[DISCONTINUED] SuperNova | USWNT

6 - Preparations

Last night, after the US won 8-0, Liz and I finally settled in. Like I had expected, she was totally fine with sharing a bed. In fact, she was overjoyed that she'd get to cuddle with me every night. So, that's how we feel asleep, with me holding her in my arms, securely.

I woke the next morning to my internal alarm clock, at around 6 am. Normally I get up around 6:30 or 7, but I decided that I wanted to do something nice for Heather. After getting ready, and trying my hardest not to wake Liz up, I headed downstairs quietly, and started making pancakes, eggs, and bacon. It was also important for me to wake up early and eat a good breakfast, because I needed as much energy possible for the game tonight.

"Aw, I thought I heard someone down here." I heard Heather say from behind me as I stood at the stove.

Giving her a quick smile, I said, "I'm sorry if I woke you. I just thought I'd give you a break and make breakfast this morning."

She waved her hand dismissively and gave me a warm smile. "No, no, you didn't wake me. I was just about to come down here and start breakfast myself. But, thank you very much for your help. You're too kind." I only nodded my head politely, not really agreeing with her. I wasn't being 'too kind' at all. If anything, she's the one who has been too kind to me. I was only trying to pay her back for all the incredible things she has done for me and Liz.

It was now around 6:30 and I could start to hear the patter of children's feet on the wooden floors. "Mmm, what smells so good?" A little boy, probably around 8 years old, asked as he sat down at the kitchen table. I remembered his name to be Nathan, but the kids usually called him Nate.

"Our new friend, Casey here, is making some breakfast." Heather told him, while proceeding to sit down next to him. He smiled and started to wiggle around excitedly.

"There's pancakes, bacon, and eggs. What would you like?" I smiled at him as his eyes scoured the food in front of me.

"Pancakes!" He yelled very enthusiastically, making Heather and I laugh.

"Pancakes it is!" I replied and placed two small pancakes on his plate, along with a bottle of syrup. "Now, who else wants some?" I looked around at the children, who all seemed to have smiles on their faces, and started passing out food.

-

"Hey Casey, can we take Liv to school today?" My sister asked me after handing me her dishes from breakfast. I looked over and saw Olivia standing next to her with a hopeful smile on her face. Well, I can't say no to that face.

"As long as Heather is okay with it." I told her and they both grinned.

"We already asked, she said she could! Oh, and... I know this is a lot to ask, but Liv wants to know if she can come to the game tonight and watch you play." Liz asked cautiously, almost like she thought she was gonna get in trouble for asking.

I sighed, "I'll have to ask Natalie if she's willing. But, you two better be on your best behavior, because she doesn't need to be dealing with two crazy kids, let alone one." Liz jumped up and down, looking like she was about to explode with joy.

"Okay, we promise we will be good. Right Liv?" My sister nudged her friend, causing her to nod in response. "Oh, this is gonna be so awesome!" They both hopped out of their seats and bolted upstairs to collect their stuff. I shook my head at their childishness and prayed that they wouldn't kill Natalie.

-

Luckily I didn't have morning practice, (although that's just because we have an extra long after-school practice up until the game) which finally gave me a chance to catch up on some school work. I was gradually getting back on track with my life and it felt wonderful. I went around to all of my classes, retaking tests or asking for extra credit work, trying to raise my grades. Graduation was coming up sooner than I realized, so I only had a small window of time to boost my grades. I know, at this point, I couldn't end with a 4.0, but I was shooting for, at least, a B average.