The Rising Star - Alexia Putellas

Part 45

"I'm gonna miss our coffee dates though." She pouted.

"Yeah, she's been telling me about those. I'm so sad I won't get to experience them now." Pernille added.

"Well whenever I'm around London, I'll give you a call." I told the two.

"Well I hope that counts for Manchester too." Steph Houghton with some of the Manchester City girls walked up to us.

"Duh, you don't turn down a coffee date with the goat herself." I laughed at Steph's face. She hated it when I called her that. I actually became good friends with Steph, Ellen and Jill.

I met both women after one of the games against their team. I remembered I was still pretty young and it was one of my first games with the senior team. Ever since we kept contact and occasionally hung out.

"Maybe you should come over to Barcelona from time to time. Definitely you Jill so we can go on a hunt for some great coffee places." I grinned at the older woman. Jill and I both loved our coffee so when we hung out we made it a sport to look for new coffee places and try them out. She was an incredibly funny person but at the same time you can really have a good conversation with her.

"Allright may I have your attention please." Leah said standing on one of the chairs. "Ellie, can you please come forward?"

"Oh no." I mumbled but went anyway.

"So as everyone here already knows, sadly Ellie is leaving Arsenal to join Barcelona next season. Hence the party. But before we can let you go we wanted to say a few words." She smiled at me. All my teammates walked up to the front while Daan guided me to a chair and pushed me down to sit in it. Oh God, they're going to make me cry.

"Dear Ellie, you were only twelve years old when you arrived here in London. It must have been a big change for you. I mean from sunny LA to grey and rainy London must have been a shock itself." Shari started. I chuckled at what the goalie had said because it was true. I really struggled with the weather in the beginning.

"Not to mention that you had to leave everything you knew and loved behind to follow your dream. But despite all that you never complained. Always ready to help or cheer up a teammate when they need it." Lisa continued.

"On the field you are a force to be reckoned with. Sadly not all of us had the privilege to see you grow into the incredible player you are today."  Dominique looked at me with a small smile on her face. I already felt the tears well into my eyes.

"But nonetheless we're incredibly happy to be at least a small part of it and we hope to continue to be a part of it despite the fact we are not going to be teammates any longer." Lia said, winking at me.

"You are known for your calmness on the pitch, never lashing out unlike some others, Katie I'm looking at you. You choose to shut them up with your skill and talent, like you did last year at the Chelsea game." Kim made me laugh while I desperately tried not to cry.

"Not only your calmness stood out but your vision and skill was unparalleled. The passes and assists you gave, the runs you made, the goals you scored were just unbelievable." Viv add on.

"Over the years here at Arsenal. From your time at the academy till now you've grown to become a true Arsenal legend and that at an age of just twenty years old. That's an incredible achievement. You're not just loved by your teammates but you quickly grew out to be a fan favorite and I have a feeling that you'll remain one for a very long time to come." Jordan smiled proudly at me.

"Just know that no matter what you will always have a home here and we will always remain your family. So please don't forget us and stop by for a visit from time to time. Or better yet invite us over to sunny Barcelona so Daan can sip her cocktails and shut up about it." Katie rolled her eyes at Daan. I busted out laughing at that. Katie's not wrong, she has been bugging me about that ever since I accepted the offer.

"But as incredible you are on the pitch even better you are off it. You're not just a great player, you are an even better person. There's no doubt about it. Always taking care of others, making time for the fans. That's just who you are." Beth said.

"No matter the day or time you were always one call away for your teammates who you saw as your extended family. Sometimes annoyingly forgetting yourself in the process. But that's just who you are. You would do anything for the people that you love." Daan scoffed at me. Daan had become like an older sister and it annoyed her to no extent that I sometimes forgot myself in favor of someone else.

At this point it was hard to keep my tears at bay but the hardest part still had to come. The one person who probably meant the most to me in this world alongside my family. I knew I was done for.

Leah took a step forward. She looked at me intently. For a brief moment she looked up and took a deep breath to steady herself and to no doubt get her emotions in check for what seemed to be the last part of the speech.

"Ellie, long story short. We just want to tell you and remind you because you tend to forget what an incredible person you are. We are going to miss you terribly but no matter what you'll always be part of us. I'm so happy that that little twelve year old girl got picked on during her first training. You will always be my sister and you will always be my best friend because remember friends by chance, sisters by choice. We love you, I love you and we're gonna miss you tremendously. Love the Arsenal squad."

At this point I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. The moment she had said her last word I got up and ran towards the team that I call my family. I pulled them all close to me so we were in a giant group hug taking in all the love. I can only hope that I can also have this at Barca.