The girl in our soccer team

Chapter 10: The incident

Cameron stood outside a convenience store, leaning against the wall with her hood pulled low over her face, hiding it, as she took a long drag from the cigarette she had just bought, then exhaled slowly, watching the smoke curl up into the night sky. Her mind wandering as she stared at the stars.

'I've got a loving family and I'm playing my dream sport,' she reminded herself, 'But... what if I'm not good enough? What if I can't keep up when it really counts? What if, once they know, everything changes?' The thought gnawed at her, refusing to leave her alone.

"When I told my dad that I wanted to be a soccer player, he had a plan ready," Cameron thought, blowing out another puff of smoke. "Join his team, but keep my identity as a female a secret. 'You'll really showcase your talent playing against determined men,' he said. 'And when the time comes, we'll reveal it all. You'll shock the world and make history.'" Cameron's lips curled into a half-smile, more bitter than amused. I believe the first part, she thought, but shocking the world? That was just Dad trying to hype me up. Plus, if I reveal the truth, what if they think my achievements were a lie? This soccer dream wouldn't last long anyway...

She took one last drag before flicking the cigarette butt onto the ground, grinding it out with her foot, as she left the place. The alley became silent, almost as if she had never been there at all. The only proof of her presence being the crushed cigarette on the pavement.

———
It was around 3 AM when Cameron finally made her way back to the hotel.

When she had left the convenience store, she suddenly felt the urge to go for a short jog around the area.

'A short run is a very great way to clear your thoughts.' she thought to herself, not knowing that during her therapeutic jogging through the dimly lit streets, a passerby who happened to glance out of their window nearly had a heart attack, thinking they'd seen a ghost sprinting through the darkness.

Cameron arrived at Connor's hotel room and carefully slid the keycard she'd stolen from Coach earlier that day into the lock. The door clicked open with a soft beep. She eased it open, slipping inside as quietly as possible. The room was immersed in darkness as she moved on her toes carefully to not disturb anyone. Her focus was solely on placing the lighter on the nearest drawer and getting out unnoticed. She couldn't even spare a glance at who was sleeping on the bed, too occupied on trying to make a quick and silent escape.

Just as she was about to leave, the darkness betrayed her. Her foot landed on something hard—probably a charger head—and the soft hotel flip-flops she wore did little to shield her from the sharp pain. She winced, instinctively stepping back, only to slam her heel against the bed frame. The sudden pain caused her to lose balance, and before she knew it, she stumbled onto the bed, sitting hard on something—or someone.

"Ugh, fuck," the person beneath her groaned in pain, jolting awake. Cameron froze, her breath caught in her throat as she felt the warmth of a body beneath hers, and the person's strong veiny hand suddenly gripped her waist with surprising force.

"Who the fuck are you?" a deep, raspy voice demanded, still thick with sleep but now edged with cold suspicion. The voice was close, too close, the warmth of their breath brushing against her neck sent an involuntary shiver down her spine.

Cameron's heart raced, panic surging through her. She couldn't even recognize who it was through her fear, the raspiness of the voice only adding to her confusion. She remained perfectly still, barely daring to breathe.

"I said who the fuck are you?" the voice repeated, sounding a bit more sleepy and disoriented this time.

Before Cameron could even think of a response, there was a mumble from the other side of the bed. The person gripping her loosened his hold slightly, the confusion evident in their voice. "Jake.?... but why do you smell like that.." He leaned closer, his breath warm against her skin as his nose brushed her neck, sniffing lightly. Cameron's breath hitched as he yawned, suddenly pulling her down onto the bed with him, his arm still draped over her.