Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
~AMELIA~
We need this win.
You can see the scoreboard is bringing up the spirits of the players on the field and on the bench. The fans are loving it. So many of them have been on their feet since the first goal was scored. I love the cheers, screams and the energy coming from them right now.
Coach Watts even looks happy. Standing there beside Jase, casually talking to him and gesturing towards the field.
The only one who may not be enjoying this as much as the rest of us is Hendrix.
The win is a great thing, but the girl hasn’t touched the ball all game.
And that has got to make her antsy. I see it on her face when she’s walking around her box, more like pacing it.
The way she comes out a bit too far. She wants to be involved in this game, but so far we haven’t needed her.
The Bay FC offense has been nonexistent.
I know Watts said they were plagued with some bad injuries right now, but I thought there would be something more than this going on.
I do feel a bit bad for them because our win right now might be because of their injury listing.
Or they are having an off night. I know what those nights feel like and the self-loathing that follows the plane or car ride home from a game.
I know how it ate at me the whole way from Kansas City.
Dex even commented in the apartment that the silence from the Blaze players was shocking.
Sure, we were on a regular old commercial flight, flying with anyone who is coming from Kansas City to Tampa.
But they would not have heard a peep from us.
I remember avoiding all eye contact from any of them because I was afraid of the look of shame on their faces.
I assumed everyone knew about the tie that hadn’t hurt us, yes, but it did nothing for us. And that is what stung.
I’m pulled from my thoughts when the first Bay player comes charging towards me.
I look at her jersey to see which number she is, eight.
I have never seen her before. I’ve gotten used to looking the team up to see who is on it, if there are any women’s National players or if I’ve come across any of them during my college season.
This one I haven’t seen before, but she seems to be pretty cunning. Strategically keeping her dribble tight, which keeps the ball close to her so that it’s harder for defenders like me to snag it away.
I advance anyway.
Moving quickly towards her I challenge her, so that we’re in a one-on-one stance. She has to get around me to make it to Hendrix. And as much as she would like some action right now, she’s not getting any. And she’s going to keep a clean sheet, meaning no goals scored.
The girl grins and keeps on coming, I come forward and move toe-to-toe with her, kicking at the ball so that it pops up. She recovers quickly and is able to receive the popped ball on her chest. I wait for it to come down and swipe at it gently with my foot, knocking it out from in front of her.
Time to take off.
I run quickly at the ball; I can feel her behind me. My jersey tugs backwards but I fight on forward. Thankfully, I’m able to get a shot off before her pull on my jersey causes me to go flying back. I eat turf.
Fuck! I think to myself as I feel my calf scrape at the turf.
That is going to leave a mark. But on the plus side, that ball is nowhere near the net.
I push up on my elbows and see that the ball has made its way back up to Mac.
She won’t get to keep it, however, because the ref has blown the whistle.
My teammates come jogging over to where I’m still lying on the turf. I push up and stand when the ref approaches me.
“Are you alright?” she asks me. I can see her looking over me.
I glance down at my own leg to see it a bit of red already forming. Yep, the turf has burned me. I shrug it off.
“Yeah, I’m good,” I tell her, breathing heavy still from my quick run and wipeout.
“I’m sorry,” number eight says as she approaches.
“No worries,” I tell her with a sweet smile. But in my head I’m thinking What the fuck because that was a dirty move. It’s not like we collided; she grabbed my jersey with the sheer intent of pulling me onto the turf.
“It’s going to be a free kick, so please give me that ball!” I hear her call out to Mac.
Mac sends the ball sailing back to me. I trap it with my foot. I’m not sure if this kick is mine to take or not, so I look to Watts.
“Cassie!” I hear him calling.
I nod and back up.
“You good, girl?” Cassie asks me, after she makes her way over.
“Yeah, I’m alright, thanks.”
I don’t miss the daggers she shoots at the Bay FC player who took me down. I smirk and wait for the ref’s whistle. Cassie sends the ball up perfectly to Mac, who she is back charging for the goal.
Mac is fast! She looks like she’s flying as she’s heading towards the goal. I can see the bright, green-colored goalie moving back and forth, anticipating Mac’s next move as she waits for her to strike. I hold my breath hoping for a goal.
Mac fires and it’s sent over the keeper’s head. Her arms are reaching above trying to get a finger on the ball to stop it from sailing into the net. But she can’t; the ball hits the back of the net.
“Yes!” I’m shouting, jumping up and down, rushing with the rest of my teammates towards Mac.
We hug her and celebrate. The coaches, the bench and the fans are going crazy. It’s a great day to be a part of Tampa Bay! The buzzer sounds and that is the end of the first half.
“What a way to come off of that field!” Coach Watts is excitedly telling us in the team room, where we are all drinking water and listening to his halftime praises. “That is what I’m fucking talking about. Now we are playing soccer!” The whole room erupts in cheers. “Amelia, are you good?”
I beam at him, “I’m good, coach!”
“That’s what I like to hear. You took a nasty tumble, but it led to a hell of a goal by Mac!” More cheering is erupting.
“I would like to relinquish my assist to Amelia. She has more than earned it for the last turf takedown.” Cassie reaches over and places her arm around my shoulders.
The room erupts in cheers. But I shake my head. “No, you earned that from your kick. I’m happy that the foul led to something good.”
“So modest,” I hear Hendrix tease just low enough so that I’m the only one that can hear her.
I shake my head ever so slightly, hoping no one else notices.
“It was a great effort from all of you, and you all deserve the accolades for it. Way to keep it together, girls, and show the Blaze what we are made of!” Coach Andie calls out.
Everyone cheers along with in her in agreement.
“Alright, let’s turn this over to your captain and see what she makes of this game.” Coach Watts pats Mac on the back as she takes the center sage.
“There is so much heart out on this field, that is what I make of this game. We have been needing a game like this one for so long. Now it’s our time to wrap up these next forty-five minutes and make ourselves proud.
We are going to take this win because we have earned the hell out of it!
” More cheers come from the team, and I look over to see Dex clapping along with everyone else.
He catches me watching him. I don’t know why, but I blush when he looks at me. He gives me a two-fingered salute and motions for me to turn my attention back to Mac. I wink and look back up just in time to hear Coach say that we are heading back out onto the pitch.
The sun has completely set, and the lights are shining bright against the Tampa Bay skyline. I can’t believe how humid it still feels in September. I had hoped for a reprieve, but I guess not. Either way, I love a good night game.
The Blaze and Bay FC take their places on the field, and we wait for the next forty-five minutes to get underway.
I sigh and look around. I see fans are returning to their blue and yellow seats, filling the stadium with noise and excitement.
This is definitely a change from when we first started playing.
The fans no longer leave at halftime, and they are always there to celebrate the win and see us through a loss.
Once the whistle blows, I stop taking in the atmosphere that feels electric. I let all of the cheering and the music that is pumping through the speakers fade into the background. The only thing that matters to me is keeping this lead and making sure that Hendrix keeps her clean sheet.
And we do exactly that for most of the game. We hold them back until that same player who took me down earlier comes barreling through the line with the ball.
“Oh no, you don’t,” I say as I get ready for her to challenge her when she enters my space.
I ready myself for the head-to-head attack that will take place, moving quickly towards her and taking her ankle away so that she cannot keep going for the goal.
I cut in an attempt to take the ball off her foot.
When I do and the ball gets free, her hands are on my shoulders, pushing me downward.
I twist my body to brace for the fall that I know is coming.
The player lands on top of me with so much force, it sends my left knee twisting in a direction that is opposite of how it should be.
A shooting pain is finding its way through my knee. The girl gets up and rolls away from me, standing. I roll around on the turf, clutching my knee.
“Fuck!” I cry out. I know I shouldn’t - it’s a card if the ref should decide to - but I don’t care. I’ve never felt this much pain before. “I need Dex!” I call out to anyone who might hear me.
“Trainer!” I hear shouts coming from my teammates. I don’t even bother to open my eyes. I lie there grasping my knee, trying to control my breathing and my sobs. All the while I’m thinking that this can’t be it. This injury can’t be any worse than the last one.
But with the amount of shooting pain I’m feeling, I know that’s not the case. I roll onto my back and try one last time. “Dex!” I call out holding onto my knee and sobbing.
“He’s coming! He’s coming!” I hear someone, maybe Hendrix, telling me. I can’t focus on whose the voice is with the way my knee is throbbing right now.
I feel him at my side before I see him. “I’m here, I’m here, Amelia. You’re going to be all right.”