field of love || cc walker

₀₀₁.

Izzy instinctively looked at the bleachers every day she had a game, almost like a reminder that her parents and sister never made time to show her their support. If anything for that matter. Her parents seemed to care about work and work only. They were currently in a different state working with their busy schedule as lawyers. Her sister, Emilia, on the other hand just didn't care all that much. They had a close relationship growing up, but as soon as Emilia reached high school, it was like Izzy didn't exist.

Izzy always excelled in everything she did, from school work to extracurriculars. She lacked the validation back at home ever since she was little, that she ended up searching for it someplace else. Every time she got a "I'm proud of you." or "Keep up the good work." from her teachers or her coach, it was like her heart swelled with joy.

Which is how she felt now. It was the second half of the game, and it was still 0 - 0, with a few shots coming close, but not enough. Izzy was determined to score a goal. With every touch of the ball, the crowd erupted into cheers, recognizing her skill, which only brought her more energy to keep going. With her fast footwork, Izzy danced past defenders with effortless grace, leaving them to run after her. 

The crowd got louder as Izzy stepped closer, but soon those cheers turned into 'ooh's' when she got pushed onto the grass, a body landing on her. It had to be none other than CC Walker.

"Walker." Izzy hissed, pushing her off of her to stand up.

"Bronson. You didn't think it'd be that easy did you." CC countered as she dusted herself off, which Izzy decided to ignore, rolling her eyes. The whistle had gone off and the referee jogged towards them. Mumbling could be heard in the crowd as well as both teams talking over each other about what should be done.

In the end, the referee gave Izzy a free kick. A few meters away from the net.

She had trained for this multiple times. Trying to perfect the curve of the ball so it makes it in the net. Izzy had never done it in a game before, but she knew she was ready.

It suddenly got all too quiet in the field, and all eyes were on Izzy. She didn't let it distract her, and she made her move and hit the ball. The sound of her foot striking the ball echoed across the field like thunder that reverberated through the air.

Time stood still as the ball found its mark, hitting the crossbar before nestling into the back of the net. In that fleeting instant, the crowd erupted into booming cheers.

Izzy's team ran to her, jumping in joy and high fiving her. She turned to look at CC who was walking nearby. "Guess you'll have to try harder next time." Izzy shrugged, smiling as she and her team went back to their respective spots.

CC back in formation, kept a stoic face, set on scoring a goal. She was not gonna let Izzy's team win on the first match of the semester. She only had 10 minutes left of the game to score a goal.

The ball kept going back and forth, each team getting close to scoring, but the defense was always the issue.

In the last three minutes, CC has the ball, dribbling between the defense. With the defense off balance, CC saw her opportunity. She feinted to the right, drawing the attention of the defenders and in that split second, she burst through the gap kicking the ball, and in a blink of an eye, the ball was in the net.

Cheers from their team erupted, and Izzy was left slouching in defeat. They hadn't exactly lost, but it sure felt like it.

She still received compliments from her coach and teammates at the end of the day, which ultimately made her feel better. "You should come to the party tonight." Olivia said, her bag over her shoulder. Olivia seemed to know Izzy was going to deny it, because as soon as she opened her mouth, "Before you say no, you owe me~." She said the last part in a sing-song voice.

Izzy groaned, reaching her car that her dad gifted her instead of apologizing for an argument. She did owe her. She internally cursed at her past self for agreeing with this. "Fine, I'll go. I already finished my homework anyway." She unlocked her car, throwing her bag in there. "Great! See you there." Olivia jumped happily before walking away.

Izzy wasn't typically one for big social gatherings, preferring the comfort of her own company or smaller get togethers with close friends. But tonight was different. Tonight, she had promised her friend Olivia that she would come along to 'support her'. Taking a deep breath, Izzy stepped inside, the sounds of music and laughter washing over her. The living room was packed with people, their voices blending together.

Last time she had been to one of these parties, it had ended in Maya – who was also a part of the soccer team – vomiting just outside the house in the cold. It was the first and only time Izzy had gone. But now she was here again.

"You're here!" Olivia came out of nowhere, already holding a drink of her own. Was she drunk already? "I see you have your trusty leather jacket." She pointed out, pulling on the leather exaggeratedly. Izzy had thrown on her signature skirt for going out, a white shirt, and her leather jacket she wears almost everyday.

"C'mon, Maya has your drink ready." Olivia urged her on, grabbing her hand to pull her deeper into the crowd of people. "Maya has my drink ready, huh?" Izzy remarked, raising an eyebrow at Olivia's insistence. "Alright, lead the way." she said with a grin, allowing Olivia to pull her deeper into the chaos of the party.

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an: so it begins...