Never Let Me Go

Not About Angels

One by one

Friend by friend

Teammate by teammate

It was 3 long, earth shattering hours. 3 hours of hearing one teammate break down. Of hearing their sobs through the telephone. Of physically hearing their heart breaking within them. Of hearing the lost sound of their heavy breathing, finally soaking in the words.

The words that one of their own...stopped breathing.

That they would no longer hear her voice.

Or see her blue eyes

Or her curly hair

Or her blinding smile

Ever. Again.

Within 3 hours, anyone and everyone who had ever been on the Womens National team with Lauren Holiday, had been given 2 words that could rip them to pieces within seconds.

"Laurens gone."

And it was every single teammate that came together to hold one another up. To stay strong.

For someone that was the heart of the team.

For someone that was so much more than a friend. But a family member. A sister.

A sister that will never be replaced.

And one bye one

They came face to face with each other in the heart of laurens hometown.

In the heart of her church she grew up going to.

They came red eyed to red eyed to say goodbye to one of the best persons they've ever known.

With her open casket at the front of the church,

One by one

They said their final goodbyes before they would no longer be alone. And this church would be filled with grieving people. And saddened faces.

Teary eyed and sorrow filling their faces, the team respectively took their seats in the first 4 rows of the church. Holding eachothers hands, uniting one another to remember the life of a sister.

It quickly filled and soon the pastor began.

Some blocked him out

Some listened intently to what he had to say

And others looked lost

Amy and tobin were two people chosen by laurens parents to speak...but only if they wanted to. After a little bit of thinking they both had agreed to share their best moments of their fellow New Kid.

Amy was one to block the pastor out, until he had called for her to come up on stage to the microphone.

Slowly, but surely, she made her way up, but not before going by lauren again and placing a gentle kiss on the already closed casket.

As she finally made it to the microphone, she sent a look to tobin, who reassured her she'll be okay, and to continue on.

"L-lauren holiday just wasnt my teammate. She was my non-biological sister. She was my sons godmother. She was my better half...or should i say third, because tobins also apart of that third," everyone let out a light chuckle at her joke, "but in all honesty, lauren was more of a second mom than a sister. She was someone who was there when you needed her most, when you werent sure about something, when you needed advice about a boy, or simply when you just needed someone to talk to. She never failed to listen, and if she did its because she was giving you input on the situation, wether it be on the pitch or sitting on the couch. She was always there for people when they needed her.