Pitched Off- Leah Williamson

Chapter 6

"Leah, please could you just let me focus." I hiss at her.

"I am not stopping you, sweetheart." She shrugs and keeps her eyes on the coach in front of us.

Never have I ever been more glad to hear the phrase, "That's it for today, see you out on the training pitch." I stood from my chair instantly, sending it screeching against the linoleum floors.

For the rest of practice, I stayed as far away from Leah as possible. I left the training pitch instantly after it wrapped up for the day. Basically, fleeing for the locker room.

I did the same for the rest of the week. Showing up no earlier than necessary, and leaving as soon as possible. Which I found not to actually be that bad. Katie naturally runs on that schedule. Every day we walked in and out of the training facility together. Usually nearly dying of laughter. Being around Katie is so easy.

Despite the streak I had going on with avoiding Leah, the day came when it would be impossible to avoid her. Travel day.

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The team is gathered outside the Arsenal facility preparing for the bus to arrive. The air is already cold with morning dew, but a light breeze blows every so often, causing goosebumps to rise all over.

When Katie arrives she is as happy as ever, smile on her face. Though the smile may be connected to the fact that I hold out her signature coffee towards her. "Ready for Brighton?" She asks, taking a long sip of her coffee. She lets out a satisfied sigh at the warmth and comfort of her favorite drink.

"I'm ready for this game to be over so Leah will finally get off of my ass," I say rolling my eyes. Another breeze blew, and my hair followed the air path into my face.

The team is gathered outside the Arsenal facility preparing for the arrival of the team transport bus. The air is filled with an icy January chill, which is accompanied by a light breeze that blows every so often, raising the skin on my arms.

When Katie arrives she is as happy as ever, a huge grin plastered across her face. A slight hunch tells me that the smile might be connected to the fact that I hold her usual drink out to her as an offering.

"Ready for Brighton?" She asks, taking a long sip of her coffee, and letting out a satisfied sigh at the warmth and familiar taste of her favorite drink.

"I am ready for this game to be over with. Hopefully, a good result and performance will finally get Leah off of my ass." I say rolling my eyes. A harsh, cold wind whips through my hair messily tangling it. She starts laughing as I awkwardly start to fix the mess.

"Stop, stop." She says through laughter reaching towards me. "Stay still, I'll fix it." Her fingers brush through my hair. The tips of her fingers stroked along the side of my face softly. The memory of teammates surrounding us, and the impatience of waiting for the bus fade into the background as I stare at her face, mesmerized by her.

She smiles at me again. This time I knew it was for me and not the drink. Her smile is genuine, soft, and heartwarming. She doesn't make an effort to move her hands from my face. "That's better." She breathes.

I fight the urge to reach up with my hand to cup hers on my face. Instead, I lean my head into her palm, it now resting on my cheek. "Thank you," I say lowly.

A big black bus pulls in front of us, coming to a stop in front of the facility.

Katie clears her throat as she takes a step away from me and grabs her bag quickly. The bus clearly startled her back to reality as well.

"Ladies we don't have all day," Leah says bitterly, walking past us as she gets onto the bus. When did she even get here?  I hadn't noticed her and was hoping that by some miracle she would not be here, yet here she is. Attitude as sour as ever.