Lean on Me || Jill Roord

1. Horrific Returns

Glancing over the walls that held past club achievements got me excited, like really excited. I'd finally been able to return to the WSL after the World Cup, and I couldn't be happier. The WSL held a special place in my heart really; it's the league that gave me my first international offer after all.

"Gareth's right through here; congratulations again and good luck." Erin, who had helped me out at the front desk, gave me a smile.

"Thank you," I returned her smile before entering the office. Of course I was extremely nervous for this, but I think my excitement overpowered it. I'd finally get to play with some national teammates again; sure, I'd played with them in Portland, but they all left eventually. Raso told me I'd fit right into Manchester, even though I wouldn't be playing with her; I'd missed her by a season, which made me a bit sad. Though I get to play with Alanna and Mary now, which I'm excited for.

"Caroline! It's so nice to finally meet you in person!" Gareth greeted me warmly.

"I'm honoured to be here." I shook his hand before sitting down to go over contract details and whatnot. It didn't take long, and I tried my best to stay one hundred percent attentive, but I was starting to get a bit bored. Paperwork and going over things numerous times always put me to sleep if I'm being honest. That's why my agent, Jenna, handled practically everything for me, but I personally still needed to go over the contract and what not just to make sure.

"Alright, well, I think we're all done here, so I'll have one of the assistant coaches take you to the changing room so you can get changed for media and all that good stuff. We're doing you and the other signing both at the same time to make it easier, so give us about an hour or so and we'll get started." Gareth explained as we stood up.

"Got it; thank you so much again." I said, shaking his hand once more.

"No thank you; I can't wait to start working with you." With a smile, I exited the office and was faced with a beautiful blonde who I almost walked into.

"Oh, sorry, my bad," my accent made the blonde raise her eyebrows.

"No, it's okay, my fault. I didn't know someone would be walking out." She laughed, causing me to laugh in return. Her laugh was infectious. Her accent also caught my attention.

"Ah! Jill! Come on in. It's a pleasure." Gareth expressed it from behind me, causing me to step out of the way. Jill, whose name I just learnt, gave me a smile as we locked eyes for a moment. She had some of the prettiest green eyes I'd ever seen.

It was quickly broken once she passed me and turned her attention to Gareth. I took that as my queue to leave and follow the assistant coach who was waiting for me. As I walked, I couldn't shake the feeling that I knew her or knew of her. The name was familiar, but I just couldn't place it.

About an hour later, the changing room door opened once more, revealing Jill. I gave her a smile as the assistant coach showed her everything and left her to change. I was lying on one of the benches, holding my phone on my knees, playing random games on my phone. Boredom had hit.

"How long have you been in here?" I glanced towards Jill, who'd set her stuff down on the other side of the bench close to the door.

"Maybe an hour or so," Jill held back a laugh and gave me a huge smile. I raised an eyebrow at this. "What's so funny?"

Ignoring my question, she asks another, "Where are you from?" I frowned.

"Oh. I'm from Sunbury, Australia. It's right outside of Melbourne." She hummed, "How was it playing at home in the World Cup?"

I reminisced on the memory, smiling before frowning slightly. "A literal dream." I try to look at the good, but the wound is too fresh. We'd been so close; it just wasn't meant to be.