An Unexpected Friendship

Chapter 27

*Alex's POV*
I'm sitting on the couch when I hear rustling by the front door. "Where are you going?" I frown seeing Servando trying to slip out the door. "Dom heard that there's a fishing tourney going on at the lake. We're gonna see if we can enter it," he smiles. "Good luck with that," I chuckle.

"Wanna hit the field for a bit?" I ask Sophia as she trudges through the living room. "Beats sitting around here all day," she sighs. "Meet me in the car in ten then," I tell her.

...

"I'm glad I threw on a sweatshirt. It's cold out," I shutter and rub my arms. "It's 65 degrees out Al," Sophia says with confusion. "Yeah that's cold," I retort. "Ugh Californians," she shakes her head.

We walk to center field and drop all of our equipment. I set up some ladders and cones while Sophia takes her time getting her cleats on. "Alright let's do this," she says.

"Not so fast. Stretch first," I assert. "Do we really need to do this every time?" she huffs. "Have you ever pulled your calf or quad during a game or practice before?" I ask skeptically. "Nope," she rolls her eyes. "Then trust me when I say I'm helping you out. They hurt like hell and they're a pain in the ass to recover from," I shake my head.

After stretching, we do a few quick step drills with the ladders. In between turns, I start to feel a headache coming on. "You okay?" Sophia asks. "Yeah fine," I answer, brushing it off.

We continue practicing different skill sets and decide to end with shooting drills. We switch off taking shots from different areas around the box. I, however, am struggling to focus as my headache has turned into a migraine. I wince as the pounding becomes too much to bear.

*Sophia's POV*
"Alright I'm gonna try to hit the upper left corner," I tell Alex while positioning the ball just outside the 18-yard box. I take a few seconds to position myself and then advance towards the ball. I strike it cleanly and it soars right where I want it to.

"Aw yeah that's a dinger," I say aloud. I turn around proudly to look at Alex, who has remained quiet. Worry crashes over me as I see Alex lying on turf unresponsive.

"Alex!" I yell dropping to my knees next to her. I lightly tap her cheek to elicit a response, but she doesn't move. I can see her chest rising and falling which tells me that she passed out. I scramble to grab my phone from my duffel bag and dial 911.

"911 what's your emergency?" the dispatcher asks.

"My foster mom passed out while we were practicing. She's still unresponsive and I need help," I plead calmly.

"What's your name?" they ask.

"Sophia. My foster mom's name is Alex. Please send help," I urge.

"Okay Sophia. My name is Alice. Can you tell me your location?" she follows up.

"Boone High School. We're on the soccer field," I inform her.

As I relay the information to the dispatcher, Alex begins to stir. She groans as she tries to get herself off of the ground.

"She's awake," I tell the Alice. "Alex, stay down. You passed out," I inform her.

"I'm sending units to your location. Are you able to prop her legs up at all?" she asks.

I look around me to see what I can use. I drag mine and Alex's duffel bags over and stack them.

"Yes," I answer.

"Okay good. Try to aim for six to seven inches off of the ground. This will increase blood flow to her heart," she informs me.