Goal!: The Third Chapter!

Chapter 29

"I don't know," said Maire, as she shrugged.

"Maire." said Carli, as she looked at Maire. "Look at me in the eyes, and tell me that you weren't the one that TP our whole locker room."

Maire then looked at Carli in her eyes.

"It wasn't me, honest." said Maire, in a serious tone of voice.

After Maire said that, Carli and the other USWNT players then left. While seeing that Carli and the other girls leave, Maire makes a sigh of relief.

"Whew... Girls, you owe me big!" said Maire, as she tells herself.

Maire walks to the balcony of the lobby and sighs, while still holding onto the toilet paper roll, and putting it in her left hand.

"Why didn't you tell her the truth?" said a familiar voice, as she asked Maire.

"What's the point?" said Maire as tells the voice, who she thought was her conscious. "It'll just make things worse. I just want this prank war to end already, I don't wanna see my new teammates and my former teammates having a prank war like this. It's already getting out of hand."

"How did this prank war even start?" said the familiar voice, as she asked Maire.

"I don't know, according to Alaia, my former teammate Kelley started it." said Maire, as she tells the voice.

"Wait, Kelley started this?!" said the voice, as she raised it a little higher.

"Wait, a minute..." said Maire, after recognizing the voice that she was talking to and looking outside. "What the? Tobin?!"

Maire sees Tobin standing on the grass, while holding onto Axel's lesh. Axel was sitting next to Tobin, with his tail wagging after seeing his owner's face.

"Uh, how long have you two been standing there?" said Maire, as she asked both Tobin and Axel.

"Long enough." said Tobin, as she looked at Maire, before smirking. "looks like you have so much to talk about. Do you want to talk it out?"

Maire then sighs and nods.

"I'll be right there." said Maire, as she nodded before telling Tobin.

Moments later...

Maire and Tobin, were sitting at a bench close outside of the lobby. Maire was sitting on the left side of the bench, while Tobin was sitting on the right side, as Axel was lying down on the grass, in the middle.

"It's hard, you know, ever since we... You know, it's been hard for me. Like right now with this Prank war and all, I don't know where to fall. If I lean to you girls, then my new teammates would think that I'm a traitor. However if I lean on them, you're going to think that I'm a traitor as well. I'm struggling with both teams, and I can't even decide on what to do!" said Maire, as she admitted to Tobin. "And it's just really worse with this prank war, it really is."

"I get you, I really do." said Tobin, as she tells Maire. "However, you're right about this prank war, it's not helping both teams. But I wonder, what does your coach say about this? Isn't she going to stop it?"

"No, my coach tells us to just keep on fighting, until you girls surrender." said Maire, as she admits to her.

"Yeah, that's going to be a problem." said Tobin, as she chuckles.

"Yeah, unless both coaches have an agreement and a truce." said Maire

"Yeah, only that can stop the prank war," said Tobin, as she sighed.

Tobin turns to Axel.

"He's a good boy, can I take him with the team tomorrow too, while you're at morning practice?" said Tobin, as she tells Maire, who looks at her.

"Yeah, I guess. If it's okay with him." said Maire, as she tells Tobin, while looking down at Axel. "What do you say bud? Do you want to go with Tobin and the other girls, or do you want to stay with me?"

Axel looks at Maire and later at Tobin, while looking back at Maire again and whines.

"He's undecided." said Maire, as she tells Tobin. "He won't go, unless...-"

Maire stops talking after hearing the sound of a squeaky toy, being squeezed. After looking back down at Axel, she then sees that her own dog was sitting on the grass beside Tobin, who was smiling at her. Axel was wagging his tail, as Maire chuckled upon seeing his reaction.

"Unless, you have his favorite basketball rubber chew toy. Then, yeah of course he'll go with you." said Maire, as she laughed.

Tobin takes out the chew toy that she was hiding in her right hand.

"Oh, is that so." said Tobin, who tried to look innocent while smirking. "Who knew right, anyways why a basketball? Why not a soccer ball chew toy?"

"Because, I literally have three basketball team pictures, while I have two soccer team pictures." said Maire, as she tells Tobin, who stopped smirking. "That and Axel is a very big fan of basketball."

"Let me guess." said Tobin, as she knew what basketball team Axel was going for.

"Yup." said Maire, as she nodded.

"Christen, is going to be very disappointed in you." said Tobin, as she tells Axel while chuckling.

"Yup." said Maire, as she stood up from the bench and later groaned in pain.

After hearing Maire groan, Tobin stood up from the bench concerned.

"What's wrong?" said Tobin, as she stopped chuckling and looked at Maire with a worried look.

"Nothing." said Maire, as she lies to Tobin. "My foot fell asleep."

"But, you've only been sitting for four minutes?" said Tobin, as she asked Maire, with a confused look on her face.

"Yeah, but then again I'm still sore, from all of that workout." said Maire, as she tells Tobin.

"Yeah, you're right." said Tobin, as she tells Maire. "You do look a little tired."

"Yeah." said Maire

Tobin looks at her phone and later at Maire.

"I have to go, according to the girls, we've got a last minute meeting on schedule. And I just got the notice." said Tobin, as she tells Maire, while giving her back Axel's favorite chew toy. "So... see you tomorrow, first thing in the morning you two."

"See ya." said Maire, as she waved at Tobin, who was taking a few steps away from them.

After Tobin left around the corner, Maire then sighed after sitting back down on the bench, as she rubbed her left knee with her left hand. Axel, who looks at Maire, whimpers, while putting his head on his owner's left knee, as he looks up at her.

"I know, I shouldn't have lied to her. But, either way, I am doing this for a good cause." said Maire, as she rubs the top of Axel's head. "I know this is bad and all, but this is an actual sacrifice. And you know that, right bud. You know, that our coach is giving us the full treatment, even if she's really strict and harsh. However, we're doing this in order to get two people back. We have no choice. And I can't back down now, we already have another player injured, and with me that's basically two players down."

Axel begins to whimper again.

"I know bud, I know. I'm scared too." said Maire, as she tells Axel. "But, we're so close, and either way, we'll have to take this sacrifice and go forth. Because, there's no backing down, now."