Attached - Mallory Pugh/USWNT

Chapter 6

April 3rd, 2022 - 5:00 pm

We headed down to the pool, Mallory going on about swimming with her friends that I really didn't care to hear about.

"And then she did a flip off the diving board...WHILE FLIPPING ME OFF!" She started laughing so hard, so hard I thought maybe she was Ashley with the 'fake French' question, or maybe Kelley at any given moment. "Isn't that hilarious?" 

"Hysterical." I said, and gave the realest fake smile I could. Her adorable smile didn't fade, so clearly I did a good job. 

We set our towels and stuff down on chairs near the pool, and I sat on the edge of the shallow end of the pool. 

"Aw you brought Mal!" Kelley smiled, walking in the door. 

"Of course. I did. The French girl and her little buddy." I let my eyes roll into the back of my head. The room around the pool was much warmer than outside. The room had chairs all around it. A hot tub was seemingly placed strategically away from the pool. 

Kelley and Ashley had brought Abby Dahlkemper, Rose Lavelle and Ashley Hatch with them. 

I stood up and walked over to where they were putting down their stuff, which was near the deep end of the pool. 

"Hey guys watch this!" Mallory was on the diving board, and I faced the pool not far from the edge to watch whatever crazy thing she was going to do. 

She jumped and did a cannonball, splashing all of us. 

"Hey!" Kelley said. "I'll get you for that!" 

"Makes no difference! I'm already wet!" Mallory laughed. 

I looked at the hot tub. There was a few adults in there, all friends it seemed. There were also a few other groups of people occupying the chairs around the pool. I wondered if any of them recognized my teammates. 

"Ashley NO!" Yelled Mallory from the middle of the deep end. 

"Morgana watch!" Kelley said. 

"Huh?" I had enough time to barely turn my head before I got sent flying into the pool. 

I was in a state of panic, but I braced myself to hit the water and go under, and probably die. But before I got too far under, I was pulled up. I kept my eyes squeezed shut and clung tightly to whoever it was. 

"I can't get you out of the pool if you don't loosen your death grip on me." Mallory laughed. 

"I don't care." I grumbled, not letting go. 

"Here you go." She put me on the ladder to climb out and that's when I finally let go. 

"Thanks Mal." I said. I felt myself shaking slightly, but I tried to play it off as cool as I could.  

Rose handed me my towel and I sat down on the closest chair. 

"Aww Ashley! She'a all shaky!" She said.

"I'm sorry!" Ashley sat next to me and gave me a hug. 

"Ashley Sanchez!" Kelley said, slapping her on the arm lightly. 

"Can't you see I'm apologizing right now?" She rolled her eyes. 

"It's okay. She forgot. No big deal." I said, finally calming down a bit.  

"See? She's fine Kelley. I'm not the murderer you think I am." Ashley rolled her eyes again. 

"It's my job to protect the kids." Kelley said, sitting down in the chair next to us.