HAZE (On Hold)

Part 11

"Alright everyone good work, grab some water."

Hailee joins the rest of the girls on the sidelines downing her water, "Slow down Haze, you're going to get a cramp." Hailee looks over at Amanda who said it and nods before putting her bottle back down.

"Haze, can I speak with you for a moment, please?"

"Um, sure Kelley, what's up?"

"Walk with me kid."

Kelley and Hailee walk over to where the remainder of the USWNT players are setting up for the next drill.

"I'm not in trouble, am I?"

"No, definitely not. A couple of things, first you've been doing awesome. The Academy players and Coaches are chomping at the bit in anticipation of having you play with them.

"Not going to happen as long as Aurora is around."

"But what if she wasn't around anymore?"

"Kelley, whatever you're thinking about doing, don't! You don't need a pissed of Aurora or Shay on your case nor do I!"

"I may have already done something."

"Worms, what did you do?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it. Anyways, the second thing I wanted to tell you is that the dude over there recording everything isn't here just for the school, at my request he is recording you. I want to send a video of you on to US soccer. I really believe you have the skills and attitude necessary to make soccer a career. Anyways, let's get back to practising." Kelley jogs away from them.

"Should I be scared, Alex?"

"Kelley has really taken a liking to you, she goes over the top sometimes, okay, a lot of times, but she would never do something purposefully to hurt someone; she isn't that kind of person. Also, I agree with her assessment of you and helped coordinate the camera guy along with the other girls. We do a ton of different camps and appearances throughout the year, it's very rare that we see someone who stands out from the group as much as you are right now. Are you interested in pursuing a career in soccer?"

"I love soccer, being on the field is the only place where I truly feel like I can be myself. No one is looking at my scars, they are watching the game. I would love to be able to pursue a future in it."

"Good. I expect to hear that you are playing for a better calibre team soon."

"That's an issue in itself. With my father mostly out of the picture, Shay is the one I need consent from and she won't allow me to play."

"We'll figure it out, Haze. Now, grab a drink and get ready for a bit of fun."

"Thanks, Alex."

Alex blows the whistle and the players all form a circle around her, "We're nearing the end of our time here with you guys and I just want to take a moment to express on behalf of all of us how much we've enjoyed teaching, learning and playing with and from you. Now, enough with the drills let's finish out with some fun. As you can see Alyssa, Christen and Tobin have created 2 identical obstacle courses. Using the same teams as yesterday, we are going to have you go head to head and the fastest time overall wins. Oh and just to add a little something, at the end you will see that each player will be taking a shot on goal. If you score then the US player with the opposing team will have to complete 5 pushups if you miss or the shot is saved then the US player attached to that team owes the 5 pushups."

"So, you mean that if the Blue team scores on the Red goalie, then you have to do pushups, but if we don't score then Kelley has to do them?"

"Exactly. Just a side note the pushups will be completed at the end of the race after everyone has taken their shot and will not count towards the overall time."