A game I can't lose

Rule #1- Don't kiss your best friend

Camp couldn't have come any quicker.
At least to Jordan.

They had games against England and Sweden and after last year's disappointing show, had to get back on track.

How that wasn't on every USWNT player's mind.
Jordan was anxious, nerves hadn't been eased by the fact she was rooming with Naeher.
Dawn seemed to have noticed as she asked Jordan whether she felt sick or not.

Jordan tried to occupy herself when she got to the room and not let Naeher bother her. Yet as soon as the goalie arrived, she lifted her head up and eye contact was shared.
"Jordan," the voice was firm, "you need to speak to Mal."
Jordan threw her laptop down onto the bed. "Why?" She whined like an arrogant kid. "There's nothing between us."

Jordan could've sworn she heard, "Not yet." But she let it go.
And followed Alyssa into the room she realised too late was the one Lindsey was sharing with Mal.
"Alyssa-"
But the door was shut. And Jordan's roommate couldn't be found. She's not playing this game with me, Jordan decided as she went on her phone.
Then she heard the last voice she wanted to hear.
"Lindsey, this isn't funny. Just let me out already."

A muffled, "Only if you speak to Jordan," could be heard and Mal sighed upon that.
Just then she walked into the room, seeing her best friend.
"I don't know why they wanted us to talk." Mal grumbled. Jordan shrugged. But she had a feeling.
The forward frowned. "Maybe it's because you've been avoiding me."
"Have not!"
"Have to!"
Jordan sighed. "Look Mal, I don't want our friendship to go on like this. I don't want to fight."

Mal thought about her break up with Dansby.
"Same. I've done a lot of that recently."
Jordan laughed upon hearing that. "See, we need each other more than ever. So why can't we go back to the way they were?"
Jordan expected something along the lines of an agreement.
She didn't expect to see her best friend burst down into tears.
"Mal!"

Jordan frantically searched, and thankfully found, tissues, giving the whole box to Pugh.
She had to sit her lifelong mate down. "What's going on?"
Mal said nothing at first, sniffing which eventually turned into hiccups.
"You..." she had to take a deep breath, "mean more to me."
Jordan didn't get it. "What do you mean?"
Mallory didn't know how to explain it. So she kissed her.

Jordan didn't lurch back, break off or do anything during the kiss. Her emotions hadn't yet hit in.
Yet when it ran its course, Jordan looked up to see teary eyes, a red face.

And that's when it hit in. That Jordan had kissed her best friend.
In the game she didn't want to lose, the first and utmost important rule had been broken.

And Jordan was a coward. Scared outside her comfort zone. And she had been pushed far beyond it.
The friendship between Jordan and Mal was always pure.

Nothing had come in the way. Nothing was supposed to.

Which is why Jordan couldn't let her feelings ruin it.

So Jordan got up, ignoring Mal's confusion, ignoring the place she was in, ignoring Lindsey and Alyssa asking how the conversation had went, ignoring everything in the world as she burst the door open and jumped into her bed, cover over her head.

Because Jordan would  rather break someone's heart than lose her game.