where it goes

chapter 1

"Hey Coach, what time is Mandy supposed to be coming again?" Beard inquired as he leaned back in his chair, continuing to read the newest football book he purchased from the local bookstore.

"Oh well, Beard that there is a great question! But I think we should wait for Roy to get in before I tell the big news," Ted replied as he excitedly and nervously rubbed his palms together. "Y'know the guys have felt so down since the former great let us down, I'm hoping this news will lift them up, at least a little."

"God knows we all need some healing, right Ted?" A familiar voice filled his ears as Beard and Ted's attention was brought to the door of their office.

Standing there was a fresh-faced Mandy Donnelly, who had just arrived a few hours prior from California. She had on a simple pair of jeans and a black silk button-down blouse. Her signature necklace, a tree of life pennant with rose quartz in the middle, rested on her neck.

Ted beamed at the girl before giving her a quick welcome hug. "And here comes the lady in question, Miss Mandy. How the heck was your flight? I know I struggled to sleep, you must be exhausted."

"Actually, I take medication to help me rest since I always have issues, so I slept the entire time," Mandy replied with a smile, taking the black sunglasses off her head where they were resting. "You know I'm only here a week, right? Like, I don't need to meet the entire Richmond team right this second, Uncle Ted."

Though they weren't related by blood, Ted always insisted on Mandy calling him her uncle. He wanted to make sure she knew she was always going to be family.

"I know I know, but even more reason to introduce you today! C'mon, I know it's been a while since you've been around the sport and I figured it might be good for you to see the action again." Ted nodded at the locker room that had begun to be filled with the Richmond players who had just finished running laps due to Roy Kent's coaching style: endurance and shutting the fuck up.

"Alright Ted, but I'm not answering any of their questions once they figure out who I am." Mandy sighed, making herself at home in Ted's own chair. "I definitely did not miss the smell of a packed locker room, I'll tell you that." Her nose crinkled as Ted shut the door to attempt to get rid of the smell.

The players could see the three through the windows, and just as she had her nose crinkled, the eyes of one Jamie Tartt found her.

"Colin, who the 'ell's coach got up in the room? Thought he was into Rebecca." Jamie asked, his eyes never leaving the familiar stranger.

"I dunno, maybe she's Lasso's long-lost daughter?" Colin responded, earning a playful shove from Isaac.

"Nah bruv, she doesn't have any of his signature features. Must be someone else." Isaac remarked.

Meanwhile, Roy had entered the coach's room and shook hands with Mandy, who was a bit starstruck.

"Roy, I should tell you I'm a huge fan. Loved you at Chelsea, and you were legendary at Richmond as well. You were always my favorite non-American, non-female player." Mandy managed to get out, immediately wanting to slap herself for that disaster of a sentence.

Roy sent her a nod, but Ted flashed her a smile and a thumbs-up, signaling that she didn't completely fuck up meeting one of her favorite players. Thank god.

"Coach, Mandy, you guys might want to just go out and do the whole introductory thing now," Beard suggested, still engrossed in his book.

"Now why should we do that?" Mandy asked. She was always a bit fierce, and absolutely hated it when men would give her directions. She drove for 5 miles in the wrong direction on a road trip through California because a guy at the gas station told her she'd get lost without a GPS and she wanted to prove his ass wrong.

She didn't.

"Because, Mandy, the entire team is currently staring at you through the window and will continue to do so until they know who you are." Beard gestured to the window, where the Greyhounds were gawking with curious adoration at Mandy.

This was enough to make her cheeks flush but also her stomach fill with butterflies. She forgot how... attractive, footballers could be.

"Alright, let's get on out there then so you're not feeling like a starfish at an aquarium all stuck up in here being gawked at," Ted smiled as he opened the door.

"Hey fellas. Great training today, thanks for hanging with me. Now I know morale has been down around here ever since our Nate the great had his downfall, but this week we have a guest." He moved aside so Mandy could walk out beside him. She tried to stand with confidence but felt as if she could've melted by any of the players sending her a smile.

"Hi, I'm Mandy Donnelly. My mom grew up with Ted back in Kansas, but I've mostly lived in California my whole life. I took this trip out to visit some sights and check out Richmond, just for the week. 2 weeks tops." Mandy smiled as she spoke, her eyes scanning just above everyone's head. She did this so nobody would notice she wasn't making direct eye contact, it made her nervous.

"I expect all of y'all to be on your best behavior and make sure she's feeling welcome. These guys here, Mandy, are a great bunch and I feel like you'll get on great. Alright, boys, I'll see you all tomorrow. Rest up and keep your eyes peeled or else Roy here is gonna get to run practice again," That last sentence earned a universal groan from the group who had just spent the last hour running back and forth between the goals.

As Mandy turned to head back into the coaching office where her luggage was resting in the corner, she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see who touched her. "The fuck do you want?" she asked, meeting the eyes of whom she recognized as Sam Obisanya.

Her eyes widened as she realized her greeting may not have exactly been friendly. "Oh! Sorry, Sam, right? I'm actually a really big fan, I just don't do well with random people touching my arms, sorry." Mandy felt her cheeks turn fully red, horrified that she couldn't stop herself from saying dumb things.

"I should be the one apologizing, Mandy. Didn't mean to frighten you! I just wanted to invite you out to drinks with us tomorrow after training. It's our first weekend without a match after 3 weeks, and we'd love to get to know you better. Most of us are probably closer to your age than Ted, so it might be a good chance to get out, that's all I mean," Sam replied with an understanding smile.

As he turned to leave, he muttered just low enough so only Mandy could hear, "You don't need to be nervous, you'll fit in great here."

She couldn't help but sigh with relief. Sam didn't treat her like a moron for being nervous. These aren't the same people she was surrounded with during her own football days, they were different. And way kinder. She glanced at Ted and smiled to herself. The Lasso Way seems to be working again.

She also didn't notice that Jamie Tartt's grin grew when he caught a glimpse of her soft smile.