THE WAY YOU FIXED ME

The beautiful game

Cobalt and claret fireworks burst from the cannon to my left, releasing a frenzy of exuberantly coloured snow onto the crowds of passionate Barcelona fans. Flags held high; songs immersing themselves within the sound waves that surrounded us. A warm breeze set the atmosphere alight, the ebony sky looming above the scene as if it were a neutral in the world of football, it's stars twisting this way and that as they followed the patterns of play.

Dum. Dum. Dum.

The thrash of drums awakened the blocks of colour that enshrouded the fern coloured rectangle beneath us: light, neon green symbolising Wolfsburg's pride, while the rippling sea of deep navy blue and claret embossed the excitement that the Barcelona family felt as the full- time whistle drew ever closer.

"¡Madre!"

I twisted to my side, the navy nylon creasing beneath the folds of my skin.

"¡Mirad!"

A little girl stared towards the pitch, cloudy eyes awake with awe as the shadow of law drew her fingers towards her lips.

Three seconds. Three magical blows. Enchanted.

The 2023 women's champions league was Barcelona's at the third time asking.

"Vamos, Barcelona, ¡ganadores de la Liga campeones femenina 2023!"

The scene was one of buoyancy, a school of Barcelona players rushing over the crisp ivory edge that separated the ruthless game from sportsmanship. The checked orb was launched upwards in triumph, soaring towards the netting of that which created such exhilaration. That goal. The comeback story of a lifetime.

Vamos Barça. I raised a shaking hand to remove a streak of gold coloured salt from my eyes as they leaked onto the number which I grasped so tightly with my hands. My crooked knee bounced up and down as if it was a see-saw on a playground, the god-forbidden brace preventing the pulsing tendon beneath from popping at any given moment.

Keira, Lucy, my girls... they had done it. Beaten those that had crushed our dreams like giants for generations. Rays of artificial brilliance temporarily blinded my view of our star girls, swirling through the night sky as if in a victory dance, whispering, "Barca, Barca, Barca..."

My best friends had won the Champions League against all odds, and now they would win the World Cup. With or without me, England had a firm grip on that trophy, and we would not let go.

A/N: Hey guys! I know I've not yet finished my first book (I am going to just give me some time), but I've decided to start this one as I wrote this chapter in an English lesson, and it gave me some inspiration for a book as it's something that is somewhat simple to plan out. This one might be shorter (25ish chapters), but hopefully it will still be good. I've not proof read this yet so if something doesn't make sense please just lmk. In the meantime, enjoy!