Saving The Day

1

"Happy Birthday Holland!" I hear Christen and Ashlyn screaming as they jump on me. Christen jumps in my arms and Ashlyn on my back.

"You guys are so annoying" I tell them laughing. Ashlyn gets off my back

"Let's go Chris, Holland's doing an interview" Ash tells Christen,  she gets out of my arms. Ashlyn ruffles my hair and walks off with Christen. I return back to the camera man and interview.

"Ha sorry my teammates are very wild. Love them though. What was your question before?" I ask the interviewer Dave.

"You girls are on the way to the world cup this year, how do you feel with the pressure on you, on handling the role of Hope Solo?"

"I don't feel pressure, I may not be Hope Solo but I know I'm a good keeper. I'm not the best female goal keeper but I do my best. My team has my back. I couldn't do without these girls" I say looking at the camera.

"Thank you Holland for your time. Congratulations on today's win, and happy birthday!" Dave tells me

"Thank you, Have a good night!" I tell Dave Byers. He smiles and he walks off with the Cameramen. I grab my bottle and head to the locker room. I see my teammates scattered around just being happy. Most of them I've been playing with for almost 12 years now. Playing in 2 world cups so far. Winning 1, but of course I didn't have enough playing time. Hope was #1. I was under her, and so was Ashlyn. It's one of the things that come with being a keeper in a national team, or pretty much any league. Majority of these girls play in the NWSL, I'm yet to have a Club. My contract ended with Orlando Pride. Rumor has it Olympique Lyonnais want to sign me but my agent hasn't told me anything about it.

"Holland!" Kelly screams and runs up to me and squirts water in my face. I grab my bottle and squirt water in her face, and because of the water in my eyes. Not being able to see well I miss a little bit and I end up squirting Carli. I hold back my chuckle.

"You did not just squirt me with water" she says smiling, and grabs the bottle from Kelly and squirts me with it. I laugh and I wipe my face with my sleeve. I walk to my cubbie. I'm next to Mal who's currently messing with Sam. I chuckle at their childishness.

"What are we doing for your birthday?" Mal asks me as I put my gloves into my bag.

"I'm probably just going to chill in the hotel" I tell Mal, grabbing Sam's attention. I don't really celebrate my birthday much. When I was 9 my father walked out on my family on my birthday. Leaving my mom and my 2 sisters. I'm the youngest. My sister Rylie is 34, and Adeline is 36. We're all 2 years apart from each other. I'm 32. We survived though. My mom remarried, she married a man named Adam Taylor. He raised us, and he's a good man. My birth is just a sad as it is a good day also.

"Can we at least chill with you?" Sam asks me

"Yeah sure most of the girls will be too" I tell her back. I change out. Most of the girls who I've been playing with for such a long time will be spending time with me on my birthday. They are my 2nd family. I grab my bag, and I chill in my cubbie as everyone else changes. Rapinoe being the DJ she is. Most of us singing to the song and just enjoying ourselves. When we're all ready, we start heading out.

"Do you want to order room service or should we take the rental car and get something else?" Carli asks me as she adjusts her headphones around her neck so she can hear me.

"Hmm room service" I tell her as we walk to the bus

"Alright" she says and she gives me a warm smile putting her headphones back in. Carli and I put our bags into the luggage space. Her and I carry own bags. We know how much the staff works hard to keep with everything. We climb step into the bus, she sits in the row next to mine. The girls start piling into the bus. Christen sitting with me and Ali sitting with Carli. I hear singing behind me.

"Now she says she gon' do what to who?
Let's find out and see, Cardi B
You know where I'm at
You know where I be"

I know exactly who would be singing a Cardi B song. I look behind to see Tobin and Ashlyn behind us and Rapinoe in row next to Ashlyn's. They are just jamming out.

"Finish it off Holland!" Rapinoe shouts to me. Causing the girls to usher me to finish some of the lyrics. Shaking my head smiling and Christen nudges me

"Come on Reed!" She tells me. As the song continues, I find where to start

"Said little bitch, you can't fuck with me
If you wanted to
These expensive, these is red bottoms
These is bloody shoes!" I say out loud and the team starts laughing and clapping. I shake my head laughing in embarrassment.

"That was good! I didnt expect that from you" Christen tells me smiling. I don't usually sing, but I love to have fun. You can't always be serious, you have to live it out.

"Have you been getting offers?" She asks me curiously. She's asking about the clubs. I'm the only one in the team that isn't in any club team.

"SkyBlue, Portland and Seattle but I don't want to play with either of them. I'm waiting for offers of clubs over seas." I tell her, and she nods

"Which European team do you want to play in?" She asks me. I would take any European club but

"Most likely Lyon, Manchester or Liverpool" I tell her. We talk about the European leagues on the way to the hotel. When we get there, I grab my bag from the Luggage space and make my way up to the hotel room which I'm sharing with Alex.

"I watched the interview you had after the game, do you get tired of being compared to Hope?" She asks me as we walk into our room. Alex is one of the people I'm closest too.

"Honestly I get annoyed of it. Not much I can do but ignore it and continue to do what I do. Making sure the ball doesn't go past me" I tell her earning a chuckle.

"I'm hungry, but I guess we'll wait for the girls to come. So we can all order" she tells me jumping into her bed and turning the TV on. We wait a while and the girls starting coming in. Once we're all here we call room service and order. Carli, Ash, Ali, Alex, Tobin, Mal, Sam, Kelly, Christen and Becky are here with me. Half of us sitting on the floor with pillows and blankets. And some of us cuddling on the bed as we eat our food and watch Bend It Like Beckham.

It may not look like much but this what I love on my birthday. My teammates with me, stuffing out faces with food and just watching a movie. Happy Birthday Holland Reed.