"I'm so fucking nervous," Alina said, leaning back on the chair in the stands of the stadium, where the quarterfinals between England and France are held.
"Just breathe, guys. Take a deep breath," Lewis said. He received a slap on the neck from Stacey, who was stressing just as much as Alina, "Ouch."
"You're making it worse," she looked at him, and he patted his neck softly to take away the "pain" from the slap.
"Auntie," Harley had walked up to Alina, reaching his arms out for her. "Come here," Alina smiled, picking him up and putting him down on her lap.
Alina's throat is still sore, and her neck is still hurting, but that doesn't matter to her right now. She's too distracted and nervous for tonight to even feel any kind of pain.
It was disappointing to her that Mason wasn't starting again tonight; she truly believes that he deserves to start the game because he's been training hard like always. Nevertheless, everyone knows he'll always be ready if he gets subbed in later, and that's all that matters.
———
15 minutes of the game had passed, and France had already scored their first goal. But the England players kept on fighting until halftime.
"Hey buddy, I'm going to grab some tea; do you want to stay with your mom?" Alina asked Harley, who was still sitting on her lap.
"Can I come?" he asked shyly.
"Of course you can; go tell your mom, ok?" Alina told him. He nodded and walked over to his mom. Alina grabbed her bag and stood up; Harley quickly ran back to her.
"Ready to go?" Alina asked, and Harley smiled and nodded as he grabbed her hand to hold it.
Poppy was with Declan's nephews and didn't want to come, and as for Summer, she had gone back to England with Jasmine and Sam, most likely because of the pregnancy.
Alina took Harley with her to grab a cup of tea, hoping it would help her throat soften a bit. They stood in line, waiting for their turn.
"Want something to eat?" She asked Harley
"No," he shook his head.
"You sure?" she asked. He nodded, and it was their turn in line. Alina ordered her cup of tea and grabbed Harley's hand again to go back to their seats.
As they came back, the game had just started. Bellingham had a great shot at goal, but it was saved by Lloris. But then a miracle happened: Saka won England a penalty, and of course Harry Kane scored.
Everyone jumped out of their seats, screaming and cheering. The game was back on.
England was playing better than France, and they had created many chances but missed many of them, some were blocked or saved. In the last quarter of the game, Mason came in and immediately won them a penalty.
Alina jumped out of the chair with Harley in her arms, jumping with pride. "Yes, Uncle Masey!" Harley shouted with Poppy.
As Harry was about to take the pen, Alina could feel the quietness in the stands; the quiet was even louder when he had missed. Everyone was in shock.
With only a few minutes left, the boys did all they could to score an equalizer, but it was impossible.
The England stand was quiet; everyone looked around, hearing the fans from France cheering and screaming with happiness.
"Oh, baby," Alina muttered under her breath as she looked down on the pitch where Mason was; he was wiping his tears away, crouching down.
No one was in the mood to talk at this point. England had played so much better than France and deserved to win today; this was unfair.
———
As the stadium got emptier and the boys had gotten changed, they came back to the stands for the last time. Alina let Mason hug his family first, she got emotional seeing him hug them for so long with a sad expression on his face.
She's never seen him so upset before, and it broke her heart witnessing it today.
He looked at her and leaned in for a hug, "I'm sorry," she whispered, knowing nothing else she would say was gonna make him feel better right now.
"It's fine," he sighed, leaning back to place a quick kiss on her lips.
She cupped his face in her palms, stroking his cheeks with her thumbs, "you did everything you could, and we're so proud of you," she assured him.
"Thank you," he gave her a slight smile, but quickly went back to hugging her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let him hug her as long as he needed.
—
AN: Bit of a short one but I don't feel the best atm. Brazil, Portugal and England are all out and I don't know who to root for anymore 💔
England played so much better than France today and really deserved to win. I also saw Mason wipe his tears which broke my fucking heart, why does football have to be so cruel sometimes 😭
