Baby of the team - WSL

part 16

19th september

She woke up at 7 the next morning and felt buzzing. She had made her first appearance for Arsenal in the senior team at 16, and her whole well, the important ones were there. Ever since then, she had been popular on social media, and everyone had something to do with the mystery girl. 

Each hour after the media around her just got bigger and bigger. She turned her phone on and she was flooded with an influx of Twitter notifications as that was the only social media she had that was public her Instagram was very private and she only had her nearest and dearest on there and now some of the players. She opened Twitter to see over 200 notifications of being tagged. She looked at them one by one, the happy ones making her feel happy, but then they dissolved into mean ones. One is about her age and lack of experience. One was about her private Instagram account and whether she was hiding something, and then finally she saw the most devastatingly offensive ones speculating about whether she was a teen mum to her niece and why her parents weren't there.

She didn't know what to think. She saw that it was connected to an article. Of course, it was horrendous. They wanted to know every little speck of her life, and because they didn't, they decided to make wild guesses instead. She slammed her phone down into the bed before getting up and looking at the box of doom. No snap out of it she thought to herself she was trying to stop doing it now she had a reason to live. It was as though the box was beckoning her, and she wanted to give in. "No, I am a big girl. Let's be smart and talk to Leah like we promised we would!" She said to herself as she began to grow frustrated with herself. 

She left her bed and walked towards Leah's bed. She just stood there nervous about waking her up. She knew Leah would appreciate it, and she knew she would have to try and let her in if she wanted to get better. She just wasn't sure she did. She stood next to Leah and gave her a poke. Leah woke up with a start. "Huh, what's going on, oh hey kid, are you ok?" Leah asked. Tally shrugged and just kinda looked down. Leah moved over and lifted the duvet, gesturing for the girl to get in next to her. Tally into the bed snuggling up to Leah. "I can't sleep. Everything in my head is too loud!" Tally mumbled, resting her head on Leah's chest. Leah rubbed her back soothingly. Only then did tally realise that it wasn't only her and Leah in the bed, beth was there too. "Whys beth in your bed?" Tally asked, looking confused. Leah chuckled before saying, "cos she's a big scaredy cat. She saw a big spider in her room and got scared, so I came and slept in here!". Tally giggled. Only beth, she thought. Tally climbed over Leah, so she was in between the 2 women still resting her head on Leah but now holding Beth's hand, who was slowly beginning to wake up. Beth groaned and tried to pull her hand away as she turned over. Tally stayed holding onto her hand, not letting go. Beth turned back over and groaned again. She was surprised to realise it was tally who was next to her and holding onto her hand. It's a sad-looking tally. And a worried-looking Leah next to tally. It's a great combo. "You ok, babe?" Asked Beth to a worried-looking tally. -ps not in a sexual way-  
Tally shrugged and looked down. She grabbed Leah's hand and started to fiddle with the rings on her hand as she repositioned herself to lean onto the now sitting-up Beth. "I woke up, so I went on my phone, on social media, my Twitter was.... a lot there like about me it just I don't know kinda I, I just wasn't expecting it!" She explained as Leah shuffled closer, wrapping her arms around her. Leah grabbed her phone and opened up Twitter, and gasped. There was so much speculation and assumptions about the young player. Some of it is nice, but most of it not. She wanted to cry. This was horrible. She opened her tweet box and began to type. 

I find it astonishing that people seem to think that it's OK to say this stuff on social media and not just about another human being but a teenager who is putting herself out there by playing the sport she loves just for her to be harassed by people online after the first game she plays for a senior team at a club and scored a goal and got an assist. Please stop making assumptions about my teammate that you can't back up. It just makes her feel bad!