Chapter 32
The next few months passed quickly, Erin was back to her normal self, fully recovered from her injury and playing better than ever. Their school team had made it to the State Championship game once again and were preparing to win back to back championships.
At the same time Erin and Ella both had scholarship offers coming at them both from all angles.
The letters were piling up and both girls were becoming overwhelmed at the decisions they were faced with.
“How are we supposed to pick between these schools? They all have such amazing programs!” Ella threw herself on their bed sighing loudly.
After a moment of silence Ella spoke up again.
“Erin?”
“Yeah babe?” The keeper put down the Penn State pamphlet she had been reading and sat next to her girlfriend.
“What happens if we chose different schools?” Ella voiced the question that neither girl had built up the courage to ask yet.
The forward flipped over with a sad expression on her face and Erin knew this wasn’t a conversation they could put off any longer. It had come up a few times but the two girls had never had a serious talk about their future in regards to school.
Erin nervously drew patterns up and down Ella’s arm as she began.
“Ella you know that wherever we end up, this,” she gestured between the two of them. “we aren’t going to change right? I don’t care if you are across the hall or a thousand miles away, you are always going to be my person and no amount of distance will change that. Obviously it would be amazing to go to the same school and share that experience with you but in the end both of us have to chose the school that is best for us personally. I love you so much and no matter what school you or I chose I will never stop.”
Ella had tears in her eyes listening to Erin. “How do you always know exactly what to say?”
Erin shrugged with a little chuckle.
“Have you narrowed your choices at all?”
Ella nodded and reached over to grab a few pamphlets.
She spread three out on the bed.
“UNC, Penn State, and UCLA. How about you?”
Erin did the same, laying out her top choices next to Ella.
“Penn State, Stanford, Florida State. They have the best business programs as well as all being top 10 schools for women’s soccer.”
“Do you think we should decide on our own and tell each other after we’ve committed? Ella asked, pulling Erin closer and wrapping her arms around the taller girl.
“I think that would be the best choice, I don’t want you or myself to make our decision based on us and I think that it would be smart to make this decision by ourselves. What do you think?”
“I think that as much as I wish we could both say right now that we will choose Penn State, that you’re right and we should make the choice on our own, because I don’t ever want to feel like you made your choice because of me.”
“I love you so much Ella. Never forget that okay?”
“I love you too Erin. You promise we’ll be okay?”
“I promise baby.” Erin turned to place a sweet kiss on Ella’s lips.
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On the day of the championship Ella and Erin took their usual spots beside each other in the locker room as they prepared for their last high school game.
Everything was the same except the mood in the room had changed from last year. The seniors were confident and ready to go out with a bang, but the younger players were nervous, sad about the departure of those who had been the core of this group for so long.
“Hey!” Kling shouted suddenly as everyone was getting ready.
“I don’t want to see another sad face starting now! This is a happy day, we’re gonna go out there and kick some ass okay? So cheer up got it?”
The whole team looked around the room not knowing what to think as the smallest player on the team tried to take control with her sweet voice that couldn’t frighten a fly.
“You heard the girl!” Ella stepped in. “Look alive ladies!”
This got everyone moving again and looking a lot more optimistic about the final game.
“Why don’t they listen to me?” Kling pouted pulling on her warmup jersey.
“Ella’s voice is just a wee bit bigger Kling, sorry bud.”
“Hmph whatever.”
Ella and Erin both had their own music playing but they were still connected as they prepared for the game beside one another.
Ella finished with a prayer just as she had before each and every game she had played on this field over the last four years, sitting down beside Erin and placing her hand over the keepers. They sat there for a few minutes, still with their headphones on until their last song on their pregame playlists ended.
Both girls removed their headphones, placing them in their lockers and looked up at each other at the same time, they gave one another a small smile and nod; Erin pressing a quick kiss to the strikers forehead before they lead their team out of the locker room; hands still intertwined.
Ella looked into the crowd as she walked out to the field, a big smile coming to her face as she saw her mom sitting in the stands beside Erin’s.
Thing’s weren’t perfect between the two, and they never would be, but Ella was happy with where she stood with her mom. She left rehab a little while ago and was doing good on her own. They talked a few times a week and had coffee occasionally and Ella was beyond proud of how far she would come, though the scars from that relationship would never fully disappear. Both girls waved at their moms before jogging out to begin warm ups.
The team huddled around Ella, prepared for her to give her usual inspiring speech.
“Okay ladies, this is the game we’ve been playing for all season, I’m proud of each and every one of you for the heart you’ve put into every game you’ve played, now honestly I think that I’ve said pretty much everything there is to say over these past few years about how we need to play. Sure the team has changed, players have come and gone, but the goal has remained the same. We reached that goal last year but now it’s time to go get this new goal, no team at this school has won back to back state championships before and I’ll be damned if this group right here isn’t the one to change that. There is one person I think deserves a round of applause right now and that is Bianca…”
The freshman keeper’s eyes went wide as the whole team turned to her, clapping and cheering.
“B you came into this season not expecting to see a minute, but when Erin went down you didn’t waste a single second stepping up and being ready to fight for this team. You played incredibly while Erin was rehabbing and are a huge reason we are in this game today. But most of all that permanent smile of yours never left your face after Erin returned and became the starter again. You were a key player in this group this year and I know you’re going to do amazing things during your next three years with this team.”
Bianca was speechless and had no words, she tackled the captain in a crushing hug before regaining her composure and jumping around like her usual cheery self.
“Alright ladies, that’s all I’ve got left in me so I guess that’s that… LET’S KICK SOME ASS.”
The team cheered louder than ever and took the field.
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“El you ready? We’re running late the girls will be waiting.” Erin called from the bottom of the steps.
“Coming!” Ella yelled as she came jogging down the stairs.
“Damn.” Erin breathed out as she took in her girlfriend. Ella was wearing a tight blue dress that left little to the imagination.
Ella smirked as she walked towards the keeper.
“How did I manage to get so lucky?” Erin spoke as she pulled to forward closer into a kiss that quickly became heated. When the keeper pulled away slowly she spoke up again. “I am so proud of how you played today El, you showed everyone exactly why you deserve to be going to the world cup.”
Flashback
// It was in the third and final minute of extra time when Ella looked up to see Kealia intercept a pass around center, Ella started her run up the right side as the ball was switched to the left where it connected with Kling who used her quick small frame to get around the opposing left back and swung the ball across the field towards to net. As Ella cut inside she could tell she wouldn’t get there fast enough for her foot to connect with the ball. The cross swept low into the six yard box and just as the keeper took a step to collect the ball, Ella dove and her head connected with the ball pushing it past the keeper’s hands into the corner of the net, scoring what would be the winning goal in the match.//
Ella blushed at the keepers words. “Thank you Erin, and I’m proud of you too, after how hard you fought to get healthy and get back on the field, you played incredibly and no one deserves this more than you.”
Erin smiled wide, giving Ella another quick kiss.
“Come on babe, let's get that big ass trophy to dinner.”
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“Ella are you ready?” Erin asked from the kitchen.
“Yup.” Ella answered as she pulled on her new hoodie sent to her by the school she’d chosen. She decided that’s how she would share with Erin where she was going, as Erin hadn’t received her’s yet.
“Ready.”
Erin walked around the corner to the living room and looked at Ella’s hoodie.
She didn’t say anything for a moment and Ella got nervous as she watched her girlfriend who looked like she was deep in thought.
“Erin?...”