Reunion - Mapi Leon x Reader

Chapter 36 - Focus On The Game

I'm in Wellington, New Zealand. Spain is going to play their first group stage game against Costa Rica in an hour and a half, and I am going to go watch it. I know I was supposed to stay in Spain and watch from afar. I thought that's what would be best for me, but actually being here to support Lottie is going to give me more peace of mind.

When I had told the Barça girls my new plan they were all really excited. Except for Ale. She was more concerned than anything.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked me over the phone.

"Well, it sort of has to be because I'm already here," I replied. There was a reason I waited until I was in NZ to tell the girls I would be coming to watch them. I knew there'd be mixed reactions from the Barça girls, but I also knew that Lottie would be pleased. She'd tried to convince me on her final night here to come with her, and the look in her eyes when I told her no almost broke my heart.

I'm sitting on the Wellington waterfront as the sun sets. There's people biking, skating, and walking along; most of them on their way home from work or school. There's also a few parents walking past with children wearing football jerseys, hats, and gloves, obviously on their way towards what's going to be a cold stadium. The cold is a great excuse for me to look normal in my disguise.

I'm wearing a woollen hat with my hair tied up and tucked into it, accompanied by a scarf to hide the tattoo on my neck. On top of this, there is no evidence that I'm supporting Spain, aside from my red nail polish with a coat of glittery gold over the top of it, but that is hidden underneath my gloves. Overall I look very neutral and normal. All I need to do now is make sure I don't talk to anyone so that my Spanish accent doesn't give me away. Well, once I get to the stadium, for now my phone is ringing and I intend on answering it.

"Hola Lotsy," I say cheerfully.

"Lotsy? That's a new one," she remarks lightly.

"How are you feeling?" I ask her.

She sighs, "absolutely terrified."

Then the phone is taken off her before I can respond. Suddenly a chorus of "hey Mapi" erupts out of my phone speaker.

"Everyone in the changing rooms can hear you," I hear Ale explain.

"Great," I say sarcastically, which produces a commotion from the otherside of the line. "Okay, everyone quiet down."

To my surprise I actually get silence. "Alright, are you all ready for the game?"

"Mostly," an over cheerful Cata replies.

"You just spent 5 minutes looking for your gloves that were right in front of you," Salma tells her.

"Well..." Cata trails off not being able to explain this.

"It's okay Cata," a voice I know to be Misa Rodríguez assures her, "I've been there before."

"Well, I was just calling to say good luck, and I hope to watch you girls take the win this evening," I explain.

"Wait, she's here?" I hear Jenni ask Ale. I forgot the rest of the team didn't know my change in plans.

"Yep, I'm here. Going to start heading up to the stadium now. Looks like you'll have an alright crowd from what I've seen so far," I tell them.

"Got any advice for us before you go?" Ona asks.

I have a think about that. "Know that you deserve to be here, if you're not feeling confident, fake it and soon enough you'll grow into that confidence, and appreciate the opportunity you have to get to play at this level. Also, try to stay calm, it's when you panic that things start to go wrong. You don't need it, but good luck and I hope to see some amazing football out there."