Invisible String [T.S-E.S BOOK ONE]

11

August 9th, 2012

Last game of the tournament, the finals. Slate was ready. She was ready to win and she was ready to get her medal.

Maisy had stuck true to her word and left the day after the second game. She couldn't afford to miss any more practices or games. Kelley and Alex were cool about her coming back into the room despite being a couple. Really nothing had changed, they just gave each other small kisses hello and goodbye in front of Eleanor. The midfielder found it adorable.

She stared at her face in the mirror. The turf burn was healing up, adding only a could new scars in addition to the one Alex gave her in college.

Today would be one of the most important days of her life. Her whole family was coming. She couldn't let them down. She couldn't let the world down.

"Yo." Kelley popped her head into the bathroom. "You almost ready to go? The bus leaves soon."

She took one last glance in the mirror. She was ready.

On the bud she sat herself down next to Abby. It wasn't her first choice, but Kelley had started sitting next to Alex, who was normally Eleanor's bus buddy. Partners shuffled around, leaving the rookie next to one of her captains.

"Are you nervous?" Abby asked, sensing the anxiety coming off of the younger player.

"I'm good." She lied. She was starting in the Olympic finals, why wouldn't she be freaking out.

Abby of course didn't believe her. Her eyes had betrayed her words, revealing the lie. "I was terrified my first time in a major tournament. But it's not all on you." Abby patted the rookie's leg. "You've got a team to pick you up when you make a mistake. They'll point you in the right decision if you let them."

Eleanor smiled, finally making eye contact with the older player. She used to be so afraid of her, but Abby was one of the nicest people she'd ever come into contact with. She didn't feel like the new kid anymore, she was on the team.

"Thanks Abby."

The captain grinned before shutting her eyes to get some rest before the game. "Don't mention it."

The drive was relatively far, but not long enough to be too boring. Eleanor took it as the perfect chance to catch up on her text messages.

She responded to the groupchat with Taylor's—now hers too—friends. Like they had before every game, the group sent countless words of encouragement and this time had even sent a selfie of all of them sitting by a TV, ready for the game. Taylor had been in it too, this time wearing a number seventeen California Storm jersey. Eleanor's heart melted.

She opened her thread with Maisy.

Mais
I wish I could be there with you <3
You're going to be amazing!
I bet you're in game mode and can't text
Let me know when you're at the field!!

Eleanor contemplated texting her back, but ultimately decided it wasn't such a bad thing if Maisy thought she couldn't text at the moment. The older girl was just getting to be so clingy. It had gotten a lot worse after her trip to London. She called and texted nonstop, constantly checking in. Eleanor eventually just stopped answering because she was tired of being pulled away from the team and her job.

Sometimes she wondered if she should just break it off. She saw Kelley and Alex, who seemed attached at the hip, but also had lives of their own. Alex was constantly hanging around with the veterans or going shopping with other members of the team, while Kelley hung with the other defenders and Hope most of the time. And they were so happy. Eleanor wanted what they had.