USWNT 3.0

7

Mal gave Lena the cup of coffee she got for her. 

After training, the forwards decided to spend some time together. So here there were, all seven of them, sitting on a balcony. It was kinda weird, because there really were two different generations. There were the 'old ladies' as the newbies called them, in Crystal 'dance queen' Dunn, Mama Press, Syd and Steph (who was 26 so obviously considered as an old person). Then, the three remaining girls were the 'kiddos'. Lena Riley was the youngest, and definitely the shyest. Then, Ashley and Mal were also here. 

Even if the age difference was huge, the group of girls really got along really well since day one. Ever since Syd came back to the team, she made sure everyone was integrated in the group. She took girls like Lena and Ashley under her wing, and helped them feel more confident on and off the field. 

Crystal looked around her, smirking. 

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm super excited to be playing again soon" she exclaimed, doing a quick 'happy dance' to cheer everyone up. Since it was kind of her ritual to dance alone, the girls just shook their heads. 

"I'm scared to death" Ashley let out shyly. 

"Aye, baby, I already told you everything would be okay !" Syd said, smiling at the youngster. "You won't fuck up or anything."

"All you guys have to do is following Syd's lead, and earned as many free kicks as you can" Christen explained, a demoniac smile on her face. "Or even penalties"

"And avoid getting carded too often" Steph added, smiling. 

"Well, that's something we should tell Linds" Crystal intervened. "I mean, she's the yellow card queen after all." 

"True" Christen laughed. 

There was a quick silence, before Steph broke it. 

"So, Lena, what's your story ?" 

"Uhn ?" the young redhead shyly asked. 

"She wants to know more about you" Christen translated, a warm smile on her lips. "Like everyone on this table I think. You're kind of a mystery here." 

Lena wasn't the kind of girl who liked to talk. She usually was the silent one, observing and listening to people in order to analyze them before actually engaging a conversation or something. She certainly didn't like all this attention on her at the moment. She looked down at her shaking hands, and Syd immediately noticed that change of attitude. She encouraged her to speak, smiling at her as well. 

The redhead giggled. 

"Uhm, I'm Lena. And I live in Orlando. I just finished high school, and I'm going to the University of Florida this year." she blurted out, trying not to look too shy. When she noticed everyone was still looking at her, she felt her throat go sore. "That's it." 

"Is it ?" Crystal shamelessly asked. "Because I feel like you have a lot more to say." 

"Crys" Mal warned her. She then looked at Lena, who was blushing. "We're happy to have you on that team. I know how impressive and scary it is - yeah, I've been here, new kid and youngest player and shit - but you will love it here. Those girls play good soccer." 

Lena nodded, smiling. 

"I think the goalkeepers are crossing the road" Ashley said, totally changing the subject. Lena couldn't be happier, but Mal's eyes went dark. Christen saw that sudden change of atmosphere, and raised an eyebrow at her friend. 

"What's wrong, Mal ?" she asked carefully. 

Instead of Mal responding - the brunette was still glaring in the keeper's direction - Ashley immediately reacted. "She doesn't like Jenko." 

"Nobody like Jenko beside me" Syd said. 

"Yah, she's kind of a bitch" Mal let out. 

Christen's eyes went wide. "Mallory, language." 

"Sorry. But it's the truth. She's always tackling everyone and doesn't even apologize. And she's behaving like a dick." Mal quickly added. 

That made Syd laugh. 

"She's a very hard person to be near to" the Canadian said, rolling her eyes. "But when you actually get to know her, and that she stops acting like a bitch, she's a fantastic person. It's just that... Life hasn't been easy." 

"No shit" Mal muttered. 

"I think you'll see" Syd said. "You guys have a lot in common, actually."

"I'm not a bitch !" the brunette exclaimed, outraged. 

"You kinda are sometimes" Steph let out, chewing her gum. 

She only earned a death glare, but couldn't care less. The conversation was heading somewhere else, as the keepers were diapering out of their field of view.  

°

Some of the girls were having a movies night. 

The thing with the Rookies Squad was that nobody really knew about people that liked other people. Like, they weren't obvious enough to be seen. For instance, Moe was the only one knowing about Lindsey liking Emily, but she didn't even know whether Sonnett returned her feelings or not. Another example was Cari's crush on Moe, that absolutely nobody knew about. So the only thing the girls knew for sure was that Steph and Kristie liked each other. And Sam was the captain of the ship. 

Since Lindsey was sick, they decided to have the movies night in that room so that she didn't have to move a bit. The girls immediately settled under the comfortable sheets. Steph and Kristie were lying together on one bed, while Lindsey, Sam and Sonnett were on another one. That left Moe and Cari on the ground. The two girls sat down, their backs pressed against the pillows they put in between their bodies and the bed. 

Being so close to Moe was making Cari nervous. 

"You're okay ?" Moe asked shyly, looking at her friend. "You barely even talked today." 

Carli sighed. 

"Yes, I'm fine" she said, trying to hide her blush. How did Moe even noticed that she wasn't feeling very well ? She tried her best to hide it. 

Moe knew she was lying, but didn't ask anything more. Instead, she just put her chin on her knees, while Cari was awkwardly trying to move away from her. She didn't want their skins to touch, because she would probably just die. 

After a few hours into the movies night, Cari noticed that Moe and her were the only one awake, since the others were breathing heavily behind them. Moe's head was also beginning to feel heavy as well, therefor she just got closer to Cari and rested her head on the brunette's shoulder. Cari had to stay still, not allowing herself to breathe for a second. What do I do with my hands ? was the first question she got in mind. Her arm was trapped behind Moe's back. Oh my God, why am I so panicked ? I am an grown-up for God's sake ! Her mind was speeding, and the questions and answers came in a rush. Yeah, but you're very bad whenever it comes to not be awkward with your crush. 

Annoyed by her inner voice, Cari gathered her courage and her hand slid to Moe's flank. The midfielder totally relaxed into Cari's embrace, and visibly had her eyes closed. Now, Cari couldn't even concentrate on the movie anymore. She had a much better view right here, in her arms. She looked down at Moe, who was peacefully resting on her chest now. Her beauty is breathtaking, she thought, smiling. Her eyes lingered of late on Moe's lips. Stop staring, you're so creepy.   

Cari had a small smile. 

"Moe ?" she tried, frowning. 

No reaction from her. Cari let out a sigh or relief. She'd rather have Moe asleep, because she'd be able to look at every detail of her face without getting caught. She relaxed a little bit, her gaze not leaving the older girl's face. If only she was feeling the same toward me, Cari thought, frowning. But she will never feel the same. 

That realization made Cari sad.