Packing up to leave your childhood home is hard, but packing up to leave your life is harder. That's exactly what Kelsey is telling herself at the moment.
Her roommates, Kealia and Kristie, are here to support her. Kealia has already packed up all of her things with the help of JJ Watt, her boyfriend, who also entered the Draft version for rugby and got drafted in Houston. They are set to leave this afternoon already, so the blonde is there to say goodbye to her roommates.
And all three of them are emotional.
"You better not block all my shots this year, got it ?" Kealia jokes, as Kelsey is smirking.
"Count on me to do the exact opposite of what you want me to do, as always" the goalie jokes.
They then both turn around to face Kristie.
"And you, youngster, you better hold the fort while we're gone, okay ?"
Kristie has a nostalgic smile on.
"I will miss you guys."
The three girls get into a group hug, before JJ Watt comes in to pick up his girlfriend. After saying goodbye for three years (from JJ's point of view at least) Kealia finally puts her last bag on her shoulder, before waving the girls goodbye and following her man outside.
Once they're left alone, Kristie and Kelsey pack the goalie's things together, before hearing someone knock on the door.
Olivia Schough is there, a nostalgic smile on her lips. Her and Kelsey have been in kind of a secret relationship for a while now, and Kristie is the only one knowing about it because she knows the goalie pretty well. In order to let them say goodbye to each other properly, Kristie goes out of the room, empty because the two roommates she's had for four years will be gone after today.
Once she gets in the corridor, Kristie finds herself almost bumping into Julie, who has boxes in hand. She then frowns.
"Hey ?"
"Hi" Julie lets out, obviously tired. "Allie and Tobs want to talk to me, but first I have to put my things in my new room. I believe we now are roommates."
If Kristie would've picked anyone herself to be her roommate, Julie would be the one she would've picked. And when she sees Megan right behind the blonde with boxes as well, she soon understands that things are changing.
She takes the box from Julie's hands, before saying :
"Then go and see them, roomie. I'll take care of those boxes."
Julie thanks her warmly, before jogging to the other dorm, where Allie and Tobin also are packing their things.
When Megan enters the room as well, Kristie smiles at her.
"Next year is gonna be a fun year."
Megan starts smiling as well : she knows the middy is right.
___________
Meanwhile, Julie knocks at the Harrys' door.
She is told to come in and does so, expecting them to ask for her help or something. But when she realizes Tobin is holding the captain armband, her heart becomes heavier. She suspects Becky to have told the girls to give it to her.
Tobin has a warm smile on.
"I guess you understood why we wanted to talk to you. As Becky would say : 'this team is all about legacy, bla bla bla, you're the future of defense Julie'. Anyways, we all agree that you would be an amazing captain, because next year will be tough without us and you'll have to hold the fort for us."
Allie nods her head in agreement.
"Yah, the whole team wants you to have it." she insists.
But Julie thinks otherwise.
"Thanks girls, but... I can't accept."
"What ?" Tobin lets out, obviously confused and surprised, while the other senior is looking at her, trying to understand. "Why ?"
Julie sighs.
"It would've been an honor, but Kristie deserves it more than I do. She's been a pillar for this team those past four years, on and off the pitch. She deserves it more."
The Harrys exchange a look before Allie lets out :
"Told you she wouldn't want it." Then, she reports her attention on Julie, who is obviously pretty uncomfortable, before throwing the armband to the blonde, who catches it, frowning. "Go and give it to Kratch, she was my first choice" Allie explains, smirking.
As Julie thanked them and is on her way out, Tobin calls her name and says :
"Oh, and while you're at it, tell her that her sister is the new Stanford captain."
Julie smiles, before hugging the two girls and go back to her new room to announce Kristie the good news.
She obviously was honored but freaked out about leading a team as a captain, but in the end she took the armband.
*
Lindsey shakes her head, tears falling from them. Emily is by her side, being the good bed friend she is, putting a comforting hand in her shoulder. Most of the juniors came to the airport to say goodbye to Ada, who is going back to Norway to finish her studies, but also to their former teammates.
When the Portland flight is called last - after Kelsey embarked for Washington about half an hour earlier, kissing Olivia goodbye, and that Kealia already left this morning with her boyfriend - the young middy starts crying harder : her mentors are not her teammates anymore. She couldn't look up on the field and see Allie's confident smile, or Tobin comforting high fives. Nobody would tell her to calm down, that everything would be okay in the end, because now she's the senior.
It's her turn to run that midfield.
Allie immediately hugs her, moved by the youngster's mark of love, as Tobin is silently trying not to cry. But when a tear also runs down her cheeks, she joins the hug, as the three girls are now crying.
"Kid" Tobin says in a serious tone. "Don't mess up, because we're gonna try to make Portland pick you next year, okay ?"
Lindsey nods.
"O-okay."
"C'mon, Looms, we believe in you" Allie says, before wiping her tears away and taking her luggage with her. "We'll see you soon."
"See ya" Lindsey lets out.
Once her two teammates are gone, she shakes her head, angry. She crosses Emily's eyes, who are comforting. Having the blonde as a roommate is the best thing that happened to her in ages, honestly.
She smiles.
"C'mon, it's time to make them proud" Emily lets out.
Woah, that's probably the most serious thing I've ever heard her say, Lindsey thinks to herself, before getting in the car. She knows things are going to be different from now on, but different doesn't mean worse.
They then begin their car-drive to South Colorado now.
Here's to new beginnings.
