London is Pink

Chapter One

"Jord, why did you react like that?"

Pierre, who had spoken, was staring at me from across the other side of the Arsenal dressing room. I was unable to meet the eyes of my best friend, however, preferring to stare blankly at the roof above. It was a good question. One that I didn't know the answer to.

There was always one person in every girl's life who managed to wind you up so easily, to get under your skin, and annoy you til you snapped. Today, I had officially made the acquaintance of someone who did just that. And what was even worse? He got away with it. At least, for a while, anyway.

I thought back over the events of the past couple of hours. It was the fixture I looked forward to the most out of all the games in the season. Unlike a lot of the Arsenal players, I grew up as an Arsenal fan, so that, when we played Tottenham, it gave an edge to my game, a hunger to win that was never quite the same when we played any other team.

Today, somehow, that had all been turned against me by one person, and I wasn't happy about it.

Perhaps it wasn't anything much to begin with. Just a slightly misjudged tackle, getting in the way, or causing me to trip over. But eventually I began to realise he was deliberately targeting me, and it made me angry that the ref wasn't picking him up for it. It was like I couldn't help myself - I began to retaliate, and the fighting between us escalated until there I was, back in the dressing room with a red card, and more than likely a three game ban. It was small consolation to know that he got exactly the same punishment. Turns out the ref was paying some attention that time, but in response to my entreaties that he was the one to blame, kindly informed me that it takes two to fight.

I would never have guessed it.

The game was over now, and my teammates were reappearing in the dressing room. Pierre, (or Auba, as we generally called him) Sienna, and Laca all crowded me, checking if I was okay. The physicality was just a part of my game, always had been, but I knew that had been plain aggression today. However, I managed to convince Sienna and Laca I was fine, and they dispersed to go and get changed, leaving me only Pierre to contend with, who didn't believe my show of indifference for a second.

"I really have no idea, Auba," I at last responded to his question.

"Well can you not? We need you out there, you know," he smirked.

I rolled my eyes at my friend, but couldn't help the smile that made its way onto my face. But there was one thing I really needed to know.

"Did we win?"

"Of course we won," he retorted, and I breathed out heavily, relief flooding my veins.

I couldn't have dealt with the guilt if we had lost, and it could have gone either way, it was one all when I'd been sent off.

"Auba, Jordyn, come on!" Hector yelled to us. "We just won the derby, Jord stop looking like a sauerkraut."

I laughed at him, and stood up. The rest of our teammates were understandably going crazy. High Hopes by Panic! At the Disco was playing loudly, and Ainsley, Mo Elneny and Welbz were dancing in the middle of the room. Sead had Sienna on his shoulders, and she was waving her Man of the Match award ('man' of the match, oh the irony) at Laca, who was videoing them. Mesut had his phone out as well, and was videoing himself saying "Ya Gunners Ya!" I giggled at the lot of them, the good humour was infectious. I pulled out my phone too, and opened the camera.

"Hey Auba!" I yelled at him.

"Ayy, you know!" He turned towards me. "I'm the best init!"

"Nope, Sienna is," I giggled, turning the camera on her.