The Captain and her Roomie

Chapter 29 - Trauma

*tw - anxiety attacks*

Media began and evidently you and Leah had been paired up to do a video
"So what are we doing?"
Leah asked, she usually took the reigns when it came to speaking to people
"We're just gonna be talking about your journeys with football and your biggest inspirations, we thought you might appreciate doing it together as you're still quite timid at times Y/n"
The media lady said smiling at you
"Yeah that sounds great thanks"
You replied, she walked you over to the area you were doing it and Leah sat next to you placing her hand on your knee under the table. You got miced up and the person began asking questions
"So y/n obviously you became a teenage prodigy making your senior debut for city at 14, when did you become interested in football?"
"Erm I guess I've always been interested, me and my dad would always watch the football on the TV, it was something we did religiously before he passed. I began playing at around 10 for my primary school but I stopped for a few years until around year 8 so it was pure luck I was scouted for city"
You explained, you didn't have much memory of your childhood, you assumed it was a trauma response so you tried piecing things together
"Who did you support?"
Leah asked trying to losen you up as she could see your tense shoulders and body language
"Your gonna hate me for this"
"Please tell me it's not Tottenham"
Leah seemed genuinely concerned at the thought of you supporting her rival
"Oh God no I supported Liverpool"
Leahs plan worked as you and Leah were both nearly on the floor laughing
"You were so concerned"
You blurted out making the situation worse
"Oh my god it was a mistake putting us on media together"
Leah said trying to compose herself
"Oh well this it what the jobs about, having fun"
The media person replied, she asked you and Leah a few more questions and eventually got on to the one about your biggest inspirations
"I'm gonna say Kelly Smith and Thierry Henry"
Leah said, it was common knowledge she loved both
"That's a hard one but Steven Gerrard is up there, it's gonna cause some arguments but he is one of the best midfielders to grace the Premier league, but I'd also say Ellen White she's just iconic isn't she"
The media person nodded her head
"Great choices, who would you say has been your biggest supported throughout your careers?"
"One hundred percent my mum"
Leah said without hesitation
"I mean my family were massive supporters before they passed, but I'm gonna have to say my best friend Gabby, she was always at my game wearing my shirt"
You said trying to fight back your emotions, Leah squeezed your knee
"Y/n you talk about them all being your biggest supporters, how was the experience losing them?"
Leahs grip on your knee tightened, she was ready to have a massive go at whoever thought it would be a good idea to ask you about your trauma, you placed a reassuring hand on hers to let her know you were okay with the question even though you really weren't
"Erm, yeah it's been a really tough few years, it was mid covid when my family passed and Gabby was there for me through it all but now she's gone my support system crumbled but the girls and staff have been really helpful and supportive I've obviously become really close with the likes of Leah, Lucy, G and Kei who have been nothing but amazing in keeping me sane so it's nice to know I'm not alone"
You had to swallow the lump in the back of your throat multiple times and were glad you had the question over and done with
"Brilliant response, how would you say you cope with the grief?"
You let out a sigh while forming a response
"I'm honestly the worst person to ask about grief because I am so bad at grieving, I tend to bottle it up for ages and then it comes out it's really unpredictable though. I'm aware it's not very healthy but I'm working on the healing process"
You could feel the world closing in on you as your breathing sped up and your vision went blurry, the camera man noticed your discomfort and told the media lady to wrap things up
"Right well thank you both for sharing your experiences"
"It's our pleasure"
Leah responded for the pair of you as you got off the sofa you were sat on going straight over to Lucy and Keira per Leahs request. Keira turned to you and instantly knew something was up
"Hey, hey it's okay what happened?"
She sat you down on the chair next to you, Lucy had noticed and crouched down beside you with her hands on your knees
"Follow my breathing you're fine"
You could feel an anxiety attack coming
"Cmon let's go somewhere quieter"
Keira suggested while waving a very angry Leah over, the four of you went to one of the relaxation rooms and you sat on the sofa
"Leah what happened?"
Keira asked as Lucy continued to make you focus on your breathing
"That stupid fucking reporter just brought back loads of trauma"
"It's fine I'm just overreacting"
You tried telling the three girls surrounding you
"No you're not"
Lucy replied
"What did she say?"
Keira asked trying to keep Leahs anger under control
"She asked me about my family and Gabby dying"
Lucy and Keiras Jaws dropped open
"You what?"
Keira said
"And she asked about the grieving process but we all know I'm horrendous at doing it normally"
"Babe there's no normal way to grieve, sure there's healthier ways but it's how your brain works"
Leah reassured you
"Le do you wanna go rip this reporters head off?"
Keira nodded towards the door
"Keira Fae Walsh"
Lucy said sternly, Keira stopped dead in her tracks
"That's what I thought"
She added
"I'm gonna go for a walk I need some time to myself"
You got off the couch and left the room, why did you react this way?

Leahs POV

"That fucking reporter is gonna get a piece of my mind, why would she ask that?"
I was angry, angry to the point I was shaking. That girl was perfect despite her issues, I hated seeing her upset and unable to breathe.
"Right you two need to screw your heads back on, we all know Y/n wouldn't speak to us for a week if we made a scene"
Lucy made a point, me and Keira had become really riled up completely ignoring Y/n's anxiety, she would hate us if we made a scene.
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Look at me posting 3 times in 9 days 😉
Word count : 1175
As promised more heavy chapters, the idea is that throughout the chapters it becomes lighter as Y/n heals so that means a very emotional start (even though we're 29 chapters in)