The Missing Trophy

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The flight attendant anounced that we landed in a beautiful sunny Barcelona and it was time to turn off my music and come back to reality. I'm here. I'm finally here.

I grabbed my suitcases and bags and called a taxi. It arrived after few minutes and I was already sweating from waiting the car because it was hot as hell here. I already love it. I love sun, I love warm days, coast, sea and to be precent summer in general.

Older man in a taxi picked me up, helped me with my luggage and started the engine. He asked me what is the adress and I gave him the name of the street that I'll live in for next few years.

I was so excited for my future while looking through the window and thinking about the meeting that I have with everybody tomorrow.

I am gonna meet so many players that I always looked up to when playing in Arsenal and I feel nervous as hell, but still calm somehow.

The drive was quick and relaxing. We just arrived to my new place that the club provided me as their player and I couldn't believe my eyes. I expected something smaller and cozy but this building was huge, in a modern style, covered in glass and a little rose garden right before the enterance of the building.

I unlocked the doors number 11 of my apartment and the first thing I could see is a beautiful big living room that led to spacious glass balcony. I took some pictures of my new apartment and sent it to my mum and Leah. Bestie responded immediately with "😍😍" and I couldn't be more happier with this new home I has been given from club.

After setting some things and photos that I brought in their place I decided to take a shower and get ready for the meeting the club members tomorrow.

Now it was 10:25 pm and I was texting my mum while laying in bed. My eyes were already very tired and began to slowly close so I decided to go to sleep. I put an alarm on, locked my phone, put it on charge and easily drifted to sleep.

The sound of relaxing music apearred in my head and I opened my eyes seeing it was my alarm and not my dreams. It was 8 o'clock and today was the day I am officialy becoming the memeber of FC Barcelona.

I have half an hour to get ready, eat my usual morning meal - cereals and go to the camp to meet my new coach and teammates.

Before I went out, I looked at my phone because I heard a beeping sound and saw a text from Leah "Break a leg champ 💪 love you nins 💛"

I responded with a quick "Thanks mate 😘 will do" and I called a taxi again to take me to the camp.

After I got out of the car I saw few girls already getting into the building of the club and the only one I noticed was Ingrid Engen because I couldn't recognise the other ones from their back turning me.

I was heading to the doors and I wanted to open them but someone was faster then me and opened them FOR me. It was who else than one and only Alexia Putellas. I smiled for the kindly gesture and she returned the smile back. Than she said "You must be the new girl?"

I responded with "Yeah, I'm the new player" very enthusiastically.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Alexia, the captain of our team" and with that she showed the movement of thinking to shake my hand and I let her of course. For me, her behavior was weird but I didn't say anything.

She was very tall, well at least for me. I am only 160 cm so she was much taller than me honestly. Her arms were somehow more muscular than I saw from pictures on social media and she looked how do I say it, much prettier than I imagined.

In silence we went together to the room where I will be presented to others and the only thing she said to me was "I'm glad we will have a fresh backup in a midfield this season."

I smiled at her words and we entered the room full of all the other girls already arrived for todays training with a coach saying something in spanish that I couldn't understand.

When he saw me entering the room he stopped talking and went to me to give me a handshake and said "Hello Nina, my name is Jonatan, welcome to Barcelona Femini."

With that all the girls went to me to greet me and to tell me their names except for Keira and Lucy obviously because we know each other already. The girl who caught my eye and not in that way but as someone who I noticed to be a good greeter and probably a good friend to everyone here is the blonde girl with a neck tattoo. She said her name is Mapi.

I noticed her winking and flirting with a player I already knew from the national friendly matches and that was Ingrid. I assumed they were a thing or maybe dating for a longer time because od their behavior towards each other.

Sometimes I'm jealous of these kind of couples. I never had that. I never even experienced this type of thing - love. Never felt it, never had it. But I guess I'm okay with it. You can't miss what you never had right?

Just after Jonatan ended with todays plan for training Lucy came up to me while we were all walking to the pitch. "I saw how you look at Ingrid and Mapi" she said and I didn't know what to say.

"I am not trying to steal someone's girlfriend Lucy, come on" i said like I was defending myself from something I didn't do.

"I didn't think of it like that. I said it because I think we should really get you someone finally, you've been alone for such a long time. Don't you get bored? Or lonely?"

She was right, yes, but I would never admit that. Never. Everybody from my national team knew about my bad luck in love and relationships but I couldn't help myself. It just didn't work out for me.

"Don't worry about me, I'm here for football either way" i said to her and went to Claudia and Jana to practise ball control as couch ordered.

The day was actually great. I was so nervous to meet everyone and I'm usually not good at meeting new people but it seems like they accepted me very well.

The training was over after two hours and when I headed to showers a hand on my shoulder stopped me. It was Mapi. She started "Hey Nina, I wondered if you want to come with me and girls for a coffee after training. We usually ask new players to come with us so we can all get to know each other better. What do you say?"

I was really happy with an offer I just got and I replied with simple" I'd really love to."

"Great! Meet me in a hallway in 20" she said and went to dry her hair that was wrapped in a towel and I went to take a shower.

With that I realised that things couldn't be more better in my life right now. I'm in my favourite club of all time, playing football with people that I always looked up to and things just couldn't be better I repeated to myself.

But one thought just wouldn't leave my mind.

Was it all just that perfect or was it just a calm before the storm?