Annie felt every inch of her body covered with goosebumps while Zeke accompanied her presence. Her hands shook with nervousness to the point of having to hide them away in her pockets. Masking just how much being near Zeke put a toll on this woman's being. It didn't help that he wasn't speaking either, they walked around for a few minutes, and still, not a word was exchanged. A part of Annie thought maybe Zeke was up to something sinister like embarrass her in front of a crowd or something. She knew she was overreacting but being pregnant and having her scholarship on the line was putting her on edge.
Zeke entered the football stadium while Annie cautiously trailed behind, a little skeptical on why they were here. He turned and began walking up the bleachers before taking a seat on the top one. This way he had a view over everyone around him. Annie hesitantly took a seat next to him and looked ahead, watching as the football team went through practice. Her eyes darted around for Mikasa despite seeing her only a few minutes ago. She eventually found the young Alpha running down the field, football in hand and with a few teammates chasing her. Annie didn't know much about football aside from touchdowns and field goals so she assumed Mikasa was attempting one of those two things.
"Mikasa Ackerman, team captain, and quarterback of the football team. A very talented young Alpha in both academics and sports, I hear she has scholarships coming in from everywhere. It seems she hasn't accepted any yet, so I wonder what she has planned for herself. I offered a scholarship her way but don't expect an answer anytime soon."
Annie felt a bit awkward as Zeke spoke about Mikasa, is that why he brought them here? So they could talk about Mikasa? She thought maybe Zeke wanted her to somehow convince Mikasa into choosing Eldia University but why talk in secret? None of it made sense at all yet Annie found herself nodding along to whatever he said.
"She may be an amazing athlete and student but I hear from Eren that she's also a great person in general. That's why I'm doing a favor for my brother, she's a good friend of his and I want to help her by helping you. I know you're pregnant Annie and that's unfortunate but I know it doesn't change you as a person. Especially since you've shown that you're a devoted player even while pregnant. So I'm still offering the scholarship I promised you. It's all yours, you just have to promise you'll be able to play after having your child. In the meantime, I'll keep it a secret from the soccer coach if you please. You don't need to meet them until it's time to start your season anyway. Although, I hope you don't intend on finishing the rest of your high school season. You're not in any shape to do so anymore and I would hate for something bad to happen."
The omega swore her entire world paused upon hearing Zeke's words. He wasn't playing with her right? This wasn't all just a sick joke? Zeke was going to give her the scholarship? She stared at the older man with wide eyes and he looked back a bit concerned from Annie's reaction.
"You're not playing with me, right? You're serious about giving me the scholarship still? Even if I'm pregnant? I swear if you're pulling some sick kind of joke, I'll have Mikasa make your life a living hell." Annie's tone was completely serious and not playing around at all. If Zeke was playing around then she'll make sure he got an ass-whooping.
Zeke was caught off guard from Annie's sudden tone shift and let out an awkward yet scared chuckle. He put his hands up in defense, trying to show that he was completely at Annie's will and not going against her. "I'm not playing with you, Annie! I'm genuinely offering you this scholarship because I believe you're a determined and amazing athlete. Also, I would never do such a thing to Mikasa, she's like family and I know you're very important to her. If you're important to her, then you're also important to us. Family helps family and now you're part of said family, Annie. Of course, you don't need to accept the scholarship if you don't want to. I know you probably have other offers but just know that you have a spot at Eldia University, Mikasa too. Now, just do your application to Eldia University and your acceptance letter is guaranteed. I'm going to go now, please take care of yourself in the meantime and I don't want to see your nose all busted the next time we meet again." With that, Zeke got up and left before Annie could interrogate or threaten him any longer. Meanwhile, Annie wasn't sure if she should cheer or run and tell Mikasa the good news. She decided to hold off on it until Mikasa finished her practice, for now, Annie needed to come clean to her coach like she originally planned.
It took Annie a few moments to get back to the soccer field, from there she got straight to business. The blonde marched her way to the coach and held her head high with confidence. Upon getting there though, her coach decided to start speaking first before she even got the chance. "Annie, you've been missing practices and our most important games. Now all of a sudden you show up here with a broken nose and walk off without explaining yourself. What's going on here? I thought you were part of this team, why aren't you acting like it? It's like the old Annie was replaced with someone else." Annie bit her tongue in response, knowing she shouldn't backtalk her coach. Especially since they had no idea what was happening and it didn't help that Annie hasn't spoken to them at all. Still, though, Annie didn't appreciate how they were talking to her like some little kid. Either way, she kept herself from snapping at them until they finished their mini little rant. "I've been dealing with a lot of things and I'm sorry coach but Soccer was the least of my worries. I apologize for not contacting you and missing our recent games but they were all for good reason." Annie took in a deep breath.
"I'm pregnant, I just recently found out, and ever since then, everything seems to be falling apart. Between my decisions on if I wanted to keep my child or not and wondering how the fuck I'm going to take care of them, I just don't think I'll be continuing my season any longer. It's not safe either and the Sire of my child doesn't want me doing anything that puts me in harm's way. I apologize for keeping you in the dark about everything but I was still trying to figure out everything myself. As for the broken nose, I experienced an altercation with my father but don't worry about it. He's going to be dealt with when everything is worked out. I apologize once more for not contacting you and keeping everything a secret for far too long. Anyway, I'll drop off my jersey and another gear tomorrow. Thank you for speaking with me and I'm thankful for getting the chance to play for you." The coach stared at her in shock, not believing what they were hearing and surprised that Annie came entirely clean. If they were being honest, they just thought Annie was being a rebellious teen and ignoring all of her priorities. Nothing could've prepared them for Annie to be dealing with PREGNANCY, especially since she never really showed any signs. The coach wasn't even aware that Annie was romantically involved with someone, the last time they heard of anything was when she dated Bertholdt and that ended long ago. They didn't know how to respond to this if they were being completely honest, what the hell are you supposed to say when finding out your star player is pregnant?
"I-Oh… Well, Annie, I'm not sure how to respond to that. If I'm going to be honest, I thought you were just experiencing senioritis and stopped caring about everything. I had no idea you were dealing with something as serious as pregnancy, if I knew then I wouldn't have snapped at you. I'm sorry…" They sighed and brought their hand up to rub their head, this entire situation was beginning to be too much.
"I understand why you're not continuing the rest of your season, I wouldn't even allow you onto the field if I was aware of your pregnancy. But… You can finish the rest of your season on the bench if you'd like, I know it's your senior year and I would hate for you to miss out on these last few games, even if you won't be playing in them. You're still part of the team and I would appreciate it if you still show up, you can keep all your gear too. You don't have to, of course, it's all your choice but I'd still appreciate you being there. I'm also not going to tell anyone about your pregnancy, I care about you and it'll stay between us until you decide to announce it. Thank you for telling me in the end, you didn't need to but it was very brave of you to do. I'm glad that I had the chance to work with such an amazing Soccer player like you."
Annie felt her chest warm up after hearing her coach's words and couldn't help but smile. She even felt tears start to well up in the corner of her eyes but forced them away. These past few moments were already taking an emotional toll, she didn't need herself crying and draining herself more. The Omega was thankful for their kind words though and would certainly consider their offer. She was sure Mikasa wouldn't mind her continuing the season if she was sitting out the remaining of her games. Annie was sure that Mikasa might even show up to her games even if she was going to sit on the bench. She shook her head at the thought and returned her attention to the person in front of her.
"Thank you, coach, I'll consider your offer. Everything is calming down right now, so I might be able to sit in on the games. Thank you for understanding, I know it's probably hard to take this information all at once." She allowed herself to move forward and wrap her arms around them, hugging them dearly before letting go.