Always and Forever

thirty one

Today the team and i are going out to a bar. I'm not drinking. I never have and i never will.
This morning when i woke up, i lay with Patri for an hour or two. We didn't say much, we just lay comfortably in each other's arms.

I got changed into some jeans with a shirt. I put on some airforces and put my hair up into a high pony.

"are you excited?"
Patri asked as she sat beside me, wrapping her arms around me.

"For?"

"Tonight. It's a bonding night, kind of"

"Yeah. Should be good. Are you excited?"

"Of course. We do this every so often and it's nice to get away from football for a moment and just spend time with friends"
She smiled. This girls smile is beautiful-

"are you going to drink?"
I asked nervously.

"Probably not. I'm not really the drinking type. Are you?"

"No. Never touched it. Never will"

"Can i ask why?"

"My parents. Big drinkers"

"i'm sorry"

"Don't be. I'm okay. Right now, everything is perfect. What can go wrong?"

What can go wrong.

I arrived with Patri, Jenni, Alexia, Mapi, Leila, Lieke and Caro. We were the last to arrive so found everyone already sitting down. We all joined them. I sat down in the middle of Patri and Alexia. Mapi already started drinking. I sat quietly. I'm not the biggest social butterfly ever.

"You okay?"
Alexia whispered. I nodded at her.

"Do you want a drink? I'll get you one"

"just water please"

"Of course"
Alexia smiled and got me some water.

For the next hour everyone was laughing and talking. Patri was sat with one of her arms around me. She's so cute. I was just looking around when i seen someone who looked exactly like Caitlin Foord. I watched as she approached a table and the one thing i didn't want to happen, happened. Arsenal. They're here, in Barcelona. I seen a lot of the players. Viv, Lisa, Beth, Katie, Caitlin, Steph, Lia, Anna, Lotte and Leah and Jordan. I then saw Daan and Jill which made me want to go over and say hi. I looked away and just stared at the table. Patri pulled me closer to her and began whispering in my ear.

"I saw them. If you want to go and say hi. Go for it"

"I want to say hi to them but i don't want to see Jordan and Leah"

"I get that but it could be a whole year before you see the likes of Viv, Lisa and whoever else is there. I'm right over here and so is Alexia. If anything happens, we are here"

"Patri i-"

"I know you and i know that if you don't speak to them you will spend the next days wishing you did. You want to see your old teammates. Your friends. See them, Sophie"
I looked at Patri. I excused myself from the table and walked over, unnoticed to the table where my former teammates were sat at.

I was planning on scaring Viv but Daan and Jill were the first to see me. Daan was sitting cuddling into Beth but as soon as she saw me she jumped and ran to me. She jumped into my arms as did Jill which caught the attention of the rest of the girls sat at the table. I quickly looked over at my table and seen my teammates smiling at me. I smiled back before diverting my attention to the two dutchie's in my arms.

"Sophie!!!!!"
Daan said full of excitement.

"Okay Daan, calm down a bit. I think you gave your poor girlfriend a heart attack"