Lean on Me || Jill Roord

6. Dinner Get Togethers

Walking up stairs with crutches is definitely not my strong suit. I'd told Jill I was going to be at the match on Sunday and wasn't going to take no for an answer. She ultimately let me go as long as I was sitting with someone from the training staff just in case. I rolled my eyes at this, of course, but I knew it was probably smart knowing me.

As I sat down, the girls began walking out of the tunnel, and I watched on. It hurt being in the stands and not on the pitch, but at least I was here in person getting to watch. Internally, I frowned at the thought. I couldn't find the happiness in it really; I was beginning to regret coming solely because of how much I missed playing already. It had only been a week or so, yet I had nine more months of this shit.

As kickoff drew near, I refocused on the pitch in front of me. The girls started off strong in the first couple of minutes, staying in Bristol's half most of the time. I watched as Alanna kicked the ball up field, reaching Angeldal's feet, who crossed it into the box right a Bunny's head. I held my breath as the ball slipped past the keeper, hitting the crossbar and bouncing out towards Jill, who headed it into the goal.

I couldn't contain the grin on my face as I cheered for her. And the team. My slightly sour mood about not playing had washed away immediately. I would've stood up like the rest of the crowd to cheer, but John, who was next to me, gave me a stern look. I huffed before going back to watching the game, yet a sly smile creeped onto my face as I watched my team play. More so a certain player plays.

As the game went on, I watched proudly as the girls played really well, scoring a few more goals; sure, it was against a weaker side, but that meant nothing. We never changed our game. I couldn't help but find myself watching a certain blonde on and off the ball practically the entire time. She's what I had strived to be until I found I like more of a defensive midfielder role better. I loved the way Jill played; she was such a deadly threat no matter where she was on the field.

In the dying minutes of the first half, we were awarded a corner. I watched on as they set up and awaited Chloe's signal. Chloe put up two hands once the whistle was blown, and the kick soon followed.

At first it didn't come to much when it was headed away, but Angeldal quickly collected and passed it back to Mary, who travelled just outside and to the left of the box. We still had multiple bodies in the penalty box, and I had a feeling the cross Mary was about to make would go in our favour.

I guessed right, as a huge grin took over my face when Jill headed it into the net once again. This time I stood and cheered for the team, not without John telling me to be careful and sit back down. Jill was such a dangerous player in any situation; her game was unbelievable, and I think she's only improving more and more. I'm sort of glad we didn't play the Netherlands during the World Cup.

Soon after, Bunny scored yet another goal, and the whistle was blown, signalling the end of the first half and allowing my teammates to begin walking down the tunnel. My eyes drifted to Jill as she walked towards the tunnel; she seemed to be searching for someone within the crowd. As if she knew I was looking at her, moments later her eyes found mine, and a smirk took over her face.

She winked before walking out of sight. I blushed furiously, looking down at my hands in my lap, hoping she didn't see. I don't know what she's doing to me.

The second half of the game wasn't bad, but it was most definitely not as exciting as the first. We had plenty of chances, but none of them found the back of the net, which is always frustrating. Luckily, we had scored five in the first half, giving us a comfortable 5-0 victory over Bristol.

After the final whistle blew, I walked down to the field with the help of John because he wouldn't let me walk entirely on my own. A frustrating reality I needed to come to terms with. Jill soon appeared at my side, as she'd been subbed off towards the end of the game. My frustrating thoughts drift away.