As I walked into Arsenal's training grounds, for the second time that week. I had already been introduced to them and gotten settled with Leah, who you might of thought would give me a ride, but no. I had to get a taxi. And I'm sure you're wondering why.
-Flashbacks are in Bold Italic!-
"Kass! Hurry up for fucks sakes! I don't have all day!" Leah had yelled up the stairs.
"I'm coming, I'm coming! Jesus, cap, do you really have to be such a hardass all the time?" I scoffed, tugging my training bag over my shoulder and getting my water from the fridge. Only to hear the sound of a car pulling out the driveway.
The little fucker had gone without me.
"Fucks sakes, Leah!" I yelled after her, running to keep up with the, thankfully, slow pace she had set. Almost as if she wanted me to chase after her.
"Nope. You broke a house rule, Anderson." She said firmly.
"Again with those fucking house rules, really, Leah?!" I asked, my breath getting heavier as I panted, struggling to keep up.
"And another." She said, a slight smirk on her features.
"What?! Oh my days, Lee! We aren't even in the damn house!" I scoffed, I couldn't believe she had just let me run alongside her car because I had broken a 'rule'.
"You broke the most important rule: No attitude. And the second one: No swearing at me."
"You swear at me all the fucking time, Leah!" I yelled, truly struggling to keep up now.
"Uh oh look at that!" She said, "My foot just magically pressed on the gas! Seeya, Anderson!"
And so I called a taxi, and arrived 20 minutes late to my first training session.
***
My face soured as I remembered the memory. 'Fucking Williamson.' I thought.
As I walked in, I was relieved they hadn't actually started yet. They were all in the chill room, sat around talking to eachother. I saw Leah with Katie in the corner and the moment her eyes met mine she ducked behind the shorter Irishwoman.
"Oh fuck no! Don't think I'm gonna be able to hide ya from 'er! She's like the fookin' BFG!" Katie said, sacrificing Leah as I bent down slightly and poked her in the chest. I wasn't actually that much taller than them. I was only a few (4) inches taller than Viv.
"You cheeky little bastard, Williamson." I said, still not quite recovered from running after her car. "All because I broke 2 fucking 'rules'?!"
Katie stepped even further back, a comically shocked look on her face.
From the corner of the room I heard Beth giggling her ass off, making me have to suppress a smile. Leah stood up straighter, squaring up to me, her chin up, she went to speak. Her mouth awkwardly opening and closing for a moment before she finally settled on something,
"Jesus Christ you're bloody tall, you."
Then Meado chimed in, "HA! Long legs Kass!"
I heard Viv snicker, "Long legs!"
I groaned and rolled my eyes, putting my face in my hands. Lotte, who had been giggling beforehand looked at me curiously, "Anderson," She said and I nodded, peeking at her from behind my hands, "are you not bloody boiling in that? It's the middle of a heatwave, mate."
I looked down at my long sleeved training top. I frowned. "Oh." I said, "No, I'll be okay I reckon." I smiled, even though it didn't quite reach my eyes, getting a few worried glances, which I was painstakingly aware of.
"You sure?" Caitlin chimed in, snuggling into Katie's side. Although neither of them would admit it at the moment, they were most definitely together.
I looked around again, everyone was either in the vest style training tops, or the regular short sleeved ones, Katie had even rolled her shorts up, bunching them to her thighs like all the chavs in secondary school did with their skirts.
"Yeah, I'm sure. Why's Katie rolled her shorts up like a chav though?" I snorted with a raised eyebrow, everyone seemed to forget about the earlier conversation about my choice of top and chuckled. Everyone but a certain blonde who had her eyes glued to me like a hawk stalking it's damned prey.
I didn't like it. I never liked people being concerned about me. To me it just made me feel weak, even though -logically- I knew it didn't, it certainly felt that way.
Growing up, I hadn't had the best relationship with my parents. Things had gotten better with my dad, until he overdosed at a party when I was 11. And then my mum got worse, she couldn't even look me in the eye sometimes.
But all my other family would look at me with pure pity. All because I was a young girl who had lost her father, but they were totally okay with letting my brother suffer in silence, despite offering countless chances to talk to me. It's why I hated it. It would remind me of my family, most of whom I just wanted to forget.
I think the reason she hated me so much was because I reminded her of dad, my mum I mean.
They boyish way I'd act, the way I'd talk with an accent similar to his, the way my green eyes and dark brown hair were almost a carbon copy of his. She resented me for it. Even more so when I adopted an almost identical clothing style to his.
My parents had me and my twin brother as teenagers, 16. Some people called them foolish, which in my opinion they were. As much as I loved them. They were in no way equipped for a child, let alone twins.
My dad hadn't really spent much time with us, until we hit 9. Then mum got a job and he was still a stay at home dad. That was how I had discovered my love for football, and how my brother had discovered his for rugby. He would play sports with us for hours in the backyard, even talking about how he could've (and would've) gone pro if he hadn't torn his ACL and let it heal properly when he was 15.
Even though I knew he wanted to say it was also mine and Kaleb's fault.
To be fair, I loved my dad more than I did my mum. And I was quite torn up after his death, just like Kaleb. Although I think he took it slightly harder than I did. But after that it was like my mum had just iced me out, yet she still frequently talked and played with my brother.
I quickly grew to understand why as more people at family gatherings began to compare me to my father, saying I even spoke like him and walked like him. Although it brought a smile to my own face, I quickly noticed the way my mother's would sour. And the way Kaleb's would sadden.
As I grew up, my mother discouraged me from playing football. "It's a boys sport." She would say, she also told Kaleb to stop with his 'rugby nonsense'. The only difference between me and Kaleb was, I didn't listen to anything my mother said.
I kept at it, and eventually signed for City's youth team, continuing onto the senior team when I was just 17. Kaleb, however, hadn't been so brave, instead choosing to go to business school in America. He moved back to England after to start a new job with some fancy company soon after school, though.
I lost contact with both him and my mother a while ago, only communicating now in facebook comments after he would post pictures of my nephew and niece. The comments were mainly from my aunties and Nana, claiming they were 'spits' of my brother, but also how they could see me in my nephew; Luca.
A frown came to my face as I remembered it. Although it quickly disappeared as Katie snapped her fingers in front of my face, bringing me back to reality.
"You with us, Kass?" She said, chuckling.
"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I am. Sorry." I mumbled. Standing up, I headed for the pitch, having already put my boots on when I first arrived to save some time.
As I walked off, Beth spoke up, "What's up with her?"
Caitlin replied, "Probably still pissed that Leah left without her." She said, chuckling.
Leah even chuckled at that, despite still being slightly concerned.
***
After training I stayed. The girls watched me barrel ball after ball into the back of the net. They were concerned, I could tell.
It must've been a good hour and a half before I finally decided to leave. I went to the locker room and got changed, a relaxed fit. A simple black nike hoody and some white shorts, paired with my black airforces.
I walked out and to my surprise Leah was there.
"Williamson?" I asked, curious and also surprised.
"Anderson." She said, her voice sounding less surprised than mine.
We stood in silence, well, until she spoke.
"Well, are you gonna stand there like a lost puppy or are you gonna get in the car?" She said, her accent thick as I walked behind her.
"What, ya mean you're not actually gonna leave me again, Lee?" I asked cockily, a raised eyebrow.
"Oi! Rule-" She began before I cut her off,
"Rule 3. I know, I know. 'No being cocky to Leah.'" I said, mocking her accent.
She scowled, getting in the car and turning to me as I got in the passenger seat, "Rule 1-" I cut her off again.
"No attitude. I know." I said, a smug smirk on my face as she rolled her eyes fondly and scoffed.
"Well... I'm glad you're at least taking the rules to heart and learning them." She snickered, stopping a red light and looking at me as I take a piece of paper out the front pocket of my training bag. It was a list of the rules.
"I felt like I was revising for my history GCSE again, and by that I mean it was painful. But it was worth it. It put a smile on your kite." I said, blushing slightly but still keeping my composure at what I said.
She blushed too, bashfully looking at the road again and driving.
"That it did, Anderson. That it did."
As she patted me on the knee i felt more heat rise up my face. Suddenly I was extra glad I had accepted her DM request to apologise for tearing my ACL in the FA cup final. Because this is what it led too, and this wasn't all that bad, if I were to be honest.
And considering I am being honest, I think I've got it bad for the one and only Leah Williamson.
***
A/N: Hello! This is the first chapter of my book, and honestly I am enjoying it so far! I hope you all enjoy this too. I would like to clarify not every chapter (despite the fact I'll still put effort in to make them long) will probably not be as long as this one. I've been finding my motivation slipping more often recently and I guess I just had a massive rush of it today lmao.
Anyways, I hope you're all having a great day, night, afternoon or morning and are staying hydrated!
With love from yours truly
-Author :)