One day I'll have it all. // Williamson

Welcome party

I took my shoes off, even though Leah insisted it wasn't necessary.

Leah then guided me to the living room, where a bunch of my new teammates stood. The living room was incredible, to me at least. Everything was black and white except the floor, and the wall at the back was made of glass, letting appear a small garden and patio, with the grass cut so well I wondered if it was fake. I absolutely loved the house.

"Valentina! You made it!" I heard Lotte say, taking me out of my thoughts. Lotte approached with a cheerful grin, wrapping her arms around me in a friendly hug. "Yay! I'm so happy you're here, and Leah definitely didn't yell at me for spoiling everything!" She said, and I giggled, reciprocating the hug.

"I did not," Leah said, chuckling, before escaping to the kitchen.

"She did," Lotte whispered to my ear before stepping back.

The living room was filled with laughter and chatter as I greeted my teammates. I wondered if the whole team was there. It seemed like it anyway.

There was food around, and drinks on the counter. Beth's 'DJ setup' consisted of a speaker and her iPhone, which she constantly had to reclaim from Alessia's hands to make sure she wasn't putting weird stuff on.

Leah returned from the kitchen with a couple of drinks in her hands, handing one to me. "Welcome to Arsenal, mate." She said, and I looked down at the beer, hesitating for a few seconds, before taking it in my hand, analyzing the bottle meticulously. "It's beer, Villanueva. Just drink it." Leah giggled, taking a sip off her own bottle. 

With a deep breath, I raised the bottle to my lips and took a cautious sip. The bitterness of the beer hit my palate, and I couldn't help but scrunch my face.

Leah chuckled, amused by my reaction. "Oh, yeah, I heard our beers are more bitter than yours. Cheers though." She said, gently hitting my arm with her elbow.

After that, the night went on. I found myself engaged in conversations, forgetting the initial nerves that accompanied socializing with a new team. I talked to basically everyone, and drank a couple of beers, definitely feeling a little tipsy by the end of the second one. I laughed and talked about life outside football, getting to know the girls better.

After a few hours, I sat down on the couch next to Viv, who hadn't seemed to have left it since the beginning of the night. She flashed me a smile, then looked back at her phone. She was definitely less of a chatterbox than the other ones were. It was good, though. To have someone more calm in the team.

Soon enough though, Katie walked to me, Lotte following her with a smile on her face I didn't quite like.

"Oi. We've seen your interview, mate. Really nice." Katie said, and I smiled, nodding gratefully.

"The one I did with Emily earlier? Thanks, didn't know it had gone out already." I said, and Katie chuckled, sitting at my right, while Lotte sat at my left.

"Nah, not that one."

Katie glanced at Lotte, and they exchanged a mischievous look. My curiosity piqued, I raised an eyebrow, waiting for them to spill the beans. Instead of talking though, they turned on the TV, and my face immediately popped up on the screen. And I knew exactly what interview that was. It was the one I had done last year, after I had won the championship with my high school team. And I remember exactly what I was saying in it.

"No, no, no, turn that off!" I said, trying to reach the remote Katie held in her hand, failing miserably. Beth had turned off the music, visibly curious to see what the fuss was about, and soon enough, everyone was watching my face on the television.