Judge My Skills, Not Me

Chapter 4: Goodbye America...

"I can't believe you're leaving us," Alex said to her best friend.

"I'm sad that I'm leaving too Alex," Cristina said as she packed up the last of her belongings from her locker. Her talk with Luis and Joseph was just 2 weeks ago and she still was worried about her transfer.

"Then stay! You can be happier here with us than playing for some team in Europe!" Alex said knowing her best friend whether she liked it or not.

Cristina hadn't told anyone about her transfer to FC Barcelona. All her family and friends knew was she was moving to a team in Europe. Her fans and the media wondered where the soccer start was headed too. Most people thought she was going to Milan, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, or Barcelona. Well, they were right about Barça, but not about playing for Barcelona Femení. Only a select number of people knew about her move to Barça. Joseph thought it best to reveal the announcement on the day of the signing, so the public and media wouldn't harass her on the way to Spain as much. "Alex, you know this is a great opportunity for me," Cristina said as she closed her locker and picked up her box of stuff.

"I know, I know. But I'm going to miss you," Alex said. Cristina put down the box in her hands and hugged her friend.

"I'm going to miss you too," the best friends hugged for a while before Cristina picked up her box again.

"How did your family take the news?"

"They were a little sad that they would see me even less, but other than that they were excited about my transfer,"

"Well, make sure to kick ass out there in Europe," Alex said following her friend to the car. Cristina laughed at her friend's comment. "And I know you're going to be playing for Argentina next Cup, so be ready for me and the rest of USA to kick your ass."

"In your dreams, Morgan. The only way you could beat me was if I broke both my legs," Cristina said loading the box in her car, "and even then, you'd only win by one goal." The friends laughed. "Well, that's the last of it. Keep these girls in shape when I'm gone."

Alex had a sad smile on her face, "When's your flight?"

"Friday afternoon, I'll be in Europe Saturday morning touring the stadium and signing that day."

"Well, whatever this mystery club is," Alex said emphasizing the word mystery knowing that Cristina grew tired of telling people she couldn't say where she was going, "I hope they treat you well, and if they don't just come back, I'm sure we'd all be glad to have you again." The girls hugged one more time before Cristina started the car and left to go pack the rest of her apartment.

She only had 2 more days to pack, but Joseph assured her that she only really needed personal items because they were getting her a house with all the essentials. Cristina protested at first because she felt weird taking all this stuff from Barça. Joseph had assured her that the club was only buying her a house so her move would be more of a secret and have it ready for her with all the security needs by the time she got there. Cristina was excited and nervous at the same time. She was excited to be the first girl to play professionally for a men's team and go to Spain for the first time but was nervous about the response from the public and media about her place at Barça. Cristina shook her head. She didn't want to think about failing before even starting. "Look you're just going to play your best and not listen to the media," Cristina told herself in the mirror. She packed the rest of her clothes in her suitcase. Pictures, other memorabilia, and most of her closet were sent to Spain a couple of weeks ago, so her apartment was mostly empty. She only really needed to bring an overnight suitcase for her flight and Saturday. Her whole life would change as soon as she stepped off her plane in Spain.

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As always, reporters and paparazzi filled the airport as Cristina made her way to the security gate. She wore a black Tommy Hilfiger sweatshirt with dark wash jeans and black boots. She gripped her suitcase as she hurried to TSA. The TSA officers were confused about all the commotion until they saw the soccer star trying to push past the mob of cameras chasing her. They quickly escorted her through the airport. Cristina thanked them as she boarded the private jet Barça had for her. The captain greeted her as she walked in and introduced the staff. She sat in the chair near the window.

The jet was very nice and looked very expensive, so Cristina didn't touch a thing. Unlike when other transferred players, Cristina's jet wasn't marked with the Barcelona crest on the outside of the plane. In just a few hours, life was going to get a bit more hectic. "Welcome, Miss. Diaz, to your flight to Barcelona, Spain. We hope you have a great flight with us and enjoy your stay in Spain!," the pilot said over the intercom of the jet, "We will be taking off in about 15 minutes and this flight will be 10 hours and 15 minutes long, so get comfortable."

Cristina put on her headphones and listened to her music. She felt the aircraft start to move and she looked out the window. "Goodbye America," she said with a bittersweet smile.

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