"Hey, Becky, are you alright?" Alyssa asks as they line up to head onto the field. She had noticed the tension in her captain since they entered the locker room before warm ups. The goalkeeper knows this can't be easy for the defender. It's her first game back since the hotel fiasco with Shawn and everyone is watching her closely.
"Oh, yeah, sorry Lyss. I'm ok, really," Becky assures after a moment. Alyssa had brought her out of the zoned state she was in. "I'm just a little nervous. It's been a while and...," Becky adds after seeing the look Alyssa is sending her. It essentially says get real.
"That's to be expected, Becks. Wait...this isn't about Shawn. It's cause Zola's gonna be here isn't it?," Alyssa asks in amusement after the realization dawns on her. Julie had dished everything to her after they came back from coffee. The blonde was convinced that Becky had a thing for her old friend.
"A little," Becky admits with a blush. "He hasn't seen me play since college and...," she attempts to explain herself.
"Hey, you don't have to explain yourself to me but I have a feeling that all anyone is going to care about is that you made it back onto the field. You're not letting things in your personal life stop you from doing what you love. That's what this game is about. No one is going to remember how well you played, but they will remember that you played," Alyssa offers to soothe the other women's nerves. She doesn't speak a lot but when she does Becky knows it comes from the heart.
"Thank you, Lyss. I'll try and make sure you get a shut out. I know it's been a while with me being gone," Becky teases but Alyssa sees the gratitude in her eyes despite her tone. The official signals that they're going to start walking out then. Becky can't help but think how good it is to be back.
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"Momma! You did so good!" Ella exclaims as she wraps her arms around Becky's neck from behind. "You didn't let anyone score!"
"Thanks, baby," Becky replies turning her head to kiss Ella on the cheek. Ella smiles and leaves her momma to finish stretching. She needs to find two particular people. Her search is halted when she's grabbed from behind and spun.
"Rosie, staahhhp," the little blonde calls out. "I'm on a mission," she explains seriously as Rose sets her down. Amusement colors Rose's features at the little girls words. She watches her skip away with her braid swinging behind her.
"Sonny, Sammy, we gotta find Momma's friend," Ella instructs the duo when she finds them not far away from the center circle. "I have somethin' for him."
"What do you have for him, El?" Sonnet asks curiously. She has no idea why the girl wants to find this person so bad.
"Just a drawing...with Momma's phone number on it," Ella states innocently. She gives a little smirk when she adds the last part of her plan in.
"Goober, that's brilliant! Come on give me some," Emily encourages as she sticks her hand out to Ella. In unison the duo say, "fin, noggin, duudddee," completing their hand shake. Sam just watches the whole thing unfold in front of her with disapproval. She really doesn't think it's a good idea.
"Oh, come on Samuel. It's for Becky," Emily coerces after seeing the look on Sam's face.
"Please, Sammy. I need to sit on your shoulders while you sign so I can find him," Ella pleads, seeing that her plan might not be put into motion.
"Fine, come here, El," Sam relents. Ella really has perfected a pout that no one can say 'no' to. The little blonde quickly follows Sam's instructions and is soon on top of the lanky blonde's shoulders. She rests her head on top of Sam's when it starts getting late. They had been signing for what seemed like forever to Ella. Just as she thinks maybe he didn't come after all, she spots him.
"Zo! I got somethin' for you," Ella shouts when she sees him with his god daughter up against the barrier. A smile crosses Zola's face at the girl's words. He accepts the folded paper that Sam offers him and tells her thank you. Sam finishes up signing and the duo head off towards the locker room. Ella's head finally slumps completely; she falls asleep on top of Sam's head.
"Here, Sam, I'll take her," Becky offers when she sees Sam and Ella enter the locker room. "Sorry, if she was being stubborn."
"She was fine, Becky. Honestly, she just knows what she wants," Sam replies as she helps Becky pull Ella down from her shoulders. The little girl wakes briefly before clinging tightly to her mother and falling back asleep.
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"Reeba?," a man calls out from behind where Becky is standing, waiting to place her order at the local coffee shop.
"Hey, Zola, what are the chances? Sorry, I missed your god daughter last night. I can send you something to give to her if you want?," Becky offers when she realizes who is behind her.
"Oh, no, you don't have to do that. I was actually hoping to run into you again before you guys left today," Zola explains. He can see the surprise swimming in the blonde's eyes. "Ella actually found me last night and she gave me this," Zola continues. He unfolds the paper that Ella had handed him. Becky takes it and sees that Ella had drawn herself playing soccer with 'Momma' and 'Zo' as indicated by their labeled figures. Her eyes fall to the numbers listed at the bottom. It takes her a moment to recognize that it's her phone number.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I swear I didn't know she was going to do that. She has a mind of her own," Becky apologizes in embarrassment. Luckily, the cashier calls for the next customer so Becky can place her order and walk away.
"But, is it your number?" Zola asks after approaching the blonde again. He isn't going to leave without an answer.
"Yeah, it is," Becky replies, a little confused why he's asking. She had thought he wanted to tell her so she would know what Ella had been up to.
"Good, I'll make sure to use it," Zola states just as his name is called to pick up his order. He sends her a smile and then heads out of the coffee shop. Becky stands there dumbfounded at what just happened.
I honestly didn't think I was going to update again so soon, but I really like writing sneaky Ella. She's an extremely cunning little girl.
