Cara POV:
I was now 7 Days with my national team and i loved this time and this group.Everyone was their for the other one and it was just one big group of friends.
We were now on our way to England for the Arnold Clark Cup and had our first Game against Spain.All three Games in this Mini tournament would be interesting and would help us for the upcoming Euros in the summer.
I sit in the Bus next to Obi and we were talking in our row with Klara,Syd,Laura,Svenni,Feli and Lea about different things the upcoming tournament ,how the last weeks in our clubs were and some private things.
When we arrived at our hotel we got to our rooms with our roommates before we headed down to dinner.
(Imagine that Cara is Obi)
Cara_Gross7 posted tagged in this post @dfb_frauenteam and @laurafreigang
Traveling in style.Back in England and ready for the Arnold Clark Cup🇩🇪
Thanks to one of my favorite photographers @laurafreigang 🫶🏼
Comments:
laurafreigang:Anytime again sunshine! 🫶🏼
lena_oberdorf: My girl is looking fine 😮💨
sydneylohmann: 🥵😘
buehl_klara:This is what a woman looks like who knows how good she looks 🤌🏼🫶🏼
lea_schueller:Looking good Vice Captain!❤️
liawaelti: Girl..warn us the next time!🥵🤌🏼
viviannemiedema: My Girl knows that she looks good! 🫶🏼
jbeattie91: Woman! 🧎🏻♀️🫶🏼
laura_wienroither: Fans should be jealous that they dont get that view on every gameday! 👀🫶🏼
leahwilliamsonn:🥵🫠
gerwnt_fan09: Vice captain ?🤔
gross_caraa7: @gerwnt_fan09 Poppi is injured so Svenni is first Captain and Cara is vice captain
wosofootball20:Germany has not only a team of good players they all look good too.🥵🇩🇪
arsenalfan99:Excited to see you play against England! 👀
leahxcara20:I know that necklace!
And that is definitely not hers 👀 Leah wore it before her.
(They speak German all the time)
After dinner a few of us got out to take a walk ,,Soo how are you and Leah ?" Lena asks me and i smile while i nod ,,Good..very good" i say.
,,Thats good you both look very cute as a couple" Lea says while we three walk behind Laura,Syd and Klara ,,Thanks..it took a while to be in that stage with her as you know but im happy to have her by my side now" i say and Lena smiles ,,She makes you soft" she says and laughs with Leah slightly while i shake my head with slight grin.
,,No i make her soft..i am like i was before" i say and they nod slightly ,,You both get soft because of the other one! And i bet she has you under full control" Lea says smirking ,,No she doesn't" i say a bit quiet ,,She has! Should i ask her ?" Obi asks and i shake my head with a smile ,,Idiots" i say and talk about a few other things before we go to our rooms.
I share my room with Obi like we did all the last years and we both lay on our beds in silence while the TV is on and we both were on our phones.
Le❤️:Missing you really bad right now❤️
Cara❤️:Let me guess..you're missing your favorite pillow ?👀
Le❤️:You know me sooo well.I want too cuddle!
Cara❤️:Use the hoodie that i gave you.
Le❤️:Im wearing it..i still miss you.Dont you miss me too ?🤨
Cara❤️: I do 👀 but luckliy i have your necklace around my neck
Le❤️:Im glad you do.I'm keeping your ring. It looks better on my left ringfinger than on yours 🫶🏼
Cara❤️:I bet a ring on your right ringfinger would look even better 👀
Le❤️:🧐🧐🧐
Ahh im sorry..did i read that right ?
Cara❤️:You did 🫠👀
Le❤️: When ?👀
Cara❤️:The time will come i promise 👀
Le❤️: I thought we were still taking it slow 👀
Cara❤️: We do but i can still say something like this! 👀
Le❤️: Yes you can.👀
Cara❤️:I love you.
Le❤️: I love you too..by the way that photo you posted..hot! 🥵
Cara❤️:Thanks Darling 😂🫶🏼
Le❤️:I like when you call me darling 👀
Cara❤️: I know 👀 that is why i call you Darling..
Le❤️:Will you be mad at me when i play a bit of Sudoku and go to sleep then ?👀
Cara❤️:Absolutely..not.Do that Darling ❤️ I love you and sleep well later.Dream from me 😉
Le❤️:I always do Honey..love you and we hear each other tomorrow.Good Night 😘
I smile at my phone like an idiot and Lena sighs ,,You're soo in love.." she says and rolls her eyes ,,Let me..you will get to that point too!" I say and she nods slightly ,,Is there someone else ?" i ask her and she nods ,,But ?"
,,I dont think she wants more..she thinks we are just good friends" she says and i look over to her with a smile ,,Ask her out when you're back in Wolfsburg..she will either say yes or say she is not interested..this doesnt mean you cant be friends then" i say to her with a smile.
,,Just ask her out..no risk no fun" i say with a grin to her and she nods ,,I will when we are back..im just nervous"
,,Dont be everything will be okay..i promise" i say and smile ,,Who is it you are asking out ?" i ask her and she looks at me shocked.
,,What ?Someone i know ?" i ask and she nods slowly ,,Who ?" i say with a smile.
She clears her throat and sighs ,,Elena.." I gasp and smile ,,You didnt tell me that ?She will definitely say yes..believe me" i say and stand up to go to the bathroom ,,I was scared that you might me angry" she says and i shake my head.
,,Why should i be angry at you for that ?You and Elena had always a great connection..the minute you were with us in a club you both had a great connection" i say and smile at her ,,She will say yes i cant tell you more just trust me" i say and go to the bathroom ,,But now i want to know why you are so sure ?" she asks and i grin ,,You will know when you asked her" i say and brush my teeth.
4 Days later
We arrived at the stadium and got out on the pitch to see the pitch when i saw how the Spain Team came on the pitch aswell.I take my round while listening to my music through my airpods when Alexia came up to me.
(They speak spanish)
,,Hey.." we say while we hug each other and i smile at her ,,How are you ?" i ask her ,,Good...your spanish got even better" she says with a slight grin ,,I worked on it a bit" i say with a small chuckle.
,,You still need to explain to me why you didnt choose Barcelona..i know they sended you the contract.We all had the hope you would come" she says and i smile at her ,,I like Arsenal and im happy there" i say with a smile ,,A certain blonde ?" she asks with a small grin.
I laugh slightly and nod ,,Yeah she made the decision easier" i say with a smile ,,Im happy for you both but if she has nothing against it you could still come to Barcelona someday..you will always be welcome.Leah too she is an amazing defender..she would play good next to Mapi" she says with a smile.
,,I dont think that Leah will change clubs..she loves Arsenal like you love Barcelona.You both love these clubs since you were children" i say smiling.
,,Do you want to change jerseys after the game ?" she asks and i nod with a small grin ,,Of course..i could never say no to the jersey of an Ballon d or Winner" i say and she smiles at me ,,You will soon be an Ballon d or Winner too..play like this for the rest of the season and the euros and you have it in your hands" she says and i grin slightly at her
,,You are playing an great season too Alexia..play like you did before and you will get it again" i say with a smile ,,Would be great but you deserve it too" she says and i smile ,,Thanks".
We hug each other before we part ways i go over to Merle and Sara to talk to them before we go inside.The team changes into the warm up gear and we go outside i had an amazing feeling for today and i was right.
We won 3:1 and i scored two goals it was an amazing feeling and the stadium was full too so we had an amazing atmosphere around us.
After the game i go to the spanish players to clap hands and to thank them for this good game.I enjoy it to play at the hightest level and this game was definitely on the hightest level.
Lastly i got to Alexia,Aitana and Jenni and hug them all ,,Good Goal" Jenni says and i smile ,,Thanks" i say and i take my shirt off ,,For my biggest fan" i say to Alexia and we all laugh slightly ,,And this is for my biggest fan" she says and we give the other one our jersey.We make some photos with it before i tuck the jersey into my shorts and hug Alexia one more time
,,We will see each other at the euros" i say with a smile and they nod ,,You wont win there" Aitana says to me while i go away.We all laugh slightly and i turn around to them again while i walk ,,We will see" i say with a smile and go back to my team.
,,Uhh shirtless girl!" Laura screams and i smile ,,I like to show off my sixpack" i say with a grin and we do a team picture before we go inside the locker.We celebrate our win a bit before we head back to the hotel to relax.
3 Days later
Today was our Game against Canada and if we would win it then either England or we are gonna win the Arnold Clark Cup.England won yesterday 1:0 against Spain and won their first Game against Canada too the mission was clear.
Winning this Game and then win against England infront of 40.000 People that would be amazing.
But today was more than special because Svenni was on the bench since Martina our coach wanted to rest her that meant i was gonna wear the armband and walk the time out on the pitch.It was an incredible honor and something i will definitely never forget.
Good thing was my parents were here with my Grandparents aswell so it was the perfect timing for that.
We got inside after the warm up and Svenni came up to me with the armband ,,You are made for this believe me! You will wear it in a few years for every game" she says and i smile at her ,,Thanks" i say and she puts the armband on my arm before i hug her ,,You get it back when you're coming on" i say with a smile before i take everything important.
I go out first and take a deep breath when we stood there in the tunnel.I look over to Christine Sinclair and we shake hands ,,You got this" she says with a smile and i nod ,,Thanks".
Merle touches my shoulder and smiles at me ,,Dont be nervous..you were always a captain even without the armband.Now it is just official" she says and i nod ,,We got this" i say with a smile and we go outside.
I take a deep breath when we stood in our line and look to the stand to my family and see my mother cry.
I didnt expect this but it was cute.
I smile at them before our national anthem begins to play and i just look forward while i sing it with others.The last time i felt like this when i had my first game for Germany in the starting eleven and now it felt like it again.
I go to the coin toss to do my duty as a captain before i head back to my team ,,Alright Girls..lets get this done.We trained a lot and it will pay off i promise you this.Remember everything we talked about and enjoy this moment.Love you girls and now lets win this game so we can win the title against England in 7 Days" i say to my team and they all nod with a smile before we do our pregame routine.
I head to my left side and wait for the opening whistle to start the game.Just a normal Game nothing more.We won the game 1:0 after an Goal from Lea and had now the chance to win this damn cup and i was hyped for it.
We celebrate our win once again a bit in our changing room before i shower and look at my phone.
Le❤️:Proud of you Honey..you look good with the captains armband 👀 see you in 3 Days but you wont win❤️
I smile at her message and decide to call her later when we are back the hotel since i had to do a few interviews.
We head back to the hotel and after dinner i called Leah and we talked for a bit more than one hour.We didnt talked about football to be honest we talked about different things and it was nice to not talk about our jobs.
3 Days later
On our way to the stadium we already saw many England Fans.Today were supposed to be 40.000 people in the stadium that were many people but on our ride i thought about the euros.
If we would get to the final we would play in the Wembley Stadium that would mean 90.000 People if we are lucky.
That would be an absolute dream.
I walk out on the pitch to look it and was the last one.I wanted to win this damn trophy.Yes i would play against some of my friends and Leah but when the whistle would blow then we would be opponents and nothing more.Leah said the same to me and we would definitely be there for other one when the other one loses but as long as we dont hear the final whistle we were opponents.
I walk around the pitch and wave to my family when i see Beth coming to me.I smile and take my airpods off to put them away and we hug each other tight.
,,Looking good" she says and i smile at her ,,You too" i say ,,I've missed you" she says and i grin slightly ,,I missed you too..my favorite right winger" i say and we talk a bit about the last weeks when i see Leah coming up to me with Keira and Lucy ,,Uhh here comes your lover" she says and i shake my head with a smile and hug Lucy first.
,,Looking good Luce" i say with a smile before i hug Keira and then Leah ,,How are you girls ?" i ask them with a smile.
,,Good very good..and you ?Nervous ?" Lucy asks and i grin slightly ,,No im never nervous" i say.
Obviously i met Keira and Lucy before since i played against them years ago but through Leah we were now very good friends and i enjoyed spending time with them.Lucy and I liked to annoy Leah and Keira and had the same sense of humor and were similar in many ways, which is why we got along so well.
Soon Beth walked away to some of her teammates and Keira and Lucy left to speak to some of my girls and look around the pitch a bit more.
,,I've missed you" Leah says and i smile ,,I missed you too"
She smiles at me and we walk a bit around and wave to our families.There was a space for the familes of my team and next to them was the space for the families of the england team so they had the chance to connect and obviously they did since my mom and Amanda stood side by side.
We talk a bit before she smiles at me ,,I need to go inside now..i see you on the pitch in an hour" she says and we hug ,,We do" i say and kiss her cheek ,,I love you" she says into my ear and i smile ,,I love you too" i say into her ear and wink at her.
,,Do not slide tackle me" i say while she walks a way ,,Oh i definitely will" she says with a grin and a slight laugh.
I look after her before i go to some of my teammates and we go inside to get ready for the Game
Starting 11
Merle Frohms
Giulia Gwinn
Kathrin Hendrich
Marina Hegering
Felicitas Rauch
Sara Däbritz
Lena Oberdorf
Klara Bühl
Svenja Huth (C)
Cara Gross
Lea Schüller
We go outside and the stadium was full now they were a few open seats when we finishes warm up but now it was full and the cheers felt amazing.Of course they were not for us but that motivated me just more.
I was the last one in line like always when im not wearing the armband like the last time and had a big smile on my face when i looked into the crowd.
We sang our national anthem before England turns was and it was nice hearing the whole stadium sing it.
We did the shake hands before we got into our last huddle and i walked to my position.Now the time has come.
1':England starts the game with kick off
10':First Chance for England Fran Kirby finds Ellen White but Frohms catches the ball
13':Gross wins the ball from Walsh and plays a beautiful double pass with Oberdorf before she crosses the ball in for Schueller but Earps is there.
15':Hemp finds Ellen White who puts it in the net.
1-0 England
I sigh when i watch the ball go in and shake my head.We played a good game so far but then this happends.Svenni and i get the team together to say a few things before i grab Obi's Arm ,,Watch out..no yellow cards atleast in the first half okay ?" i say to her and she nods.
I head back to my postion and take a deep breath.There was enough time so no need to worry.
18':Bühl has the ball and tricks out Carter before she puts the ball into the penalty box.Huth shoots from the second row but it goes slightly over the net.
24':Walsh finds Kirby who passes it to White but Frohms is there again.
29':Rauch passes a long ball to Gross who can keep the ball in she tricks out Bronze and heads towards Williamson but passes it to the second post.Bühl is there and shoots at the goal but Earps is there.
30':Corner Germany Huth shoots the ball into the penalty box and Gross and Schüller try to reach the ball but Earps is there to catch it.
I watch the ball coming in and try to reach it aswell as Lea but Mary is there but i get her elbow in my face.I go down and hold my nose.The ref whistles to blow to stop the game.
Im down on my knees and look at my face.Thank god no blood.
I shake my head off and stand up when the Ref comes up ,,Everything all right ?" she asks and i nod ,,Yep" i say and look to Lea who looks at me worried ,,All good i promise" i say with a smile and she nods.We head back to our positions and i shake my head off again.It just hurted nothing more.
35':Germany pushes a lot to get the equaliser before the first half ends
36': Gross plays an amazing pass to Huth but Earps is there again.
41': Gross gets a pass from Oberdorf and tricks out Bronze,Williamson and Bright.The only one left is Earps but she tricks her out too and puts it in the net.
As soon as the ball went over the line i spread my arms out and run to the corner to do a kneeslide ,,Yess!" i scream and was soon greeted with my teammates.
We soon walked back to our positions and i look into the crowd to my family with a smile and kiss the side of my pointing finger.My father did always the same when he scored during his career and it was a way to show love to our family and i continue doing it when i score a goal.
45+2':The ref whistles for halftime
I quickly go inside the changing room so we can start soon with our halftime talk.After we finished that the doctor looked at my nose to make sure everything was fine and we did a few tests for my brain but nothing was wrong so i could still play.
I change the jersey since the other one was wet because i sweated a lot.
We then head outside again and go into a second huddle in our half.
,,Okay Girls last half..we got this okay ?We talked about everything.We will play our game not theirs..we will have the ball" i say and all nod ,,Come on! Lets win this" i say and we go to our positions.
45': Germany starts the second half with having the ball
60':Everyone has the ball and the game plays in the middle of the field the whole time.No one gets a chance to score their second goal.
62':Both Teams change a bit their team with some substitutions.
Since Svenni was about to subbed off she came to me and put the captain armband on my arm ,,You got this!" she says and i nod.
67':England uses their chance and scores a goal after Hemp sends the ball to Kirby who scores an amazing header.
I sigh ,,Fuck!" i say a bit louder and wave everyone to me ,,Okay all in..as we talked about.The fullbacks are coming more to the front.3-5-2.Lea and i at the front.Get these balls into the penalty box for a header!" I say and everyone nods ,,We got this!"
We part ways and everyone goes to their position.I take a deep breath before we start the Game.
85':Germany has many chances but either the ball goes wide or over the net or Mary Earps is there to save England
87':England has the ball and everyone presses forward for the 3:1 but Germanys Defenders are there.They send the ball forward and Gross has a running battle with Bronze and Williamson.She gets to the ball first and turns more into the middle of the field to shoot the ball from the second row at Earps but Williamson slides in and Bronze tackles her to the ground.
I hit the ground hard and feel immediately pain in my ankle.I expected the whistle for a foul from the ref but nothing.Everyone is confused even the England Players since Leah clearly hit my ankle and not the ball and Lucy tackled me into the ground.
But nothing.I stand up and im more than angry.That would've been a freekick for us in a good position ,,Ref! That was a foul!" i say loud and some of my teammates go to the ref too.Soon a few England Players join us so the ref doesnt change their mind ,,Ref..she fucking tackled my ankle" i say and limped to her ,,No she played the ball" she says to me.
,,Really ?I hit the ground..Bronze tackled me too atleast one of them did a foul!" i say loud and im more than angry.Is she fucking blind ?
Obi pulls me back while Sara and Lina try to talk to the ref aswell as some England Players.
,,You're fucking blind ref!" I yell at her and Obi pushes me even more off ,,Fuck this shit!" I say and go away from Lena.
The Ref tells the players to go away and pulls out a yellow card for Georgia since she discussed with her too aswell as Lina and then she came up to me.She cant be fucking serious.
She pulls the yellow card out and i shake my head ,,Fuck this shit!" i yell at her when she walked away but she came back ,,Quiet now! They played the ball! One more word and i give you the second yellow" she says and i shake my head and take a deep breath while she walks away.
,,Wear the England Shirt the next time!" I say loud but she doesnt hear me but a few players do and they turn to me.
I shake my head off and the Game starts again.
90+5':The ref blows the whistle to end the Game.
I sigh and look into the crowd obviously they all celebrate the win aswell as the England Team.I go to my teammates and talk to everyone a bit ,,Come on..heads up" i say and smile at them.Everyone played an amazing Game and they should now this.I head to the Ref Team and shake their hands but dont say one thing.Otherwise i would say something bad.
Lucy comes up to me and we hug each other ,,Sorry" she says and i shake my head ,,Dont be..everything is good" i say and head to our bench and wave the medics to me ,,We need to look at my ankle.It hurts when i walk" i say and they nod ,,As soon as you are in the changing room we look at it" i nod and shake hands with the other England Players.
I sit down on the grass and lean a bit back aswell as some of my teammates.We watch how England got the trophy and their medals and Leah comes up to me she sits down next to me and we hug each other.
,,Did i really hit your ankle ?" she asks and i nod ,,Are you mad at me ?" she asks and i look over to her ,,Not at you..im angry with the Ref.You didnt mean to hit me i know that and it was a foul so im just angry at the Ref" i say and she nods.
,,I would kiss you right now but i think the Internet would break down then" she says with a slight grin and i smile st her ,,Someday bit after an Arsenal Game..not when we played each other" i say with a smile and we hug each other again ,,How is your ankle ?" she asks and lays one hand down on my thigh ,,It hurts..we will look at it when im in the changing room" i say and she nods.
,,Celebrate with your team Leah..we will see each other when we go on the stands to meet our familys" i say with a smile to her ,,Are you sure ?" she asks and i nod ,,I definitely am" i say and she kisses my cheek before she stands up ,,I feel bad about your ankle" she says and i roll my eyes ,,Dont feel bad..everything is okay" i say with a smile.
I look after her and smile.Im happy for Leah even though i wanted to win this Cup too and hate losing but i felt a bit happy for her.She just won a trophy with them as their Captain and i know how much this team and that armband means to her.
I stood up and walked slowly into the changing room to get my ankle checked.I sat down in the room of the medics and they look at it.
,,Not broken just a slight sprain..it will continue to swell and turn blue but after a few days everything will be back to normal. Don't do any exercise for the next few days, so really don't run at all and then it should be fine again after 5 to 7 days" they say and i nod ,,Shower and get dressedand then we put on a bandage that you will wear for a day or two"
I nod and thank them before i head to the shower.I put on my clothes before i pack my bag and go out on the pitch again to get to the family stands.I slowly got up and get to my family to hug them ,,We are so proud of you" my dad says and i nod slightly ,,I know" i say and sit down.
,,Did you get injured ?" my Grandma Eve asks and i nod slightly ,,Just a slight sprain so nothing bad.Doctor said in a few days everything will be okay again" i say with a small smile before i stand up when Amanda and Jacob came over to hug them both.Soon Holly and Ben aswell as some other cousins from Leah came over an Grandma Bernie.
We all talk about the Game a bit when Leah came to us ,,Well..look at her.She needs to injure her own Girlfriend to win" i say with a grin and everyone laughs ,,We would've won either way..i told you i would slide tackle you" she says and we hug ,,Next time do it without hurting me" i say and she looks down on my foot ,,Bandage ?Sprain ?" she asks and i nod ,,How bad ?" she asks and i smile ,,Nearly ending my career" i say to mess with her and everyone laughs slightly again ,,So just a slight sprain" she says and i nod with a smile.
,,Idiot" she says and we hug each other again and i kiss her cheek ,,Im proud of you Skipper" i say into her ear and she smiles at me ,,Thanks..im also proud of you" she says and kisses my cheek.
,,Soo Amanda and i had a great Idea" my mom begins to say while i sit down again to rest my foot.
,,Since our family stays in England for a few more days we thought we could eat tomorrow together in a Restaurant" my mom says and Amanda nods ,,You're both home tomorrow so we could go out in the evening" she says and Leah and i nod ,,Who would come ?" i ask
,,Well we your parents your three grandparents and then from Leahs Family.Amanda,David,Jacob,Holly and Ben" my mom says and i nod.
,,You decide" i say and look to Leah ,,I would love too..we would love too right ?" she asks and sits down next to me and i nod.
Our familys talk to each other while Leah and i sit there and talk about the next weeks ,,We will play Wolfsburg in the Quarterfinals for the Champions League..it will be your first time being back there" she says and i nod ,,Do you think it will be emotional for you ?" she asks and i think about it ,,I dont know..we will see but i think i might be nervous.But even then i will do anything so Arsenal wins" i say with a smile.
,,That is what i wanted to hear" Leah says and we smile at each other.
,,I love you" she says to me and lays her hand down on mine that lays on her thigh ,,I love you too" i say and we smile at each other.
Even though i now had a swollen ankle that hurted because of her i was still so in love with her.
________________
Next Chapter done✅️
What are you guys thinking ?
How do you think the story will continue ?Do you have ideas ?
Tell me please :)
Leah back on the pitch by the way..watched the game and it was amazing :)
Leave a ⭐️ if you like it :)
Have a good day 🫶🏼