Spain, Soccer, Love?

Chapter Eleven

Mae's Perspective

I woke up feeling completely thrilled. It was Sunday meaning I would be attending my first ever Barcelona game. All my life I had been waiting for this moment, and I couldn't believe that it was finally happening.

As a kid, I would always try to convince my parents to take me and my siblings to Barcelona for our summer vacation, but they never wanted to go. In high school, we had school trips that went to Spain over Spring Break, but the trips didn't go to Barcelona. During my gap year I tried to go but, well, let's not think about that.

I glance at the clock and read 10:00. I guess I must have slept in. The game is at 16:00(4:00pm), so I have a good amount of time to get ready. I wanted to head to the stadium early to walk around and check everything out.

I'm bummed that Gavi is not coming with me, but I'm still very excited for our date tomorrow.

I head over to my closet and try to figure out what to wear. I have several Barcelona jerseys, but I'm not sure which one I want to wear. As I go through them, I decide to wear my most special jersey. It's the 22/23 season home jersey.

Growing up, my parents didn't really care about my obsession with barcelona. They would refuse to buy me jerseys or any merch. Finally when I was 15 and got a part time job, I saved up enough money to buy my own jersey. It was my first ever jersey, and was a very special moment to me.

Although the jersey doesn't have anyone's name or number on it, over time I saved up more and more money, and grew my jersey collection. My job paid well so I was able to afford most of the kits. Some of them have names and numbers, while others don't.

I pair my jersey with a pair of tan cargo pants and my favorite pair of shoes, my red and black white Jordans. I debate on what I should do with my hair, but chose to leave it down in the end. For my makeup, I decide to make it fun. I play around with my liquid liner for a bit, and end up drawing three different colors of teardrop shapes above my eye.

I admire the look I put together in the mirror for a moment, then head out to the kitchen to grab a late breakfast before I head out. I find Rosa sitting at the table munching on a piece of toast.

"Where are you going?" She asks, clearly clueless.

"Where do you think I'm going, Rosa? Here's a hint; look at my shirt."

Sometimes this girl is so dumb.

"Oh are you going to go watch that football team that plays nearby?"

"Yes genius. And they're not just some football team; they're one of the greatest."

This seems to get her attention.

"So then, they're really popular, right?"

"Yes, obviously."

"Do you think that they'll be hot guys there?"

I remember the extra ticket that I have. I wouldn't mind having some company, since Gavi wasn't able to come with me.

"Oh definitely. You know, I have an extra ticket! You should definitely come!" I exclaim, feeding into her crazy delusions.

Her face lights up and she announces, "Oh I'm definitely coming then," as she runs into her room to get ready.

15 minutes later she walks out wearing a green t-shirt and a pair of blue ripped jeans.

"Are you crazy?" I yell.

This startles her, as I'm sure she expected a completely different response.

"What?"

"You can't wear green! That's the opposing teams away kit. You'll no joke probably get kicked out if you go in wearing that." I run into my room and grab one of my jerseys.

"Here, I say as I hand her the jersey. "Wear this."

She goes back into the room and changes. When she comes out, she looks absolutely gorgeous, as usual. We both grab our purses, I make sure we have everything, especially the tickets, then we head out.

Camp Nou isn't a far walk, and the day is absolutely gorgeous, with blue skies and not a single cloud in sight. As we get closer and closer to the stadium, I can feel my heart start to race. I am so excited.

We finally arrive, and I feel like I'm about to just explode. Before entering the stadium, we decide to check out some of the activities they have outside of the stadium. There's this one game where you try to shoot on an electronic goalie.

"You should try that Mae," Rosa says as we walk towards the game. "Didn't you used to play soccer?"

"Ya but it looks really hard," I point out. Several people have tried it but the goalie is fast and saves all of their shots.

"Oh come on, why not?"

I know she's not gonna give up, so I give in, "Ugh fine."

I give the person running the stand my money and head into the small cage that the shooting area is in. The goal isn't big, and the tall cardboard goalie can pretty much reach every area of it. Here goes nothing.

I hit the ball as hard as I can into the very bottom right corner. To my surprise, it goes in.

"OMG MAE YOU DID IT!!!" Rosa screams.

Wow, I guess I did do it. The man hands me my prize, a Barcelona scarf. I place it onto my shoulders, completely my look. Now I'm really decked out.

We then decide to head over to the Barcelona store. I've been wanting to come here for forever, so when we step inside, my heart stops. It's incredible. They have Barcelona themed everything. I look down at my purse, then look back up to admire the store.

As much as I want to, I know I shouldn't buy anything. I have no income at the moment, and need to save my money for necessities. Although, I would consider this a need.

I look around the store one more time before leaving empty handed. We still have an hour and a half to spare, so we head over to the cafe, where we get a quick bite to eat before heading into the stadium.

I knew that when I moved to Barcelona and attended my first game, I wanted to get the best seats. So I saved a bunch of money and bought tickets for seats that were right next to where the players enter the field. From our seats we have a perfect view of the field and can see both teams benches. It's freaking epic.

Finally, the wait is over, and the players start to head onto the field. I immediately jump out of my seat, eager to see the team that I love with all my heart. They're all there. Pedri, Araujo, Fati, de Jong, Balde, Kounde, Gavi, and everyone else. I can't believe I'm seeing them in person.

They all get into position on the field, and the ref blows his whistle. The game has begun.

If I went to the Barcelona store, I would actually have no money after. Next chapter coming out on Sunday! (4/30/23)