Despite telling Ymir that she'd really think about it, Annie actually pushed her pregnancy to the back of her mind for days. She only touched base on it when she got ready for bed, where she truly had her thoughts to herself. Even then, she couldn't make a decision; on one hand, having a child would ruin her chances at a successful life. On the other… part of her wanted to be a mom. Annie didn't understand it herself. She had never shown interest in building a family before. She hadn't even thought about it until she found herself pregnant. It felt as if her Omega side was pushing the idea more than anything, especially since being a mother was her main goal as an Omega.

Annie subconsciously reached down and stroked her swollen stomach, a gesture that she had been catching herself doing quite often. It seemed to be the only thing that would give her peace of mind, which was ironic considering that she was stressed because of what was in her stomach. She let out a loud groan and snatched her hand away. With that action, all her comfort disappeared and was replaced with worry. It wouldn't bug her for long though; at any moment, her melatonin would kick in and she'd be knocked out. Annie didn't usually take anything to help her sleep, but with the pregnancy worrying her and that important soccer game on her mind, the sleep aid was a must.

Her mind had been running around a bit more than usual since the soccer game was the next day. She wasn't afraid of playing the game, per se; if anything, she was more paranoid than scared. She was scared if someone was going to notice her pregnancy and spread the word. However, Ymir promised to keep it a secret, and she had kept good on her word; she and Annie only ever talked about it in private. Other than that, the two made sure to never mention it in public. Even with Ymir's help and assurance, Annie could not find a way to just calm down; the idea that someone would call her out on her pregnancy was too much to bear.

Fortunately, the soccer game would determine whether or not the school's team would be going to the finals, which Annie had no doubt that they would make it. The team has had a near-perfect season like they usually did, so once they won the next day's game, they would only have to play four more. Thinking about the team's future relaxed Annie's nerves about her pregnancy being discovered just as the melatonin took full effect. Annie's eyes shut and her body went limp as her breathing slowed. She would only be gone for a few hours, but her body was grateful for the much-needed rest.

Morning came too quick for Annie's liking, but she still pulled herself out of bed and started getting dressed. She wore her usual white hoodie with some worn-out blue jeans. It was a rather plain outfit, but it served multiple purposes; first, her stomach was hidden, and second, it was super comfortable. Once she took a quick glance at herself in the mirror, Annie moved on to packing her duffle bag. She made sure to pack her shin guards, cleats, team uniform, as well as her mouth guard since she would subconsciously grind her teeth mid-game. Annie didn't view the habit as a big issue, but her coach heard about it and forced her to get one.

Once everything was packed, Annie grabbed her backpack and went on her way. She picked up a dozen assorted donuts, telling herself that she would share them with her friends. Upon arrival, however, she found that the box was half empty and she wasn't in the mood to share what was left. So she sat in her car, sipping on her hot cup of coffee that she bought earlier. As she started on her eighth donut, she was disturbed by a loud tapping on her window. She turned her attention towards the sound, a donut in one hand and her coffee in the other.

"We thought you were going to come out and share with us, but you proved us wrong. Now open your car doors and let us in!" Ymir shouted on the other side of Annie's driver window.

Annie looked at Ymir, then at Reiner and Bertholdt, who stood right behind her. She could let them in and share; she had enough to give them a donut each, but she didn't want to. Annie kept her doors locked and went to grab three more donuts, acting as if she was going to hand them over. She even began rolling down the window with a free hand, then right when the smiles appeared on their faces, she rolled her window up and shoved each donut in her mouth.

"You little shit!" Ymir shouted and Annie couldn't help but laugh after swallowing.

"Here, don't worry guys. I have more."

Annie picked up the box and actually rolled her window completely down. She handed it over to Ymir then rolled her window back up, knowing that there would be a brawl soon. Technically, she didn't lie about having more; she did have more, but it was only one more. So when she saw Ymir hastily open the box to retrieve a donut while Reiner and Bert looked over her shoulder, Annie couldn't hold back a smirk. Within seconds, the three began to argue about who would get to eat the donut. Lots of shoving was involved, which was mostly between Reiner and Ymir. Bert backed off before anything got too out of hand, like usual. He was a Beta who didn't want to be caught between two Alphas.

Ymir and Reiner continued to wrestle for their donut, which caused them to move away from Annie's car. Bertholdt stayed near Annie and actually opened her door so she didn't have to. Annie brushed it off as a friendly gesture, even though she knew Bert still harbored some feelings for her after their break up.

"Do you need help carrying your duffle bag? I know you have a game today and I don't want you tiring yourself out by carrying it around all day."

Annie opened the backseat door and retrieved her backpack from it.

"Bert, my game isn't until later, why would I carry it around with me? I'm just going to keep it in my car until I need it."

"O-Oh yeah, good thinking…" An embarrassed blush made its way onto Bertholdt's cheeks. Meanwhile, Annie ignored him and locked her car.

Annie didn't glance at Bertholdt again; instead, she continued forward to deal with their idiot Alpha friends. The Omega pulled her leg back and landed a harsh kick between Reiner's eyes, causing him to immediately tense up. It also allowed Ymir to get a hold of the donut box and consume the prize she'd been fighting for. Unfortunately, she herself received a kick to her stomach. It wasn't as harsh as Reiner's, but it still caused Ymir to double over in pain. With that, Annie went on with her day.

Once the final bell rang, Annie went straight to her car, grabbed her duffle bag, and headed straight for the locker rooms. She always needed to be the first one alone in there as of late just so nobody would question her. If there was someone inside though, Annie would move to a bathroom stall and get dressed there. She just needed any private place to change, it really didn't matter. Upon arrival at the locker rooms, she smiled to herself when she realized nobody else was there.

She took her usual spot in the back; it was some extra precaution just in case someone did come in. When everything seemed safe and clear to do so, Annie stripped, tossing her regular clothing into the duffle back and pulling her uniform on right after. She was thankful for her soccer top being a little baggy; you could tell Annie was a bit bigger, but only if you really concentrated.

The locker room doors opened right when Annie zipped up her duffle bag. All her teammates were pooling in and barely getting ready while Annie was ready to go, but for the moment, she kept quiet and sat still, which is all she could do as everyone changed.

"Already dressed? Are you trying to turn this into a competition or something, Annie? All of us know you're going to be scouted tonight. You don't have to be good at getting ready too."

Her teammate, Hitch, spoke to her while she got dressed near Annie. Annie resisted the urge to roll her eyes at Hitch, knowing that she was only trying to get underneath her skin. She didn't personally mind Hitch talking to her, but Annie couldn't deny that she thought this girl was a bitch. The Omega could sense Hitch was insanely jealous about always being pushed aside so that Annie could play longer. Annie really didn't understand why Hitch got so upset; their coach wanted to win, so of course, the team's star player would get more time. Either way, she really couldn't care less. Hitch could cry her a river if she was really upset.

"I like getting ready earlier so I'm not in a hurry beforehand. It's not a competition at all, so stop looking into it so much."

Hitch rolled her eyes at this, obviously annoyed she hadn't been able to succeed in her plans at bugging Annie. Since Annie barely acknowledged Hitch, the girl kept to herself afterward. She stopped being a bother to Annie, which Annie was thankful for. After a few more minutes, their coach arrived and announced that their bus had arrived. Annie stood up at this and immediately left, knowing that she was going to get the first pick at seating.

Annie broke into a full sprint down the field, dodging everyone who came her way. There was a full minute left on the clock; the game was tied and she needed to get this point. Her legs were burning from her intense running and kicking, but she didn't care. She was only focused on one thing, and that was getting this goal. Once Annie was close enough she quickly planned out her strategy to kick the ball. All sound dissipated around her as she moved from side to side, psyching the goalie out on where she was actually going to kick. Then, she did it. Annie pulled her leg back and kicked the ball with full force. The ball drove right past the goalie and scored, leaving Annie to stare with wide eyes as the roar of the crowd snapped her back to the present.

"Fuck yeah! Annie!"

"Annie with the clutch!"

"That's my friend! She's right there, motherfuckers!"

Ymir, Bertholdt, and Reiner screamed from the sidelines as it happened. Annie couldn't help but feel her cheeks heat up from their screams of excitement. Then her teammates rushed her, which was something that they rarely did since everyone feared Annie most of the time. Just this once, Annie allowed them to pick her up and carry her around like some display piece. She even allowed a small smile to form on her lips as everyone cheered.

"Alright, everyone, it's picture time! Put Annie down and gather around."

They set the blonde and all assumed their usual formation when taking group photos. Annie stood in the middle and held out a soccer ball, subtly showing everyone that she was the one who was responsible for winning the game. Once the photos were taken, everyone disbanded and a man walked straight towards Annie. He stood tall with blonde hair and wore thinly framed glasses.

"Annie Leonhardt, right?"

Annie gulped at hearing her full name but nodded to confirm the man's question. She set her ball down and reached out, offering her hand to him.

"Yes, that's me. Who might you be?"

The man continued to smile and took Annie's hand with his own, firmly shaking it before speaking once more.

"Zeke Yeager. I'm a recruiter for Eldia University. We're a prestigious school that has an amazing sports department. I came from a few states away just to see you play. You have quite the reputation within the high school soccer league. I must say that I am extremely impressed and would like to have you consider attending our university on a sports scholarship." Zeke paused for a moment and pulled out his card.

"Here's my information. I'll be in town the rest of this month. I have a few more students to observe, so if you need to talk to me in person with your parents, I'll be able to do so. I'll be on my way now. I appreciate you speaking with me. Now, go ahead and resume your fun." He placed the card in Annie's hand and walked away, leaving her frozen in place.

However, he was only the first of many recruiters that began coming up to her. She couldn't take another step without being swarmed by people asking her to consider attending their school. As this was all happening, Annie couldn't help but think of the issue that was at the back of her mind. She was still pregnant and none of these people knew it. If they did, then they surely wouldn't want her attending their schools. The Omega realized in that moment what her choice would be… she couldn't keep this baby…