On the plane to Australia you were catching up with the latest Ruetube, they always make you laugh and couldn't wait to see if you had made this week's cut. Midway through, you could tell your bestie wasn't her usual happy and crazy self; she seemed distant and the sparkle in her eyes had faded. Always the light of the party and the clown of the locker room Ruesha had the power to make anyone belly laugh their way into next week. You could be having the worst day of your life but could guarantee Rue would change that with a single sentence. You never had to tell her you were having a bad day, she could always just sense it and would do everything she could to try and cheer you up. She was everyone's pick-me-up and none of you had noticed how sad she truly was lately. She'd been painting on a brave face every day of training but the camera doesn't lie - the despair in her eyes was undeniable. That's why watching her online made you feel so guilty, you knew she was going through a tough time with the break up and being released from Villa but missed the sadness behind the mask she paints on every single day.
Looking behind to spot Rue a few rows back as she made her way through the aisle pretending to be an air hostess, singing Busted as she went, most would be fooled to think she was truly happy. You knew how much she had been worrying that she wouldn't make the squad. You knew her break up with Katie was messy and that she didn't get a choice about leaving Villa. Everything she'd known for years had gone. Disappeared. Her life had been turned upside down and you just hadn't noticed how much it had taken a toll on her until you watched it back on the laptop. She may be laughing and joking behind you but it's all pretend.
"Oh hello madam, may I offer you a refreshing beverage?" Rue tapped on your shoulder sounding exactly like Mrs Doubtfire. Entertaining her efforts as she served your drink but ignored Katie who was in the row opposite - you can hardly blame her! Everything had come at such a shit time for her and when she finally slumped back down in her seat, it didn't take her long to put on her headphones and pull the hoodie over her eyes. Unable to watch her combust any longer you made yourself known by dropping hard into the empty seat next to her. She'd purposely stationed herself in the empty back row, moving from the seat in front of Katie before take off. Nudging her hood back to spy who had invaded her space to see it was you and immediately forced a smile back on to her face. "Wanna watch a movie?" your voice perky, "I'm not really in the mood (y/n/n)" your friend grumbled behind the jumper covering her mouth. "Okay.." thinking of another approach, "I have cards? Entertain an old lady would ya?" nudging her gently as she laughed a little at your statement. "I'm older than you ya cheeky hen, whats that make me?!" snatching the cards out of your hand to shuffle them.
A few games in, Rue finally took the bait and started talking. Just as you expected, life had just got a bit too much for her lately and putting on a front had become tiring. Determined to not let her be sad the entire tournament and knowing you were underdogs with this being Ireland's first time at a World Cup, she should be enjoying it. So you decided to make it your mission to drag her through the shit and into the light so she could fully appreciate her first time in Australia and at a major tournament, knowing it would most likely be her last chance too. "I'm so glad you made it mate, I couldn't imagine doing this without you" trying your best to make sure she knows how much the team love her. "Very nearly didn't come, didn't know if I could face that for weeks" gesturing towards Katie with her eyes. "But Shebhan convinced me, said I would never forgive myself if I stayed home" her eyes never faltered from the cards in her hand. "Well I'm glad I've got my best friend here" nudging her shoulder as you slapped down the winning card. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right? Sometimes the person who makes sure everyone's okay needs someone to ensure she's okay?" Rue nodded as she as shared out the cards again. Playing non stop for a few hours she shared her worries of not knowing how she's going to cope being stuck with Katie for so long, at home she can escape but here she's got to see her ex every single day. She was also hoping to be picked up before coming away but nobody had enquired about her and made the prospect of retiring suddenly more real. She didn't know what she would do next but you told her you would pay a hell of a lot of money to hear her commentating and you're sure others would too!
Once you'd arrived at the hotel you made sure Rue was your roommate so you could stabilise her mood and bring back a spark of joy we're so used to seeing. You thought it was working but when the day of your first game came you could tell she was on the war path - snapping at everyone and losing it over the littlest things. You hadn't put two and two together until you were in the tunnel stood across from Australia, noticing Caitlin Foord directly opposite Ruesha, suddenly everything made sense. As your eyes burned into the back of Rue's head who was burning holes into her rival's - on the pitch and off, you could tell by her stance she was angry. Echoes of Rue's voice shouting for Ireland bounced around in the metal tunnel, bangs on the side rippling through the line up. By this point it was too late to address her as you walked out with your team, grabbing her after group photos to ask if she was okay. "Yeah why wouldn't I be?" she replied in loud arrogance. You knew this was going to be a looong 90 minutes.
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Shoving Rue back into the locker room Katie was in her face and not letting up as she screamed at her that she was psycho. Laying into her ex for ignoring her new girlfriend in the line up and lashing out after the game. There's a lot Rue did wrong but she played a superb game regardless, she hadn't played 90 minutes in ages and it didn't show for a second. Noticing Rue was about to blow you put yourself between the two exes just like you did on the pitch with Caitlin. You knew Rue was gonna boil over and being the nearest to her, you had to pull her away.. And here we are - a screaming match after our first ever World Cup game.. it certainly leaves a lot to be desired for the rest of the tournament! Being only one person in the middle of two very passionate people right now, it didn't take them long to simply walk around you. Every time you moved between them they just swerved your body to face each other again. Two Irish women screaming at each other made your ears ring. "If you were a decent human being I wouldn't be fucking crazy would I!" Rue shouted literally through you towards Katie. "You tried to change everything about me and that still wasn't enough for you!" this time standing on the bench to shout over the top of you. "It's always the same argument from you isn't it! Can you blame me for not being honest if this is how you react? I don't love you anymore Ruesha, I haven't loved you for years!" That statement from Katie made your eyes bulge in shock, that was a spiteful thing to say. "You always liked to keep your options open didn't you!" still standing on the bench and kicking Katie's belongings onto the floor. "You're so over emotional and unpredictable Rue, what the fuck even was that out there? Are you trying to embarrass all of us? You don't deserve to be here!" Katie picked up a boot to throw at her. "WOAH, THAT IS ENOUGH!" you screamed to get their attention, grabbing the boot out of Katie's hand and throwing it across the room. "RUE! OUT! NOW!" pointing at the door. Ruesha's arms folded as she refused to move so you did the only thing you could. Grabbing her legs and throwing her over your shoulder you carried her out as the screaming continued behind, kicking the door to open it as you marched the midfielder out of the changing room. Placing her feet back on the ground, as soon as the door closed she burst into tears, lowering her down gently as she collapsed onto the floor. Cradling your best friend who wailed into your lap as the rest of the team walked past, you waved them on determined to not make it a big scene. Once they'd passed, you scooped her up to carry her into an empty room and attempted to her calm her uneven breathing, fetching cold towels for her forehead before she gave herself a migraine.
Exhausted from all the crying she soon fell asleep on the coach, your back was against the window with your legs draped over her - feeling like you were protecting her against the world and the childish snickers from the back of the bus. Arriving back at the hotel you carried her limp body into your room and tucked her into bed, holding her into the next day, ready to take on the world again - in more ways than one.
