20 minutes to half time" Beth says
They leave and we go into the changing rooms, the physio does more work on my knee. "I'm going to give you a brace and some crutches" she says
"Is it my acl?" I ask
"I'm pretty sure it is, however we will have to get you checked out back in England, you won't be able to stay with camp for the next game" she says
'Yeah" I say and remember we have our last game against Scotland at Wembley.

After a while I hear clattering of boots walk in. I sit up and take a drink from the lucozade. "You good?" Beth asks and come straight over. "Can you get my phone?" I ask and she gets my phone.
Leah comes in "you okay?" She asks and hugs me.
"They said it's my ACL" I say

After 15 minutes they all go back out. The tears overtook me again, there was too many feelings rushing around me and I didn't know how to process any of them. How can I be having such a great game of football for it all to fall down without even colliding with anything. At about 75 minutes I hear some boots. "What you doing in here?" I ask Georgia
"Red card" she says
"I'm sorry about the injury" she says
I look at my knee, "not your fault" I say and shrug
"You will come out stronger" she says
"I hope so" I say
The girls come back in after the game, they don't celebrate we lost 2-1, with a late goal for Spain.
The room was tense. The physio comes in "here's your crutches, we will go now so you can get on the coach without commotion" she says. The room looks at me, I was in the England tracksuit and the brace was wrapped round my knee.