Finding the Way Back (gxg)

Chapter 2

The second half progressed with us remaining in control as the team scored a third goal on the way to winning 3-0.

I had spoken to my mom during the halftime lull, and to say she panicked would be an understatement. She had been working but still promised to take the next flight despite knowing we couldn't afford it. She reasoned that my health meant more to her than any amount of money.

That was the second time I had cried since lying on the field in pain.

I was now at the hospital, having already had my knee scanned so the hospital staff could assess the true damage as I continued to ice my knee. The brace Marcus had put on my knee was still there, making sure that it stayed in place. They had also conducted a weight-bearing test, assessing how well I could handle walking on my injured leg.

I only had to wait for the results, which might be relayed before my mom arrives. Either way, I am bracing for the worst.

But thankfully they had given me a stronger painkiller, and the pain had subsided to a dull throbbing. However, I was still having to rotate usage of cold pads to help minimize the swelling around the injury.

While I wait, I text with the girls who had added me to the group chat created for the national team camp. Emily remained in a chair long after the other girls left. She looked more defeated than I felt, even though I was injured, and she wasn't. I could tell that she felt some sort of responsibility for what happened, but none of it had been her fault. She wasn't the one who slid directly into my planted leg to wipe me out.

I had also sent a message to the group chat for my U21 team back home, but I had heard nothing in response. No get-well-soon wishes or anything from anyone. Not that I expected them to, as they had all felt like my Red Bull sponsorship got me the role of being the starting striker and not the hard work I put in everyday.

And yet it still stung. They could have at least pretended to care for the sake of being professional, but they didn't. Thankfully, the stinging hurt of not receiving a single thought from them was dulled because the team wasn't part of my long-term plans. Those plans belonged to joining Arsenal, which I could only cling on to the hope of it still happening.

At least that animosity didn't show up during matches, and we won every match I appeared in with ease. It was only off the pitch that they pretended I didn't exist, which was fine with me.

On the day that I received the initial call from Arsenal to tell me they were interested in having me come play for them, I had been relieved. It not only provided me a way out of the cold atmosphere of my local U21 team, but it also validated that our coach had been right to give me the starting striker position.

In twenty appearances with the team in matches, I had delivered fifteen goals, nearly scoring more goals than the rest of the team combined during that time. When given the ability to find open space to receive crosses or make plays off the back of my playmaking skills, I was a goal-scoring threat against any team we played. I knew it was a matter of time before clubs started taking an interest in me.

And Arsenal was the first to do so. Well, technically the second, since my Red Bull sponsorship came with a guaranteed spot at RB Leipzig if I ever wanted to pull that trigger. But I never had a formal contract locking me down with the club as they believed in letting me have the freedom of choosing where I wanted my future to take me. All they had formally done was help cover the cost of junior-level soccer in the US, which can get rather expensive.

I was honored that Renee initially called me to ask me to play for her Arsenal squad. It was a dream come true, something that I had wanted ever since I started playing soccer as a kid.