My Best Friends Promise

Chapter Twenty Two | First Game

Time skip

TOBIN'S POV

The alarm went off in Ali and I's room and I was the first to get up. I shut it off and at the same time Ali and I sit up in bed, rubbing the sleep from our eyes. Immediately when Ali looks at me, a wide smile spreads across her face.

"Your first cap is tonight Tobin!" Ali says excitedly as she jumps on my bed and begins to bounce.

"I know." I say, still tired.

"All this training we've been doing for two whole months comes down to this moment. Now hurry up we have breakfast in ten!" Ali says as she jumps off my bed and heads to the bathroom first. We change into some clean clothes and head down to the dining room where almost all of the team was. We grab a plate and place some food in them and take our usual seats. She usually sits with Ashlyn, Becky and a few others. I sit with HAO, Lauren and Amy.

"First cap is tonight!" HAO says excitedly as she takes a bite out of her bagel.

"It's still hard to believe if you ask me." Lauren says and I agree with her.

"Well, we are here for a reason so let's not waste it." I say.

We all finish up our breakfast and head back to our rooms to rest and get ready for the big game ahead of us. "Ugh we have a team meeting at twelve" Ali says as she checks her phone.

"What time is it now?" I ask as I put down the Harry Potter book I was reading.

"Eleven, so I guess we have time." Ali says as she lets out a sigh. "But hey, aren't you excited?"  Ali says as she sits next to me on my bed.

"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be." I say with a laugh.

"That's good, excitement is always good, but it's okay to admit that you're nervous." Ali says.

I let out a sigh knowing that I've been stressing about this game for a while now. "I am nervous." I say just above a whisper.

"Come on let's talk about it. I was in your shoes once so I'll do the best I can to make you feel comfortable on the pitch." Ali says.

"I don't know, being on the National Team is such a huge honor and I don't want to mess things up. I've never played in front of such a large crowd before and just the thought of it gives me anxiety." I say.

"And..." Ali says. She reads me quite well.

"I feel like I'm going to do such an awful job and I'm going to embarrass myself in front of thousands of people. I don't want to fail this team and I don't want to feel like I don't belong here." I say.

"Every single game I've ever played, all I see is countless mistakes. Even from our veterans so what should you do about it? Brush it off and focus on winning the game. That is what's important. Just focus on the game and be alert on whatever is going on. Always keep your eye on the ball never loose sight of it. If you do just that believe me, Coach Jill will love you especially as a new member. Besides, from what I've seen from training you're better then I am that's for sure."
Ali says.

"Thanks Ali, I'm just not sure if I'm ready." I say

"Oh you're ready. You'll be perfectly fine out there, trust me." Ali says.

Finally at twelve we all headed to the conference room and took our seats. I sat next to Carli, Lauren and Amy. "Haiti..." Jill says as she enters the room clapping her hands together.

"For all I know they aren't the best team in the world. They're weak on defense which means they aren't as strong in offense. So we should be comfortable with the ball and expect a lot of possession tonight. Keep your eyes up at all times, and just focus on winning the game. Be smart with the ball and know where you are going, no hesitations. Okay, our line ups for tonight. Abby and Arod, forwards. HAO, Heath, Lloyd, and Cheney midfielders. Kriegs, Becky, Rampone and Lori defenders. Solo you're in the goal, any comments, questions, concerns see me now other then that, be in the lobby at four and bus leaves at 4:30. Dismissed." Jill says.