Kyra's POV
Every breath felt like ice scraping down my throat, my legs growing heavier with each stride. Training in the cold was supposed to keep you sharp, right? But instead, it just seemed to sap what little energy I had left after the long week. I wasn't the only one. Everyone looked dead on their feet. The coolness might have provided a small comfort if it wasn't for the brutal pace Leah Williamson had set for us this day.
"Keep moving, don't stop!" Leah's voice pierced the early morning silence, louder and more commanding than ever. "I don't care if you're tired. I don't care if your legs hurt. We've got OUWAFC coming up, and we need to be at our best. Do you want another loss like last season?"
None of us dared respond. We were too focused on not collapsing in the middle of the pitch.
Beth, Lia, and Leah had practically forced the team into this extra training session. Sure, we'd all agreed kind of but it was more of an unspoken rule that when your "new coach and her staff" suggests something, you just nod and go with it. After all, we had a big rivalry match against OUWAFC coming up. Everyone knew we needed to be at our best if we had any hope of beating them. But honestly, at this point, I didn't know if we were training for football or the military.
Vic shot me a glance, her breath coming in heavy gasps. "You holding up?"
"Barely," I muttered, trying to match her pace. My legs felt like lead weights. It was early, cold, and honestly, I'd rather be in bed. Or anywhere but here, running pointless drills at a speed that felt impossible.
Suddenly, a sharp whistle rang out. "Cooney-Cross!" Leah's voice was as sharp as the wind that whipped across the field. "My 79-year-old granny could overtake you with the way you're dragging those legs! You want a spot on this team? Drag them faster!"
I nearly tripped over my own feet as I heard the shout. What the hell? I hadn't even told her my full name yet, let alone had a chance to introduce myself properly. I shot a confused glance at Vic as we pushed through another lap. "How does she even know my name?" I gasped, barely able to catch my breath.
Vic shrugged, equally out of breath, but before she could respond, Leah, who clearly had the hearing of a hawk, barked back at me from across the field. "I'm your coach, Cooney-Cross. I know everything about you." (Not everything, Leah, not everything!)
I was too tired to argue, too tired to question how she seemed to know so much. Instead, I just bit down my frustration and pushed through, but Leah wasn't the only one. The so called "new coach," who I'd barely seen but heard plenty about from Steph and Viv, kept barking orders from the sideline. I could hear her loud and clear.
For what felt like hours literal hours we ran, drilled, passed, and sprinted through the icy morning. I couldn't even keep track of time anymore. The only thing I knew was that Leah was relentless, and that damn whistle never seemed to stop.
Eventually, when I thought my legs were going to give out entirely, Leah's voice finally rang through the torture: "That's it! Training's over for today. Everyone, cool down and meet back here tomorrow."
The collective sigh of relief across the field was palpable. I didn't even care that my body felt like it had been run over by a truck. The fact that we were done was all that mattered. I collapsed onto the field, my body sprawling out onto the grass like I'd just finished a marathon.
"Thank God," I muttered to no one in particular. "I thought this horror would never end."
Suddenly, Steph and Viv appeared beside me, laughing as they each grabbed one of my hands and pulled me up to my feet.
