You can't be my mum (a Lucy Bronze fanfic) - Book 1

Chapter 39 - back into the flow

A/N - thoughts on Jill Scott going on i'm a celeb?

1st September 2022

Rosie's POV:

"Ro? If you hurry up i'll be able to drop you off at training before mine starts". Keira shouted up the stairs. I hurriedly put my hair in a ponytail and grabbed my phone off my bed before walking down the stairs two steps at a time in my Man City training kit. 

As I reached the bottom, Keira asked, "ready?". I nodded my head, "I'm going to just go and say bye to mum". She replied and picked up both of our bags, "I'll be in the car". I turned my body around and walked down the hall towards the kitchen. Lucy was sat drinking coffee when I announced, "I'm going now". She stood up and walked towards me, raising an eyebrow at my outfit choice of shorts and a t-shirt, "do you not want to take a jumper? It might be cold". I shook my head, "I'll be fine. Are you coming to pick me up or is Keira?". She paused for a second or two, "I'm not sure, but I'll text you". I was about to say something, but she beat me to it, "go, you don't want to keep Keira waiting, enjoy your first training session of the season". Wrapping my arms around her lightly, she placed a delicate kiss on my forehead before letting me go. 

We had spent the month after the Euros relaxing as a family. Lucy, Keira, Narla and me. Some of the girls went on holidays to places such as Ibiza, and I have to admit, I was a little bit jealous. But it was nice to spend some quality time with my mothers after such a hectic summer. We stayed with Keira's parents in Rochdale, and then went up north to stay with Lucy's parents. I also made plans to go down to see Beth, Jordan and Leah, but I was so busy that I never found time to actually go. However, that was definitely a trip in the near future. Now we were in September and it was the beginning of a new season. Lucy still hasn't found a club, but she doesn't talk about it much so I'm not at all sure what's going on. Keira's still at Man City, despite the countless rumours that she's leaving to go to Barcelona. 

I jumped in the car and Keira drove the relatively short journey to the training grounds. Music was burbling away in the background and the leaves were blowing along the ground outside. Despite it only being the 1st of September, there was already an autumnal feel in the air. 

When we arrived, I questioned Keira, "is mum going to play for a club this season?". She looked sideways towards me and sighed, "I don't know. There are lots of things in the process of happening at the minute but nothings certain". Walking down the path alongside her, I continued to ask questions, "which club is she in talks with?". Keira bit her lip and mumbled, "I don't know, anyway, are you excited for your first training session?". Narrowing my eyes at her, I couldn't help but feel like she knew exactly which clubs Lucy was in discussions with. She just didn't want to tell me. Shrugging my shoulders, I answered the latter part of her sentence, "I guess it'll be good to be back...". Playfully nudging me, she pointed out, "you don't sound too enthusiastic about it". Even though she had said it as a joke, it was exactly how I was feeling. Unenthusiastic. Things were different this season and I wasn't sure it was a good kind of different. I didn't like the fact that Millie wasn't with me at training anymore and I didn't like that I had a new coach called Gary.

Keira and I said goodbye to eachother. She went along one path to her training, and I went along another to the outdoor pitches. It felt strange being back after so long. The last time I was here, I was in the process of being suspended. 

Some of the girls were already warming up, probably eager to impress the new coach, as I wandered through the gate. Training officially started last week but I had a sickness bug due to something I had eaten in a restaurant with Lucy's parents. My gut instinct told me not to eat it, but it was hard to say no when both my mum and aunt were persuading me to. Luckily for me, Lucy and Keira looked after me and I soon returned to full fitness. I was recovered by the time training came around, but Lucy forced me to stay home because she didn't think I was ready. Apparently I was still weak. If I was completely healthy, I would have protested, but deep down, I knew staying home was the right thing to do.