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IT WAS only the second time ever that Lottie Lasso had ever been completely silent for a long stretch of time. Even with the boys doing drills and talking about her flowers, she only managed thin smiles. Ted had made training especially early that morning for some unknown reason, so he chalked it up to her hatred for early mornings when she was able to crack a smile at him at breakfast. But she still had yet to utter a word.
She had heard back from Roy's contact, and the news he had revealed to her was absolutely devastating. So, tried as she might, it was nearly impossible to pull herself out of her funk. Luckily, the boys were too busy preparing for the upcoming match. Roy was especially anxious, though he admittedly denied so, due to the feat he had done against Everton. Now all eyes were on him, and he didn't want to fall off the rocks again – or, rather, the grass.
Beard had the guys doing high skips across the pitch while he, Ted, and Lottie watched from the sidelines. Over top her pink silk cami and blue denim straight jeans, she was once again in her leather jacket, with black leather heeled booties to match, assuring the boys that she and Roy were on good terms again. Incredible terms, actually, which was proven when Roy lightly pecked her lips when he walked onto the pitch for training that morning. Everyone held back on their teasings due to Lottie's mood, not wanting to upset her any more than she already seemed to be, but they were for sure going to have a blast once they hit the locker room. Everyone had a million and one questions for Roy, and Roy would do everything in his power to not answer them.
After another minute of skipping, Ted blew his whistle to grab their attention. "Fellas, I could watch you do this jaunty North Korean military thing you do all day, but I need a favor." The interruption was news to her, but Beard seemed to know what he was talking about.
"We'll die for you, Coach!" Sam exclaimed supportively. That made Lottie crack a smile, and from the pitch, Roy internally was grateful that she was able to still find joy in her trouble. She was going to face that trouble head on that morning, and he knew that would take up much of Lottie's energy and cheer for the day, so anything that provided even a little bit of light was a grace.
"That's a little dramatic, Sam, but I see how you got there with me invokin' the military and all," Ted said. "Now here's what we're gonna do. Now, how many of you fellas ever seen Sesame Street?"
Lottie felt so damn sad as she watched her father organize the boys into letters on the pitch, spelling out a sweet message. She figured out right away what his plan was, and she wanted nothing more than to stop it. But she wouldn't for a few reasons: she didn't want to crush her father's spirit, she wanted Rebecca reflect on her actions, and she wanted Rebecca to resolve the ordeal herself.
