bringing lucy home

Chapter 3: City Memories

Keira didn't call Lucy that night, or the next night, or the next. Instead, she cried herself to sleep over the circumstances she couldn't control. In training, Mahon gave Keira hell for not playing well. He didn't know her. He didn't see past her lacklustre training, to the hurt she was feeling. Her teammates recognized it but didn't know why Keira was down, she wouldn't tell them. At home, Steph didn't know whether to be extra-attentive to Keira or to leave her alone. She tried to encourage Keira to talk to Lucy, but the younger girl didn't know what to do.

It was a week till Lucy called Keira, out of the blue. Keira's heart jumped. She didn't know how to react. Should she ignore Lucy, like Lucy been ignoring her {she thought}, or was this her opportunity to finally talk?

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kei." Lucy's voice was muffled over the phone but to Keira it sounded warm and familiar.

Keira didn't know why her heart was racing at the sound of Lucy's voice. She should be angry, that Lucy had been ignoring her, but she kept making excuses for her friend and was too ecxcited to be talking to her to feel angry. "Hi."

"How's it going," Lucy asked.

Keira froze. She didn't know whether or not she should be completely honest with Lucy, or not. "Good," she lied.

"Did you go to training today? How are the girls? How are you getting on without Nick?"

Lucy's many questions about City hit Keira from all directions. "The girls are good, yeah we got back from training half hour ago. The interim manager...he just...he doesn't know us yet."

On the other end of the phone, Lucy smiled to herself, fiddling with her ring. "Hey Kei, remember our first City match together?"

Again Keira was surprised by Lucy's questions. "Errr...yeah. Everton, was it?"

"Notts County."

"Mmm, right. What about it?"

"Ah, nothing. Ahahaha, remember the Champions League 2016? Russia?"

"Zveda Perm?"

"You got player of the match..."

"And you scored..." Keira smiled. "It was a good day for us."

Us. It had been a long time since Lucy had heard Keira talk about "us." It sounded good. "You were good in the Champions League. Your first goal against Brondby...remember?"

"How could I forget?" laughed Keira. "You only reminded me 5,000 times about how 'it was about time'."

Lucy laughed. "I guess I was a proud teacher."

"Oh, teacher? We all know that's not true," Keira jabbed. "Lucy Stan taught me to shoot."

"Not fair!" Lucy cried. "I spent just as much time teaching you to shoot!" Lucy grinned. Talking to Keira was like seeing a blue sky after weeks of rain, it was refreshing and happy.

"It wasn't effective" Keira laughed. Both she and Lucy were giggling now. "Well even if you did, now I'm using it against you!"

"Ok, ok, well I'm glad you're a true blue."

"Unlike you!" Keira returned playfully.

Lucy was silent. Keira didn't mean to hurt her, Keira had no idea about the battle in Lucy's mind, but Lucy's heart stopped.

Keira waited for Lucy's response but it didn't come. She was confused, and wondered what was wrong with Lucy. "Luce?" She could hear Lucy cough over the phone but she apparently didn't want to respond. "Ermm...how's Lyon treating you anyways?"

"Ermm...Lyon..."

"Yeah, well we've been talking about old times at City, but how are you? How's France? Your living your dream, right?"

"Ermm...yeah. How's Steph?"

"Lucy! Enough about Steph and City!" Keira laughed, confused. "I'm trying to ask you questions about Lyon!"

"Why do you wanna know about Lyon?"

"Well, why wouldn't I? Maybe I want to know about the club you left City for? Maybe we don't talk often and I want to hear from you?" Keira was proper puzzled. Why didn't Lucy want to talk about Lyon? She seemed to be in love with the club when she left Manchester.

Lucy was quiet again. "Well maybe I'm interested in hearing about my old club? My friends? My home?"

"I'm just...confused," Keira stammered. "I mean...you've moved on from City. Lyon is your home now." Keira didn't know what to feel. For all that Lucy made Lyon out to be, she seemed to be avoiding talking about it.

"What, are you glad I'm at Lyon?" Lucy's heart was beating faster. She couldn't tell if she was angry, insecure, or sad.

"Well, of course," Keira said supportively. "Its your dream, isn't it? Your at the club that will improve your game, help your career. You said that City couldn't do that for you. So yeah, I guess I'm glad your at Lyon. If...if City wasn't...good enough." Keira's own words reminded her of her hurt over Lucy's leaving. "I just mean..."

"That's not what you said last time."

"What do you mean Lucy?"

"I thought you missed me. I thought you didn't want me to go back to Lyon. I thought you wanted me at City."

"But this is a new chapter of your life, Luce! I want to support you! No one here at City wants to hold you back! We want you to enjoy your life at Lyon. Things change, Luce. I get it now. And I'm glad for you. Its...its better this way." Keira didn't want Lucy to feel any sort of guilt over leaving. She hid her feelings of sadness and loneliness so that she could be supportive, but Lucy was taking everything as an attack.

To Lucy, she thought that no one at City even missed her, Keira included, and they were all glad she was gone. All her suspicions that her old teammates didn't like her were confirmed in her mind. She couldn't take it anymore.

"Lucy? Luce? Lucy?" The line went dead, Lucy had hung up. Keira dropped her phone on her bed, and fought back tears.