All The Small Things You Do | Katie McCabe.

A toe poke a day keeps the doctor away

"Everything we have played for. Everything. Comes down to this. This is it, okay? All those hours, all those tears, all that sweat, was for the next 90 minutes. You don't need me to tell you how huge this is, right?" Leah paused as she glanced around the changing room, locking eyes with every one member of the team for a brief second. "We can bring football home on home soil. We can make history. So let's fucking get it!" She roared before putting her hand in the middle of the circle. "England on 3, yeah? TK, count us in."

Tatum inhaled deeply, filling her lungs completely before placing her hand over Leah's, giving it a slight squeeze before the girls around them all put their hands on there's. She took a breath before yelling out; "One, two, three!"

"England!" Was chorused around the dressing room followed by shouts from each girl, hyping each other up.

With some final shouts, girls slowly made their way out of the dressing room and lining up. Turning to follow them, Tatum stops when she feel's Leah's hand on her wrist, turning her around.

"You've got this, okay? You're knee is fine. You've played great. Show everyone what you can do." She spoke to Tatum lowly, keeping eye contact the whole time. The younger girl nods wordlessly as Leah leant up to place a kiss on Tatum's forehead, a tradition they've had since she started playing for the Lionesses.

Leah nodded once before making her way out the door, leaving Tatum alone. She took another deep breath. You know that feeling when you start in a new school? The butterflies in your stomach that make you feel uncomfortable but equally like you're going to shit your pants? That's what when's currently dealing with. "Let's fucking have it." She whispers before placing a kiss on her wrist, kissing the tattoo there for her dad.

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"Fuck me." Tatum groaned as she rolled onto her back, currently feeling the effects of running the length of the pitch as many times as possible within the last 80 minutes and then being bodied by a German player. She allowed herself a minute to get her  breath back, taking in the nervous sounds around the stadium. When they first started the game, the screams were loud, they were feriocious, but now you could hear the nerves setting in. Probably worried that England will pull an England and slip at the last hurdle.

"TK, you good?" Leah questioned as she stood over her friend, her hands on her hips as she scanned the field.

"Yeah, just you know, trying to breathe."

Leah rolled her eyes and stuck her hand out for Tatum to grab. "Right well hurry up, we've got a game to finish."

One day, this girl will let Tatum live her life in peace.

Tatum groaned as she allowed her captain to pull her up before she brushed off the grass that had collected on her. "10 minutes, mate. Win this for us." Leah instructed before she jogged off.

Standing still to analyse what was happening around the pitch, she couldn't contain the smirk at Alessia and Ella trying to read the note the German substitute had handed to another player.

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"Honestly, whoever came up with extra time can go and fuck themselves." Tatum mumbled as she tried to get her lungs to function normally and maintain oxygen for more than half a second.

She bent over at the waist and put her hands on her knees to try and catch some more air whilst Hemp walked over to the corner flag to take the corner, but she was quickly shoved into moving. "Keeper!" Leah shouted at her. 

Obviously, it was her shoving Tatum.

Nodding her head, the young player walked over to the keeper, making a nuisance of herself as much as she could without getting caught. "Be shit for you if we scored now, wouldn't it?" She say's as Hempo sets the ball and throws an arm up.

She sends the ball into the far post, flying over everyone's heads and aiming for Lucy who was running in the box. Glancing around her quickly, Tatum's heart practically stopped by how much space the Germans were allowing her. She was onside, but in acres of space right in front of the keeper. She watched as Lucy get her head on it and the ball was going to land at the feet of the German defender behind her, so she stepped forward and used her body to usher her off the ball. The ball bounced awkwardly and Tatum tried her best to get her head on it but missed, which when she looks back, will have the potential to give her the ick. Tatum can't be sure if it hit the Keeper or the defender but the ball was coming back at her within miliseconds. Holding her breath she reached a foot out, just hoping to get any contact on it.

She don't know how it went in, but what she does know is that the net is bulging where the ball landed in the back of it. 

She took off running, the first thing that came to her mind was how when she was growing up she watched so many of her idols scoring and ripping their shirts off, so right now, that was the only thing she could manage to do.

In that moment she ticked two things off her bucket list:

Win the Euros? Completed it mate.

Score a winning goal and rip her shirt off at Wembly? Fucking done it.

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"TK, honestly, what a moment. I know it's probably overwhelming, but describe what you're feeling right now?" Alex Scott spoke into the microphone before she pushed it in front of Tatum, grin plastered across her face.

The European champion smiled and looked around the stadium to give herself time to think. There was a reason she doesn't normally do interviews that haven't been planned, and it's because she always some how puts her foot in it. So given how much today's game meant, she figured she needed to try her hardest.

"Honestly, I don't even think there's words. It's like my heard doesn't know if it wants to explode or fall out my ass, to be honest. Like, we've won the Euro's? You what!" Okay, didn't do too great with that one.

Alex laughed. "I know how hard you've worked, Tatum. How much does this mean to you?"

"Again, there's not really words for how much it means. Like, look at all those little girls faces out there, man. When I was growing up, Women's football was never on telly, it was very rarely in the news. It was in-accessable, to be honest. So seeing all those kids faces, knowing that this is being shown everywhere, knowing that we're putting the spotlight directly on women's football is amazing. When I was in school, my math's teacher used to shout at me when I'd say I was out playing football, or if I did my homework wrong because I was practicing when I probably should have been doing my homework...Not that I condone not doing your homework...try hard in school kids. Uhm, but she used to shout at me saying I needed to pay attention to something that would give me a proper career, a real job where I can achieve something. Well fucking look at me now Mrs Patterson!"

Alex's eyes widened as she threw her head back in laughter.

Tatum jumped slightly when she felt arms wrap around her shoulder, smiling when Beth shouted to Alex. "I'm gonna need to steal her!" She dragged her away with a laugh. "Mate you just swore on prime BBC."

Tatum shrugged before wrapping her own arm around Beth . "Yeah, well, fuck the Tories."

Honestly why do I do this to myself. I've got most of this written, the first 22 chapters done, but after watching the match yesterday, I couldn't help posting it. Kinda obsessed with it atm. 

Let me know what you guys think.

Second chapter coming in 3, 2, 1...