Beginner's Luck ▪︎ Dixie D'amelio/You

1. when everything changes

Dixie.

Life is full of changes. Every single day, every single second, something around us is changing. Maybe it's a choice we've never made before, maybe it's just the cells in our body dying and birthing. In a way or another, we're all walking changes. I believe that there's a moment in between those changes where you realize everything that's different, where you look around and things just don't seem as familiar and you notice that you got lost in your own metamorphosis.

I wish I could point out when things took a turn. But the truth is: I can't find my old self, even though she seems to be only a few months away. I'm too sunk into my own changes, and all I can do is narrate them.

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It was a sunny day, like it had been for the past month, which was good for our practice and, overall our moods. I looked around as my teammates played around with the soccer ball and laughed their sweat off. I wiped a couple drops out ot my forehead and walked towards Claudia.

"My legs are killing me!" I complained as I sat on the bench, grabbing my bottle of water and taking long sips.

"Ten more minutes and then we get to watch your sister fall off her human piramid." Claudia replied, making me glare at her.

"Hey, she's been talking about this piramid for three months. Besides, I'm pretty sure Madison is going on top." I said.

"Madison would hate that. I'll bet you 20 bucks Charli is on top and falls off." My teammate said.

"I'm not going to bet on my sister's failure!" I protested, making her roll her eyes.

"50 bucks....?"

"Fine, 50 bucks that she stays on top. You're on."

"EVERYONE TO THE CENTER!" We heard our coach yell from the field. I squeezed my eyes to see her through the burning sunlight.

"I don't think I can take another 10 minutes." I groaned as we walked towards the coach.

"Shut up, you're the school's promise. You could do 40 more minutes. What's up with you?" Claudia raised an eyebrow.

"I do have a scholarship at stake. It's just a warm day, that's all." I shrugged.

"It's been warm for a month now, Dixie." My friend looked at me, and suddenly, it felt like she saw right through me.

"You've been with Ashley!" She exclaimed, I widened my eyes and gestured for her to stay quiet, we were already at the center of the field. She looked at me in disbelief. And I don't blame her, Ashley and I have been broken up for two months and I still couldn't resist her calls. But, what's so wrong with letting off some steam?

"I know you all were dying to play during those last minutes, but I'll need to use them to have a conversation with you." The coach announced, I heard my teammates groan, I just sighed.

"We're already halfway through the year and you'll be off to college in a heartbeat. I believe some of you have a real talent, and those who don't have trained enough have made to our level. So, I want to push you harder, that's why me and the school will be testing something those final school months." She started, making me furrow my eyebrows. What could she possibly be planning? More practice time? More gym time? We were already practicing quite heavily.

"We got in touch with some of the best soccer programs around the world, and we've decided to bring one of their best players to our team. Look to your right." Coach Stevens asked. I looked towards the bleachers, noticing that my sister, her cheerleading team and her boyfriend were already there. Besides the known faces, was a new one. It was a girl, sitting alone in dark sweats. I focused my gaze on her, she was waching us intensely, her eyebrows furrowed. I felt slightly intimidated, she looked serious and focused.

"That's (Y/N), she's kind of our "test subject". She's not only here to make this team better, she's here to challenge all of you to try things a different way. If this works out, we expect to bring other exchange students. Please welcome her warmly. Expect to have her with us next practice. That's all." Coach finished, walking away without expecting for a response from any of us.

The field was filled with comments and stares. The girl on the bleachers seemed to notice, she sat up and stared back, analyzing everyone who was looking at her.

When her gaze met mine, my body, warm from the sun, went cold. Something about her eyes got me extremely nervous. Her eyes talked to mine in a language I still didn't understand. The staring went on for what felt like a long time, until I heard a known voice and felt a hand on my shoulder.

"D'amelio, as team captain, I hope you'll make her feel welcome." It was the coach, she was looking at me deeply.

"Y... Yeah, sure." I smiled and walked away with Claudia.

"So we're supposed to talk to her?!" I questioned, looking at my friend.

"I mean, it's probably a hard situation for her. Not knowing anyone and just coming to another country, you know. She must be nervous. Besides, she's cute. Talking to her won't be so bad" Claudia shrugged, making me furrow my eyebrows. A group of people was already around the new girl. I took the oportunity to watch her more intently. She was attractive, with a confident look and a smile on her face, she seemed very concentrated on what people were telling her. Her skin glowing under the sun and the team jersey's bright red making her eyes even more intimidating. I'd be lying of I said she wasn't cute.

Before going to talk to the new girl, Claudia and I greeted our friends and watched as the cheerleading team entered the field.

"So, big day today, huh?" I asked my sister, she smiled and nodded.

"I'll rock that piramid. The piramid's my bitch." Charli said, making me laugh. She'd been talking about her team's first human piramid for months, and today was the day they were going to do it along with their regular coreography. Charli was very excited, she'd asked me to watch her practice and film her miraculous piramid.

"You're watching with me too, right?" I asked Chase.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." He smiled, hugging Charli and kissing her cheek gently.

"He even got Madison's crush to come watch us." Charli grinned, making Madison blush. I watched as Claudia raised an eyebrow.

"Are you watching too?" Madison turned to Claudia.

"Uh... I don't know, I think I don't have time today." My friend said, Madison frowned.

"I thought we were watching it toget..."

"Yeah I have a.... thing." Claudia interrupted me and left, making me raise an eyebrow. It wasn't the first time she acted weird around Madison, but I just figured they had a fight.

I shrugged and sat on the bleachers, Chase kissed Charli goodbye and sat by my side.

"I'm sweating, do you think I'll miss it if I go shower?" I turned to him.

"Pretty sure the piramid's only happening at the end, go for it, I'll call you if they start doing it." He replied, I smiled and starting running towards the locker room.

The locker room was already empty, I sighed and sat down for a while, remembering the new girl's gaze over my own. It made me shiver a bit. I was slightly attracted. I hoped she'd still be at the bleachers by the time I finished my shower.

I took of my jersey and walked towards the shower, still wearing shorts and a gym top, as I started to take off my shoes, I heard a noise ecoing through the room, I looked up to see a shadow entering the area.

"Hello?" I called out as the shadow walked closer.

The shadow took form and I quickly got to see the new girl's features, her eyes staring deeply into mine even then.

"Hi, you must be Dixie."