"Okay guys one at a time please Jesus," I say as they all decide to start shouting at once
"I thought you said you got adopted?" Jill asks
"I did, Alex and Servando adopted me just before I left for England, I'd been living with her for like 3 years before that anyway" I explain.
"How come you never told us?" Lucy asks next
"I didn't want you all to look at me differently knowing that Alex Morgan was my mom, I wanted to prove myself to you all" I explain sheepishly
"You know we would have never done that Kate, you've got real talent we can all see that clearly" Steph says making me smile
"I know that now which is why I'm telling you all," I say
"and I just want to thank you all for making Kate feel so welcome here, it was a tough choice to play for England but you guys have made it easier for her," Mom says making me blush from embarrassment
"Aww is baby America blushing," Jordan says as I roll my eyes at her.
"But Rachel Daly I've got words with you," Alex says suddenly turning to point at the Dash forward who gulps nervously
"Did I not tell you specifically to keep an eye on my daughter and tell me if anything happened?" Alex questions as Rach seems to shrink further into the chair
"Yes you did" She mumbles out
"And did you also turn your phone off after yesterdays game?" Alex continues to investigate the poor woman
"Yes I did" Rachel mumble again
"Just checking what I need to tell Kristie that's all" Alex smirks out making Rachel gasp and finally look at my mom.
"No please don't, she's already going to kill me enough" Rach whines as the team laughs knowing she'll be in the dog house as soon as she gets home
"I've got to go call my husband and tell him everything's okay but it was lovely to finally meeting you all" Mom says to the group
"Tell dad that I'm sorry please," I ask sheepishly to which she nods and kisses my head before leaving the room.
I brace myself for the second ambush I'm about to face once mom leaves the room and I was right because as soon as the doors closes and we can all hear Alex making her way down the hall, the team goes into chaos again.
"Kate can not answer all your questions if you're yelling" Steph says going full captain mode on them
"If the US ever asked you to go back would you?" Beth England asks starting off bluntly which does case Jodie to slap her on the arm
"It's a fair enough question and to answer you, no I wouldn't. When I first joined, it was in the back off my mind but I can't see myself playing anywhere else anymore you guys are my team" I say and they all let out awes at my response
"Is that why you wanted the number 13 so badly, because of your mom?" Carly asks
"Yeah, I obviously don't have her surname on the back of my jersey so I wanted something to honour her by but I was more than happy having whatever number you guys gave me but having hers just makes it feel like she's there you know?" I tell the team who nod their heads with me
"Wait does that mean the youngsters knew who your mom was before us?" Leah asks me causing the ones who knew to give the team sheepish smiles
"Yes they did, I told them on my first day here since she called me and they over heard my conversation which would have been weird without knowing the context" I explain not wanting to get them in shit
"Plus I swore them to secrecy so don't get too mad" I add on winking at Kiera since Lucy seems to be giving her the daggers
"So who was Auntie Ash on the phone?" Jill asks me
"Oh that was Ashlyn Harris, her and Ali live with me and mom back in Orlando so when mom adopted me I was forced to all them all my Aunties" I explain making them all chuckle
"Do I get to be an Aunty!" Jill gasps out making a few people let out groans while I just laugh
"If you really want me to Jill you can be Auntie Jilly" I say making her cheer happily.
"Just one more thing" Lucy says and I gulp nervously knowing she doesn't have te best relation with moms team
"When we play against them soon enough you can't go easy on them" She tells me and I only smirk at that
"Oh I am going to destroy them and Jill will be begging for me to join her team once we do" I say smugly as Lucy leans forward to high five me
This then sets the team off in a discussion on what we're going to do when we play them next and I sit there with a smile on my face watching them all when Georgia comes sit next to me.
"How did your mom take it?" She asks me quietly
"She shouted first but I managed to get her to shut up for a few seconds and calm herself before she stated again" I explain only for G to raise her eyebrows at me
"I blurted out that I was gay," I say with a grin
"Does she not know that already, you don't really scream straight?" Georgia says making me gasp sarcastically
"Excuse me! For all you know I could want nothing more than a boyfriend" I tell her and she rolls her eyes knowing I'm only joking
"But that shut her up for a few seconds and she could get over her initial shock and anger" I say
"As long as she didn't get to angry it's okay then" G says making me smile at her
"Where you worried about me?" I ask as she blushes a little
"Of course I was, I didn't know if I needed to go in there and save your butt" She tells me and I subtly place my arm on her back
"I think you'll find I can fend for myself" I tell her
"Yeah not when you're still under 5 foot you can't love" She says with a smirk while I pout
"That's so unfair, I can't control how tall I am" I whine
"Don't worry I love your height, means I can pick you up whenever I want" She replies with another grin
"Now you've finished bullying me I'm going to go outside and check on my mother" I tell Georgia and she lets me go so I can stand up and head out the door without anyone even noticing.
I follow Alex's voice down the corridor and as I get closer I can hear her arguing with whoever it is, I don't want to interrupt since it seems pretty important so I stay hidden for a second and listen in.
"No Mark you can't do that! Kate finds it difficult enough going away for national camp how is she going to cope being traded!" Mom shouts
Wait what? I'm being traded from Orlando but why? I've been there since I was 16 I always thought I'd stay there for as long as Alex played and then maybe I'd think about moving but already, I didn't sign up for this.
"I don't care if it's not your choice you will fight for her to stay, you hear me! or I'll come down there myself and kick some sense into their pea brains" Alex continues to yell down the phone before she hangs up and puts her hands on her head.
I back away not knowing what to do, I wasn't meant to hear that conversation and now I regret listening in because I did not like what I heard. I'm backing down the hall when I hear someone behind me
"Kate there you are, is everything okay?" Lucy asks making me spin around to face her but I can't seem to get any words out right now and my mouth is just opening an d closing like a fish
"Kate? Did you hear my phone call just then?" Alex asks coming around from the other end to look at me worriedly
I look back and forth between the two women I'm sandwich in the middle off unsure of what to do, I need to think and that needs to be done alone so I do the one thing I'm best at and that is running. I sprint past Lucy knowing mom will clue on to what I'm doing and I run towards the emergency stairs.
I go down about 7 flights and make it to the hotel lobby where I swiftly leave the front doors and out into the fresh air. I look around me for somewhere to go when I spot a sign in Belgium that I most definitively can't read but it has a tree symbol next to it and I can only hope it means a park.
One thing seems to be going for me as I find myself sitting down on a bench looking out on a peaceful lake that looks like it could be out of a movie scene. I take my time in this quite to think about what I overheard being said.
If Orlando are really trading it must be a big deal or something because I was on a four year contract with them and since I've still got a whole season left they will still have to pay off the remaining of my contract plus my trading fee. To anyone else that wouldn't make much sense to do unless they are getting an amazing player in return
I know I need to speak to Alex about it since she's probably the one here with all the answers but it was too much before. Having just told the world about my nationality change to introducing Alex to the England girls and now finding out my club don't want me anymore, my heads still trying to wrap itself around it all.
My phone pings in my pocket snapping me out my thoughts an I open it up to see a message from Alex telling me she's on her way, I look down at it confused for a second until I see her coming across the park towards me
"You forget how many times you ran out the house back home, I know where you always go" She says nudging my shoulder as I let out a quite laugh
"I'm sorry for bolting like that I needed the space to think" I tell her
"I know you did which is why I told Lucy to not chase after you, you'd settle down eventually and that's when I would find you in some kind of park" Alex explains as I lay my head down on her shoulder
"Was the phone call real, are Orlando really trading me mom?" I ask quietly
"I don't know the details but I was on the phone to your dad when the call came through and Mark never rings unless it's serious, he told me the owners don't want you in the team anymore and are trading you" Alex tells me and my heart shatters a little at that
I already knew what was coming but hearing it out of her mouth just makes it ten times worse because in situations like these us players have no control over where we go.
"I've only just found my home in Orlando mom and now I'm being traded? What if they send me all the way to Reign or Portland that's the opposite side of the country?!" I exclaim panicking at the thought of being that far away from her.
"They're not sending you there I promise!" Alex tells me and I look at her confused for a second
"Wait, do you know where I'm going?" I ask and get my answer when she lets out a sigh and nods her head slowly
"They're sending you to Houston Kate"