Goalpost
The morning sun streamed through the blinds as Alessia blinked herself awake, momentarily disoriented before remembering where she was. London. Arsenal. Leah’s house. She lay still for a few moments, letting it all settle in before dragging herself out of bed, stretching as she padded towards the bathroom. Today was her first proper training session with the team, and despite the nerves buzzing in her stomach, she was excited.
By the time she’d showered and made her way downstairs, dressed and ready, Leah was already in the kitchen, clad in training gear, mug in hand as she scrolled through her phone. She glanced up as Alessia entered, smirking.
“Morning, new girl.”
Alessia rolled her eyes but couldn’t fight the smile tugging at her lips as she made her way to the fridge. “Morning.”
Leah watched her for a moment before tilting her head. “You sleep alright?”
“Yeah,” Alessia said, grabbing a small carton of orange juice and poking the straw through the hole. “Think the exhaustion knocked me out.”
Leah hummed, taking a sip of her tea. “Big day today.”
Alessia swallowed a mouthful of juice before nodding. “Yeah.”
“Excited?”
Alessia hesitated for a second before nodding again. “Yeah. A little nervous, too.”
Leah grinned. “You’ll be fine. The girls already love you, and you’re annoyingly good at football, so you’ve got nothing to worry about.”
Alessia scoffed, shaking her head as she grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl. “Thanks, I think.”
Leah shrugged, setting her mug down. “Right, come on then. We should head off.”
After grabbing her training bag she’d purposely left by the front door yesterday so she wouldn’t forget it, Alessia followed her out to the car, hopping into the passenger seat and buckling herself up as Leah started the engine.
“Can’t believe you don’t have a car,” Leah teased as she pulled out of the driveway.
Alessia huffed. “I do have a car. It’s just not here yet.”
Leah shot her a smirk. “Sure. You keep telling yourself that.”
Alessia rolled her eyes but didn’t argue, instead turning her gaze to the window as they made their way to training. She recognised the route from a few weeks ago, the roads leading them towards the training ground, and the nerves in her stomach twisted just a little tighter.
Leah must have sensed it because she reached over, giving Alessia’s knee a quick squeeze before turning her attention back to the road. “You’re gonna smash it, Less.”
Alessia let out a slow breath, nodding. “Yeah. Hope so.”
Leah grinned. “I know so.”
By the time they arrived at the training ground, most of the team was already there. Alessia followed Leah inside, greeted with a chorus of “mornings” and pats on the back as she passed. She took it all in stride, smiling as she made her way to the changing rooms, swapping out her hoodie and joggers for her training kit and cleats.
When she stepped back outside, the pitch already bustling with activity, and she couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement. This was it. Her first real day as an Arsenal player.
Training started off well. They did warm-ups, some drills, all the usual things. Alessia felt good, her touches sharp, her passes clean. The girls were welcoming, offering encouragement, laughing and joking with between exercises like she’d been here years. It was exactly the kind of atmosphere she had hoped for.
Then came the scrimmage.
Alessia had the ball, dribbling towards goal, body angled just right as she prepared to shoot. And then, out of nowhere, Katie came barrelling in.
It happened so fast. One second Alessia was upright, poised to strike, and the next her legs were swept out from beneath her. She barely had time to register what was happening before she went crashing down, her momentum sending her sliding towards the goalpost at an alarming speed.
There was a split second where she thought she might be able to stop herself, to plant her hands down and push away before impact. But she was moving too fast, and the next thing she knew, her forehead was centimetres from the metal.
She braced for it—squeezed her eyes shut, jaw clenched—only for something, or rather someone, to yank her back at the last possible moment. She landed hard on her back instead, a grunt escaping her lips as the breath was momentarily knocked out of her.
Silence.
And then—
“Jesus Christ, Katie, are you trying to kill her?”
Alessia blinked up at the sky, dazed, before Leah’s face appeared above her, frowning down in concern.
Katie appeared next, hands on her knees as she panted. “Oh, mate. I am so sorry.”
Alessia groaned, pushing herself up onto her elbows. “Did I die?”
Leah snorted. “Not quite.”
“I might’ve given you a concussion, though,” Katie admitted sheepishly. “Swear I didn’t mean to wipe you out.”
Alessia let out a breathy laugh, reaching up to feel her forehead. No blood. No lump. Just a bit of a shock. “Well, at least you’re honest.”
Leah offered her a hand, pulling her to her feet before checking her over. “You okay?”
Alessia nodded as she absently rubbed at her back. “Yeah. Just gonna have nightmares about that goalpost tonight.”
That earned a laugh from the girls standing around, and soon the scrimmage resumed, Alessia back in the thick of it as if nothing had happened.
By the time training ended, she was exhausted but happy. The nerves had faded, replaced with the warm satisfaction of knowing she had made it through her first session unscathed—well, mostly.
She showered quickly, changing back into her hoodie and joggers before meeting Leah outside.
“Still alive, then?” Leah teased as they headed to the car.
“Just about,” Alessia replied with a grin.
The drive back to Leah’s was quiet, save for the occasional hum of the radio playing softly in the background. Alessia let her head rest against the window, the exhaustion from training creeping into her bones. It had been a long day, a good one, but long nonetheless. Leah, sensing her tiredness, didn’t say much, just tapped her fingers against the steering wheel as she navigated through the London streets.
As they pulled into the driveway, Leah turned off the engine and looked over at Alessia with a smirk.
“Right, chef Russo, what’s for dinner?”
Alessia turned her head slowly, arching a brow. “Excuse me?”
Leah grinned, unbuckling her seatbelt. “You’re cooking.”
Alessia scoffed. “Am I?”
“Well, yeah,” Leah said matter-of-factly. “Unless you want me to do it, but I’d rather not be responsible for us both getting food poisoning.”
Alessia snorted, shaking her head as she got out of the car. “You’re hopeless.”
Leah followed her up to the front door, unlocking it with a chuckle. “Hopeless? No. Smart? Yes. Why would I cook when I have you here to do it for me?”
Alessia rolled her eyes but didn’t argue, making her way into the kitchen. She pulled open the fridge, scanning the contents before glancing over her shoulder. “What do you fancy?”
Leah hopped up onto the counter, legs swinging. “Whatever’s easiest. Pasta?”
Alessia nodded, pulling out the necessary ingredients. “Alright, pasta it is.”
Leah watched as Alessia moved around the kitchen with ease, boiling the pasta, sautéing the garlic, mixing everything together like she’d done a thousand times before. There was something comforting about watching someone cook, and Leah found herself enjoying it.
“D’you always cook?” she asked.
Alessia shrugged. “Most of the time. Don’t mind it.”
Leah grinned. “Good. ‘Cause I was planning on making this a regular thing.”
Alessia shot her a look over her shoulder. “Of course you were.”
Leah winked.
By the time dinner was ready, Alessia was starving. They sat at the dining table, plates full of pasta, Leah moaning dramatically after her first bite.
“This is so much better than anything I could’ve made,” she sighed.
Alessia smirked. “That’s not saying much.”
Leah pointed her fork at her. “Oi. I’m complimenting you. Just take it.”
Alessia chuckled, shaking her head as she twirled some pasta around her fork. “Thanks, Leah.”
Leah grinned. “That’s better.”
Once they’d eaten, Leah stretched, patting her stomach. “Right. Movie time.”
Alessia groaned. “Leah, I’m exhausted.”
“Exactly why we should watch something,” Leah argued. “You can just sit there and relax.”
Alessia exhaled, knowing there was no getting out of it. “Fine.”
Leah beamed, jumping up to grab the remote. “Okay, let’s see…”
They settled onto the couch, Leah flicking through the options before selecting something she insisted was ‘a classic.’ Alessia had a feeling Leah’s definition of a classic and her own might not align, but she didn’t have the energy to argue.
The first movie started, and almost immediately, Leah started yapping.
“Oh, this bit’s funny—wait, no, that’s later.”
“She’s so dramatic, honestly.”
“I swear he was in another film I watched the other day…”
Alessia gave her a pointed look. “Leah.”
“What?”
“Shh.”
Leah smirked, raising her hands in surrender. “Alright, alright. I’ll be quiet.”
She lasted all of ten minutes before she was back at it, providing commentary on everything from the cinematography to the ridiculousness of certain character decisions. Alessia tried to keep up, tried to engage now and then, but as the second movie started, she felt herself drifting.
Leah, oblivious, continued talking, gesturing at the screen as she ranted about the plot holes. It wasn’t until she made a joke and got no response that she glanced over, frowning.
Alessia was curled up on the far end of the couch, head resting against the arm, sound asleep.
Leah chuckled, shaking her head. “Unbelievable,” she muttered.
She considered waking her, but one look at how peaceful she looked, the gentle rise and fall of her breathing, and she decided against it. She also contemplated trying to carry her to bed, but reality hit her just as quickly. Leah wasn’t exactly the strongest person in the world -not that she’d ever admit that out loud, and last thing she needed was to drop her in the middle of the living room and give her a concussion or something.
Eventually deciding that the best option would be to just leave her be, Leah stood up, padding over to grab one of the pillows from Alessia’s bed. She carefully placed her hand beneath her neck and lifted her head, slipping the cushion beneath it before reaching for the blankets folded over the back of the couch.
She draped one over Alessia, tucking it around her before laying the other on top, making sure she was completely covered. And then, with a satisfied nod, she sat back down, glancing at the screen where the movie continued playing. She couldn’t help but glance at Alessia periodically, lips instinctively quirking up into a small smile each and every time.