"Alright fellas, we're gonna try something new today." Ted said Monday morning as he gathered the team on the pitch. Bailey was holding a warm cup of tea, standing next to Beard. Nate was nearby mixing up powdered sports drink. Her sister Anna was dressed in a pair of sweatpants and an AFC Richmond training hoodie. Her feet were strapped into a borrowed pair of cleats.
"This your idea?" Beard asked Bailey, gesturing to Anna and Ted who were standing out on the field with the players.
"No," She shook your head and laughed. "Anna was packing her bags this morning and Ted mentioned that since she wasn't flying out until tonight, she might enjoy coming to training. I didn't know this was what he had in mind."
"Fellas, this here is Annie." Ted introduced Bailey's sister to the team. "She's a dancer now, but from what I understand, she was one heck of a soccer player once upon a time."
"Still am, Coach." Annie promised. She picked up the soccer ball at her feet. She bounced the ball on one knee before passing it to the other knee. She continued to juggle the ball this way while Ted talked.
"So Annie is gonna run a few drills with us, maybe even a couple of plays. Just treat her like she's part of the team." Ted told them.
"Are you joking?" Jamie Tartt was the first player to kick off. "She can't train with us! I think it's against the rules." Two other plays mumbled sounds of agreement.
"Hey Coach?" Ted looked over his shoulder at Beard. "Is it against the rules for Annie to train with us?"
"No, it is not." Beard confirmed.
"Alright then. Anyone else have any other grievances?" Ted surveyed the team. When no one else protested, Ted blew his whistle and called out the first drill.
Bailey watched from the sidelines as Anna lead the team through a dribbling drill. Her sister maintained control of the ball as she shuffled it from foot-to-foot weaving through the cones Nate had set up. Once she was done, she traveled the ball down the field and passed it to the next player in line, Sam. Sam ran the drill and then Colin behind him. As the line progressed from one player to the next, Ted looked over his shoulder at Bailey. He smiled when his eyes locked with hers. She got the impression that he'd been looking back to see if she was still there. When Ted turned his attention back to the team, Beard leaned down and whispered in Bailey's ear.
"Something I need to know about you two?" He asked.
"Don't know what you mean, Coach." She lied. She brought her mug to her mouth, trying to hide her smirk from him.
"Uh-huh." Beard made a noise of disbelief. He blew his whistle. "Annie get in the net! Everyone else, try to get the ball passed Anna."
Anna was far from a professional footballer, and it had been years since she'd last played. It was no surprise that almost every player scored goals on her. Isaac didn't miss a single shot he took but Anna had managed to catch the ball a few of the times Roy had sent it her way. The only person who didn't score a single goal was Jamie Tartt. He was mumbling about it the entire walk back to the locker room.
"I think that's my cue to leave." Anna said. While the players headed inside to shower and change, Bailey and the coaches had stayed on the field to say goodbye. "Beard, you're exactly what I imagined you'd be like. I can see why Ted depends on you for some much." Anna hugged Bead goodbye and moved down the line to stand in front of the Head Coach. "Ted, thank you again for setting this all up so that I could surprise Bay. You take care of our girl, alright?" She leaned in to add quietly. "She's not as strong as she thinks she is."
"I think she might surprise you." He whispered back accepting her hug. When they separated, he added much louder, "You're welcome to join us for training anytime, Annie. In fact, keep the boots for next visit." He winked.
"And I think I'll miss you most of all, Scarecrow." Anna quoted before giving her sister a hug of her own.
"You're not even going to back to Kansas." Bailey grumbled into her shoulder.
"Promise me one thing Bailey, and I mean this." She spoke. "Do whatever makes you happy. You deserve to be happy."
"I'll do what I can." Her sister promised.
Anna's departure meant that Bailey and Ted were alone in his flat again that night. It seemed their conversation on Saturday had aired all of their feelings and the tension they'd grown used to from holding back all of those feelings had disappeared. They resumed their Rom Com movie nights and Ted continued to cook Bailey breakfast in the morning.
"I was so excited to get Annie out on the field for practice this morning, I forgot to tell you about the conversation I'd had with Rebecca this mornin'!" Ted remembered. He scooped up a handful of popcorn from his bowl and popped in in his mouth.
"Well, I didn't see anything on Twitter or social media today, so I assumed she was able to stop the photo from running." Bailey told him before reaching for some popcorn out of her own bowl. They had decided over the weekend that having their own bowls was probably for the best at the moment.
"Oh yeah she got it stopped alright." Ted nodded. "Only problem is the owner of The Sun wants me to do an interview for one of his other papers instead. Wants me to spend a whole with a reporter."
"That doesn't sound that bad." She shrugged. "You like reporters and most of them like you."
"Yeah, most being the key word in that sentence." He sighed. "My interview is with Trent Crimm, The Independent."
"Ooooh." Bailey made an effort to physically cringe. She couldn't help but laugh. "He does not like you."
"Don't I know it." Ted agreed with a smirk. "If you could orchestrate something that'll make me look good, I'd appreciate that."
"Sorry, Lasso, I think you're on your own." She warned him. You ate a few more kernels of popcorn. "Wait! What day is your interview?"
"Oh, I'm not too sure. Wednesday or Thursday I think." He tried to remember.
"Thursday would be the best day to do it." Bailey insisted. "That's the day Roy asked you to go with him to his niece's school. Even Trent Crimm can't find fault with you spending your afternoon with kids, right? I'll give The Independent a call in the morning and I'll set the whole thing up."
"Bailey, I don't know what I would do without you." Ted told her.