2nd october, 2021
The two cousins stood in the cue waiting to be served as Holly tutted and slid her phone into her back pocket to gave her full attention to her younger cousin, "So," the older blonde broke the silence between them as they stood in the queue and waited to be served. "How's life in London then?" she asked, avoiding the bombshell that the teenager had just dropped on them.
"It's good," Olivia replied, shoving her hands in the pockets of her sister's Arsenal branded coat that she just so happened to keep a hold off during the game. "It's fun to live with my sister and being part of the academy is fun as well." she told her.
Holly smiled and slung her free arm around her cousin, pulling her closer towards her, "Got to say it though munchkin, that we're all really proud of you. Your mum especially, she was so proud that she was crying down the phone when she told my mum." she chuckled, hugging her gently. "You're gonna go so far, I just know it already." she insisted.
"You think so?" Olivia wondered, she didn't think she would ever be that good compared to other football players that she'd seen.
"Absolutely, without a doubt," Holly didn't hesitate to agree, beaming widely at her younger cousin.
"Thanks, Hol. It means a lot for you to say that," Olivia said, grateful for the encouragement that her family gave her, all she had ever wanted to do was make her family proud.
"Heard about the whole doctors trip as well," Holly said as she glanced at her cousin who looked weary where this conversation was leading. "I mean, I heard about the whole thing that they think you have ADHD. Not the other thing... That's not my place to ask about. So, how do you feel about that?" she wondered.
"Don't know, guess I feel shocked, and also probably a bit confused," The fourteen-year-old admitted, keeping her hands buried inside the coat pockets. "I mean, I don't really understand much about it, but it's like... All these things that I'm feeling now, I now know that it's not normal to have this type of stuff in my head and not be able to sit still. I just... I didn't think anything different though, for so long. I didn't... I still don't really understand it." she mumbled, expressing her feelings.
"Do you feel angry?" The older woman asked.
Olivia shrugged her shoulders loosely, "I don't know, maybe... Yeah, I guess in a way I do. I mean, they've told me that I might have it. I've had it for a while but yet, nobody even realised that I did!" she asked, confused as she raised her voice. "Why... Why didn't nobody realise until now?" she said in barely a whisper.
"Sometimes, things like this are hard to diagnose," Holly explained, rubbing her hand on her cousins back to try and calm her down. "I took a look at the statistics and it's crazy. You'd be surprised if you looked at them," she told her honestly.
"It just... I can't help but feel so overwhelmed by it all. I don't understand it... I don't get it," The teenager confessed, biting her bottom lip slightly.
"I know, and I know it all probably does feel a bit overwhelming to you now but you have people around you to help you understand it all," Holly reassured her cousin, giving her a gentle smile. "And that includes me as well, so just remember that, I'm only on the other end of the phone if you need to chat, munchkin." she told her.
"I'll remember," Olivia replied in agreement.
"And you have the best support in your sister to help you out with things as well, whenever we've spoken recently she will always tell me that you're her number one priority," The blonde woman told her cousin. "Although, I have to admit it does suck that you don't live in Milton Keynes anymore so you're not so easy to see anymore like before." she joked with her.
"Leah is the best sister that I could ever wish for, even if I do tell her that she annoys me, like all of the time," Olivia said, grinning cheekily. "But of course, you're the best cousin as well. Better than the rest of them." she added.
"So I should be," Holly said, poking the blonde playfully in the ribs. "Otherwise we'd probably be having problems right now." she said, mockingly wagging her finger at the teenager.
Olivia moved her hands out of her pocket to hold them up in mock-surrender, "I wouldn't want that now," she said, laughing at her older cousin. "Although, I am a bit biassed when it comes to the little kids in the family now, they're adorable." she stated.
"I can't argue with you there, that they are," Holly said as she moved to the front of the queue as she smiled at the woman who was serving them before she turned to look at her cousin. "Do you want Pepsi, Liv?" she asked the teen.
"Sure, yeah, alright though, could I maybe get some vodka in it?" Olivia asked jokingly, grinning at the older blonde as she tested her luck.
"Ha, nice try kid," Holly disagreed, shaking her head amusedly as she looked at the woman who looked at her concerned. "She's just joking there, we'll stick with a Pepsi, please." she told the woman on the tills.
"Without the ice," Olivia piped in, not being too big of a fan of ice cubes in her drink.
"Oh yes, no ice please either for the fussy child," Holly said, taking the opportunity to tease her cousin for her dislike of ice as she nudged the girl playfully, before she ordered the rest of the drinks and paid for them.
"I like what I like," Olivia mumbled, shrugging her shoulders. "And the ice makes my stomach hurt, it's weird." she added.
"Right course," Holly said as she couldn't help but laugh. "Come on then, help me carry these drinks back to the family, munchkin." she said, gesturing to the drinks that were on the counter ready to be taken.
"Impressive that you managed to carry those drinks without even spilling them sis," Ben joked with his older sister, noting that she was juggling four of the drinks that she had ordered.
Holly rolled her eyes as she passed her brother his drink, "Well, yeah, not like you were much help, huh?" she asked.
"I would have but it's not like you asked," Ben fired back, smiling smugly as he accepted the beer from his sister just as the players made their way back out onto the pitch as the second-half of the game was about to kick off.
•
•
"Go on!" The teenager screamed, bolting up from her seat as she watched the ball fly into the back of the net in the fifty-first minute of the game and the whole stands of the Away fans roared in celebration. "Yes, get in! Go on, Kim!" she exclaimed.
"Jesus, Liv– I almost dropped my drink then!" Jacob yelled, startled by the teenager's erupt behaviour to cheer for the goal celebration. "Getting a bit excited, are we?" He teased his sister.
"We're ahead, we're 1 nil up!" The teenager said excitedly, joining in with the chants of the Arsenal fans as she fist-bumped the air in victory of the goal.
"Get in!" Ben joined in with his cousin while he cheered and clapped for the team.
"C'mon J, now is the time to celebrate," Olivia insisted, nudging her brother playfully from where she sat.
"Wahey, way to go, girls," Jacob mocked his excitement, knowing it would wind his sister up.
"Come on, cus, show a little bit more effort there," Holly joked with the lad as she laughed at his un-eager enthusiasm although she knew he would be doing it on purpose to see how far he could get under his sister's skin.
"J!" Olivia huffed as she looked at her older brother unimpressed. "You could at least act like you want to be here!" she told him, annoyed.
"Your sister has a point there son," Amanda said amusedly, looking between her two youngest.
Jacob rolled his eyes and threw his arms up in the air while he waved them around wildly, "Let's go, girls!" The lad yelled loudly before he looked at his little sister, "Better?" he deadpanned.
"Yes, much better, well done," The fourteen-year-old agreed, grinning at her older brother while the rest of the family all continued to watch in amusement. "You'll be a Gunner in no time, much better than being a Spud." she insisted.
"No, nope, definitely not," Jacob said adamantly, shaking his head.
"They never change, do they?" Berny spoke out loud, chuckling to herself as she watched two of her grandchildren continue to wind one another up.
"No, they don't, no matter how old they get," Amanda agreed with the older woman, laughing as she glanced at her two kids. "Even if one of them is supposed to be older and more mature, it's hard to tell." she remarked jokingly.
"Oh! Oh! I can see Leah getting ready, I think she's coming on!" The teenager shouted in realisation when she spotted her sister getting ready to step onto the side-lines. "I think she's going to be subbed on soon!" she said, excited that her sister would be playing in the game now.
The game was already at an advantage for the Gunners with them being 2 nil up before there was another change of substitutions, this time it would be Leah and Katie coming on to replace Beth and Lotte while Caitlin and Tobin had replaced Viv and Nikkita ten minutes previously
"Oh yes, I can see her," Amanda chuckled, amused by her daughter's enthusiasm to support her sister regardless.
"Leah! Leah!" The fourteen-year-old began to yell and wave her hands in the air to try and get her sister's attention. "Le!" She continued to scream which did attract a few looks from people that looked confused which quickly changed to amusement when they realised who it was that was trying to get the attention of the blonde woman.
"If you shout louder, she might just hear you over the noise in the crowd," Jacob took the opportunity to tease his sister while grinning at her.
The noise from the stands was indeed loud, the fans from both sides cheered on their team's as it seemed like the Arsenal stand was much louder even if it was an away game as well but as luck had it, it just so happened that as Leah was standing on the side-lines, getting ready to come on, she happened to look over to the crowd of Arsenal fans where her family was sat amongst and she couldn't help but laugh when she spotted her fourteen-year-old sister screaming her name and waving her air around all while Jacob looked done with the girl who he was sat beside.
The older blonde took the chance to grin and point over to her where her sister was sat with the rest of her family before she returned to fix her game-face before she made her way onto the pitch when the sub-board went up.
"See? Told you that she'd see me," Olivia remarked, playfully sticking her tongue out at her older brother.
"Gee? You think so," Jacob replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
"Shut up, you're just jealous that she didn't wave at you," Olivia stated, still sticking her tongue out at brother.
"Oh yeah, of course I am," Jacob muttered, having a sip of his drink as Olivia leaned forward and flicked her brother's ear. "Ow– What the hell, Liv? What'd you do that for?" He hissed in pain, instantly moving to cover his ear from the pain.
Olivia shrugged her shoulders and grinned, "Just because, I felt like it." she said mischievously.
"You do make me laugh kid," Ben chuckled, swigging his beer in his hand as he watched his energetic cousin who hadn't let her enthusiasm up yet.
"You're a terror sometimes, you know that, pure little demon-child," Jacob muttered, shaking his head.
"I'm not," Olivia pouted as she moved to stand up and walk over to her mum before she wrapped her arms around her mum. "Mum, J's being mean and calling me names." she said playing the innocent-little sister card before she smirked at her older brother.
"Jacob, stop being mean to your sister," Amanda stated, instantly taking her youngest daughters' side who couldn't help but smirk.
"What–" Jacob asked dumbfounded, shocked how the teenager had made him out to be the bad one. "I didn't do out, Liv's the one that flicked my ear. The evil little devil child she is!" he stated.
"And Liv, stop antagonising your brother as well," Amanda told her youngest daughter. "I saw what you did, you shouldn't wind him up either." she stated.
Berny couldn't help but laugh as she watched her two grandchildren bicker childishly, "Yes, they really never do change." she noted.
•
arsenalwfc just posted.
•
"Good game today, ladies. It was definitely an improvement from the first half," Jonas said, praising the team as they were all gathered around in a post-match huddle. "We've got the three points now, today's game is done so take the rest of the day to enjoy yourselves and celebrate the win today. Recovery tomorrow and we will train on Monday before we fly out to Barcelona for our next game." he told them.
The team all clapped in agreement with the head coach before Leah took the opportunity to break out of the huddle to go over and speak to her family who had made their way down to the pitch before she got ready to go back onto the bus.
Usually, Leah would have loved to spend the time with them after the match, however tonight all the blonde really wanted to do was get home and be able to speak to Jordan properly and clear up the mess that she had made.
"Le," Olivia yelled over as she waved to get her attention from where she was standing, turning to head in the direction of the stands where her family was.
Leah was quick to lean over the barrier and pull her sister in for a hug, "Hi guys. Thanks for coming to watch the game tonight," she looked around to acknowledge them all before she looked back at her sister. "Did you enjoy the game? I could see you shouting at me from where you sat." she told her.
"Yeah, tell me about it, you'd think she did with the way she has screamed down my ear for the last 90 minutes," Jacob grumbled, shaking his head as he had enough of it eventually. "So I don't doubt for a second that she hasn't enjoyed herself tonight." he stated.
Leah couldn't help but laugh and shake her head, "Yeah, have to admit when I looked over that you looked less than thrilled, J." she teased her brother lightly.
"You try to deal with that for nearly 2 hours!" Jacob protested loudly, probably to do with the amount of alcohol that he had drunk.
"Yes, I definitely think she has enjoyed herself tonight," Berny agreed with her grandson. She was honestly quite surprised that her granddaughter even had a voice left after how much she had yelled during the second half of the game.
"And that was before she flicked my ear, the little demon child that she is," Jacob muttered, still annoyed about his sisters' antics earlier on.
"Good game tonight Le," Holly told her cousin honestly.
Ben nodded in agreement, "Yeah it was, although it did seem you guys were cutting it a bit close, eh?" he joked with the blonde woman.
"Yeah, I didn't even think you guys would end up scoring at all," Jacob piped in.
"Thanks, J. You always have so much faith in us," Leah remarked, shaking her head amusedly.
"You girls played well tonight, Bubba," Amanda told her daughter, quick enough to pull her eldest into a hug.
Leah smiled gratefully for her family's support in the match, even if she was on the bench for the most of it, "Didn't do much from the bench but I appreciate you guys coming down." She thanked them.
"You played your part in the game, love. There will always be other games," Berny reassured the younger women. "Liv told us that you and Jordan have fallen out. I hope that you and Jordan can manage to sort things out." she told her.
"Grandma," Holly spoke quietly, aware this wasn't the best time to speak about things around here.
Leah tried to not react as she whipped her head towards her little sister, who looked incredibly guilty, "Liv... You told them about that?" she asked.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry. It slipped out," The teenager admitted, ducking her head down and wanting the ground to swallow her up whole right there in this moment.
"Don't be upset with your sister, Bubba. Liv didn't mean to tell us that and she didn't go into it too much either," Amanda explained to her eldest daughter. "The important thing is that you can talk to Jordan and try to sort things. I know the two of you are happiest when you're together." she told her.
Leah pursed her lips together and nodded in agreement, "Yeah... Yeah, here's hoping that we can sort things out." she told them, bowing her head slightly.
"It will be alright. You will sort things out," Amanda reassured her daughter. "I have faith in you that you will." she added in.
"Thanks, mum, I hope that we can sort things out, it isn't how it seems so I just hope that she listens to me," Leah said, feeling a bit hesitant how this talk could go. "I'm going to go and shower but then I'll come back and see you guys before we have to go." she told them.
"Of course, we'll see you in a bit, love," Berny replied in agreement, smiling at the blonde.
"We'll be here waiting for you," Holly told her cousin.
"I'll try to not be too long," Leah said, exchanging hugs with them all again before she started to head into the changing rooms, where no doubt there would be celebrations of their win against the opposition. "See you when I'm back." she called back to them.
"I don't think she's too happy," Olivia gulped in realisation, she honestly hadn't meant to spill the beans on the argument, and now she felt really bad about it.
"Weren't your fault, Liv. You didn't mean to blurt it out," Jacob said as he patted his sister on the shoulder. "You'll be alright. Leah won't be mad with you." he reassured her.
•
hollygbaker_ added to her story.
•
As Leah was close to approaching the changing rooms, she already heard the celebrations of her team-mates as the music was loud and the singing was very much off-tune, but they were happy to have another successful win.
"Beth," The blonde approached her friend, who was currently getting dressed to get back on the bus. "Are you sure that you're okay with still having Liv tonight? I can ask someone else if need be." she wondered.
"No need for that, of course I am okay with it. I wouldn't have offered if not," Beth was quick to disagree, smiling at her friend reassuringly. "You need to talk to your girlfriend, Leah and make things right. We've got the kid." she told her.
"Are you sure?" Leah questioned apprehensively, she didn't feel right to practically dump her sister on her friends, especially if some of them hadn't had much dealing with kids, nonetheless, teenagers.
"Did I hear a mention of a sleepover?" Katie piped in, overhearing the conversation between the two blonde friends.
"You did," Leah couldn't help but laugh at the brunette woman's excitement. "Beth has kindly offered to watch Liv for me tonight so Jordan and I can talk without any interruptions." she explained.
"And I didn't even get an invite? Wow. I feel offended," The Irish woman acted like she was hurt, clutching her hand over her heart. "Is this an open-invitation then or what? I want to spend time with our kiddo!" she insisted.
"You're more than welcome to come and join us tonight, Katie," Beth said, amused at the women's dramatics. "Lotte and Viv will be coming as well, so the more the merrier." she told her.
"Awesome, I'll be there!" Katie stated, grinning at the pair of them.
Leah laughed and shook her head, "Think you'll have double trouble on your hands tonight," she joked with her friend. "It's not too late to back out, you know?" she offered.
"No, no, it'll be fine," Beth said in protest, shaking her head. "Sort things out with Jord, there's no rush to pick Liv up either... In fact don't text me until you have sorted things out." she told her as matter-of-fact.
"Right, well, copy that then," Leah said, mockingly saluting to her friend as she gathered her things up to go and have a quick shower before she headed back to speak to her family.
•
•
"I'm back," Leah reappeared to find her family waiting outside the entrance of the doors of the carpark of where the players family and friends were all parked, well at least her mum and cousin were, as she hadn't a clue of the whereabouts of her siblings, cousin or grandma, as she she was now fresh out of the shower with damp hair and wearing her Arsenal club-branded tracksuit again.
"Feel better now?" Amanda asked, smiling at her daughter.
"Definitely, tons," Leah replied in agreement.
"Already thinking of the next game?" Holly joked, referring to the next game in Barcelona against the Spanish team.
"Of course," Leah chuckled in agreement. "Which actually reminds me to even mention it, I realised that the game's on a Tuesday night so obviously Liv is supposed to be at school, and she won't be able to make it, and well mum will be flying out to watch the game," she turned to look at Amanda who nodded in agreement. "So, how do you fancy watching her for the night?" she asked the blonde.
"What makes you think I don't have plans?" Holly wondered.
"Do you?" Leah asked, jokingly.
"No, of course I don't," Holly said in agreement as she laughed. "I'll be happy enough to watch Liv for you, wouldn't want her to burn the house down now, would we?" she joked.
"Definitely not," Amanda said, laughing slightly.
"It'll be fun to hang out with the munchkin," The older blonde said.
"I mean, I'm sure that once she gets over how she won't be allowed, I think she'll enjoy spending the time with you," Leah remarked, smiling faintly. "I just have to break the news to her and hope that all hell doesn't break loose." she joked with her cousin.
Amanda laughed and shook her head, noting the time on her phone, "The bus will be leaving soon, won't it? I'd better go and find where they have got too, and hurry your sister along," she said, standing up as she walked past her daughter.
"Thanks, mum," Leah smiled, peering up to look at the older woman.
Amanda smiled and kissed the top of her daughter's head, "You'll be alright, Bubba," she reassured her.
The two cousins were left alone to talk and Holly began to lead the conversation with the blonde, "So, I know that you might not want to talk about," she started to speak.
Leah turned to her cousin and smirked slightly while giving her a knowing look, "Then don't mention it." she remarked.
"Leah, come on, this is me that you're talking too here, remember?" Holly ignored the blonde's comment as she felt concerned for her cousin. "So, is everything okay with you two because I mean, it's not like the two of you to argue, and even so... You did it in front of Liv, which rarely ever happens." she noted, knowing that the blonde wouldn't have liked to have and done that.
"I know and I'm aware," Leah said, exhaling a sigh and shaking her head. "It wasn't intentional to do that. We were already on the way to the training grounds." she explained to the older woman.
"So, everything isn't okay then?" Holly questioned, worriedly.
"What exactly did Liv tell you about it?" Leah asked, very much aware that her sister had spilled the beans about the whole argument in the car; it wasn't like she wasn't going to tell her family, she would have but when it was all sorted out.
"Actually, the kid was pretty reluctant to explain much when she realised that she'd blabbed," Holly remarked, chuckling slightly. "It's not our business to know what happened but just as long as you're okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, yeah... I'm fine, it'll be sorted tonight. I just have to go home and talk to her properly without her having the chance to dodge me," Leah explained, shoving her hands in the pocket of her trousers. "You know, we went to the doctors for Liv's appointment and the doctor, which ultimately, I didn't realise until the end of it, was flirting with me the whole time and then when we finished, she handed me a card which when I looked at it, I suddenly realised that she'd left her number on it. Anyways, my head was so wrapped up with just wanting to get Liv to right help that she needed, that I threw it in the glove-box and completely forgot about it, and then of course Jordan went in there to look for a charger and found it, and now she seems to have got the wrong impression." she told her cousin.
"Wow, yeah," Holly remarked in shock. "Liv was right, you should have just thrown the card away there and then." she stated, once she had heard it all explained to her.
"Holly!" Leah gasped, playfully whacking her cousin on the arm.
Holly laughed slightly as she shrugged her shoulders, "What? It's the truth. You knew she'd have found it, and well, you can't blame her for getting the wrong impression about it when she sees the card and reads a message like that." she told her straight.
"Wow, straight and direct about it, thanks Hol," Leah said, chuckling slightly as she shook her head. "Right, well hopefully tonight, we can talk and things will be fixed." she stated.
"You know me, I don't beat around the bush about things," Holly told her cousin truthfully. "So, where's Liv gonna be in all of this?" she wondered.
"Le!" Olivia came barrelling through to the stands and launched herself on her sister.
"Speak of the devil," Leah commented, shifting slightly as she was knocked back by the sudden hit. "Troublemaker is going to be stopping around Beth's tonight with some of the other girls as well as she was insisting on a sleepover," she explained.
"Oh, that's nice of her," Holly smiled, looking down at her cousin who had now attached her arms around her older sister. "You looking forward to that one, munchkin?" she asked.
"Yeah, can't wait!" Olivia exclaimed cheerfully, grinning at her older cousin.
"And Katie will also be joining you all as well now," Leah told her, remembering that the woman was offended she was left out of the invite.
The teenager gasped excitedly and peered up to look at her sister, "Really? Awesome!" she stated.
"Yeah, so it should be a fun night for you all," The older blonde said in agreement as the rest of her family had now joined them.
"What's going on?" Amanda wondered, looking confused at her two daughters now she'd caught up with them and the family was together again.
"Liv's excited to be able to spend the night around Beth's with Katie, Viv and Lotte so Jords and I can talk about things without any interruption." Leah explained to the older women.
"Oh, that'll be nice for you to spend some time with the girls," Amanda said, turning to look at her youngest. "Are you looking forward to it?" she asked.
"Definitely, I can't wait to hang out with the girls at Beth's house!" Olivia said, beaming a wide smile.
"I hope that you and Jordan can sort things out, Le," Ben told his cousin. "We really like her, she's good for you," he added.
"Well, I'll bear that in mind," Leah said, amused.
"One of a kind, she's great to hang out with," Jacob piped in with his opinion.
"You two make it seem that you like hanging out with her more," The blonde woman joked with the two lads.
"Well, you know," Jacob said, smirking as he attempted to wind his older sister up.
Leah rolled her eyes at her brother's comment, "I feel the love there, thanks guys." she stated.
"What happened between you two anyways?" Ben asked, confused.
"Ben, it's not our place to ask that," Berny said, shaking her head at her grandson.
"It's a long story that happened after we went to the doctors, and well, it's just caused a huge mess." Leah muttered as she exhaled a sigh. "Once we talk and clear the air, things will be better... I hope at least." she added.
"Okay, now I'm even more intrigued to know," Ben stated, confused.
"The doctor gave Leah her number and tried to flirt with her, and Leah was too oblivious to understand that she was even doing that in the first place," Olivia blurted out, avoiding the glare that she received from her sister.
"What– Leah, seriously?" Jacob asked, shocked.
"Yes, thanks Liv for sharing that with everyone," Leah huffed, not too impressed that her sister had just blabbed, once again. "Yeah, I accidentally left the card in the car and Jord found it." she explained to her family.
"Now she thinks that you've cheated?" Amanda asked, confused. "Or has she just gotten the wrong impression about things?" she asked.
"Yes, maybe– Honestly, I don't even know," Leah admitted, biting her bottom lip slightly. "Right now, ever since she found out, she has all but avoided me." she continued to explain.
Berny exhaled a sigh and placed her hand on her granddaughter's shoulder, "I'm sure that you will both sort it out once you can sit down and talk about it love," the woman reassured her granddaughter. "You two are too good together to break up and you will be fine." she added.
"I hope so, grandma," Leah smiled at the older woman gratefully. "Right, we had better go get on the bus then before it leaves without us." she remarked, spotting her team-mates climbing on the bus.
"Of course," Berny said in agreement with the blonde. "Will we still be seeing you both for dinner on Wednesday night?" she asked.
"Definitely, we wouldn't miss it," Leah said in agreement before she hugged the older women goodbye and turned to her sister. "Ready to go then, bug?" she asked.
"I'm ready," The teenager replied in agreement before she moved to hug her mum goodbye. "See you soon, mum!" she told her.
"Bye my little Bubba," Amanda spoke, tightly hugging her youngest daughter. "Have fun at your sleepover tonight and don't cause them too much trouble." she said, jokingly.
"It's like you don't know me at all," Olivia couldn't help but grin as she moved to exchange hugs with the rest of the family. "Bye, Grandma. See you on Wednesday." she said.
"Bye, my girl. I look forward to seeing you girls on Wednesday," Berny said, embracing her youngest granddaughter in her arms. "And remember to stay out of trouble and not give your sister too much grief." she told her.
"I'll try not to," Olivia said as she giggled to herself.
"I'll see you soon kiddo," Ben said, pulling his cousin into his arms as he swayed slightly with her, due to the alcohol he'd drunk which made him a bit more lively before he ruffled her hair.
"Ben, get off my hair," The teen complained, trying to push the lad's hands off her hair. "You're annoying sometimes, you know that?" she huffed.
"Would you expect anything different from him, Liv?" Holly laughed amusedly as she noted her cousin getting fed up. "See you soon munchkin, alright?" she told her.
"I'll see you soon Hol," Olivia replied, moving to wrap her arms around the older woman who she knew wouldn't antagonise her like her other cousin did, although she didn't know about the fact that Holly would be watching her in a couple of days.
Olivia smiled and nodded before she turned to her brother, "Bye, J! I'll miss you... Give Bella some fuss for me when you see her." she told him.
"Suppose I'll somewhat miss you too," Jacob teased his sister as he slung his arm around the girl to hug her. "And I'll make sure to give Bella some fuss as well for you." he added.
"Hey– I'm offended. I'm awesome," Olivia exclaimed, pouting as she looked at her brother in shock. "I... I can't believe you even said that!" she stated.
Jacob couldn't help but smirk and knew he'd successfully wound at least one of his sister's up, "Only messing with you baby sis, you know I'll miss you." he told her.
"You'd better do as well!" Olivia said as she leaned over and flicked her brother on the ear once again.
"Liv!" Jacob grumbled in pain as he reached his ear. "I swear to god, kid, you're actually a devil child!" he exclaimed loudly.
"Duh," Olivia smirked at the older lad.
"Will you two pair pack it in winding one another up?" Amanda sighed and shook her head at her two children before she gave her eldest daughter a hug. "You'd better go before world war three starts out between them two." she suggested.
The family all made their separate ways to their cars where they had parked up; their brother and cousins had driven down in one car while their mum and grandma drove in another.
Leah chuckled and gave her mum a quick hug goodbye, "Good idea, yeah, I'll see you at the next game then, mum and I'll see the rest of you on Wednesday," she turned to her family and told them all before she looked back at Olivia. "Come on troublemaker, let's go before you wind J up anymore." she stated.
"He started it," Olivia pointed out.
"No I didn't," Jacob said in disagreement.
Olivia nodded quickly, "You did!" she insisted.
"Alright, alright, enough," Leah said, rolling her eyes as she pulled her sister in the direction of the bus. "Bye guys, thanks again for coming today. Love you all." she told them.
"Bye, Bubba's. Love you too," Amanda replied, blowing them both a kiss as they headed off to get back on the bus.
"I'm tellin' you Le, he started it," Olivia continued to insist as they climbed on the bus.
"Uh-huh, I'm sure that he did," Leah smirked amusedly as she shook her head. "I entirely believe that you were innocent in the whole thing happening." she added.
"Really?" Olivia wondered.
Leah laughed slightly and shook her head, "No, course not, it's you, Liv. I know exactly what you're like but you're both just as bad as one another," she stated amusedly as the teenager pouted. "The pair of you together are a nightmare." she said.
Olivia cocked her head to the side as she continued to pout, "That's what you say when I'm with G, though?" she asked, confused.
"That's also true, so god help me when the three of you are ever together at a game then," Leah joked with her sister.
•
•
Arriving back at the training grounds, most of the players were relieved to get off the bus as they were all more than ready to go home, although most of them still felt the adrenaline from running around the pitch and unsurprisingly, Olivia had the exact type of energy that nobody really understood where she'd got it from as she was currently running around Jordan and trying her best to wind Jordan up much to the annoyance of the older woman.
"Liv, pack it in," Jordan grumbled as she swatted the teenagers' hand away from her face.
"But Jordy," The teenager whined with a mischievous look on her face as she moved to try and poke her again.
"Cut it out Liv," The woman stated, still continuing to try and swat her hand away again.
"Seems like the kiddos' got one on her tonight," Steph laughed, watching the teenager as she tried to reach out and poke Jordan.
Jordan huffed and nodded in agreement, "Tell me about it... Anyone want a kid? She's free," she joked, looking around all the players that were standing outside the bus, avoiding the look of her girlfriend, who looked somewhat amused herself. "Any takers? No... Well, alright then. Guess I'm stuck with her then." she added.
"You can't get rid of me, I'm too much fun," Olivia protested, doing her best to continue antagonising the older women. "C'mon Jord, admit that you love me," she told her, grinning cheekily.
"I can try," Jordan teased the girl, shaking her head as she laughed. "I do love you kid but please, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, go and bother someone else." she added.
"Urgh, alright if you insist," Olivia remarked, huffing before she spotted Katie standing with Viv and Beth as she ran over and attempted to wind her up. "Katie!" she exclaimed.
Leah couldn't help but laugh as she made her way over to the small group, "Beth, are you sure that you really don't mind having Liv tonight? It's not too early to back out you know," she joked as she saw the moment that Olivia jumped on Katie's back.
"Yes, absolutely fine," Beth said, nodding in agreement as she couldn't help but laugh as she watched the teenager attempt to wind up the Irish women. "I mean, I think we might have our hands full tonight but I'm sure we'll manage." she said.
Leah continued to look at her friend wearily, "You're definitely sure?" she asked her.
"Yes, of course, yes, go and sort things out with Jord," Beth insisted, laughing amusedly as she watched Olivia try and tackle Katie to the floor. "Don't worry, Meado's got it all under control." she added.
"Did you– Did you really just refer to yourself in third person?" Leah questioned, laughing at her friend. "Right, okay, alright, I'll leave you with her but remember to call me if you need anything, like literally, anything at all, yeah?" she told her.
"Of course, don't worry, it's going to be fine," Beth reassured the blonde defender. "Right, trouble? We're going to have fun!" she asked, looking at the teenager, who had somehow now ended up on the floor.
"Definitely," Olivia turned and grinned at the blonde, getting up as she walked a few steps over to where the two blondes were. "It's gonna be so much!" she exclaimed.
"Right, course but just remember to try and go to bed at a reasonable time alright," Leah chuckled, reminding the teenager who would of course probably not sleep like usual. "I don't want you coming home and being a mardy bugger." she joked with her sister.
Olivia gasped dramatically, "As if!" she pouted and shook her head. "I'm never mardy!" she insisted.
"Wouldn't be too sure of that one myself," Leah laughed, shaking her head as she pulled her sister in for a hug. "Have a good time tonight though and listen to Beth and the rest of the girls, and remember if you need me then you can call me on one of the girls phones, yeah?" she told her.
"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Olivia agreed, exchanging the hug with her older sister.
"Relax, Leah, she's in safe hands with us," Katie said, walking over as she patted the blonde on the shoulder.
"Yeah, she'll be with us, she's gonna be fine," Beth piped in.
"I'm relaxed," Leah said, smiling amusedly. "Suppose I should be grateful that Lotte and Viv will also be there." she said teasingly.
Beth gasped offended as she clutched her hand over her heart, "It's like you doubt my abilities to look after your sister... I feel offended," she said playfully.
"Well, you know, you've never really looked after kids before," Leah teased her friend, smirking at the older woman. "At least Katie has enough siblings to have some type of experience, and well Viv and Lotte are responsible." she said.
"Don't worry Leah, we'll make sure that Liv's alright," Lotte reassured the blonde.
Viv smiled in agreement, "The little one will be fine with us." she added.
"Exactly? See, there's your reassurement now go and sort things out with Jordan," Beth said, gesturing the blonde in the direction of the older woman. "We've got our kiddo." she stated.
"Alright, alright," Leah held her hands up in mock-surrender. "I'll go, but seriously though girls, thank you for doing this tonight and having Liv hang out with you all, I appreciate it." she told them honestly.
"Anytime," Katie grinned, patting the blonde on the shoulder.
Olivia peered up at her older sister, "You and Jord will be alright, won't you?" she asked, worriedly.
Leah smiled at her sister and squeezed her gently as she hugged her, "Don't worry about that, alright? Just remember what I said before, yeah?" she told her.
"Yeah, I know but what if..." The teenager began to speak.
"But nothing, okay?" Leah cut her sister off. "Don't worry about the things that you can't control, alright?" she told her.
Olivia nodded in agreement and smiled slightly, "Okay," she stated.
"Good," Leah smiled and hugged her sister goodbye, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "Right, I'm gonna get off then. Be good, yeah?" she told her.
"Course, always," Olivia grinned as she hugged her sister again. "Love you, Le." she said.
"Love you too, bug," Leah replied softly before she turned to the rest of the girls. "Any problems, give me a call, okay? Literally anything at all!" she told them.
"Don't worry, relax, we've got it covered," Lotte grinned at the blonde.
"We will," Viv said in agreement.
Leah nodded and smiled, "Alright, thanks again girls and I'll see you tomorrow," she said before she walked off in the direction to where Jordan was with Steph and Jen.
Hopefully this will be a chance for them to talk now with just the two of them alone.
•
•
"Where's Liv?" Katie asked when she had walked into the living room and not spotted the teenager amongst the rest of the girls.
"I'm not too sure, toilet maybe?" Beth offered, unsure as she scrolled through the TV to find a movie for them all to watch.
"I think she went into the kitchen to get a drink," Lotte said, glancing at the brunette woman.
"She's been in there for a while," Viv said, frowning as she shared a glance with the rest of the women. "Should one of us go and see if she's okay?" she asked.
"I'll go," Katie offered, already heading in that direction as she walked into the kitchen and found the teenager, who seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. "You know, you're surprisingly quieter than usual," she broke the silence and startled the girl.
"Jesus– You scared me," Olivia said, jumping in her spot where she was leant against the counter in the middle of the kitchen as she stared at the empty glass in front of her. "I just came to get a drink." she explained.
"Sorry, kid, didn't mean too," Katie chuckled, moving to lean up against the work tops and face the teenager. "You want another one or are you just going to stare at the glass?" she teased the blonde.
Olivia laughed slightly but didn't move her eyes away from staring at the glass, "Not too thirsty anymore." she told her, before she moved to place the glass in the sink.
Katie frowned, not used to seeing the girl so unusually quiet compared to her lively-outgoing energy like normal. "Something on your mind?" she asked.
Olivia turned back around to face the older woman and shrugged her shoulders loosely, "I'm just worried, thinking about stuff and that," she mumbled quietly.
"Are you missing your sister?" Katie wondered, fishing her phone out of her pocket. "Because you know, we can call her if you want?" she offered, trying to pass her phone to the teenager.
"No, no, I'm fine... It's not that," Olivia said, shaking her head in disagreement. "It's... It's something else, I guess." she added.
"Oh, okay. Do you... Do you want to talk about it?" Katie asked, concerned.
"I just hope that Leah and Jordan can sort things out, you know? I don't want them to break up," Olivia told the woman worriedly. "I feel like it's all my fault, if I didn't have this stupid ADHD then we'd have never had to go to the doctors and Leah wouldn't have spoken to the stupid doctor that caused all of this!" she exclaimed, not realising that she'd blurted out the situation that Katie didn't know about.
Katie blinked in realisation, shocked to hear what it was all about but she knew that she had to put the teenagers' feelings first in this case, "It's not your fault, kid," she told her.
"I feel like it is though," Olivia huffed, shaking her head.
"Okay," Katie said, frowning slightly as she noted the body-language of the teenager. "Why do I get the feeling that this isn't about your sister and Jordan, but something else instead?" she asked.
"I'm... I'm just confused about stuff," The teenager stated, slumping her shoulders.
"Talk to me?" Katie encouraged, nudging the girl playfully with a kind smile on her face.
Olivia bit her bottom lip slightly, "I'm not normal, Katie," she admitted.
"Well, you know, I already know that one," The older woman couldn't help but joke. "Tell me something I don't know?" she asked, smirking.
"No, I mean... I mean in my head," The teenager began to explain herself. "Like people tell me that my brain is wired differently but I don't understand it... I don't get it," she said, frowning.
Katie listened to the teenager speak her thoughts as she nodded slightly, "I don't understand much about ADHD, kid, but listen, even if your brain is wired differently," she paused as she struggled to find the right words. "You're still you, kid, and you have so much talent, you're skilled and well, you're practically a little football genius, so who needs you to be normal, huh? Personally, I think it's a bit overrated." she told her.
Olivia couldn't help but laugh as she heard Katie's explanation, "Yeah, maybe, normal is overrated," she said in agreement.
"There's that laugh that we all love to hear," Katie said, grinning as she ruffled the teenagers' blonde locks. "Right, okay, serious talk over. Come on, we're picking a movie to watch and I need somebody with me to watch a horror movie," she stated, slinging her arm around the blonde's shoulders.
"Horror all the way," Olivia agreed with the Irish woman, even if she would probably end up with terrible nightmares from it.
"See? Somebody agrees with me, finally!" Katie exclaimed, grinning at the blonde. "Yes, kiddo!" she stated as the pair of them walked into the living room.
•
•
"Drink?" Leah offered, padding into the kitchen and opening the fridge before she even got a response from the older women.
"Where's Liv?" Jordan asked, walking into the kitchen.
Leah continued to grab two bottles of beer out of the fridge and scour through the kitchen drawer for a bottle opener, "She's spending the night around Beth's with some of the girls. I told you earlier about it," she paused as she worked to open them. "It was Beth's idea, but I thought it would give us a chance to talk properly without any interruption." she added in.
Jordan refused to look in the blonde's direction as she shook her head, "What is there to talk about? I know what I saw." she stated.
Leah exhaled a sigh and moved to walk towards her girlfriend, handing her one of the beer bottles, "Jord, you saw a card but it didn't mean anything though!" she insisted on her side of the story. "You need to understand that... It wasn't anything like you think it was!" she told her.
"I can see what it was Leah; I have eyes, I'm not blind!" Jordan said, raising her voice as she fought to stay where she was standing.
Leah scoffed and shook her head in disagreement, "No, Jord. I'm serious; listen to me, please? You have read the whole thing wrong," The blonde insisted.
"I have, really? Go on then, explain to me why you have another woman's phone number in your car, Leah," Jordan exclaimed. "Please enlighten me why that was?" she asked.
"I didn't even realise that the doctor had written her number on there in the first place," Leah told her girlfriend, trying to not raise her voice. "I was so blind-sighted by Liv's whole diagnosis, I was confused and wanted the help to understand things better, so when she gave me her card I really didn't think anything other than that." she explained.
"Really?" Jordan asked, peering at her girlfriend.
"Yes, really," Leah insisted, hopeful that her girlfriend would indeed believe her. "You know that I wouldn't want to hurt you, Jords!" she spoke quietly.
"Then why did you keep it?" Jordan questioned wearily.
"I was meant to throw it out, I didn't want it in the first place so I shoved it in the glove-box and my first intention when we got home was to get rid of it," Leah explained to her girlfriend, handing her a mug of tea that she had made for her. "I got distracted, I was so lost in my own thoughts about this change for Liv and already trying to plan ahead, so I guess that I did forget to take it out the glove-box and throw it." she admitted.
"So, you weren't going to call her?" Jordan asked.
"No, definitely not!" Leah was quick to disagree with that question. "I've made it very clear that I am taken, and you can even ask Liv about it, she was quite rude to the doctor." she said, laughing slightly.
Jordan looked at her girlfriend, trying to figure out if she was being lied to, "How do I know that you're telling the truth?" she asked.
"I am telling you the truth about this, Jords," Leah pleaded with her girlfriend. "You can even ask Liv about it, she was there the whole time!" she stated.
Jordan bit her bottom lip and stared at the taller blonde for a few minutes, knowing that her girlfriend wouldn't bring her sister into this if it wasn't the actual truth, "I... I'm sorry, Leah-- Fuck, I thought you'd... Fuck, I don't know what I thought actually." she rambled, lost in her own thoughts.
"You really thought I'd cheat on you?" Leah asked shocked that her girlfriend would think that.
"I... I don't know," Jordan admitted, slumping her shoulders. "I just-- I guess I panicked and didn't know what to think. I don't want to ever lose you." she told her.
"You couldn't ever. It's you that I love, Jords. It always has been and it always will be you." Leah reassured her girlfriend, moving to wrap her arms around her.
Jordan peered up to her girlfriend and smiled, pressing a light kiss to her lips, "I love you, Leah." she said.
"I love you too, Jord," Leah replied, returning the kiss with her shorter girlfriend. "I always have done and I always will." she repeated her earlier words.
•
bethmead_ added to her story.
•
"I'm bored," Olivia huffed loudly, flopping back against the sofa in the living room.
"Well that didn't take long, did it?" Beth joked, glancing at the teenage girl. "Alright, kid. Why are you bored?" she asked.
"Can you blame me? I'm bored and I really miss my phone," The teenager exclaimed, pouting at the older woman. "I want to do something fun!" she insisted.
"Like what?" Viv asked, confused.
"It's almost 10 o'clock," Lotte laughed, glancing at the clock on the wall. "Wait, how long is it until kids' go to bed, nowadays?" she asked.
"Not long enough," Katie piped in.
"That's rude," Olivia gasped, pouting at the Irish woman.
"Sorry, kiddo," Katie laughed, ruffling the teens' hair which was met with protest of a low growl. "Alright, alright, easy there." she joked.
"I want to do something fun," Olivia insisted.
"You when I was your age--" Beth began to speak.
"What, when the dinosaurs were around?" Olivia cut her off, smirking at the blonde.
"You cheeky little--"
"Beth!" Viv exclaimed, giving a pointed look in the direction of the woman.
The blonde held her hands up in mock-surrender, "I was just going to say when I was your age, we didn't have any of these phones with all the fancy apps on nor none of all these social media apps like you kids have nowadays," she stated.
"Yeah, I didn't even get my first phone until I was about, thirteen, maybe?" Lotte thought to herself.
"Really? I was uh, like eight?" Olivia said, shocked.
"What?" Viv questioned, surprised to hear the teenagers' answer.
"See?" Katie gestured her hand in the direction of the teenager. "Wow, hearing you say that... I feel old. I hate to admit it." she said, wiping away a fake tear.
"What did you have then? Rocks or something else," Olivia wondered, grinning cheekily at the older woman.
Beth huffed and didn't look too impressed, "You know kid, sometimes it's hard to like you when you make comments like that." she told her.
Olivia couldn't help but giggle, "Only joking Beth," she said.
"Hmm, sure you were," Beth said, eyeing the teenager suspiciously. "And for your information, my phone was a Nokia and it might not have had all these cool apps like you do, but instead, it did have a cool game called Snake." she told her.
"Snake?" Olivia looked at the older women around her cluelessly. "What's that?" she asked.
Lotte gasped in shock, "You don't know what Snake is?" she questioned.
"No, I don't know what Snake is," Olivia couldn't help but mock the older woman. "Because I'm not old like all of you," she told them.
"What do they teach kids in school nowadays?" Katie asked, shocked.
"Better yet, we should have a word with your sister!" Beth exclaimed as the rest of the girls all nodded in agreement. "I refuse to believe you grew up with Leah as your older sister and she has never shown you that game!" she stated in disbelief.
Olivia shrugged her shoulders, "Don't know, never bothered to hear about it," she admitted.
"How... How do you not know what that game is, kid? Even my sister knows what it is and she's younger than you," Katie said in disbelief. "I'm shocked, pure shocked." She added.
"Well, we need to have words with your sister now, this won't do," Lotte stated, shaking her head.
Olivia couldn't help but giggle amusedly, "This still doesn't solve my problem that I'm bored now," she huffed loudly.
"It's late, shouldn't you be tired by now?" Viv chuckled, wondering when the teenager's energy would run out. "Maybe you should think about going to bed soon?" she suggested.
"It's not even 10 pm yet, there's still plenty of time," Olivia protested, pouting at the older women.
"Don't you have a time that you need to go to bed?" Beth questioned, furrowing her eyebrow.
"Not, cus I'm not five," Olivia replied, rolling her eyes. "Leah lets me stay up until I get tired and then I just usually go to bed." she explained, shrugging her shoulders.
"I somehow find that hard to believe," Katie piped in, chuckling.
Beth thought about it for a few seconds before she shrugged her shoulders, "Oh, sure, come on it's the weekend and you're here, so why not, hey?" she stated.
"Get in!" Olivia exclaimed, fist punching the air.
"No later than 11 though, alright?" Beth told the teenager, laughing at the girl's silliness. "I can't be dealing with an angry blonde tomorrow." she joked.
"Beth, are you sure that's such a good idea?" Viv asked, looking at the older woman skeptical.
"Maybe, no... I don't know?" Beth said in realisation, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm not usually a person who looks after kids." she added.
"Yeah, we can tell," Lotte replied jokingly.
"Ha, hilarious," Beth deadpanned, rolling her eyes.
"You know, I'm still bored... So very bored," Olivia said in a sing-song tone of voice.
"We get it, kid. You're bored," Katie said, smirking at the teenager. "What do you want us to do about it?" she asked.
"I want to do something fun!" The teenager insisted.
"Like what?" Viv asked, confused. "It's late, what could you possibly want to do at this time?" she asked.
"Hmm, I don't know," Olivia said, shrugging her shoulders before a mischievous smile spread across her face. "Oh I know!" she exclaimed.
"What?" Beth wondered.
Olivia continued to beam widely at the four older women sat across from her, "Let's have a pillow fight!" she exclaimed, excitedly.
"Yes!" Katie exclaimed in agreement.
""Katie, no. It's a bad idea," Lotte said, shaking her head.
"Lotte's right, uh, I don't think that is such a good idea," Viv said in disagreement with the girl. "Somebody could get hurt," she explained.
Beth nodded in agreement with the dutch woman, "Yes, trouble, I have to agree... I don't think it's a good idea," she told the teen.
"Come on guys, where's your sense of adventure?" Olivia couldn't help but smirk slightly.
Katie shrugged her shoulders, "What's the worst that could happen?" she wondered.
"Please?" Olivia pleaded, looking at the three girls in disagreement.
"Liv, it just doesn't sound like a good idea," Viv said in disagreement, fearful that the teenager or one of them would get hurt.
"Be sensible about this," Lotte remarked, looking at the girl wearily.
"Come on! Please?" Olivia still continued to plead. "I thought you guys were meant to be cool. Let loose a little," she told them.
"Hey, we are cool!" Beth protested, gasping at the teenager.
"We just know the difference between being cool and also being responsible," Viv said to the blonde, shaking her head in disagreement about the whole thing.
"Ah, come on! It's just a bit of fun, nothing's going to happen," Olivia insisted, throwing her hands up in the air as she looked towards the blonde woman. "Beth, come on, it'll be fun!" she exclaimed.
Beth bit her bottom lip slightly before she shrugged her shoulders, "Alright, what the hell, sure kid," she agreed with the girl.
"Yes," Olivia grinned, clapping her hands together.
"I... I don't see this ending well," Lotte said, shaking her head as she sighed.
"Me neither. Somebody's definitely going to get hurt," Viv added, looking at the teenager and two immature adults who were now grabbing pillows and hitting each other with them. "Maybe Leah was right to be concerned." she remarked, jokingly.
"Catch me..." Olivia said as she ran around the living room to avoid being hit by a pillow. "Catch me if you can!" she exclaimed.
"I'll get you, kiddo!" Katie exclaimed, chasing after the girl with a pillow in her hand.
"Oh... God," Viv muttered, exhaling a sigh.
"Liv, careful," Lotte said worriedly as she hid her face in her hands. "I can't watch this. It's going to end badly." she said.
"You can't catch me," Olivia said, sticking her tongue out as she jumped on the sofa.
"We'll see about that," Beth remarked, moving forward to reach out for the teenager.
"I don't know about that one, Bethany!" Olivia grinned cheekily as she bounced from one spot on the sofa to another. "You won't win!" she exclaimed.
"Don't sound too eager kiddo," Katie stated, chuckling and shaking her head as she moved her pillow to whack the teenager playfully.
The teenager continued to dodge the pillows that she was being hit with, jumping around the sofa to avoid the hits from the pillows from the two older women with just the slip of her foot, Olivia ended up losing her balance as she slipped off the sofa before she fell off it and crashed onto the floor and into the coffee table.
"Shit," The Dutch woman exclaimed with wide eyes.
"Liv!" Beth exclaimed, immediately rushing over to the teenagers' side as Katie and Lotte followed soon after the two of them as they all surrounded the blonde on the floor.
"Oh... Shit," Katie said in realisation as her eyes widened while moving to sit beside the girl.
•
•
"I... I think I might have overreacted," Jordan admitted quietly from where the couple sat curled up on the sofa as they watched TV and dug into the last minute chinese they had ordered.
"You think?" Leah couldn't help but smirk at her girlfriend as she picked at egg-fried race, the blandest dish on the menu that she could've ordered thanks to her taste-buds of a five-year old.
Jordan shoved the blonde lightly in protest, "Hey, come on. You'd think it too if you found a card with another woman's number on it." she insisted.
"Well, I mean, I don't know," Leah said, smiling amusedly as she shrugged her shoulders. "I wouldn't rush to a decision that determined you to be cheating on me straight away and I'd actually be open to a conversation instead of just avoiding you all day." She teased her girlfriend.
"Yeah... Yeah, alright, maybe I should have spoken to you but I was confused and well, you know, trying to distract myself from it all," Jordan admitted to her girlfriend, blushing slightly as she realised she hadn't taken the time to hear the blonde out. "I should have listened to you first." she added.
Leah couldn't help but smile adoringly at her girlfriend, "Yes, but for what it's worth, you have nothing to fear about another woman. You're the only woman that I love, don't forget that." she told her seriously.
"Good," Jordan smiled, moving her head to lean on her girlfriend's shoulder. "I never really noticed how quiet it is around here without the whirlwind teenager running around." she noted.
"Tell me about it," Leah replied in agreement as she placed her empty bowl on the coffee table in front of her. "It's so much quieter without her around, I know it's only been a few weeks but it just seems so different now without her being here. It's sort of like we have a routine now and it's been broken." she explained.
Jordan hummed in agreement, "You think that she's alright?" she questioned.
"I think so," Leah said as she reached out for her phone that was lying face down on the arm of the sofa to check for any missed-notifications. "I haven't heard anything yet. Maybe we should call her?" she wondered.
"Wouldn't hurt to check in on her," Jordan said, shrugging her shoulders loosely.
Leah nodded as she unlocked her phone and scrolled through her phone to find Beth's number as it began to ring, "It would be a good idea. Don't know what mayhem might be happening over there," she joked as she waited for the blonde to pick up on the other side of the phone.
•
•
"Oh shit, this is bad," Lotte mumbled, kneeling down beside the girl as she inspected the injury closer. "Liv, you're bleeding," she said in realisation.
The teenager frowned slightly as she moved her hands up to her head when she felt the warm liquid on her skin, "Oops," she mumbled as she moved her hand back to see the crimson coloured blood on her fingers. "Well... That's not good, is it?" she wondered, amusedly.
"Oh, crap," Beth spoke aloud, her eyes widened in disbelief. "This is bad... This is really, really bad." she mumbled.
"Shit– What do we do?" Katie questioned, worriedly.
"We need to apply pressure to the wound," Viv instructed as she threw herself into taking charge of the situation whereas Beth and Katie were more panicked, while Lotte wanted to just try and help the best that she could. "Beth, grab me something to stop the bleeding!" she told her.
"Like what?" Beth asked, looking around the room for anything that they could use. "I–I can't find anything!" she exclaimed.
"Anything, literally anything," Viv said, pressing her hand against the teenagers' eyebrow to try and stop the bleeding the best she could in this current situation. "Use a t-shirt or a towel, anything!" she insisted.
Katie was quick to remove her own t-shirt so she was left in her sports bra as she handed it over to Viv, "Here... Here, use this," she said as she glanced at the carpet where it was. "Might want to say bye to the cream coloured carpet Beth," she couldn't help but joke with the blonde despite the situation.
"We just have to keep applying pressure to the wound," Viv repeated, pressing the t-shirt against the cut on the teenager's eyebrow. "We need to get it to stop." she added.
"Oh... Oh my God it won't stop," Beth gasped in horror as she continued to panic. "What– What should we do? Should we phone Leah or... or an ambulance?" she asked.
"Beth, stay calm, we'll sort it," Lotte reassured the women.
"It's still not stopping," Katie pointed out, concerned.
"We should phone Leah... Right?" Beth asked, looking between them all. "I think we should, it would be best. We should call her." she insisted.
"Yes," Katie replied in agreement.
"No," Olivia was quick to object in protest.
"Why not?" Katie asked in disbelief, not understanding why the girl didn't want her sister to know.
"Because then she'll panic," The fourteen-year-old began to explain. "And I know she'll think the worst, and she'll ruin the fun." she told them.
Beth blinked in disbelief, "Kid, you're– you're literally bleeding and it's not stopping," she said as she panicked the more she saw it not being able to be stopped. "I don't know what I'm doing here, girls." she admitted.
"It doesn't even hurt though," Olivia said, frowning as she looked at the blonde. "I'm fine." she added.
Viv shook her head in disagreement, "That's because you have the adrenaline running through you right now but you'll feel it when it wears off." she explained to the blonde teenager.
"This is serious, Liv," Lotte told the teenager, frowning. "I think we should call, Leah." she suggested again.
"Yes, it's a good idea," Viv said, still continuing to keep the pressure on the wound and get it to stop bleeding.
"No, please," The teenager continued to protest. "My sister will freak out!" she whined in disagreement with them all.
"For once, I agree with the adults in this situation," Katie said, shaking her head. "We need to call her, Liv." she added.
"No!" Olivia whined in protest, oblivious to the fact of the pain she had with her eyebrow or the fact it was pouring blood and it wouldn't stop.
"We have too," Beth said, frowning as she went to find her phone where she had left it last in the living room.
Viv shook her head and exhaled a sigh, "This is why we warned you having a pillow fight wasn't a good idea, kid. Maybe you should listen to us next time, huh?" she wondered.
Beth found her phone and her eyes widened as she saw the screen of her iPhone, "Alright, so... Turns out that we don't need to call Leah." she remarked.
"Why not?" Lotte asked, confused.
"Because she's already calling us now instead," Beth replied, holding her phone in her hand to show the rest of the girls.
"Shit," Olivia mumbled quietly.
"Yeah... Shit," Beth repeated the teenager's words.
"Don't answer it!" The teenager said wearily, already aware of how her sister was going to react to it.
Beth looked at the teenager confused, "We have too!" she insisted.
"No... No, it'll be fine," Olivia said, trying to get the women to not answer the phone.
"What do I do?" Beth asked, turning to look at the other women in the room.
"Answer the call Beth," Lotte told her.
Olivia shook her head in disagreement, "No, don't answer it!" she stated.
"If you don't answer it then she'll worry," Viv explained while still continuing to hold Katie's t-shirt that was now soaked in blood on top of open wound. "You have to answer it Beth." she told the blonde women.
"Be reasonable, yeah?" Katie offered her support. "It looks bad, I think it might even need stitches." she noted the wound.
"And not to mention that Katie's shirt is soaked in blood because it still hasn't stopped bleeding, that in itself is concerning," Lotte noted, furrowing her eyebrows worriedly. "You have to answer it." she added.
"No," Olivia pleaded with them all, she couldn't care a less about the blood, she didn't want her sister to panic like she knew that she would.
"Answer it Beth," Viv prompted, nodding her head in the direction of the phone. "The longer that you don't answer it, the more she'll keep ringing and then she'll be even further concerned." she explained.
"Right, right, you're right there," Beth said in agreement.
"It's fine... It's totally fine," Katie reassured the blonde. "Just answer the phone, be normal... Just be cool, yeah?" she told her.
"Right, alright... Just be calm and act normal, okay, I can do do that," Beth said in agreement.
"Exactly. You'll be fine," Lotte stated, smiling at the blonde.
Beth nodded as her fingers continued to hover over the button to accept the call, "Alright, right. I'm answering now." she told them as she waited for to connect as the two women appeared on the phone. "Hey, girls... " she said as she laughed nervously.
•
•
"I wonder what's taking her so long to answer the phone," Leah wondered aloud as she furrowed her eyebrows. "She usually picks up straight away." she added.
"Maybe she's busy?" Jordan suggested.
Leah hummed in agreement but still thought it was a bit odd that her friend who was usually attached to her phone, wasn't so quick to answer today.
"Hey, girls..." Beth answered the conversation as she laughed nervously.
"Took you a while to answer the phone then," Leah noted confused, furrowing her eyebrows slightly. "Everything okay?" she wondered.
"Uh yep, everything is fine here... Totally fine," Beth rambled, trying to not look too directly in the camera. "Yep, all really fine." she said.
"You sure? You're rambling there," Jordan joked, hearing the blondes' endless rambling of reassurement.
"Yeah..." Beth said, smiling nervously as she moved to look out the view of the camera. "So, I see that the pair of you are talking now. Yay, that's great." she cheered.
"Tell her what's happened Beth," Lotte piped in from the background.
Leah furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "What? What's going on?" she wondered.
"Beth tell her," The blonde heard Viv speak. "Liv needs to go to the hopsital." she added.
"What!?" Leah exclaimed as her eyes widened. "Why does Liv need to go to hospital?" she asked.
"What's happened?" Jordan asked, concerned.
Beth bit her bottom lip as she glanced to her side off the camera, "Well, uh, okay so there was a bit of an incident..." she began to explain as the blonde cut her off.
"Beth, what's happened?" Leah asked a bit more louder. "Where's my sister?!" she questioned.
"Uh, right, okay so listen..." Beth began to explain as she took a quick glance over to the left of her before she looked back at the camera. "There's been a bit of an incident but you should know that's totally fine, well somewhat fine at least," she continued to explain as she waved her hand off a bit. "So, don't panic--" she was cut off.
Leah was quick to interject again as she felt futher worried, "Beth, show me where my sister is," she insisted.
"Honestly, Le, she is fine... Viv and Lotte are sorting it all out but it's totally under control," Beth tried to ressure her friend.
"Beth, tell her the truth," Katie's voice was overheard from the other end of the phone call.
"Alright, alright," Beth said, biting her bottom lip slightly. "Remember, don't freak out too much, yeah?" she asked, laughing nervously before she turned around to have the camera showing the current predicement where Olivia was leant up against the sofa while Lotte looked worried and Viv had a t-shirt pressed against the teenager's eyebrow while the two women could see blood all around her.
"Oh, hey, Le... Hey, you guys made up!" Olivia exclaimed, seeming completley unphased by the blood currently pouring out of her. "That's awesome!" She added.
Leah gasped sharply as her eyes widened in shock, "What has happened?" she asked.
"Honestly, sis, it's not as bad as it looks," Olivia said as she giggled a little bit. "It's just a small cut. No biggie." she said, jokingly.
However, the concerned look from the two women along with the other four sat in the room with the teenager said otherwise.
"It is a big deal when you're bleeding over the cream carpet," Katie told her, a frown spread across her face.
"Are you joking?" Leah asked in disbelief with her eyes still wide. "Clearly we must be seeing different things, Liv... Why didn't you girls phone me sooner!" she exclaimed, already standing up from the sofa as she looked around for her car keys.
"We didn't want to worry you," Olivia told her the truth as she shrugged her shoulders. "I'm fine honestly, it's not as bad as it looks. Things just got a bit out of hand, that's all..." she attempted to reassure her sister.
"A bit out of hand?" Jordan wondered.
"Liv lost her balance when she was on the sofa which caused her to slip and fall," Viv explained, glancing in the direction of the FaceTime call.
"I just slipped and cut my eyebrow off the corner of the coffee table," The teenager explained, shrugging her shoulders. "Like I said, it's not a biggy, Le. It doesn't even hurt." she told her.
"That'll be the adrenaline talking and it will definitely hurt in a bit," Lotte piped in.
"We've tried to get it to stop bleeding but it's not much use so I think she is going to need stitches," Viv explained wearily, shaking her head slightly.
"Oh God," Leah mumbled, bracing herself of the battle ahead to get her sister to the hopsital as she continued to look around for her keys.
"What... No, no, I'm fine. It's not a big deal. I-- I don't need to go there," Olivia protested in a panic at the mention of stitches.
"Not a big deal? Liv this is very much a big deal--- where are my car keys?" Leah rambled as she failed to find them. "You've cut your eye open and you'll be needing stitches so I'm coming to get you now-- Where the hell are my damn car keys?" she exclaimed, huffing as she still had no luck in finding them.
"We'll take mine instead... I'll drive," Jordan suggested, looking at her girlfriend wearily before she stood up and went to find her own car keys.
"No... No, Le. Really, the hospital isn't necessary. It's fine!" Olivia continued to protest against the idea of going to the hospital. "I don't... I don't want to go there. I'll be fine!" she added.
"Liv, you're bleeding and it's not going to stop until you get medical attention," Leah stated firmly as she moved to the front door to chuck her Nike Air Forces on.
"Ready to go?" Jordan called out, jingling her car keys in her hand.
"You're going to the hospital, end off," The blonde told her sister sternly. "We're on our way now and we'll be there in ten minutes." she added before she ended the call to not give her sister much time to argue about it.
"You okay?" The older woman questioned, quickly shoving her own Nike trainers on before they both left the house.
"I can't honestly believe that they never bothered to call me straight away," Leh huffed, shaking her head as she climbed into the passenger seat of Jordan's car.
"Maybe they didn't want to worry you, like Liv said?" Jordan offered her oppinion as she started the car up to head to Beth's house.
Leah dryly chuckled as she buckled her seatbelt in, "Yeah, or more like Liv is too stubborn to admit that she does actually need to go to hopsital," she replied, shaking her head. "All I know is that tonight is going to be a long night. I don't drink coffee but I'm starting to consider the option now."
•
•
"Told you that she would overreact," Olivia huffed, wincing as she started to feel a pain in her eyebrow. "Ow. What-- What's that pain?" she mumbled.
"That would be the injury," Lotte remarked, frowning.
"Still think you don't need to go to the hospital?" Katie joked with the teenager.
"Always such a buzz-kill," Olivia mumbled as she continued to hiss at the pain she felt. "I hate hospitals. They really suck." she added.
"We know kid but it won't stop bleeding so the best place to go would be the hopsital," Beth explained gently, squeezing the teenager's hand gently.
Olivia giggled slightly as she looked down at the scene around her and her eyes widened, "Wow... That's a lot of blood." she mumbled.
"We know and that's why it's a good idea that you go to the hospital to get it properly sorted," Viv chuckled, continuing to keep the t-shirt pressed against the wound in a poor attempt to stop the bleeding, and it was pretty clear now that Katie's shirt was definitely not being saved now.
"God, I can't believe that this has happened," Beth said, hiding her face in her hands. "I feel terrible." she admitted.
"It's not your fault Beth," The teenager replied as she giggled slightly. "My sister is dramatic, she should honestly be an actress instead of a footballer. I think if she did want an career change then that would be perfect for her." she rambled to herself while the four older women just laughed as they listened.
•
Another week, another update! 🪄
I planned to get this out a lot sooner but then I got really ill and yeah... This book was put on the back-burner for the last few days 🫠
Gutted about the result of the final but the girls made history and that's an achievement to be proud of despite the hurt they might feel now 🥹❤️
Let me know what yout think about this chapter & thank you for the endless support on the book as always! 🫶🏼