Little Do They Know

Chapter 3 - Destiny

We headed down to London to play Arsenal in the opening round of the season. While on the bus, I sat across from Tobin and Christen. Tobin had her head rested on Christen's shoulder, while her eyes remained close. She was asleep.

"How are you feeling?" Christen asked me, as I looked out the window.

"About what?"

"The game," she answered.

"Oh," I replied, "I'm excited."

"Me too."

"Do you ever think about what our destiny is meant to be?" I asked Christen, not knowing exactly why I asked. We were half way to London and Tobin was still fast asleep.

"Sometimes," she replied, "but fates do change, Brads. Your life isn't ever predetermined. Each decision you make is going to change the outcome of your life."

"But how do we know what we're meant to do then?"

"You don't," she answered, "but that's life. We go through it never knowing exactly what was meant to happen." Christen's always so profound, and what I love more is she didn't even question why I asked.

I often think about my destiny. I often think about what was meant to happen. If Mom and Dad didn't die, and I didn't go back to Boston. What if I had stayed in Europe, and grew up in the micronations I loved. What would have happened if we stayed in Luxembourg, or Liechtenstein, or Andorra. Those places felt more like home than Boston could ever be. But I knew I shouldn't think about that. I knew that this was my new destiny. This was my life. I couldn't change it. Maybe if I had stayed in Europe, I wouldn't be playing the sport I loved in the country that loved it more.

When we arrived at Meadow Park, we knew it would be quiet. Not many fans were allowed in the ground, and no United supporters were going to be there. Covid had been running rampant throughout the country, and this was one of the many restrictions that were put in place.

I was excited to see Indi. I hadn't seen her since the Challenge Cup, and it'd been weird going nearly three months without a Mewis/Harrison/Van Dyk reunion.

Tobin, Christen and I all started the game, making up the front three. We were an American forward line, which was something completely new to the team. But we were excited to try and prove our worth. To prove that we really were good, and meant business.

We lined up before the game, and when I saw Indi, I smiled at her. She looked happy. Really happy. I was glad she had settled into the team so fluently. Kristie was worried about her. Kristie's always worried about her honestly. She's very protective over Indi, always wanting to make sure she was okay. Never wanting her to get hurt. Sometimes Sam and I questioned this, but we knew that Indi had demons. We knew she had a rocky past, but didn't know exactly what.

I felt settled wearing the number 12. I'd always worn 12, ever since my parents died. 12 was my number. It was the date my parents died. December 12th. 12/12. It was always going to be 12.

When we started the game, I soon came to realise why United needed players. It's an up and coming club, and only started playing in the league a few years ago. Playing against one of the top three, in Arsenal, was going to be a challenge. Chris, Tobs and I tried our best to make use of the limited ball we had, but it felt as if we were constantly on the defence. When we did get possession, the midfield weren't strong enough to do anything about it.

Viv Miedema scored in the first half, through some sloppy errors by our defence. It was frustrating to concede, but I saw it coming.

Towards the end of the second half, Groenen had possession of the ball in the midfield and as she dribbled it around the Arsenal defenders, I saw what could happen. I knew I was in a good position to make a solid run.