Goal!: The Fourth Chapter!

Chapter 24

The next day, Clara, Maire, Axel, and Nora, arrive at the city's park to gather up with their U-20 teammates.

"Man, there's everyone on the softball field!" said Nora, as she tells Clara and Maire. "Come on, the last one is a rotten egg!"

After saying that Nora raced her way to the softball field with Clara, Axel,  and Maire following her. As the three girls approached the teammates, their faces dropped after looking at them. Their teammates were looking at them, as if they were disappointed.

"Hey, what's going on?" said Maire, as she questions the girls.

"Yeah, what's with all the long faces?" said Clara, as she smiles a bit.

"We're out." said Gia, as she mumbled out.

"Out?" said Maire, Clara, and Nora, in sync, while raising an eyebrow at her.

"Out where?" said Nora, as she questions Gia.

Addison sighs.

"The program..." said Addison, with no voice to speak. "They kicked us out."

"The whole team." said Brynn, in a low voice.

"What?!" said Clara, Maire, and Nora, in sync much to their surprise.

"Why?!" said Nora, as she yelled out.

Alaia sighed.

"The program kicked us out due to Sloan's past abusements towards us." said Alaia, as she admits to them. "Along with the program's legal accusations, we all lost hope after the program decided to replace us, while we were all taking our break during our week off." 

"But, they said that we were allowed to play, until we got a new coach." said Clara

"Yeah, they did say a lot of things about it, but they lied to us." said Alaia, as she grunted. "They don't want us back."

"What, oh please, that's nonsense." said Maire, as she tells the girls. "There's still hope, we have to look at the bright side of this."

"What hope are you talking about Five, huh?! What hope?!" said Alaia, as she snapped at Maire, much to everyone's shock. "THE PROGRAM DOESN'T WANT US ANYMORE, BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN ABUSED, AND NOW WE'RE KNOWN TO THEM AS USELESS YOUNG ADULTS! WITH THEIR MINDS TRAUMATIZED FOR SLOAN'S PAST ABUSEMENTS! AND NOW YOU WANT US TO HAVE HOPE! WHEN THERE ISN'T ANY HOPE LEFT FOR US!!!"

Maire was speechless.

"And I'm pretty sure you also lost hope when you realized that you weren't going to be able to walk." said Alaia, as she looked down at Maire. "So we lost hope of not being able to play back on the field."

"Alaia, I do have hope that one day I'll walk normal again." said Maire, as she tells Alaia, without no hesitation.

"Alright, then prove it." said Alaia, as she steps back from Maire, giving her enough space to walk. "Get up, Five. Get up. Show everyone here that you can walk again, in order for us to regain our confidence. So, get up!"

"Five?" said Clara, in a low voice.

Maire looks at Alaia while closing her fists, on her wheelchair's handles. However upon realizing that Alaia is right, Maire surrenders while looking down.

"Hmph, I knew it, that also didn't have it in you." said Alaia, as she looked at Maire, disappointed. "I'm really surprised that you didn't risk it, like you did in all of your past games. But either way, a risky move did get you in that wheelchair in the first place."

Alaia sighs, before turning to the other girls.

"Come on, girls let's go." said Alaia, as she turned back to Maire, before walking away with all of the girls following her.