Chapter 3
˚✧ ✧˚
To say that I was nervous about our first practice may be an understatement. I was a wreck, cracking every single one of my knuckles until my fingers ached. I've had many first days of practices before but nothing as high stakes as this one felt.
I had always wanted to go D1 but actually doing it and dreaming about it are two completely different things. Now that the stress of it was here, I felt myself succumbing to the fear of not being good enough. the imposter syndrome of my life being too good for me to enjoy it was starting to get to me. Was I even that good of a striker to be scouted by somerset?
I feel a tap on my shoulder that breaks up my worried thoughts and I spin around to see two girls standing in front of me. "Hey you must be Raine? I'm Jaide but you can call me Lindy. I'm also a first year." she sticks her hand out towards me as her bright blue cleats hang in the other. Her eyes are a dark brown, contrasting to her porcelain skin and her hooded eyelids. I could tell she had long hair even though it was in bubble braids just based on the fact that her black locks reached mid back in a high pony.
"How do you know my name?" I blink at her, taken a little bit aback since I have no idea who any of the other first year or returners are. I mean I did take a peak at last year's roster when I committed but my memory is not that good considering my nickname in elementary school was Goldy since I had the memory of a goldfish.
"Team announcements on Instagram, you were tagged in the photo and I like to get to know a little about my teammates before we all trauma bond. Makes the mood feel a little lighter you know." I know she's joking but at the same time she's not. The first week of any team practice is always hell week filled with fitness tests, 2-a-days and forced team bonding.
"Don't remind me, I'm already nervous as it is and thinking about running the beep test is enough for me to hurl up all of my food from lunch." I cringed, thinking back to how rubbery the chicken in my sandwich was.
"Yeah not the best food I've ever had but I've heard that they serve some pretty bomb omelets in the morning so I'll be sure to be digging into those after 6am lift." Not looking forward to that either. me and mornings do not get along.
"Have you met Asa?" Jaide slings her free arm around the blonde standing next to her. She is significantly taller than me, clocking in at, at least 5'10".
"I have not, Nice to meet you!" I smile, leaning forward to shake her hand and she gives me a meek look. "Jaide is my roommate so I have the pleasure to live with the eagerness," I can feel the sarcasm in her voice and I can already tell she is the dry humor type.
"Coach matched up all of us first years with one another so who's your missing half?" Jaide asks as we continue to walk towards the field and I catch a familiar set of eyes match mine. Oh for fucks sake.
"You following me Parsons?" I hear her shout across the field and I feel myself turn pink almost immediately. "You're kidding?! You were the lucky one who got paired up with Valencia" She practically shoves me to the side, green with envy. For what reason though, she's such an asshole.
"I wouldn't say lucky, I was supposed to be rooming with my sister, but I see now why it was switched up once we got here. She's been nothing but rude to me since I set foot in Washington. What makes her so special besides having a gigantic stick up her ass?" I say and next to me Asa snorts.
"She was recruited from a semi-pro club in Italy. She was also voted number one five-star recruit since 8th grade. She's got mad skills and she'll definitely be starting as a freshman. which is pretty much unheard of here."
We put our stuff down by the benches and I start to tie on my cleats and insert my shin guards when Valencia comes up to me, sweat dripping down her face. She pulls her t-shirt up to wipe it and I can't help but stare at her exposed torso.
"You're blocking my bag." she stares at me, palpably annoyed and I mutter an apology as I shuffle to the side, continuing to tie my shoe. "So I get the pleasure of interacting with you not only at the dorm but also at practice too. So exciting!" She practically rolls her eyes, grabbing her water bottle out of her bag and a fire lights up inside me.
"What's your problem man? What the hell did I do for you to treat me like shit?" My eyes widen and my lips form a fine line. "You'll figure it out." she shrugs before taking a swig of water and not saying another word. I consider going after her, but I bite my tongue as Coach Powers calls us to the middle of the field.
"Okay before we get into testing I want everyone to say name, year and major so we can get to know each other a little more before you're going to be spending the next season with each other." She says and next to me, Asa groans, "I hate icebreakers."
it goes around the circle starting with both of the Captains, Lulu and Parker who are both seniors and then loops around to the other 27 people on the team. When it gets to Val she says that she's a business major and that's all I need to hear.
"Okay so we're starting with gassers. I hope everyone is warmed up because it's going to be eight down and back with two one-minute breaks in the middle and then we'll do passing patterns." there is a collective groan among all of us as we line up at the line.
the more we got through practice the more I realized that I was starting to feel more comfortable. The field was always my safe space, an escape. It was just me, the ball and the goal and that's all that mattered. Nothing else.
I could tell that this year was probably going to be one of the best seasons yet. Once we got in a groove we started to feel like an actual team.
"Okay that's it for today! Good job and be ready to grind just as hard tomorrow. Freshman clean up the equipment and bring it back to the storage room!" Coach powers yelled as we started to pick up the cones.
"Not going to lie you're gonna have me running for my money. Good job today Parsons." one of the captains, Lucita, patted me on the back as she made her way off the field.
"looks like the nickname stuck." Valencia smirks at me and my face turns sour. "Shut up." she's going to get on my nerves real fast if she keeps this up.
"I am so ready for a shower, I am soaked in sweat." Lindy says as one of our teammates, Frankie, swoops down to pick us the last ball and put it in the net. "Same. and to think we have to do all of this again tomorrow. Lucky us." I run my hand down my face as we start our trek to the storage room.
"Plus early morning lift too. I'm just glad classes don't start for another two weeks or I'll be brain-dead before we get to our first game."
"Lindy, our first game is next Friday against Washington State so that better not happen." And now I'm back to being nervous.
"It's just a scrimmage Raine, there's no need to worry yet. It doesn't matter if we win or lose. so shake off those nerveies and lets just focus on being a team first. That's more important." She looks and me and I nod, taking a deep breath.
"You're right." The problem wasn't the game. It was the fact that it was against Washington State.
YOU ARE READING
When Raine Falls
Teen Fiction"You are probably my biggest mistake but also the best one I ever made" ° ° ° Somerset, Washington. A place known for their women's soccer team, health sciences and many other things. It was the only place Raine Parsons could dream of going to coll...
