During this story there will be many triggers and disturbing scenes. All i'm asking is that you are mindful of your triggers. I only put a trigger at the start of a chapter and so if there are more later in the chapter I apologise but I don't want to break up the story too much with all the warnings.
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LC x
Zari
Everything hurts, I'm in so much pain, I know I have to keep quiet or they'll do it again and make it worse. I just lay here on my bed and cry silently, just like every other night. At some point I must have fallen asleep as the next thing I know my alarm is going off, signalling that it's time to get up for school. I got up and hopped in to the shower washing away all the dried blood from last night's punishment, and washed my hair. I got out and got dressed in a simple t-shirt, baggy hoodie, boxers and joggers. I finished my morning routine, grabbed my bag and beanie then made my way as quietly as possible to the front door. I grabbed my sneakers and put them on, then grabbed my soccer gear as we had training after school. Then I walked out the door making my way towards school.
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I should probably introduce myself. Hi, I'm Zari Ashlyn Tame. I'm 16 years old and I go to Brecklin High. I've just gone into sophomore year. I live in Orlando at home with my parents, who are alcohol and drug addicts and if I step out of line they send me to the basement. They adopted me a few years ago and before that I was in a foster home, though I think they got me just to use me however they want.
Anyway I love soccer and play for the school team. We've won the league a couple times now and I couldn't be happier when I play. I go round to my best friend Annie's house and watch all the USWNT games, whenever they're on. I love Kelley O'Hara. She's a really great player and she's funny. Then there's my all time favourite Ashlyn Harris. OMG I LOVE HER. I find it cool that I have her name as my middle name.
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When I arrived at school I saw Annie sitting on a bench talking to Kade and Alex. Alex is a defender in the squad, Kade is a midfielder and Annie is our captain who plays in goal. She is the best goalkeeper in the league. I play up top as the striker. When I reached the bench I wrapped my arms around Annie and kissed her cheek, then sat down next to her, making her smile and laugh. "Morning guys" I said. " Morning" They said back in unison, making us all laugh. "Have you heard the news? Apparently there are some special guests helping out in PE and soccer practice for the rest of the week!" Annie said excitedly. " Ooh do you know who they are yet?" I ask. "No but we all have PE last today, so we'll find out then" Annie explained, then the bell went so we all trudged to class.
Time skip
Finally it's time for PE.
I meet up with Kade and Annie in the locker room and we start chatting about the lessons we've had today, and how annoying our teachers are. When Alex finally crashed through the door, they tripped and fell on the floor, which made everyone burst out laughing. Alex tried to glare at us but they ended up laughing too, before I held out my hand to help them up. We got changed, then I shoved Alex and sprinted out of the locker room with them right on my heels. I looked behind me and laughed when I saw Alex right there. When I turned around I smacked into someone. I landed on the ground with a thud. "Ow" I groaned. When I opened my eyes I saw three people standing around me, Alex stuck out their hand and helped me up. When I was standing I got a proper look at the other people who were looking at me "Holy shit you're Alex Morgan and.... and", "Kelly O'Hara" said Kelly, I nodded, unable to speak whilst looking right at one of my idols. "Come on dork, the coach wants us" Alex said, pulling me from my trance.
Alex M
As a part of this month's camp Jill told us that we would be going to a local school to help out with the PE lessons and soccer training for a week. When we arrived at the school, which I found out was called Brecklin High, we made our way out of the van, and by we I mean me, Tobin, Kelley, Christen, Megan, Mallory, Carli, Ashlyn and Ali. We all made our way to the reception where the head of PE was waiting for us. She looked happy to see us "Hi I'm Ava but the kids call me Miss Rio. I'm the head of PE here at Brecklin High, you guys must be from the US national team" Said Ava "Yeah that's us" Carli answered. "Okay well follow me" Ava said, turning around and walking into the school.
Miss Rio led us through the halls until we arrived at a large sports hall, where she told us to put our bags on the bleachers as the next lesson was about to begin. We all set our bags and coats on the bleachers and watched the girls walk in and to the locker room to change. Kelley and I decided to go help the teacher whilst the others chatted. We walked over to the storage closet and waited to be told what to grab.
Turns out we were playing dodge ball today which made Kelley happy, she loves this game. As we were setting things up a girl crashed through the doors and sprinted to the locker room. I looked at KO with a quizzical look and then burst out laughing. Once everything was set up Kelley and I were stood talking, when someone crashed into me. "Ow" I heard from behind me as I regained my step. I turned round and stood over the kid who had run in to me to check they were alright. When she opened her eyes, the other girl, who I recognised as the one who had run in earlier, laughed and stuck out her hand to help her friend up. When she finally got to her feet her eyes widened "Holy shit your Alex Morgan and.... and" she said in complete shock, "Kelley O'Hara" Kelley said with a smile, the girl just nodded. "Come on dork the coach wants us" Her friend said, seemingly pulling her from her trance. They walked away joining the rest of the class.
Zari
I was freaking out I had just met Alex fucking Morgan and one of my idols Kelley O'Hara, I cant believe it. Wait, does that mean they are guests that are helping out this week!? Oh god what if they think I'm not good enough at soccer practice later! More constricting thoughts went through my head. I could feel my heart rate picking up and it was getting hard to breathe. I was having a panic attack. I didn't want anyone to see me so I ran. I could hear Miss and my friends telling me to come back but I carried on running till I was out of the school where I slid down against the wall of the school building and tried to slow my breathing. Key word: tried. Tears were pouring down my face. I tried to wipe them away but more just kept coming. Suddenly I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around me, I tried to push them away but they held on tight. Whoever was holding me easily picked me up, sat me on their lap and held my head to their chest "Listen to my heart beat and breathe deep breaths''.
Alex M
After the young girl and her friend walked away I realised I didn't get either of their names. Oh well I guess I'll have to ask later. Me and Kell walked back over to the rest of our small group who were standing with the teacher.
While Miss England ,as I found out her name was, was explaining what everyone would be doing today in the lesson, my eyes landed on the girl who crashed into me earlier. She seemed to be spaced out, a worried look on her face. Then she ran. People started shouting at her to come back but she kept going till she was out of the hall. I sent a look to Tobin and Kelley, who both nodded in understanding as I ran after her.
I ran out of the hall and looked both ways. To my right I caught a glimpse of her running round the corner. I sprinted after her, but when I turned the corner myself she was gone. The door to the exit was open so I walked through and found her sitting against the wall crying and breathing heavily. I rushed over to her and pulled her into a hug and when she tried to pull away I held her tighter. I picked her up and placed her on my lap, gently pushing her head against my chest "Listen to my heart beat and breathe deep breaths" I said. After about ten to fifteen minutes of me holding her and talking to her softly, she finally calmed down enough to talk to me.
"Sorry", Was the first thing she said. "Why are you sorry sweetheart?" I asked her. "I didn't mean to pull you away from everyone else" she said. "Don't worry, I wanted to make sure you were alright" I said, to which she only nodded in response. "Now why don't you tell me your name?" I asked. "Zari" she said, "Well Zari, why don't we get back yeah? I have a feeling you're a good sports woman" I said with a smile, once again she only nodded. I stood up with her still in my embrace then placed her feet gently on the sidewalk and wrapped my arm around her shoulders as we walked back inside.
When we reached the doors of the sports hall I could clearly hear that the lesson was underway. I stopped and turned her so she was facing me. "Are you ready?" I asked her. "Yeah" she replied, so I opened the door and led her through. "Ah Tame thought you were slacking off" Miss England said as we approached her. "Sorry Miss won't happen again" Zari said with her head down. "Sure. Detention tonight straight after school" England said. "No please Miss let me do it tomorrow, I have soccer practice tonight" Zari begged "Fine after soccer. I expect you to be here" Miss England said in an irritated tone. "But..." Zari started to say but Miss England had already walked away. "Come on sweetheart, let's go play" I say as I lead her to her team.
Zari
Fuck I'm dead my parents are gonna kill me. Why did I have to have a stupid panic attack. I push my thoughts aside and concentrate on the game at hand. My team won easily but now we are playing against the USWNT players and I don't know if we're gonna win this one.
So far the game was pretty even. As I was crouching down to pick up a ball I felt one collide with my side, right where my parents had stamped on me last night. I screamed out in pain and collapsed to the floor.
Alex M
I threw my ball at Zari in an aim to get her out but she squatted down to pick up a ball. So instead of hitting her legs it hit her side, to which she screamed out in pain and collapsed to the floor. I was instantly by her side trying to figure out what was wrong. "Zari Tame get up off the floor you're fine" Miss England shouted at her, so I shot her a glare. I carefully slid my arms under her legs and shoulders, scooping her into my arms. I carried her to the side of the sports hall, where I sat down on a bench and tried to calm her down. I only now realised just how light she was, way to light for someone of her age.
Five minutes later she finally managed to catch her breath and her tears had stopped falling. "Are you feeling alright now?" I asked her but she doesn't respond, just tucks her head in my neck and shuffles a little closer in my lap. We stayed like this until the bell rang indicating the end of the day. The bell seemed to snap her out of a trance, as she jumped out of my lap and ran to the locker room.
I stood up and walked over to my team who were collecting their stuff to go outside for soccer practice. "Hey Alex, is that girl okay?" Tobin asked, "Yeah isn't that the girl you ran after earlier?" Carli asked "Yes and yes" I replied grabbing my stuff and walking towards the exit. Ignoring the looks from my teammates.
Zari
I couldn't stop, I couldn't stop crying. It hurt so bad. "Zari Tame get up off the floor you're fine" I heard Miss England shout at me but I couldn't it hurt to move and it was getting hard to breath. I felt a pair of arms slip under my body, but I was in too much pain to protest. I was lifted off the ground into someone's embrace. The person holding me walked a little way before sitting down with me in their lap.
A couple minutes later I finally managed to catch my breath and my tears had stopped falling. "Are you feeling alright now?" The person, who I found out is Alex Morgan, asked me but I didn't respond. I just tucked my head in her neck, seeking the warmth and security that she gave me. I shuffled closer so my body was pressed against hers. She wrapped her arms around me, holding me securely.
The next thing I know the bell is going off, signalling the end of the lesson and it was like I was snapped out of a trance, as I jumped out of her lap and ran to the locker room. Not missing the confused look that spread across her features. As soon as I ran through the locker room door my friends were next to me asking if I was okay, "Yeah guys I'm fine" I said before walking away and getting changed for soccer training. Once I was changed I grabbed my cleats, deciding to keep my sneakers on and to just change them at the pitch. I waited for my friends to be changed and ready, then we made our way to the pitch. We were laughing at Al, as they kept trying to put their cleats on whilst we were moving, but ended up falling over multiple times.
When we finally made it to the pitch we stood around talking as people put their cleats and shin guards on. Then we just started passing a ball around as the rest of the team started to arrive. As I was juggling a ball, out of the corner of my eye I could see Coach waking up with the small group of the USWNT players, following close behind her. I ignored them and carried on juggling the ball, until Coach called us all over to start training.
"Okay ladies most of you probably already know who these guys are" said Coach gesturing to the small group of professional players "But I'm gonna let them introduce themselves, just in case you don't"
"Hey I'm Tobin Heath" Said Tobin.
"Hello I'm Kelley O'Hara" Said Kelley smiling, waving crazily making the girls laugh.
"Hi I'm Christen Press but you can call me Chris" Said Christen, with a warm smile.
"Hey I'm Megan Rapinoe, I'm gonna be your guy's favourite" Said Megan excitedly.
"Hi I'm Mallory Pugh but please call me Mall, I don't like my full name" Mall said.
"Hey guys I'm Carli Lloyd" Carli said, with a small wave.
"Hola amigos I'm Ashlyn Harris, but you lovely girls can call me Ash" Ash said, earning a slap to the back of the head by Ali, who was standing next to her.
"Sorry about her, I'm Ali Krieger" Said Ali, glaring at Ash who was pouting like a little kid.
" And I'm Alex Morgan, nice to meet you guys" Alex said looking at me and smiling, causing me to look away.
"Okay now that introductions are done. Girls split into your positions please" said coach and we did. I was on my own as I'm the only natural striker on the team. "Okay Annie and the defenders go down that end with Ash, Ali and Kelley" coach said, dismissing Annie, Al and the rest of the defenders. "Midfielders go with Tobin-" coach said before Alex interrupted " Why don't Mall and Carli go with Tobin, then that makes three players with each group" Alex pointed out. "Ah yes that's a good idea thank you Alex. The rest of you can go with Tame" coach said, Alex just smiled in response. Coach then proceeded to shoo away Kade and her group.
Now I'm alone with Megan, Chris and Alex. "So shall we get started?" I said. "Yeah lets do some warm ups, then we can do some drills and I think we're playing a scrimmage at the end" Alex said. I just nodded and started running round the pitch, surprisingly the players followed. "So you're the one who ran out earlier, what was that all about?" Christen asked. "Chris" Alex said from behind, in a stern voice. "It's fine Alex, I just had a panic attack" I said, answering Christens question. "Oh, are you alright now?" She asked with concern. "Yeah" I said, before sprinting off to finish my lap. Leaving the players in my dust.
For the first half an hour of training we did drills, then coach split up everyone into two teams. My team was Alex Morgan, me, Christen, Tobin, Ellen, Lacie, Rosie, Georgia, May, Ali and Annie as the starting XI and Emma, JJ and Sophie as the subs. We were against Kade's team that consisted of Megan, Carli, Kade, Mal, Sammie, Eve, Juliet, Freya, Alex, Kelley and Ash as their starting XI with Cat, Jo, Holly and Jack(ie) as the subs. This was gonna be a fun match I thought.
My team ended up winning 3-2 with Alex, me and Christen all scoring one and Kade and Carli scoring for the other team. Coach told us we had a couple more training sessions before the game on Friday. Then she let us go and I ran as fast as I could to the locker room, changed out of my cleats, packed my bags and ran back out of the door, saying goodbye to my friends as I ran past them.
Just as I was about to get to the exit, I ran into someone, knocking me to the floor "Hey kid, where are you running off too in a rush?" I heard the voice of Ashlyn Harris say. "Zari, are you okay?" asked Alex, as she knelt beside me and helped me up. "I'm fine, I just need to get home," I said. "Why are you in such a rush? I mean I know school is not the best place. But do you really hate it that much?" Ash asked. "I just wanna go home okay!" I said getting annoyed. "Okay Okay, don't forget to tell your parents about your side, so if it gets worse they can take you to the hospital okay" Alex said. "Doubt they care" I mumbled then walked out of the door and sprinted home.
Alex M
It's the end of training and I see Zari run off to the locker room but thought nothing of it.
My small group of players gathered our stuff, before making our way to the front desk to sign out. Once me and Carli were finished signing everyone out, we made our way back over, only to see everyone stood over someone. When I got closer I saw it was Zari, so I made my way to her side. "Zari, are you okay?" I asked, as I knelt beside her, then proceeded to help her up. "I'm fine, I just need to get home," she said. "Why are you in such a rush? I mean I know school is not the best place. But do you really hate it that much?" Ash asked "I just wanna go home okay!" She said, raising her voice slightly. "Okay Okay, don't forget to tell your parents about your side, so if it gets worse they can take you to the hospital okay" I say, trying to defuse the situation. Then I let her go and as she was making her way towards the exit I heard her mumble "Doubt they care", but before I could ask her what she meant, she was out the door.
Confused and worried all the way back to the hotel, I couldn't stop thinking about Zari and what she could've meant by saying they wouldn't care. Maybe her parents were busy after school. I'll ask someone to change with me tomorrow so I can see her again, and make sure she's okay.