Lost and Found

fifteen

Our next match was against England and throughout every training session, all I had heard was our tough an opponent they were going to be. Since I had joined the team, we'd had a rocky few matches and I couldn't help that my arrival had led to such a change in dynamic. Staff knew it too and gave us today off to spend together as well as insisting we had a full team bonding tonight.

Right now, I was out for lunch with Alex and Kelley. The minute we had been told we had the day off they had demanded that Scarlett and I spent the day with them though I had a sneaky suspicion that Alex was worried there was some competition for Scarlett's favorite auntie. We had let Alex choose where we were going since she was the most likely not to be able to eat somewhere and she had found this quaint, hole-in-the-wall cafe. Scarlett was sat at the end of the table in a highchair and Alex was next to her and I was opposite. Surprisingly enough, Kelley had chosen to sit next to me rather than Alex but just like Alex, she had taken on such a protective role when it came to me that I didn't mind.

"So, what name have you picked for your jersey against England?" Kelley asked.

To celebrate the fact that we were playing in the She Believes tournament, we had all been ask to choose an iconic or inspirational woman and use their surname on our jerseys for one match.

"Mine was an easy choice, there's no one who has helped guide me or give me advice and confidence more than Abby." Alex explained.

"That's the same for me with HAO. I've always looked up to her and it just made sense. When they said who inspires you, I immediately thought of her." Kelley explained her choice and then I realized they were both staring at me.

"Who'd you pick Mini Morgs?"

"Well I wanted to pick Alex but they told me I wasn't allowed too since we already had the same name so it took me ages to think of someone else. I thought Michelle Obama was a pretty cool choice. She's just so confident and certain of herself. And she's such a good mom, at least from what I can see."

"I think Michelle Obama is a much better choice than me. I know it feels like forever, or at least it does to me, but I've only been in your life since January camp- hardly a good role model to you.

"Alex, you know as well as I do that you might have only physically been in my life for the last couple of months, you've been a part of everything I do for so much longer." I said as I reached out to hold her hand.

"I mean you could have always put O'Hara on your back." Kelley said sending a wink over to my older sister.

"Kelley now is not the time."

I thought Kelley was just trying to lighten the mood but by how quickly Alex had snapped at her there was clearly something else happening.

"Al it's a good as time as any other. Everyone else knows, why can't Addie know? She's gonna know sooner or later." Kelley retorted just as fast.

"Kelley, no!"

"No. What is it? What am I missing? If everyone else knows then, why can't I?" I whined as I glanced between Alex and Kelley who were now staring intensely at each other.

"Okay, I guess now is the time. I wanted to do this somewhere more private so we could speak over things if necessary. Addie, Kelley and I are together and have been for a few years now. She was joking that you could have put O'Hara on the back of your jersey to represent me because, one day, in the future, I plan on taking Kelley's last name." Alex said.

I was silent while I took a moment to process the information. It made sense really, they were never apart but I had always assumed that just how the friendship was- much like Lindsey and I's friendship. It also explained Kelley's nature towards me, not that the rest of the team could be overprotective when they liked, it's just that Alex and Kelley were different.