The rookie

Part 10

I camped out in my room keeping myself occupied until it was time for the meeting. I look at the time and decide to make my way down. Ellen hasn't came back since training meaning I was alone in my thoughts since then, which also means, my anxiety is having a field trip creating 1000 ways this meeting is going to go.

As I enter the meeting room I'm one of the last people to show up, I take the seat in the back corner, not wanting to steal anyone's place. My knee starts bouncing as spoons as i sit down, and Millie keeps turning her head keeping tabs on me. A couple more people enter the room and Sarina starts her breakdown of todays scrimmage.

"Firstly, this hopefully won't take long and we will be able to get to dinner, but before that" she turns on the tv revealing footage of todays match, "let's breakdown everyone's play" she finishes with a smile. She started critically analysing everyone and every move on the pitch and we all listen intently, hoping to better ourselves. Finally it came to my failure of a shot.

"See Julia, here was perfect control when receiving the ball and the nutmeg to Lucy was so well thought out," I smirked as Lucy glanced back at me jokingly, "but right here, when you notice Millie coming towards you, straight away you panic. You do the first thing that comes to mind which is hit the ball." I nod along, my cheeks getting redder with every eye that stares at me whilst Sarina talks. "Now as you can see Beth is available on your right here, you could've easily passed and Beth could've finished it off, or you could've taken more time to reallocate, and aim your shot perfectly, then you would've scored, instead of the ball going over the crossbars."

She glances at me and I nod to show I was listening to her. She starts back up again, "now we are going to work on this, and these drills will be a priority over others ok?" She questions me.

"Yeah that's perfect thank you" I return with a smile, trying my best to ignore everyone who is staring at me right now. Thankfully their glares shift as Sarina starts to analyse someone else's performance. I start to think about what she said and how I could've been more precautious with that goal. I was soon brought out of my thoughts with Sarina shouting my name,
"Julia!" I snapped my eyes back up at her. Oh no what did I do? I didn't touch the ball again after that, what else do I need to correct?

"Yeah?" I question,

"I asked, how come you never came in contact with the ball again after the attempt?" Sarina repeats herself.

"I guess I was never in a good enough position, other people were in a better position to score or advance?" I ask almost as a question. The truth is, we all know a certain group of people refused to pass to me, but I wasn't planning on making them hate me more, I had to make an excuse.

"You were in a perfect position the whole scrimmage, you knew exactly where to be and at what time but yet you still never received the ball? Stanway, why didn't you pass to her again?" Sarina shifts the focus of the question,

" I guess I never saw her coach, sorry, just like how she never saw Beth in the box waiting for the cross" she answers back in a sly way. Ouch. A couple others in the room chuckle quietly at Georgia's response.

"Plus Beth was always in the better position to score, because Julia has never played for a team before, I guess we were worried she would slip up again and it would knock her confidence" Leah spoke up. That's bull. They never cared about what I'm feeling or what I want.

"Ok Williamson, but next time, why don't you confront her instead of blocking her off, every team mate counts here remember" Sarina fell for her lies, yet I still gained another dirty look from Leah,

"Sorry coach, I'll be sure to do that next time" Leah smiles whilst still glaring at me.

Eventually the whole meeting was over and we were making our way to dinner in a huddle. I stayed back, not wanting to frustrate another person, I'm also stuck in my own thoughts. I'm torn between going back home or staying till the end. The pros of staying is that I'm learning so much about football, and this could be my one chance to go pro, to prove to not only myself but Helen and David that we made it. The cons are getting bullied. Being mentally broken down by girls I use to call my idols. Not being sure if it's the same or worse than the abuse I was getting from home. Also Rachel and Millie are too curious about my home situation, and are getting closer to finding out, if they do, I'll be a dead women. The pros about going home is getting away from that, and forgetting all that embarrassment ever existed. Millie and Rachel would forget about me and everything will go back to normal. The cons of going home is the obvious, everything going back to normal after I've been beaten to a pulp for leaving in the first place. Ugh why can't anything just go my way in life for once!

"Hey you ok kid?" A voice pulled me out my thoughts whilst in the queue for food. I look up to find Millie and rach by my side.

"Yeah I'm fine" I say looking at the floor, really not helping my case.

"You sure kiddo, remember what I said, you can talk to us?" Rach reiterated.

"Yeah like I said, I'm fine" I say whilst my mind is screaming for help.

"Ok" they both simultaneously say, dropping the conversation, which is strange they never do that. We collect out food and sit down on an isolated table, just us three. Oh god here we go.

"So me and mills are going to watch the new Spider-Man movie tonight, wanna join?" Rach asks whilst shovelling some broccoli into her mouth,

"Umm yeah sure" I ask, unsure why they want to hang out with a loser like me. My eye brows must have been furrowed because Millie followed up,

"Nothing to be confused or nervous about rookie, just want to get to know our newest team member is all" millie smiles and almost chuckles. But my eyes remain furrowed, last time they said that they basically interrogated me on my family and everything. But I've already agreed. I can't back down now can I?

"She isn't joking kid, we like you, and who knows, maybe soon enough you will be signed onto one of our teams and we play with each other more, seeing how you megged lucy, which I've never witnessed before" she finishes with schuckle before carrying on, "all the teams will be sprinting towards you with offers" she finished, I break out into a smile thinking about how great life would be if I just got to play the sport I loved as a job, and to be able to get away from Charlotte and Andrew. That would be a dream. I just start nodding enthusiastically,

"What time should I be there"

"We could just finish dinner and head to our room together?" Millie asks, I nod my head again, trying to eat more than usual to keep them two from questioning my food intake again, occasionally dropping some under the table when they aren't looking.

Could what Daly and Bright be saying come true? Could I someday make it pro and escape this hellish nightmare? I smile to myself at the thought before returning my plate and leaving with them both, heading to their room.