One thing Azure hadn't missed about football was the meetings.
Azure had never really been the scholar type. In high school, she spent most of her time playing football, daydreaming about football, and chasing after girls.
She remembered having to sit down in class for endless hours, her mind inevitably drifting away after a few minutes. Her mind went back to football, to her next game, to a cheerleader she had planned to ask out after practice.
So when she found herself seated in a conference room surrounded by her Arsenal teammates, listening to their coach drone on about tactics and strategy, Azure was simply bored out of her mind.
She played with the hem of her jersey, her mind wandering as the coach's voice faded into background noise. She glanced around the room, noting the varying degrees of attention from her teammates. Some were furiously scribbling notes.
No, not some. Wally. Only Wally was scribbling notes.
Others were nodding along attentively, while a few seemed to be on the verge of falling asleep.
She focused her gaze on Katie, sat right next to her.
Katie looked good sitting side face.
Katie always looked good. Azure observed carefully the way her teammate leaned forward slightly, her brows furrowed in concentration as she listened intently to the coach's words. Her arms crossed and her legs spread, she sat like a real top-quality lesbian.
There was also that gum, constantly in her mouth, that she chewed with a casual confidence that Azure found inexplicably attractive. The rhythmic movement of Katie's jaw as she chewed seemed almost hypnotic, drawing Azure's attention like a moth to a flame.
Lost in her thoughts, Azure barely registered the coach's voice as he announced where the girls would be going for their mid-season camp.
Only when everyone suddenly gasped did she realize she should have been listening to her coach's words. Seconds later, the team was dismissed.
She glanced around the room, noting the curious and excited chatter among her teammates as they began to file out of the conference room. Katie was already on her feet, her expression a mixture of excitement and anticipation as she turned to face Azure.
"You gonna be okay?" Katie asked, though very little concern was etched on her face. Azure frowned at Katie's words. Katie frowned at Azure's frown. "Weren't listening, were you now?"
Azure shook her head sheepishly at Katie's question, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment as she admitted her lack of attention.
"Not really," Azure replied with a rueful chuckle, her voice tinged with self-deprecation as she met Katie's gaze with an apologetic smile. "Got a bit distracted."
Katie let out a soft chuckle at Azure's admission, shaking her head in amusement.
"Typical," Katie teased, her tone playful as she shot Azure a knowing grin. "Well, lucky for you, I was paying attention. Gaffer said we're going to Spain for our mid-season camp. We're playing PSV and Barcelona."
Azure's eyes widened in surprise at Katie's words. Barcelona. Her old club. Where... where it happened.
Azure felt a knot form in her stomach at the mention of Barcelona, memories of her time there flooding back with a rush of conflicting emotions. It was where she had experienced some of the highest highs and lowest lows of her football career.
Her mind immediately went to Claudia Piña. The girl she had beat up for no apparent reason except the pain aching in her heart and the alcohol flowing in her veins.
