for young matildas star freya maddock, it's tricky to stay focused on soccer when there is a certain sam kerr on her mind. but without feeling as though these feelings are mutual, she must attempt to ignore her attachment to sam.
Landing on the runway in Heathrow Airport reminded Freya of the scary reality she was about to face.
The whole flight there had been filled with anxiety and anticipation, the girl unable to regulate her emotions regarding her return to Chelsea.
On one hand, she missed her team. The girls who she played with had quickly adopted her into the Chelsea family when she signed for them, making her feel comfortable. Although she had tended to gravitate toward Sam at games and training, she had formed a pretty strong bond with Jessie and Millie who became mentors for Freya. But on the other hand, she could think of nothing worse than facing Sam after what had happened.
Freya walked through the airport, dragging her suitcase behind her. She looked around at all of the other travellers. Families, awaiting an exciting vacation. Couples, ready for a romantic getaway. It had always sucked being away from her family, but now that her and Sam were on bad terms the sickening feeling of loneliness was even more prominent.
As she waited for her uber, her phone pinged, a notification from none other than Jessie Fleming popping up on her screen.
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She smiled at her phone, glad that Jessie hadn't forgotten about her. She shot back a text, saying that she would be there tonight.
She got in her uber, excited to head back to her apartment near the Chelsea training grounds after her impromptu vacation in Australia.
-
Freya got ready, putting on a black mini dress that was definetly too short for a simple get together with her teammates. She straightened her hair, applying light makeup to her face so she looked less like she'd been on a 19 hour flight today. Just as she was finished getting ready, she got a message on her phone, from a very familiar number.
sammy: " hey are you coming tonight? "
She sighed.
"Hey google, play Everglow by Coldplay."
-
Freya arrived outside Millie's house, already able to hear the chatter of girls from inside. She took a deep breath, grabbing her jacket out of the car and walking up the steps. Her hand reached out for the door, before it was swung open and she was pulled into a tight hug from one of the girls. She was met with Guro's face smiling back at her, the girl releasing Freya from the hug.
"You're back Frey!" she exclaimed, as Freya caught her breath and recovered from the near-strangulation. "We've all missed you so much, the team just isn't the same without you."
"Well I've missed your near-deadly hugs!" Freya answered, as the girls walked inside together.
The ordeal had evidently caught the other girls attention, as Freya was now surrounded with Chelsea players patting her on the back and scooping her up into a hug. She greeted all of them, making sure to acknowledge every single team member that was there.
The constant flood of soccer players had died down now, with them all returning to the various games they were playing before. Freya stood back, scanning the room for a familiar face.
"What are you doing Frey? Come play!" called out Millie, urging the younger player to join the game of beer pong they were halfway through. Freya walked over, picking a cup off the table and downing it.
"Jesus Mils! This isn't beer, it's fucking vodka!" she yelled, her throat burning.
"Don't be a lightweight Frey, it's more fun with vodka." said Lauren James.
"A little warning would help though," she laughed, picking up the ping pong ball.
The girls finished their game, and Freya had obviously lost. She ended up drinking a lot of alcohol, the effects starting to hit her. She stumbled over to the lounge, throwing herself onto it and getting comfy.
Just then, she spotted Sam. The brunette girl was sitting across the room with Fran, the two of them deep in conversation with a bowl of chips being shared between them. She sighed, rolling her eyes.
The vodka had seriously gotten to her head now, and she was starting to feel the room spin. She squeezed her eyes shut, attempting to avoid throwing up. She felt someone sit next to her on the lounge.
"Fia?" asked the voice.
Shit.
Freya sat up, trying to mask how drunk she really was. It took her a second to steady her vision, but she was able to look into the deep brown eyes of Sam.
"Oh hey Sam." she half-smiled, feeling her dinner from earlier coming up.
"Are you okay? You're a bit green.." Sam said quietly, concern in her voice.
"I'm gonna yack!" Freya yelled, getting up and stumbling to the bathroom.
Luckily, she made it. She fell to the floor of Millie's bathroom, her head basically inside of the toilet bowl.
Sam walked in after her, pulling Freya's hair into a ponytail and holding it back for her while she threw up.
After a while, Freya moved away from the toilet, instead leaning on the counter with her legs crossed. Sam joined, sitting in the same position next to her.
They sat in silence for a while, both girls unable to find any words.
"I'm really sorry Fi." Sam said quietly, breaking the silence after what felt like an eternity. Freya's head lousily turned to her side, looking at the expression on Sam's face.
"I trusted you Sammy, with every bone in my body. You were everything." she replied, biting her lip in order to hold back her emotions.
"I know." she nodded. "I didn't mean for anything to happen though Freya. One minute we were just hanging out and the next she was all over me. I tried to shut it down as quickly as it started, I promise."
"I find that really hard to believe Sam. If that was the case, then why were the two of you sneaking around? And why didn't you deny sleeping with her when I found out?" she stared, anger rising in her chest. "I think you wanted it."
"Because I was embarrassed. I was so angry at myself for doing anything that would hurt you."
Freya allowed her head to fall down on Sam's shoulder. She was so upset at Sam, but she could never be mad at her.
