Home is Where the Heart is - Pablo Gavi

Chapter 25: Pranksters

Wednesday morning we have a regular early training session. So far, I have no afternoon plans, so we'll see if any offers come along. If none do, I'll be perfectly happy spending the afternoon cuddled up on my couch binge watching Criminal Minds.

For the moment, I'm in the changeroom with a few other stragglers. Gavi is amongst them, almost ready to go out on the field. I'm walking towards the locker room door by myself when Pedri walks in.

"Hey Isla," he says, walking over to his locker.

"Hey Pedri," I return, continuing out the door. Pedri and I get along well, our bond mostly of trust on the field and both of us having a strong connection with Gavi.

I'm casually strolling down the hallway when I hear the clicking of cleats approaching me from behind. I'm expecting it to be Gavi---it's always Gavi coming up behind me in a rush---but to my surprise it's Pedri. He comes to a walk, replicating my pace once he's beside me. A smooth silence falls between us, the only audible noise being our cleats tapping against the cement bellow us. "Isla?" he asks as we're about halfway down the hallway.

I look over at him. "Yeah?"

"Will you help me with something?" he asks hesitantly.

"Sure, what is it?" I respond confidently, hoping it'll make him less hesitant to confide in me.

"I need revenge on Gavi," he states.

I smile, now revenge I'm good at. "Of course, do you even have to ask? What's the plan?"

"Okay," he says, starting to incorporate his hands into his speech. "I need you to keep him out on the pitch late after training, like five extra minutes while I go into the changeroom and swap his deodorant out for cream cheese." He smirks at his own idea.

I smile, imagining Gavi's reaction. "Sounds like something I can do."

"Thanks," he says as we get out onto the pitch. One of the PR ladies I've never officially met is on the side of the field with a camera, filming us. I smile, more at her than the camera. She smiles back. "This is going to be great," Pedri adds, clearly sill visualizing the plan.

We start up training shortly after. We go through the whole training session methodically, but the whole time I can't help but think of the prank we're going to pull. Well, Pedri's going to pull and I'm going to help with. It's thrilling, being included in this, it makes me feel like I'm finally really apart of the team, not simply on it.

At the end of the training session, when Xavi dismisses us I call Gavi back from the group. I juggle the ball I kept at my feet a few times while I wait for him to come back over to me. When he gets to me he glances around the pitch before asking me what's up.

"Do you think you could help me with a trick I've been working on real quick?" I ask, trapping the ball at my feet.

Gavi rolls the ball towards himself. "Yeah sure, what is it." He taps it back to me for a demonstration.

"The one where you get it off the ground and put it over yours and the defender's head." I flick the ball up with my toe and hit it again, knocking it in front of me, rather than over my head. I trap the ball at my feet again and look up at him for help.

He rolls the ball out of my feet again and flicks it into the air, demonstrating the move I was talking about. "This?"

"Yep," I confirm.

He explains how you do the move, but I'm not really listening to his words. I know how to do it, I needed a quick excuse to get him to hang back. I'm attempting to give Pedri a few more minutes to set up the prank so I pretend to be struggling with it. Gavi is being encouraging, take note of what I can do better and sharing his points. I try to take his pointers and apply them, regardless of trying to mess up the move, I want him to think I'm trying to get it right that way he doesn't suspect the prank. I've been given one chance by Pedri to be the accomplice, I don't want to mess this up.