Have Hope

1

Y/n POV

I shouldered my bag and grabbed my suitcase. Taking a deep breath, I walked into the conference room where the first meeting for our December camp was. Currently, I was in Santa Barbra California, here on my first call up for the USWNT.

Well....actually my 5th call up. The first time I was called up, I was 17. I wasn't allowed to go though, because my mom didn't feel that I was ready. She really wanted me to finish college so that I could have something to fall back on if soccer didn't work out, or if I needed a job after retirement. There was also another reason, but I don't really want to talk about that.

I was pretty upset at first, because I had to turn down Jill Ellis four times, and I was afraid that by the fifth one, when my mom said I would be allowed to play, I wouldn't get the offer anymore. However, my mother was adamant that Jill would keep offering until I accepted. Much to my surprise, I was given another chance. I've been to the development academy and youth camps before, but nothing on the national team level, so this was new for me.

I'm set to be the starting goal keeper for this world cup. I know, that sounds like a shit ton of pressure. And that's because it is. I couldn't be more excited though. Even though it sucked, I am thankful that my mom made me wait. I feel like it gave me a lot of perspective and experience that I'd need for this new adventure.

I had already met the whole coaching staff, and they were all super cool. I especially liked Jill, she kind of reminded me of my mom. My mom and I live together back in LA, and I saw her a few hours ago, but I already miss her.

I pushed open the doors of the room and stepped inside. Two of the trainers, Mark and Erica, smiled at me. I had built nice friendships with everyone on the staff over the past few years; since Jill Ellis first had her eyes on me.

"Hey Y/n, you can leave your bags here. Jill's going to do her briefing, introduce you, and then assign roommates. We'll take all the bags up to your guys's rooms." Erica said.

I smiled at her and hugged the two of them. "Thanks guys." Mark and I did our secret handshake, much to Erica's amusement, before I walked down a few rows of chairs and sat down. There were only a few other players in here at the moment, and they were all distracted by their conversation.

I busied myself with my phone until I heard Jill's voice. "Good morning everyone, thank you all for being here. So, as some of you may have seen, we have a new face here. Y/n, if you could please stand." I did as she asked and shot my million dollar smile at everyone. Most of them smiled, waved, or said hello.

"Y/n, would you mind telling us a bit about yourself?" I nodded.

"Hey, I'm Y/n Grant, I'm 22, and I play goalkeeper." I smiled at Jill, who returned it, her eyes sparkling.

"Where did you go to college?" She asked me.

"I went to Stanford, where I played soccer there for four years, and graduated with a masters in film."

"Yeah!" Christen Press said, nodding approvingly at me before fist bumping Tierna Davidson.

"Let's go!" Kelley cheered, high fiving Christen, who was a few seats away from her.

"Thank you very much Y/n." Jill said. I smiled and nodded, sitting back down in my seat. I looked to my new teammates and saw a particular brunette staring at me, sitting in the front row. Our eyes locked and I winked at her, to which she responded with an eye roll before turning back to face the front.

It felt weird being the youngest player on the team, next to Mal Pugh, who was about two months older than me.

Jill carried on with the rest of the meeting, giving us an idea of what the next few months would look like. Our first World Cup match was in June, which meant we had a little over 6 months to prepare for it. We did have a few friendlies starting in January, which I'm excited about. Our first one is against France, and then we have one against Spain, and then after that, in April, we have one against Australia.

The NWSL draft was also in about two weeks, and this would be my first season playing in the league.

Once Jill finished her motivational speech about 'making the team a well oiled machine' and 'getting to know each other so well we could predict one another's moves' she moved on to assign our roommates.

Honestly I was a little nervous about this one. I wasn't really sure who I was going to end up with, but I really hoped it wouldn't be one of the veterans. If I got paired with Carli, I'd probably leave. No offense to her, but in soccer years, she's like 80. I want someone young and fresh, like myself.

I zoned out until I heard my name being called. "Y/n Grant and Kelley O'Hara." From the front row I heard a whoop.

"Woo! Newbie!" I looked to see Kelley point a finger gun at me then tap her chest, making me laugh. I nodded towards her and she grinned before sitting back down next to Alex Morgan and Tobin Heath.

"Okay everyone, that's it for right now. Erica and Mark will give you your room numbers and keys on your way out. We will have lunch at 1 pm, so please be unpacked and ready to go. Our first training is tomorrow, bright and early at 7 am, so come dressed in your gear, prepared, and ready. You guys can have a free day today, go out, explore, get to know one another, and I'll see you in a few hours. Oh, and Y/n, can you stay back a bit? I want to talk to you really quickly."

I nodded and watched all my teammates leave. Once the door shut behind them, I stood up and walked down to the front of the room.

"Y/n, I'm very excited to finally have you on our team, I think you're really going to love this experience. Your mom is very excited about you playing."

I smiled at the mention of my mom. "Yeah, I just hope I don't disappoint her."

Jill gave me a reassuring smile. "I think you'll do great. I know you have some big shoes to fill, but you wouldn't be here if I didn't whole heartedly believe that you could do it."

I sent her a grateful smile. "Thank you." Jill nodded. "So, I know we haven't really talked about you being intersex. The trainers and staff are aware and perfectly accepting of it, but it's just a matter of telling your teammates. You don't have to if you don't want to, it's completely your choice, but just know, that every single person here loves and accepts you for who you are. You don't need to decide right now, just think about what you would like to do, and if you decide you want to tell them, I can help organize a meeting. Regardless of what you choose though, I will be here for you always, for anything you need."

"Thank you Jill, that means a lot."

My coach nodded. "Now, go get settled in. Just be wary of Kelley, she can be a bit of a handful."

I laughed and hugged Jill before getting my room key and number from Erica.

I had some astronomically large shoes to fill since I would be taking over for Hope Solo, but I was ready for the challenge.