𝙄𝙣 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙌𝙪𝙞𝙚𝙩 𝙈𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 - 𝘊𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯 𝘍𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘥

𝙎𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣. 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴

"Finally, we can go home." Beth celebrates as the team and I follow behind her, getting ready to go home after our training session.

I hear someone's boot collide with a ball and look back to see Caitlin falling back to sit on the grass, her arms around her knees.

"Steph, I'll walk home today." I tell the girl who walks a few steps infornt of me.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I just need the fresh air." I make up an excuse and she nods and walks through the doors inside. I turn around and walk across the grass to where I see the number 19 player sat.

I say nothing as I just sit down beside her in the same manor with my knees up to my chest and my arms around them.

"What are you doing?" Caitlin asks me, turning her head to look at me. "Go home."

"Keeping a friend company." I shrug, lightly. "I'm sorry for snapping at you in the changing rooms. I just..." I look into Caitlin's eyes and something tells me it's okay to tell her. "I never taught myself to braid my own hair because I wanted my mum to be able to do that."

"Why didn't she?" Caitlin asks, softly.

"She couldn't." I look away, taking a deep breath in. "She died giving birth to me."

I didn't usually tell people that. A lot of people didn't know my family situation. People didn't know a lot of things about me. I was closed off unless I truly trusted you. I'd only ever opened up completely to Rachel and Kristie and now slowly to Steph and I suppose Caitlin.

"I'm so sorry." Caitlin appologises, but I shake my head.

"It's fine. You get used to the feeling of longing for something you can't have." I say, looking up at the sky to push my tears back. I don't cry infront of people. "So, what are you doing here?" I ask the girl beside me.

"Just thought I'd spent some time training alone." Caitlin says, picking up the ball beside her.

"Want a partner?" I ask, hopeful.

"It wouldn't hurt."

I stand up and pull Caitlin up. She drops the ball down on the floor and instantly runs away with it at her feet. "Oh, it's on." I laugh as I run after her stop her from moving further. She tries taking off to the right of me, but I get the ball of her and run to the goal, taking a shot and getting it in top bins. "And she scores!" I laugh as Caitlin comes behind me and tickles me. "No!" I laugh, uncontrollably as I squirm in her arms, trying to get away with her by falling to the ground.

When she finally lets go, I lie down on the grass and catch my breath. "Good thing you're ticklish otherwise that would've been embarassing." Caitlin jokes.

"You're lucky. I'm extremely ticklish." I say, covering my stomach when she tries tickling me again. "It's not fun at all for me."

"At all?"

"Okay, maybe it's fun a little." I confess. "But only a little." I say, sternly when Caitlin picks her hand up to tickle me again, but that doesn't stop her from trying to get to me again. I stand up quicker than her hand reaches me and run around the pitch. Caitlin chases me, both of us laughing at one another and how childish we're being.

Halfway through running, I decide to switch it up and do a 180°, turning around to this time run straight for Caitlin. When I reach her, I wrap my arm around her waist and push her to the ground, landing on her hips. I sit ontop of her, as she laughs underneath me.

"Get off me, Pugh, we've got some training to do."

We hadn't realised how long we'd spent training alone until we could feel the golden rays of the sun shining on us as it began to set.

"We should get going." Caitlin tells me and I nod as we go inside and grab our stuff. "I guess we're walking."

"Can't wait." I laugh.

We push our boots into our bags and put on our normal trainers before we leave the training facility. I'd pulled my puffer jacket over my training kit to keep me warm as the days were starting to get a bit warmer, but the nights stayed the same.

"Steph's a bit jealous that I like your pasta more than hers." I laugh as we begin our walk back to our apartments.

"Well, I am just better." Caitlin jokes and I just smile at her. "What?" She asks when she notices.

"I'm just thankful I made a friend here."

"You've made loads of friends here." Caitlin reminds me.

"A best friend I mean."

"Oh, yes, I'm on that list, aren't I?" Caitlin looks at me and it makes me burst out into laughter.

"It's a legit list." I argue. "The very few people on there will get to do very special stuff. They can get thkngs in my will, become god parents to my children and be bridesmaids at my wedding."

"That's some big stuff."

"Exactly and you're making fun out of me when you're one of the select few. I can easily cross your name off. You don't need to be a bridesmaid at what will be my very special wedding."

"Are you dating anyone?" Caitlin asks and I shake my head.

"No, which is exactly why I don't actually think I'll get married and have kids." I say, looking down. "I'm not lucky in the love department I suppose. I fucked it up with the last person."

"You were a different person back then." Caitlin tells me as if she knows exactly who and what I talk about.

"They were special to me, Caitlin, but... nothing." I shake my head, not feeling comfortable enough to talk about what happened between Ona and I.

"You're a special person yourself, Elena." The Australian player wraps her hand around mine in a comforting gesture, which make my stomach feel dizzy, but I don't know why.

"Thanks, Caitlin." We smile at one another.

"You're home now." Caitlin nods up to my apertment building, but I shake my head.

"Let me drop you off." I try pushing her to continue walking.

"Elena, it's getting dark and I'm the reason you stayed behind this long in the first place. Go." She pushes me forward towards the doors. I turn around and try giving her puppy eyes in hope it'll work. "I hate you. Get out of here." She tells me and begins walking off so that I have no choice but to go in.

"See you tomorrow, Caitlin!" I call after her and she waves back at me before we seperate.

I make my way up to Steph and I's apartment and push open the door, but jump immediately. "Steph!" I wack the girl, who stands infront of the door like a brick wall.

"You're home late. You're grounded." She says to me, jockingly. "But seriously what took you so long?"

"Caitlin and I had a solo training session and then we walked it. I would've walked her home, but she insisted on me coming inside."

"Good, because I can tell you're getting a cold." Steph grabs my hand and pulls me to the kitchen to grab some cold medicine. "You're still acclimatised to American weather, Elena. You need to look after yourself."

"I wore a jacket." I tell her.

"It's not enough. You're going straight to bed."

"Whatever." I huff, but I know she's right. It was nice seeing how much Steph cared about me. "Night, Steffy."

"Night, El."