Broken Hearts Football Club

Chapter 17

"I hate you, Maxwell" Leah said, trying to catch her breath.

"It was your idea to get ready for the preseason together, not mine" June shrugged.

"And now I am regretting it so much. I liked you better when you were moping around and thinking you were bringing another Mount to the world."

"Please don't remind me of that."

"Then slow down a bit!"

"I can't. I want to make it to the new season in my best shape ever" June said, starting to run again.

"Working out won't make you forget about your problems!"

"But it helps!" June replied. Because her personal life was a mess.

She had not heard from Ben since he had confessed his feelings for her, which meant that she didn't know if Mason had told him about what had happened between them. And she couldn't ask him if he had done it because he had blocked her on every social media platform and also her phone number.

So maybe now both of them hated her, and Ben didn't feel the same for her anymore, which sucked because she was starting to believe that she actually was falling in love with him. And as if all that wasn't enough already, for almost a week she had thought she was pregnant.

But she wasn't going to let that affect her career. There was a World Cup at the end of the summer, and she was going to be there as one of England's captains. No one and nothing was going to take that away from her.

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"Ok, girls. Let's do this!" June said to her teammates before jumping into the pitch to warm up. It was their first game of the pre-season, the moment she had been looking forward for the past month.

As she stepped out, she couldn't help to look to her left, to where the tv set was supposed to be. But there was nothing there, and he wasn't going to be there either throughout the season.

Ben had changed teams and would now comment on the men's games. Officially he had said that it was because he needed a new challenge, joked that some of his mates had gone lazy and they deserved the wrath of his comments. But June knew what was the real reason behind it. Her.

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Minute 70. Chelsea was comfortably winning 2-0, June scoring the first goal. But she wanted more.

One of her teammates had sent her a long pass, one of those where she runs and controls the ball as if she had a magnet on her foot. One of her favourites. But as she was running, her head looking up, something went wrong.

A loud crack was heard, followed by June's even louder scream as she fell to the floor. Her vision went blurry, the pain on her knee as nothing she had ever experienced before. She was crying, screaming, it was unbearable. She could hear her teammates around her calling her name, the doctor talking to her. But she couldn't focus on anything. All she felt was pain.

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"Mum, can you please stop? It's just a photo for Instagram, not for Vogue" June said.

"I know" she replied, putting a lock of hair behind her ear. "But it is going to be everywhere since it will be your first photo after surgery, and I know that if you don't look good you'll get mad at us when you see it again in a few days because how did we allow you to take a photo looking like that."

"That's true" John chuckled.

"Whatever" June said, rolling her eyes.

"A nurse just gave me these for you" her dad said, walking into the room.

"Oh, wow" June gasped.

"Those are beautiful!" her mum said, looking at the huge bouquet of flowers. "Who has sent them?"

"No one" she said, trying to hide the note.

"Someone must have sent them, June."

"A boy. Look at the colour of her cheeks" her dad laughed.

"A boy? What boy? June, do you have a boyfriend?"

"What? No!"

"Are you seeing someone?"

"No, I'm not."

"Then who sent those flowers?"

"A friend, ok? Now can we please take that photo?"

"What friend?"

"Mum!" June protested.

"Ok, ok... John, do you know who he is?"

"I have my suspicions" he smirked. "But I'm not telling you anything, so don't ask again."

"Boring" their mum replied.

"Are we taking the photo or not?" June asked again.

"We are, we are. Give me the flowers, I'll put them with the others."

"No! I want them in the photo."

"Why?" her mum asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I just want them, ok? Now take that damn photo."

"You take it, John. I'm gonna find a glass or something to put the flowers in" their mum said, leaving the room.

"Ready, sis?" John chuckled.

"Ready" June replied, smiling at the camera and hugging the flowers. She knew who had sent them, she had recognized the handwriting the moment she had seen the note. And if he got to see the photo, she wanted him to notice them, to know how much receiving them had meant to her.

"Hope surgery has gone well. Now the tough work starts, but if there is someone who can get in shape just in time for the World Cup, that's you. You can do it, June. I believe in you. Your favourite peach and pundit, Ben."