The Rising Star - Alexia Putellas

Part 136

A/N: Well it's not monday but I have some making up to do ;) Enjoy this short bus some drama filled chapter. Have a nice week everyone! 

It was matchday minus two and the last training to prepare for our first game under our new coach. We had been training now for a few days and it was hell to say the least.

It seemed like Vlatko but more specifically, Henry had chosen me to push the hardest for whatever reason. According to their yelling, I was never quick enough or strong enough or precise enough, my shots on goal weren't good, there was always something. Just like today.

"FASTER ELEANORE! THAT IS NOT FAST ENOUGH! You've got this Becky! You'll beat her!" He yelled at me and then cheered Becky on to beat me.

We were currently in the midst of a drill. Becky and I both faced the goal. The coach, who stood behind us, played the ball between the two of us so we had to race each other to win the ball and score. I had a slight advantage on Becky, I just needed a few more meters.

"Come on Becky! You got this!" Henry yelled one more time and that was enough for that last little push I needed. With a new found motivation, I reached the ball first and curled it beautifully around Alyssa.

"NICE JOB QUEENIE!" Alex cheered from behind us.

I needed a small minute to regain my breath again. This whole training, scratch that, this whole camp I've been ruling the field, desperate to prove the coaches wrong. Acing every pass, hitting every shot, creating chance after chance, I was thriving but it was never enough for the two coaches.

"You need to be faster, Queen. Pick up your pace or sit on the bench during the game." Henry mumbled to me when he passed me to pat Becky on the shoulder while all I got was a glare.

While I was still recovering from my sprint, Vlatko assembled the whole team addressing all of them. The coaching staff was clearing the field in the meantime and getting everything ready for a scrimmage.

He divided the team into two groups. One was gonna be his team and the other, the one I was part of, was Henry's.

"Listen up. This is not just a scrimmage. This is a game I want to win, so I expect the best from all of you." He spoke to our group while we were putting on our bibs.

"No mistakes, no screw ups." He directed that last bit towards me with a glare, it almost made me shrink and feel small. Almost.

"Alright, the line up. Alyssa, you're in goal. Crystal, Sonnett, Tierna and Eleanore in defense." This grabbed everyone's attention.

"Excuse me?" Alex asked, confused. I simply stood there, rooted to my spot, staring at our physics coach.

"Alyssa in goal, Crystal, Sonnett, Tierna and Eleanore in defense." He repeated himself, irritation slowly creeping in his voice.

"But she's not a defender? Why not let JJ play there? She's done it before." Alex tried to reason with the coach but he was not having it.

"Eleanore will play right back, or she won't play at all." Henry put an end to the discussion.

Most of my friends were quite surprised by the harshness of our physics coach, but I wasn't. It wasn't the first time it happened. He had been tormenting me since the moment he picked me up from the airport.

Yelling, name-calling, it was never good enough but it never made me slack. To the contrary, I trained my ass off. I pushed my body as far as I could and my statistics were brilliant, yet it was never enough.