"I wish I never went on that airplane" Nicole signed, her motions displaying how defeated she felt in this hellish moment.
Nicole Wilson was one of the best players on her soccer team. She was also one of the happiest. That was until on the way to...
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Late April, 1996: Wiskayok High, New Jersey
Nicole looked across the field from where she was sitting, she'd been benched after twisting her ankle slightly. It didn't hurt enough for concern but it sure didn't feel nice when she walked on it. The girls waited for another game to start while drinking water, Nicole could tell that they were prepared to win based off of their serious expressions. The discouraged brunette stayed on the bench, resting her chin in her hand talking to no one until a very familiar face appeared in her view.
"Hey Nic," the redhead looked apologetic as she stood in front of Nicole, both of her goalie gloves in one hand as she took the break. Nicole looked up and smiled slightly but Nicole could tell that Van knew it was to save face.
"Hey Van. You're doing great out there," Nicole complimented and Van smiled her trademark grin, sitting next to Nicole. The brunette's heart soared at the sight of her smile.
"Thanks. How's your foot?" Her friend asked, a questioning eyebrow rising as she asked and looked at the brunette's foot.
"It's alright. I wish I was out there with you guys," Nicole whined playfully, feigning inconsolable sadness and Van chuckled, patting her on the shoulder in a comforting manner.
A whistle blew, altering the teams to get ready to play. Nicole looked to Van and smiled, her mood better after their conversation.
Van got up from the bench and slipped her gloves on, then looked back at Nicole and winked. Nicole's heart picked up at that move, her face heated up substantially and she hoped no one noticed her demeanor change.
——
The game was in high gear, everyone was working hard to win and to eventually go to Nationals. Nicole was on the edge of her seat as the ball drew closer to the opponents net.
There was so much shouting around her from her teammates and from the crowd behind her. She felt overwhelmed but tried her best to pay attention.
"Tai!" She heard Jackie - the team captain - shout, Taissa looked around in search of Jackie as she ran down the field, tailing the ball. The players opposite The Yellowjackets were hot on Tai's trail, so in a desperate attempt to get one last goal, Tai kicked the ball high. Nicole thought they were doomed.
But in a crazy and accidental turn of events, the ball bounced off of Jackie's head and landed right into the net. Nicole almost shot up and screamed but then remembered the small but constant twinging in her ankle so she just sat and cheered as the crowd roared and her teammates hugged each other on the field. The other team looked defeated but if Nicole was honest, she didn't care if they were sad. She was ecstatic at the prospect of going to Nationals in just two days!
After everyone was finished celebrating, Van jogged over to Nicole, immediately taking the warm gloves off like she did before. Van offered her hand to Nicole to pull her up and the brunette accepted quickly, allowing Van's strong arms to essentially pull her up fully without much help.
