Attached - Mallory Pugh/USWNT

Chapter 8

April 5th, 2022 10:00 pm

I was laying in my bead, texting my parents about the press conference when Mal talked for the first time in 30 minutes. I assumed she had fallen asleep watching Friends on TV. 

"You were really mature at the press conference." She flipped on her side to look at me. 

"Thanks." I said. 

"I know we didn't get along well when we were young. It wasn't really our fault, it was more coaches always making us compete for the top spot. Compete for the captain spot, or the center striker spot. And you deserved it way more than I did. So I'm sorry." She said, her voice breaking. 

"What are you sorry for? It's not your fault. You don't need to be upset." I looked at her, and she was wiping her tears with the back of her hand. 

I looked at the sad  girl, and I couldn't help but feel for her. She didn't want us to fight, all she wanted was to be friends. And I hated her guts. 

I didn't hate her anymore. 

I was wrapped in my blanket, so comfortable, but something told me to go to her. 

"Kill me now."  I thought as I went over and climbed in her bed next to her. I wrapped her in my blanket and pulled her in close, letting her cry into my shoulder. 

It felt pretty normal, like we were never enemies and I never hated her stupid guts. 

""Morgana? Mallory? You guys awake in here?" Ashley walked over to my empty bed and when she didn't see anyone jumped in it. 

"Hi Ashley." I said. 

"Oh there you are. I'm sleeping here tonight because my heater broke so it's frigid." She replied. 

"Okay." 

She looked over at us for the first time. "You guys are cute." 

"She was upset." I said. "And I hope she knows this isn't a thing." 

"Aww." Mal said quietly. 

"Ashley she's a bit crazy in the head." 

"No I'm not. You're just warm and it's cold in here." She said. "But I am eating this up. Your little sweet side showing." 

"Shut up or I'll go cuddle Ashley instead." I joked. 

"Mal please stop." Ashley said. "Okay shut up so I can go to bed." 

"The use of the word shut up around here is exhausting." Mallory yawned, and put her head between my shoulder and my cheek. 

"Are you actually going to sleep like that?" 

"You best believe it." 

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April 6th, 2022 8:00 am

I was scared waking up because I forgot Mallory was right there. I yawned and realized we had moved a little bit, but not much. Ashley was somehow flipped sideways, all my sheets and everything all mixed up. 

I had to go to the gym, so I carefully slipped out of the blanket we were Mal and I both wrapped in, got changed quietly and snuck out of the room, leaving them both asleep. 

"Hey girl." Kelley said as I was lifting some weights. 

"Hey Kel." 

"How's it going?" 

"Eh. I'm tired." 

"You were in your room all night and said you were going right to sleep. How can you be tired?" She asked. 

"I just didn't sleep well. Ashley came into my room last night and stole my bed and I had to share with Mal. She insisted on cuddling into me, and if I moved or tried to she'd just move closer." 

"How cute." Kelley smiled, and took the wrights from my hands. 

"Can I be honest with you?" I asked her. 

"Always." 

"Growing up, I hated her. She never was mean or anything, I think I was just jealous of how perfect she was. And I was also angry because she was one of the only people who could actually pose some competition for me. And we were always butting heads. But I was super competitive, so I hated her." It all came out super fast, just a flow of words I didn't expect. I just wanted to say simply 'we didn't get along growing up and I hated her for some reason.' I wasn't planning on telling Kelley I thought she was perfect. Hell, I didn't even know I thought she was perfect. 

"Oh I know. I could tell you weren't big on her when you first got here. I asked Ashley. I But her on the other hand? She's got a little thing for you, I think." Se replied, looking me dead in the eye. She said it dead seriously. 

"Where did that idea come from?" 

"Oh wait you didn't know?" 

"You act like I was supposed to know that!" I said, standing up. "This is new information!" 

"How could you not tell?" 

"How could you tell?" 

"Girlie, I see everything. And if you think I didn't invite you two to go out to eat and suggest the pool and tell Ashley to push you in on purpose, you're crazy." She laughed, standing up with me. 

"So you're basically the villain of my life?" 

"Villain? Hero? Cupid? All the same right?" She winked at me and walked away, leaving me standing in the middle of the hotel gym standing dumbly. 

I grabbed my stuff and got in the elevator, heading for my room. 

"Ashley Sanchez!" I yelled, busting into my hotel room. 

"What the hell?" She said, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. 

"Get your ass out here." I demanded. "Don't make me drag you." 

"Morgana calm down." Said Mal. "Chill. It's 8:45 in the morning." 

Once Ashley was standing up, I grabbed her wrist and yanked her into the hallway. 

"What the hell?" I said, trying to keep my voice a bit hushed but still scary. 

She just stared at me blankly, and I felt kinda bad for waking her up, because she was obviously still half asleep. 

"Why did you help Kelley out on her stupid little game?" I asked. 

"Did you go through my phone last night?" She said, looking shocked at me. 

"No, I'm not creepy. Kelley told me. Why would you try to make me LIKE my enemy? Are you an idiot?" 

"I didn't know that would be a bad thing." She said. 

"Well Kelley is all in my head now. Thanks a lot, both of you." I groaned. "Thanks a lot. Now I'm confused and have no idea who to trust anymore." 

"Your confused about what?" Ashley smirked. 

"Ashley!" I looked away, feeling the blush on my cheeks. 

"Oh my gosh you like her!" She giggled. 

"Ashley Sanchez I will kill you!" 

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