ᴄᴀᴘᴛᴀɪɴ | ᴘᴏʟʏ

5

"I would wish you the best, but you already had it."
- blackbear

Leaving behind her confusion surrounding Sarah and Kelley, Logan made it her mission to settle in with her new teammates as quick as possible. Sure, she knew that some might be tougher than others to get on good terms with, considering they were National teammates of her ex, but that didn't deter her.

Being unveiled by Orlando was a momentous moment for the once Rookie. The news was met with a mixed reception. Majority of responses were supportive and positive, however there was a small amount that was still holding some sort of grudge due to her past and how she left Seattle.

Teammates from Bayern and friends she made in Germany didn't delay in sending their best wishes. Those thoughts gave Logan a second wind, she knew why she came back to the States, and she wasn't going to let a few negative voices stop her.

She was here to prove everyone wrong.

Linking up with her Pride teammates wasn't as difficult as she had predicted. Logan's biggest concern was Alex Morgan - certified best friend of Kelley. Scott was prepared for a serious shit show heading her way, so when Morgan embraced the younger girl in a warm and welcoming hug it definitely threw Logan off.

Despite it all, Alex was the Orlando Pride welcome wagon, and Logan loved it.

"I don't know what to tell you, Worms. She's...great," Alex hesitates in complimenting her best friend's ex in any kind of way. "The team already loves her."

"Oh. That's great," Kelley responds, trying to keep her sarcasm at bay.

"How are you and Sarah?" Alex asks, trying to change the subject to a happier one than past loves. It backfires epically.

"Over."

"Uh, what happened? You seemed happy."

"I don't know," Kelley sighs, giving off the impression that she knew exactly why she's not dating Sarah anymore.

"Kel-"

"What do you want me to say?" Kelley snaps. "Long distance sucks? I'm barely in Seattle to see her? That she's not Logan?"

There's a tense silence as Alex listens to her friend vent her pent up frustrations. It's blatantly clear that Kelley hasn't had adequate time to work through her feelings. Bottling them up has reached its limits. It wasn't a secret to her national teammates that Kelley had jumped into a relationship to get over Logan, all made clearer by her dating another girl from Seattle.

"Why don't you just talk to her?" Alex asks, her tone delicate and cautious. "She's not the same kid she was."

"How do you know that?" Kelley asks, knowing that Alex and Logan hadn't really spoken during the younger girl's rookie season at Seattle.

"Kelley," Morgan chuckled, "You spoke about her all the time. People change, give her a shot."

"Why are you her number one fan?" O'Hara asked, but Alex laughed it off.

"I know for a fact you still have her number, call her."



Logan took her seat beside her favorite rookie, Erin Greening, as they watched the rest of the team board the bus waiting to take them to their hotel during their stay here in Salt Lake.

"Excited?" Logan asked Erin. The Canadian international was enjoying the responsibility of taking the rookie under her wing.

"Nervous," The rookie mumbled, playing with the drawstings of her hoodie. Logan placed her hand over the rookie's, ceasing the shaking of Erin's limbs.

"That's good, means you want it. Just don't let it get to you," Logan comforted the youngster. "Look at this team, we all have your back, you'll be fine." Logan let go of Erin's hand, nudging the rookie in a bid to get her to loosen up.

Unbeknown to both women, Logan's pep talk with the team rookie was being recorded by the Advocate of Privacy, Ashlyn Harris, who almost immediately posted it on her array of social media accounts.

The Orlando fans took Logan to their hearts, gestures like that, with Erin, only solidified her place in the team. Snippets of her caring side slowly began to change public opinion of the pro around the league. Slowly, but surely, people were warming to the idea of Logan being back in the NWSL.

The real test would be the atmosphere that welcomes her back to Seattle, but that's for another day.

In her Utah home, Kelley watched the video her national teammate Harris posted. Unlike others who seemed surprised by the Canadian player's soft, caring side, and how she seems to flourish under responisbility, Kelley wasn't.

O'Hara was seeing glimpses of two women.

One was the sweet rookie she fell in love with. She could see scenes of Logan taking care of her brother, she could see in the short video that she was putting her teammate first, much like her sibling.

Second was the new Logan. The confident Logan. This was the most surprising aspect of the video. Kelley had always known Logan to be 'The Observer'. Logan would be reserved, quietly assessing the situation and working out what to say and how to move forward based on what others are saying and doing - not that she followed the crowd. Now she can see that Logan has grown, she took it upon herself to help the rookie, she didn't wait for any of the other senior players in the team to take it upon themselves to help Erin.

Logan was a confident, strong woman and Kelley was finding her anger slipping away, replaced by a slow but steady stream of tears free falling to the ground, much like the wall she built around her heart when Logan left.