𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞 ★ leah williamson

12 - hard as steel

I didn't have a lot of time to cherish my new rug, as we soon were back focusing on the game more intensely than we had the first half. Training was tiring every time and more often than not, I skipped both lunch and gym, careful not to make it obvious to both the coach and the physios.

By the time we travelled to Reading for our first game back, I was convinced that my tactics had been successful, as Jonas announced that I was once again starting next to Beth and Viv. I was relieved that he hadn't been influenced by my fault in the international game, although I had figured that, despite my mistake, I had still scored two goals. I was on a good run, recently, and more than excited to keep it up.

Our energy was high in the team bus, although I did not participate in any of their challenges, or musical auditions, and sat comfortably next to Leah who was cheating her way through a cross word puzzle. Music was playing softly in my earbuds, although not loud enough to conceal the noise of my teammates, and more often than once, Beth came towards us, begging for us to join in on their fun.

It was difficult, to say no to Beth, but I managed to hold her off until the bus finally stopped in front of the Select Car Leasing Stadium and she swung her arm around me as we exited.

"Ellie, you've got to loosen up ahead of our games. It's no fun, with you all cozying up to Leah", she mumbled, luckily not loud enough to strike anyone's attention, as I pushed her away from me softly.

"Beth, you've got shut up", I mocked her tone, to which she quickly moved towards me again. I shielded my hair this time, hoping she wouldn't destroy the braid Leah had already finished on the bus, but quickly realized she was going for a different kind of attack. I felt her finger poke into my ribs before I could fight her off, and drew in a sharp breath at the piercing pain. Beth was laughing next to me as she hadn't yet realized the discomfort she'd caused me, and I made sure to breathe out steadily as to not alert her. I frowned at her.

"You're annoying", I sighed before we made our way towards the changing rooms.

During our warmup, I flung a ball or two into Beth's direction, aiming, most of the time, for her head. Luckily for the both of us, she managed to ditch each one and send a few flying back towards where Leah and I were supposed to be passing. I felt a lot lighter today. I didn't know what caused this feeling, but I cherished it, holding onto the ease throughout our walkout and carrying it into the game.

We started out clearly superior to Reading, which we had expected, but it was still nice to dominate the ball. I knew I was getting carried away whenever I had the ball, as I lurched it around my feet carelessly, and only passed it when one of my teammates asked me to.

By the twentieth minute, we were making our way towards the goal yet again. I hit the ball, hard, and for a second I believed it would fly past the keeper into the net, but I didn't get as lucky as the goalie jumped upwards, sending the ball over the goal with her fist. I groaned in frustration.

Searching Kim's eyes, I was trying to figure out which one of us would take the corner. It was usually her, me, or Katie. And this time, it seemed to be her as she took the ball into her hands without a word, jogging over towards the corner post. I quickly got myself ready, positioning myself in the box and waiting for her shot. There was a slightly taller defender, pushing me out repeatedly but I pushed her back slightly, growing annoyed with the constant touching.

"Stop that", I breathed, although I knew there was no point. At this point, I was just hoping it would confuse her. My effort wasn't successful, though, as she jumped up for the header at the same time as me, and I felt the sharp contact of her head against the side of my skull immediately. I did, however, get my forehead against the ball, but by the time my body fell flat against the grass, I couldn't decipher whether it got in or not.