Casey, Riley, and Jenna had all changed into their uniforms, wearing their matching tournament t-shirts instead of their jerseys to warm up in. Casey made sure she had her socks, cleats, shin guards, and gloves all in her bag before she left to head to the field, the girls driving with her and the boys driving with Jackson. She had the music on full blast, the doors off of her Jeep, and the three of them soaking in the Florida sunshine on their fifteen minute drive to the school. They were singing along loudly to the music on Casey's playlist, for they had all agreed that she had the best music to listen to. They were singing along to Rockin' by The Weeknd, which was one of their favorite pump up songs to listen to before a game. They got there a little early so they could hang out and watch the rest of the junior varsity game, the team tied with Robinson High School, one of their conference teams. Casey shut the car off and there was a soft groan from her teammates.
"Don't worry, I brought the speaker for the locker room and I'm going to plug in my playlist to the stadium speakers." She informed, pulling her speaker out from her bag and getting out of the driver's seat, her keys in hand. She closed the door and waited until Jenna and Riley got their bags out of the back to lock it. The three of them went through the main gates and went towards the locker room, going to put their bags inside before watching the rest of the game already being played. They came back out into the stands and sat near the end of the bleachers.
"Anyone going to the Pride game Saturday? I know Daniel and I are going." Jenna asked, looking to the two of them.
"You're asking the wrong people. Of course we're going!" Riley answered, playfully punching Jenna's arm.
"I'm surfing this weekend, anyone wanna join?" Casey asked.
"I will, and I'll join y'all for the game too." Jackson said, coming up and sitting behind them.
"Well if we wanna make the tailgate, we're gonna have to leave at ten or eleven." Jenna informed.
"Of course we're going to the tailgate. It's the first game of the season, we have to go." Casey said, and they agreed. They continued to talk about their plan to head to Orlando tomorrow, for it was the opening day of the NWSL and the Pride tailgates were extremely hype. Florida had one of the best atmospheres for soccer, Casey had travelled a lot to watch and play soccer with her club team.
"Alright, time to start warming up." Riley said, looking at the stopwatch on the big scoreboard.
"Good luck, kick some ass!" Trevor called, pecking Riley on the cheek before the three girls left to go to the locker room to get their equipment on. Casey turned on her speaker and started blaring music, getting their team hyped up for the game. The twenty of them all sang loud and off-key to the song playing as they got ready to head out to the field. She put on her socks and cleats, always waiting to slide her shin guards on just before being called as a captain to the center field. They went out to the empty space on the turf behind the net to warm up, and they had ten minutes before they could take the field to fo their on field warm ups. They did their running lines then stretching lines, then they kept loose and got taped up and whatnot for the game. The whistle blew and the Jefferson High School junior varsity team scraped out with a win over the Knights of Robinson High School.
"Bring it in, ladies!" Coach Henderson called, and the twenty of them brought it into the sideline, surrounding their coach. "Alright, this is the first game of the season. It's a big one, for they are our rival, which is a great way to start the season. This is going to be a physical game, but I know you all are capable of holding your own. No fouls, play cleanly. Listen to each other, talk to each other. Communication is a must. Now, let's go put a few quick goals in the back of the net and get this game done." He told them in a confident voice, and they all started cheering and getting motivated.
"Captains!" One of the officials called as Coach Henderson started reading off the starting positions. She went over to the center and bumped fists with the other two captains, listened to the same old spiel from the referee, then going through the coin toss, which they won and picked to start with the ball. She went back to the team and made her way to the center of the circle and crouched down, putting her gloved fist up.
"Alright ladies, let's go kick some ass!" She yelled, and they all put their hands on the pile as she counted them down. "Dragons on three! One, two, three!" She screamed, and they all joined in unison yelling 'Dragons' before dispersing to the bench or the field. Riley and Casey did their handshake, the same one they had been doing for ten years.
Then the whistle blew, and the game began.
The Knights passed the ball back and Terra instantly started to pressure with Hailey on her left waiting to intercept a pass. The opposing team worked the ball backwards, the Dragons pressing forward and putting some pressure on the defense. Casey had her defense push up towards the fifty yard line, and she did as well, standing at about twenty-five yards. Jenna finally intercepted a pass from the other team and the Dragons were in motion moving forward, the crowd cheering for the newfound possession and Coach Henderson yelling at the top of his lungs to get the ball towards the net. Jenna layed it off for Terra who took a shot on frame, but the keeper came up with a big save early in the the game. Now the Knights got going the other way, but she made her defense hold a high line to try and catch the offense offside, but they made a well-timed ball towards the net, the center midfield finding the right winger. She came running down the field at Casey, and she watched the entire field. She yelled at her defense to get back and mark, because right now it was two against one with Riley staying with the behind defender. Casey readied herself, and as soon as the midfielder got closer to her box, she inched out, then took her chance, sliding out on her side and blocking the shot with her abdomen. Anna made it back to clear the ball, Riley coming over and patting her back for the save.
Halftime came and the sun was setting, the big lights coming out to light the field. Coach Henderson talked to them about their performance, telling them that even though it was the first game of the season, he expected better, and if they did not pick it up, they would be having a seven in the morning practice on Sunday that would just be running. That got the gears rotating in everyone, and off the kickoff for the second half, the Dragons instantly dominated the field, playing a big game of keepaway with eleven people against eleven people. For Casey, the half was fairly uneventful, which was good on their part because they had been able to play offensively the entire second half.
They got a couple on the board before the final whistle blew, the Dragons defeating the Knights in a three-nil battle. They all shook hands with one another and the home team went to the sidelines to change out of their gear.
"Alright ladies, well fought battle. That second half was one hundred percent better than the first, and I want every game to start like you ladies finished. Those who are going to the game this weekend, have fun, be safe, and we'll see everyone on Monday for practice." Coach Henderson said to them, emphasizing what day practice was, and a sigh of relief went throughout the team, thankful they did not have a morning practice on Sunday. By the time everything was cleaned up, the sun was almost completely set and the temperature had gone down. Casey threw her windbreaker on and walked across the field with Riley and Jenna, discussing their plans for tomorrow.
"I can just drive everyone, I've got room for five." Casey suggested, and they all liked the idea of not having to drive and letting her do the two hour drive.
"I will provide snacks for on the way and when we get there, make sure to be decked out, this is gonna be a good game!" Riley called as she walked away with Trevor, and Jenna had split off with Daniel.
"Good game, sweetie!" Her mother called, walking towards her with her arms extended. Casey could not help but smile and wrapped her arms around her mother, then hugged her father.
"You have plans tonight?" Patrick asked her, and she shook her head.
"Nope, but I am going to the Pride verse Reign game tomorrow, so I'll be gone all day." She informed, and her parents shrugged.
"Good thing we got you season tickets for your birthday." Her mother laughed, and she chuckled as well.
"Dinner?" She asked, and her parents looked at each other then back at her.
"Sure, why not? Chinese sound alright? We can get it delivered to the house." Her father suggested, and they agreed it was a good idea.
"Alright, I'll meet you guys at home." Casey said, waving goodbye to her parents as they walked near her car, and they went the opposite way to their car.
--
You up?
It was five in the morning when she got the text from Jackson to see if she was awake. She chuckled softly, grabbing her phone off her bed.
Of course, you ready?
She hit send and finished french braiding her hair before changing into her swimsuit. The only time she would wear a one piece was when the water was too cold to not be in a wetsuit, and that time was on a Saturday March morning when it was only sixty degrees out and the water was still cold from the winter. It was worth the forty minute drive to Clearwater Beach, and they would have enough time to surf, grab breakfast, then make it back to get ready for the game. Five foot waves and a sunrise to watch was a glorious way to start the day. Her phone went off as she tied the end of the braid.
Yeah, ready whenever you are.
She put on a pair of shorts and a sweatshirt, slipped on her Birkenstocks, then grabbed her phone off of the dresser then went upstairs. She grabbed her keys off the hook then went out the side door.
Alright, on my way in a sec. Gotta load my board. Be there in fifteen.
She hit send then started her Jeep, taking off the roof and doors. It may have only been sixty degrees, but it was warming up quickly. She went to the back and opening the side door to the garage, uncovered her surfboard, and smiled giddily. She had not surfed in a while, and she was excited to get back out there. She carried it out to the car and secured it in the backseat before hopping in the front and connecting her phone to the bluetooth and threw on her music, Rock with You by Michael Jackson coming on. She instantly started jamming out on her way to pick up Jackson, her favorite surfing buddy. Riley was fun to surf with, but sometimes, it seemed that she had no clue what she was doing.
She rolled up to his house and pulled out her phone to text him, but he was already out the door, grabbing his board the was leaning against the house. By now the song had changed to I've Had The Time of My Life, the Black Eyed Peas version, and he instantly started lip syncing and dancing. She got out of the front seat, her phone in hand to start recording him, the both of them dancing along to the song. She commented it with 'surfer bud', then posted it on her Snapchat story, then helped him secure his board in her backseat. They both got back into the Jeep and she made her way to Clearwater Beach, a route she knew by muscle memory at this point.
Forty minutes filled with the two of them dancing in their seats and singing along to the music went by and they arrived at Clearwater Beach just as the sun started to rise, and the two of them instantly got their wetsuits on and grabbed the surfboards, ready to hit the waves after a long offseason. She played music through her speaker, and since there was no one around, it was up all the way, and the two of them were off. She kept her phone recording so she could post about it later, and it was gorgeous.
"I think that was the best airtime I've had in awhile." Casey commented when they got back to shore, letting their boards rest on the beach and the two of them helping each other take their wetsuits off. They sat on the beach and watched the remaining of the sunrise together, talking about miscellaneous things.
"We should probably get back before Riley chops our heads off for not being ready to make the tailgate." Jackson commented, the both of them laughing and standing up, grabbing their wetsuits and boards and making their way to her car, the both of them high off the feeling of the waves.
The day was off to a good start.