Pernille Harder & Magdalena Eriksson

Chapter 2

"Aw, bye honey! I'm so proud of my girl!" cries Pernille's mom, Annie, as she and her husband drop their daughter off in front of the dorm rooms, two weeks early for football camp.

"Ugh, mom, stop it," rolling her eyes, Pernille pops open the door to grab her stuff. A large navy blue suitcase, a medium cardboard box full of mostly football paraphernalia and a turquoise Osprey backpack occupied with her laptop and basic school supplies.

"Oh, just let me come up with you! You sure you don't need help?" asks Mogens as he exits the car.

"That's so embarrassing, I'll be fine dad," huffs Pernille, "Promise I'll call you tonight, okay?"

"Okay honey, just one more hug!" as her parents leans in to squeeze their daughter.

Trekking up three flights of stairs, Pernille finds her room, number 307. Upon entering, she sees that her new team/roommate has already arrived and taken the right side of the room. Slowly dropping off her stuff at her feet, Pernille scans her new teammate's side of the room; a poster of Malin Moström, silver Macbook, a set of red and black over-the-head Beats headphones, and last but not least, a blue tracksuit with yellow stripes tossed over the back of the chair. Wait a minute. Pernille recognized those colours.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," Pernille hears behind her in a snarling, yet infamously recognizable voice from the deepest part of her memories.

Spinning around, Pernille meets a pair of dark emerald eyes conjured from her worst nightmare.

"Oh, hell, the fuck, no," says Pernille under her breath and immediately bursts past the blonde.

-

Pernille barges into the coach's office, Coach Martin Sjögren.

"Coach!"

"Harder? Everything okay?"

"Can I, speak with you?"

"Well, you're already in here. What's going on?"

"I can't, I can't," Pernille couldn't think of the blonde's name, because she didn't know it, "My roommate. I can't room with..."

Magda walks in through the door.

"Her," Pernille shamelessly points at Magda, "I can't room with her."

"At least we agree on something," spits Magda.

"Whoa whoa ladies, you don't even know each other," says Sjögren.

"Oh I know her alright," replies Pernille, glaring at Magda, "You're the one who cost me my Scandi Cup championship."

"You're the one who cost me mine! I was there, remember? You stupid b-"

"Hey!!!" Sjögren slams his palm on the desks, "Sit down, both of you."

Pernille and Magda each grab the closest chair relative to them, scooting as far away from each other as possible within the confines of the rectangular room. Pernille defensively crosses her arms and Magda, leaning back smugly but crossing her legs.

"Listen to me ladies. You're both recruited here for a reason. Whatever adolescent squabble you had or have between you two doesn't matter, you're on the same team now. This pettiness is not a reason for a room assignment change." says Sjögren.

Both Magda and Pernille explode up.

"What?!"

"No!"

"I can't live like this!"

"I hate her!"

"She's impossible!"

"Quiet! Look at you two. Now, I understand both of you were captains of your respective teams, there's a reason for that. Find it. Now I suggest you both get settled in. Conditioning starts tomorrow morning at 06:00, you're both excused."

Except Pernille and Magda continue to stand, hoping for the last strand of mercy from their new coach. His voice was unforgiving. "Now, ladies."

Turning silently, Magda and Pernille are stuck walking back together towards their room, both stewing in anger. Upon entering, Magda turns around to stop Pernille just before she breaches the invisible plane into the room.

With intolerant eyes, Magda speaks, "I have two rules. Don't touch my shit. And I don't want to see any fucking dicks."

Pernille returns Magda's look of disdain, "Ironic, considering how fucking cocky you are," and looks Magda up and down as if she were sizing her up for another brawl, "Don't be so presumptuous. Not like you'll ever have a chance."

Pernille proceeds to walk through Magda with an extra shoulder bump, ignoring Magda's authoritative stance.

Rolling her eyes, Magda responds, "In your dreams."

"More like my nightmare," Pernille snaps.

"You mean, my nightmare."

Neither girl would let the other have the last word, except Pernille's phone rings, interrupting their tennis game of insults. Grabbing her phone, Pernille escapes into the stairwell.

"Oh thank god Louise!"

"Wud up little sis! How's your dorm?"

"You will not believe who my new roommate is."

"Who?"

"The Swedish Captain," Pernille says in disappointment.

"Shut your mouth! Aw, man, that sucks."

"Shut up Louise, you're not helping."

"I don't know what to tell you P. Karma's a bitch?"

"I didn't even do anything to her!"

"You spat in her face."

"Ugh! Help me! Please!"

"P, listen to yourself"

"Fuck my life."

Pernille and Louise spend a couple of hours on the phone talking even though they saw each other that morning to say goodbye. But, Pernille couldn't stay on the phone and avoid her room forever. Returning, Magdalena is sitting casually on her bed, headphones on and focused on her Macbook.

Picking up her suitcase and box from the floor she left in a heap, Pernille puts on her own headphones and starts mindlessly shoving clothes into her drawers. After emptying her suitcase, Pernille moves to her box of personalized items, a picture of her and Theresa in their football uniforms, and one with her family. Pernille pauses, taking particular notice of her granddad, now three years deceased, wishing he had been with her parents today to drop her off. Looking over her shoulder, Pernille fears embarrassment if the blonde caught the swell in her single eye, but she didn't, still occupied with whatever she was watching on her laptop.

The remainder of the evening and night is completely silent in 307 as both girls go to bed.