hey lover - c.g.

60.

20/4/2024 - saturday
wembley stadium

THE WHISTLE BLEW and Chandler's head immediately dropped into her hands, disappointment seeping through. The roar of the stadium echoed around her, a painful reminder of Manchester City's victory and Chelsea's dashed hopes of reaching the FA Cup final.

She sighed in defeat as the stadium erupted in cheers, Manchester City securing their spot in the final.

"Fucking hell," Levi groaned, slamming his fist against the bench. "I'm sick of this shit."

Levi threw an empty water bottle at the back of the seat, his frustration palpable. His recent injury kept him off the pitch, and the helplessness was starting to get to him.

Chandler didn't say anything, her eyes fixed on the pitch where Conor stood, his shoulders slumping in exhaustion and disappointment. The sight of him like that added to her sense of failure.

Determined to escape the prying eyes of the cameras, Chandler stood up and made her way to the tunnel's entrance. She could feel the weight of the media's attention, and the last thing she wanted was to be caught in their lenses at her lowest.

John, her brother and a player for Manchester City, noticed her leaving and jogged towards the tunnel, ignoring the jubilant celebrations of his teammates. His focus was on making sure Chandler was okay.

Descending the stairs, he saw her standing in the center of the tunnel, handing her dirty jersey to the kit man.

"Chandler," he called out. Chandler spun around, her face dropping when she realized it was him. An annoyed look took over her features.

"John, seriously, not right now," she mumbled, shrugging off her brother's hand from her shoulder. As much as she loved her brother, the two siblings were competitive in nature, ever since they were little. She was happy that he'd be able to reach the final, but she was still disappointed that her team couldn't go through; any hopes of a trophy at the end of the season were snatched from her grasp.

"Oh, Chan, talk to me," he sighed, desperate to reach out to his little sister.

Kyle Walker soon entered the hallway, looking for John. He spotted the defender with his sister and grinned as he approached them.

"John, leave me alone. We can talk another time. Let me calm down," she said honestly, trying to keep her emotions in check.

"Well, that's a bit rude," Kyle interjected. John gave him a pointed look.

"Kyle—"

"He's your older brother. No need to act all pissy now because you lost," Kyle continued, his tone half-joking but with an edge of seriousness. Chandler rolled her eyes, her frustration boiling over.

"Don't lecture me about family, Kyle. It's not your strong suit."

Both of the Manchester players' jaws dropped at the comment. Before Kyle could reply, Chandler stormed off, back into the locker room, this time with no one following her.

She opened the door to the locker room and marched over to her seat, collapsing into it with a deep sigh. She buried her face in her hands, the weight of the defeat pressing down on her.

Noni Madueke walked into the locker room, seeing Chandler's head in her hands. "Are you alright?" he asked, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"No, I'm literally tweaking; I need to calm down," she sighed, shaking her head.

"What's going on?" Conor asked, approaching the two of them. He placed a hand on Chandler's shoulder and sat down beside her, trying to offer some comfort.