SUNSHINE

twenty four

[ This is kind of just going to be a filler chapter because it's so far ahead in the future that I don't want to go too in depth with it, so bear with me! Hopefully getting to touch into some drama soon... ]

It had been a bit of a transition, but Casey had been adjusting to living as the starting goalkeeper for the Orlando Pride at the age of eighteen.

Well, nineteen. Her birthday had come and gone and her teammates made sure to celebrate with her since she could not be home with her family and friends away at college.

Ever since Casey had started to defend the net, there seemed to be a new sense of urgency to defend and press harder on the field. They had turned the second half of their season around and had tried for a playoff spot, but they fell short and their season ended earlier than they had hoped. They would have the next few months off, but Marc made sure to keep them all in shape with a training schedule to follow. It was now October, and even though Jill Ellis has been in contact about her being on the Olympic team, their qualifying would not be until February, so until then, she would be going to football games at Florida State to watch her quarterback boyfriend and catch up on some of her online classes. She had been enjoying her college classes, studying sport management being quite entertaining. Marc had been allowing her to get some behind the scene looks at how the team was managed, and she could not be anymore grateful.

The holidays had passed, Casey and all her friends home in Tampa for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. It was an amazing time, able to see Riley in person for the first time since August. Jackson had come to every home Pride match with her parents and his dad, and it always made her feel at home whenever they came and visited her. Alex had gone and spent the holidays with her husband in Los Angeles, so she had had the house to herself for the past couple of months. They would all be meeting in the middle of January in the warmer state of California for their Olympic qualifying. The roster had already been announced and she was honored to be on it, but this time it was going to be more difficult to make the final roster come the summer, for there were fewer spots than the World Cup roster. Five less spots, and she was hoping to be one of them. Her hopes were high this time around, but she was not a veteran like Naeher and Harris, which Ellis was looking for.

It was now the end of February and they were qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which would start in just a few short months. She would have some more games with the Orlando Pride before the final roster was announced in mid July, the first game being the first week of August. For now, she would go through preseason with the Orlando Pride and finish up her first year of college courses.

There was a knock on the front door, and she looked up from her laptop screen and looked at it. She was not expecting Alex back until Wednesday, and that was four days away. She set her laptop down beside her and got up off the couch. She could hear Blue barking outside in the yard, which was unusual for people the dog knew. She opened the door and saw the familiar face of Jackson staring back at her with a bouquet of flowers in his hands. She had not gotten the chance to see him since New Years, and that was almost two months ago.

"Hey stranger." He greeted as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Hey handsome." She answered, inviting him inside. She went to the sliding door and let Blue in, who went and searched for attention from their visitor.

"How are you?" He asked as she put the flowers in a vase. Once she was done she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Lonely being here by myself, but I've been keeping busy with my classes and training." She responded as he slowly and passionately pressed a kiss on her lips. She smiled against his lips, just being able to have his touch on her comforting.