Piper woke in the night to find a naked Alex draped over her. Alex's arm was thrown across Piper's stomach and her leg was curled around the bottom half of Piper's body. Alex's dark hair was scattered across Piper's shoulders and she was snoring softly. Piper smiled and pressed her body back against Alex's, closing her eyes again. Alex murmured something inaudible in response and pulled Piper closer. She purred happily when Piper stroked her forearm softly with her finger tips before started to snore softly again.
…...
Alex had been watching Piper in awe for about twenty minutes. Alex watched how the blonde's nose would occasionally twitch in her sleep, how her chest rose and fall in perfect rhythm. She noticed how long Piper's eyelashes were and how perfectly shaped her lips were. Alex had never been one to sleep with girls before, she would fuck them- yes, but never fall asleep next to them. There was something about waking up to Piper's natural, innocent beauty that made Alex's heart skip, causing affection to run through her veins. As though realising she was been watched Piper shifted slightly, slowly coming out of her slumber.
"Good morning baby" Alex whispered, kissing Piper lightly on the nose.
Piper groaned, she fluttered her eyes open to a pair of breath-taking emerald eyes staring back at her. Piper's heart soared with excitement as she remembered where she was and who she was with. She wriggled towards Alex's body which was radiating heat, Alex responded by lying flat and allowing Piper to place her head in the space between Alex's arm and chest.
"Morning" Piper murmured, her eyes slowly shutting before she blinked them open again.
Alex laughed, "Note taken".
Piper looked up at Alex with soft, tired eyes, "What?" she asked innocently, causing Alex's heart to swell.
"You're not a morning person" Alex smiled, planting a kiss on Piper's head as the blonde pulled the duvet further up her body and snuggled closer to Alex. "I, on the other hand, am going to be the perfect host and make you breakfast".
"You don't have to do that" Piper murmured happily as her eyes started to flutter shut again.
"Jeez Pipes, you're putting up a real fight" Alex laughed before sliding out of bed. Piper groaned softly as she was made to move away from Alex's chest.
Alex threw on some grey sweatpants and an old band t-shirt that her mom had given her a few years ago. She placed her glasses on her face and checked that Piper had gone back to sleep before tip toeing out of the room and closing the door softly behind her. She made her way downstairs and groaned at the state of the house, the sofas were still pushed together and Alex's socks stuck to the floor with every step she took. Alex set about collecting empty paper cups and placing them in a large bin liner. Alex smiled as she found the mop bucket and filled it with water, she paused and shook her head.
What's wrong with you Vause? Smiling whilst cleaning.
She could just see the face Nicky would pull if she could see how Alex was smiling. Alex had never felt so fulfilled before, last night with Piper she had felt like part of a team- she had felt like no matter what was to happen she would always have the blonde in her life. Alex wasn't a naturally trusting person, she took a while to warm to people- but everything was different with Piper. Alex had realised last night that there was no going back now, even if nothing was to happen with her and Piper she knew that the whole concept of being with someone would never be the same again.
Alex heard running water upstairs as she finished up returning the living room to its original state. She assumed that her mom would be downstairs soon and so bent down at the fridge and picked out a pack of bacon before scouring the cupboards for a loaf of bread. Alex placed two strips of bacon in a pan and was whistling a rendition of an old Coldplay song when Diane entered.
"Well someone's feeling chirpy this morning, you must have had a good night" Diane chuckled causing Alex to drop the kitchen utensil in her hand.
"Shit Mom" Alex murmured, picking the utensil up from the floor and turning towards her mom. "A little warning would be nice." Alex smirked at her mom and pointed towards the sizzling pan, "Bacon?" she asked.
"Ooo lovely," Diane replied. "You can come home more often!" Diane took a seat at the dining room table whilst Alex flipped the bacon. The older woman's hair was wet and hung by her shoulders and she watched with admiration as Alex placed the two strips of bacon in bread for her mom. Diane thanked her daughter before taking a bite of the sandwich.
"So" Alex said sitting down opposite her mom. "What do you think?" Alex rung her hands nervously as she asked the question. Her face was lined with light worry and her eyes flitted across her mother's face waiting for a reaction.
"Hmm, bit crispy for me" Diane said, looking at her daughter and smirking. From the look on her daughter's face Diane could tell what Alex was getting at, however she decided to take advantage of the rare nervous state Alex was in.
Alex looked sternly at her mom, "You know what I meant."
Sensing the seriousness in Alex's voice, Diane laughed, "I think she's amazing".
Alex visibly relaxed and let out a huge sigh of relief, "Really?" she asked. Her bright green eyes shone with a happiness that she couldn't keep from her face as she beamed across at her mom.
"Honestly Al, my only want as a parent is for you to be happy and it's so obvious how she makes you feel- I think she's perfect for you" Diane smiled taking.
"So do I" Alex beamed at her mom.
Alex stood up from the table and placed four more strips of bacon in the pan. She'd just finished plating up two bacon sandwiches when Piper came down the stairs. Piper greeted Diane and took a seat next to her at the table. Alex's heart swooped when she saw Piper; her hair was pulled into a messy bun and was sticking up at all angles, she was wearing one of Alex's oversized t-shirts and her bright blue eyes were barely open. Even in her most natural form Piper was by far the most beautiful thing also had even seen. Diane glanced from the blonde to Alex who was staring at Piper with her mouth slightly parted. Alex noticed her mom looking at her and regained her composure.
"Good morning beautiful… again" Alex said sweetly as she placed a plate in front of Piper.
"Thanks so much," Piper replied, picking the sandwich up and taking a big bite- she was loving this new domesticated Alex. Piper's mind started to wander as Alex and Diane discussed the village gossip that was unearthed last night. She started to think about a future with Alex for the first time, she thought about coming to dinner at Diane's more often and making a tradition of attending the annual charity event. She thought about waking up every morning, how she'd woken up this morning- in the arms of Alex.
Jesus Chapman, snap out of it. You're not even together.
"How did you sleep Piper?" Diane asked, pulling Piper out of her daydream.
Piper blushed deeply, thinking specifically of all the time her and Alex had spent in bed not sleeping, before replying "Great, thank you".
Alex raised her eyebrow at Piper and smirked, guessing what the blonde was thinking about, earning a soft kick under the table from the blonde.
"How are you feeling about this week Al?" Diane asked, turning her attention to her daughter.
The smirk on Alex's face faded slightly as she shrugged nonchalantly at her mom. Alex had tried to put her upcoming trail to the back of her mind but since the charity event was now over there wasn't much more she could think about. Alex wasn't really one to get nervous but there was so much at stake for her this week, her stomach churned in reflex as she contemplated failing.
"You'll be amazing Alex," Piper smiled, gently placing her hand over Alex's. Piper's blue eyes met Alex's green ones, Piper could tell that behind the brave exterior Alex was truly nervous about trails. She knew the raven haired girl opposite her well enough now to know that Alex was very good at hiding her vulnerable side, but that wasn't to say that she didn't have one.
"I agree" Diane said as she collected the plates from the table and took them to the kitchen sink. "You'll be amazing babe."
Alex smiled reassuringly at Piper before squeezing her hand.
"So I was thinking," Diane said, returning from the kitchen wiping her wet hands down the sides of her black sweatpants, "How does a movie day sound today?"
"Sounds great!" Piper replied.
…...
When Piper and Alex returned downstairs after putting fresh pyjamas on Diane had turned the lights off and set out blankets on the sofa. Alex helped her mom to set up the DVD player before sitting on the sofa and placing her arm around the blonde next to her. Piper settled down and placed her legs over Alex's lap before covering them both with a blanket. Alex used her spare hand to lovingly rub Piper's calf.
Diane decided on Harry Potter and jumped onto the free sofa, wrapping herself in the spare blanket she smiled across at Alex and Piper, "You guys make me feel so single" she laughed.
"We'll find you someone Mom, I know loads of straight men" Alex replied.
"Should I be worried" Piper laughed before resting her head on Alex's chest and becoming intrigued in the film.
Alex was obsessed with watching Piper's reactions during the film, the blonde watched with her mouth slightly open in concentration- she laughed adoringly at the funny parts and clung tightly to Alex's arm during the tenser scenes.
During the film Alex's mind wandered to trails again. It was very common for girls to get turned down from trials and then get invited again at a later date, but that wasn't the point. Alex wanted to make a career out of soccer, if she got rejected now- where would that leave her for the rest of her life? Piper grabbed onto Alex's arm again as Lord Voldemort was revealed in the film, Alex looked down and smiled- somehow thinking about Piper squashed her worrying thoughts of the future.
…...
The credits of the second film started and Piper felt her stomach dive- she knew that it was almost time to leave. The plan was for Nicky's friend, Donte, to collect Piper from Alex's and take her back to college whilst Diane would take Alex to the airport for her evening flight to Chicago. Alex squeezed Piper's hand under the blanket before getting up to switch the TV off, leaving a sleeping Diane on the sofa. Alex pointed towards the ceiling, gesturing for Piper to come upstairs with her. They tiptoed out of the room and climbed the stairs in silence.
"We should probably make sure we're all packed" Alex said as they reached her room, she busied herself flicking through her wardrobe. Piper could tell that Alex didn't want to talk.
"Al…"
Alex hummed in response but didn't turn around to face the blonde.
Piper approached Alex from behind and gently spun around so that they were facing. Alex lifted her face to make eye contact, Piper realised that her eyes were wide with worry. For the first time since the pair had known one another Alex seemed timid, almost scared. Piper lifted her hand to Alex's face and gently stroked her cheekbone, the light touch caused Alex to close her eyes.
"I don't want to leave you" Alex whispered, Piper had never heard this tone in Alex's voice- it made her feel protective over the dark haired girl. Alex placed her hand over Piper's and kissed her gently on the lips. The kiss deepened but not in a lustful, desiring way- in a passionate and emotional way. Alex had never kissed anyone like she kissed Piper- every kiss was like their first kiss. Alex was convinced that she would never get bored of the feeling of Piper's lips on hers.
As the pair parted from the kiss Alex felt the threat of 3 words at the back of her throat, but she couldn't bring herself to say them.
Don't ruin this Vause.
…...
"Thank you so much for having me Diane" Piper said as Diane pulled her into a long hug.
Diane smiled into the hug and clung to Piper lovingly. "I should be the one thanking you Piper". Piper didn't need to ask Diane what she meant. She smiled genuinely at the older woman who waved at her one last time before disappearing into the depths of the house- leaving the two girls alone.
Piper's heart rate increased and she felt the threat of tears in her eyes as she realised it was now time to say goodbye to Alex.
Pull yourself together Chapman.
Alex had regained her composure since her earlier spout of vulnerability and realised that she needed to be strong for Piper who was equally struggling. Alex wrapped her arms around Piper and embraced her tightly, resting her chin on Piper's head as she did so.
"I'm going to do you proud this week babe, I promise" Alex whispered as she pulled away from the hug and looked into Piper's shining blue eyes. The lump in Piper's throat was too prominent for her to speak, all she could do was nod back at Alex and squeeze her hand.
…...
Piper stared out of the window on the way back to college thinking about much she had taken the weekend for granted. She wished that it was possible to travel back in time and start this weekend all over again. The car journey passed in silence, Donte soon realised that Piper was in no mood to talk and so left her to look out of the window for the whole journey. The winter sun had faded during Piper's time in the car and night was starting to fall by the time she recognised that she was getting close to Litchfield.
Piper felt a surge of excitement as she realised she wouldn't be alone for much longer, being back in familiar surroundings made her smile slightly.
"Happy to be back huh?" Donte laughed, looking over at Piper who nodded in response. "It's always difficult to come back after a nice weekend, you and your girlfriend will be together again soon though I'm sure. Gotta' get through the rough bit by remembering the good bit innit?"
Piper smiled at the driver, hearing him refer to Alex as her girlfriend made her giddy with happiness- even if it wasn't exactly true.
…...
Piper had barely stepped foot into the dorm when she saw Lorna crane her head around her bedroom door.
"Piper!" she yelped before running up the corridor and jumping into Piper's arms.
Piper laughed and hugged her friend lovingly. Usually not being one for dramatic reunions, Piper couldn't help but hold onto Lorna today.
"You're back! How are you? You need to come in and tell us all about your weekend" Lorna beamed, she grabbed Piper's hand and led her into the bedroom where Nicky was sprawled on the bed watching soccer. Piper's heart dropped slightly as she longed to be able to walk into her bedroom and see Alex doing the same.
"Look who's back!" Lorna squealed at Nicky.
"Oh great, just when I was starting to get attention" Nicky groaned before winking at Piper. "Come on then, spill the beans! How was your weekend?" Lorna sat on the bed next to Nicky, both of them paying Piper their full attention and looking at her expectantly. Piper took a seat at the end of the bed and crossed her legs.
"It was amazing" she smiled. "Honestly, it was everything I imagined it would be!"
Lorna practically jumped off the bed with excitement, "I told you! I told you! Didn't I say she'd have the best time? "Lorna screeched, hitting Nicky repeatedly.
"Jesus Lorn, yes you did" Nicky laughed swatting at Lorna to stop hitting her. "I want to know details" Nicky smirked.
"I'm not discussing the sex with you Nicky" Piper laughed, she was slowly getting used to how often that particular topic arose when Nicky was around.
"I wasn't referring to the sex Chapman, although now I know you had sex I'll be sure to quiz Alex" she replied, caused Piper to groan with embarrassment. "I want to know about her mom, what's she like?" Nicky asked.
"She's so nice," Piper smiled. "She looks like Alex and acts like her too, it's quite scary how similar they are actually. She's so kind and caring, her and Al are so sweet toge…"
"Wait" Lorna interrupted Piper's rambling evidently confused. "You've never met her?" she asked Nicky.
"What, me?" Nicky asked, laughing in disbelief. "Fuck no, Alex's mom may as well be the Queen of England. Sure, I've seen her before at soccer matches but Alex whisks her away before anyone can meet her. Her mom's too important to her…she never introduces her to anyone unless she knows they're gonna' be around for a while!"
Piper smiled sweetly, "I didn't know that."
"Well now you do" Nicky smiled, "You're special to her Chapman- remember that."
Piper smiled and nodded at Nicky. Nicky's words meant a lot to Piper, she felt a sudden threat of tears as she remembered that she couldn't see Alex until the end of the week. Knowing that she had received some sort of special treatment by being introduced to Diane made her want to burst with pride.
"Right, I'll leave you two lovebirds to it." Piper stood up. "I won't cock block you anymore" she smirked towards Nicky before turning towards the door.
"Yeah Chapman, leave me and my girlfriend alone" Nicky shouted after her. Piper froze in the doorway and quickly spun around.
"What?!" she screeched. "Did you just say girlfriend? She said girlfriend!" Piper exclaimed towards Lorna, who was laughing and nodding in response. "You let me talk in here for so long without telling me!" Piper jumped back onto the bed in-between the two girls and hugged them both tightly. "You guys! I'm so happy for you both! I want the full story tomorrow!" she beamed as she skipped out of the room once more.
…...
It was almost midnight by the time Alex reached the team hotel. The hotel was unlike anything Alex had ever seen before, she had to strain her neck to view the full height of the building. A man wearing a long red coat opened the door for Alex and tipped his hat to her in greeting. Alex smiled at him as she entered the foyer of the hotel. She gasped in disbelief, the floor of the hotel was white stone and sophisticated chandeliers hung from the vast ceiling. The back wall of the foyer was covered by glass elevators, Alex followed one of the elevators with her eyes as it shot up the wall. The rest of the walls were covered in windows that led directly into the rooms. Alex could have sworn she saw someone staring at her from one of the windows but was distracted when a voice in front of her spoke out.
"Alex Vause?"
Alex looked away from the window and found a short, stern looking female stood in front of her.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Coach Murphy." The women explained, extending her hand. Alex grasped her hand and shook it politely. The coach was wearing a navy tracksuit with the national emblem on her chest. Her hair was short and swept across her face, Alex got the impression that Coach Murphy wasn't someone to mess with.
"You're all checked in," Coach Murphy explained as she made her way across the foyer gesturing for Alex to follow her. "You have an introductory meeting with the Head Coach tomorrow followed by breakfast with the rest of the team. You are one of two trialists, but you will not receive any special treatment, understand?"
Alex nodded as she followed Coach Murphy into the elevator.
"This week will consist of fitness tests, gym sessions, team building, tactical awareness and general game play. You will be amongst the finest female players this country has to offer, don't disappoint" Coach Murphy exited the elevator and made her way down a maze of corridors. "Kit is on the bed ready for you, report downstairs to me at 8:00am tomorrow and I will escort you to the Head Coach- do not be late."
Coach Murphy stopped abruptly and held out a card key to Alex. "This is your room for the week, get some sleep." Alex accepted the key and watched as Coach Murphy marched back down the corridor.
Alex presented the card in front of the door which swung open in response. She stepped inside the room causing the doors to swing shut behind her. Alex was immediately drawn to the back window, the city lights of Chicago were breath-taking, Alex took in the views for a few moments before turning to examine the room. The room was separated with a partition wall containing a large fish tank that was visible on both sides of the room. One side contained a platform upon which was a large white bed scattered with pillows and blankets as well as the kit that Coach Murphy had referred to. Alex walked around to the other side of the room that looked out onto the foyer below, she looked across to the huge TV that took up the whole of the partition wall and then to the cream sofa.
This is insane.
She walked back around the room to the bed and sifted through the uniform that was laid out. Alex picked up her training shirt, she gently ran her hands over the stitched national emblem and shook her head in disbelief. She spun the shirt around so she could see the large number 24 emblazed on the back of it. She smiled to herself and jumped back onto the large bed, sinking into it. She reached for her phone and sent a message to her mom before typing out a message to Piper.
Alex: Just got here safe babe, the hotel is amazing- wish u could see it. I miss u so much.
Alex slept like a baby and was woken when the sun started to blare through the hotel windows, she'd fallen asleep so suddenly last night that she had forgotten to draw the curtains. Alex stretched and made her way to the stone bathroom to prepare for the day. Once showered and dried Alex put her uniform on. She stared at herself in the bathroom mirror and smiled, she was wearing navy tracksuit bottoms and a polo t-shirt with USA written across the front of it. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail and she had her trademark glasses on. Alex made sure her gym bag was packed before checking her appearance one last time and heading out to meet Coach Murphy.
"Morning Coach" Alex smiled as she approached Coach Murphy.
"Vause", the Coach nodded in return before leading Alex through the breakfast restaurant and into the conference centre of the hotel. Alex followed in silence. They entered a white corridor lined with wooden doors and glass windows leading into empty offices. Coach Murphy stopped and tapped on an office door, she opened the door and ushered Alex inside before shutting the door firmly behind her.
Alex looked around the office, it looked out across the hotel gardens- a pleasant change from the views of the city. A desk was located in the middle of the room facing the window and there was someone sat in the desk chair with their back to the door. In the corner of the room there were two cream armchairs, the rest of the walls were covered in bookcases. Alex lingered awkwardly before clearing her throat causing the person in the chair to turn around.
The woman had an aged face and short, bright red hair. She placed down the paperwork she was sorting through and stood up. She looked intimidating but her eyes softened slightly when she saw Alex.
"Vause?" she said in a thick Russian accent. Alex nodded, causing the woman to extend her hand and grip Alex's tightly. "Galina Reznikov, Head Coach- call me Red."
"It's nice to meet you, Red" Alex said. Red gestured for Alex to take a seat in one of the armchairs before sitting down opposite her. The chairs had a perfect view of the garden, Alex and Red sat in silence for a few moments watching the morning scene. Alex could have sworn she saw a chicken walking out of the perfectly trimmed hedges when Red spoke distracting her from the bird.
"So…" Red started, "No doubt Coach Murphy has explained how this week will work. We are often… hesitant, to invite people to trails, unless we are fairly confident of their ability. I have watched you play a number of times Alex, I must say that it is rare to come across such a talent that has so far gone un-scouted."
"You've seen me play?" Alex asked, evidently surprised.
"Oh yes, your name has been brought to me on many occasions- I needed to see for myself what the fuss was about" Red smirked as she sipped at the mug of black coffee laid out in front of her. "This is not like college soccer Alex, you will not be top dog here- you will be at the very bottom of the pile. Learning your place here will be the ultimate judge of resilience and character."
Alex nodded in response, she was still shocked that the head coach of the US was at her soccer game and she never realised.
"Up for the challenge kid?"
Alex was about to speak when there was a brief knock at the door before it opened and firmly shut again.
"Ah, this must be our second trialist" Red said before standing up to greet the girl who had just entered the room.
"Sylvia Summer, but everyone calls me Sylvie," Alex spun around in her chair. Her heart beat spiked, her stomach churned and her breathing increased. She muttered a number of expletives before standing up to get a better view of the girl. She was only slightly shorter than Alex and was of a slightly bigger build. She had brunette hair that was pulled into a tight bun at the top of her head. Alex would have recognised that face even in a crowded room.
Sylvie shook Red's hand before averting her gaze to Alex, she approached her and held out her hand smirking, "Alex, I believe we've met before."
Coach Murphy and Red escorted both Alex and Sylvie to breakfast, where the rest of the team were waiting.
"Ladies!" Coach Murphy shouted. The group of players were all wearing their navy uniforms and were gathered across three long tables. They were yet to start eating and had all been chatting and patiently waiting when Red and Coach Murphy had entered with the girls.
"Fresh meat" one of the girls had shouted, causing the rest of the group to erupt into laughter.
"Easy girls" Red smirked. "We have two trialists joining us this week, Sylvie Summer scouted from Bartford University- plays in either full back position and Alex Vause, captain of Litchfield University- plays centre forward position. Be nice, these girls could be taking your spot- no one on this team is irreplaceable."
Red smiled at Alex and Sylvie before instructing the girls to start eating.
The breakfast room was set up in a buffet style. Fruit, yogurt and cereal was available at the cold food buffet. Alex's stomach churned when she passed the food, she really didn't feel like eating. Instead she made her way to the toast station and put two slices of brown bread into the industrial style toaster. Alex could sense that Sylvie was staring at her but chose to ignore her, if there was one thing she wanted to avoid today it was speaking to Sylvie Summer. Once Alex's toast was finished she made her way to the front of the room and awkwardly peered around for a space. Alex felt small and vulnerable in the vast room, like a new kid at school.
"Yo Specs, pull up a pew" one of the girls shouted over to Alex.
Alex smirked slightly at the nickname before pulling up a chair next to a young brunette girl.
The brunette smiled at Alex; "It's nothing personal" she said. "Everyone on the team has nicknames, this is JC, Sonny, Gibbo and I am Ashley"
"We haven't thought of a suitable nickname for her yet" Sonny stated.
Alex laughed and greeted each girl around the table.
"So Litchfield eh?" Ashley asked as she tucked into the plate of sausages and scrambled egg in front of her.
Alex nodded, finishing the piece of toast in her mouth before replying "Sophomore year."
"Wow, you're young for a trialist then!" JC chirped from the end of the table.
"You know what I think I've actually heard about you before!" Gibbo exclaimed. "You were top goal scorer last year weren't you? There was a massive story about you missing a penalty in the cup final."
Alex laughed; "Yep. Thanks for reminding me of that one".
"Better than scoring an own goal in the World cup semis, Gibbo" Sonny laughed.
"Hey, you said you wouldn't mention that again" Gibbo groaned, throwing her napkin at her friend. "Plus we won the match so there's no problem."
"Yeah we won no thanks to you" JC laughed.
Once breakfast was over Coach Murphy ordered everyone to go and collect their belongings ready to travel to the National Sports Centre. Alex picked up her gym bag and retrieved her phone from the side pocket. She unlocked it and scrolled through her good luck messages from Nicky and her mom, she saved Piper's message until last.
Piper: I miss you so much. I'm so proud of you. X
Alex felt a sharp pang of admiration in her chest, she couldn't even begin to describe how she felt towards Piper. She began to type out a message as she left her room.
"I remember when I used to wish you'd smile at me like that", Alex looked up, startled to see Sylvie stood right in front of her. "Are you just going to ignore me this whole time?" Sylvie asked, gently grabbing onto Alex's arm.
"I'm here to play soccer Sylvie, I don't want drama" Alex said putting her phone into the side pocket of her bag and slowly moving away from Sylvie's touch.
"Don't you think you owe me an explanation?" Sylvie asked, sadness in her eyes. "I was completely falling in love with you and you just dropped me like I was nothing."
"I'm sorry Sylvie, I've told you before- I'm not a relationship person. I didn't mean to hurt you" Alex shifted awkwardly on her feet, looking up and down the corridor to ensure that none of her team mates walked in on this exchange.
"And what about now? The way you were looking at your phone? Are you ready for a relationship now?" Sylvie questioned.
"Things are different now Sylvie, we're here as team mates- that should be our focus this week," she felt bad as she smiled weakly at Sylvie and head off down the corridor.
Alex had met Sylvie in her freshman year, Litchfield had just been beaten by Bartford in the cup final and were drowning their sorrows in a local club when the Bartford girls had come in to celebrate. Alex had lost the game for the girls by missing a penalty and had gotten ridiculously drunk. She just wanted to forget her own existence. She revelled in the fact that Sylvie was giving her so much attention, Sylvie couldn't keep her hands off the dark haired girl. Alex had woken up the next day alongside her in bed. They'd met once more after that, at this meeting Sylvie had told Alex that she was slowly falling in love with her. It was all so fast and dramatic- Alex didn't want a relationship and had felt genuinely guilty to have to confess this to Sylvie. They hadn't seen each other since. Alex Vause was scared of commitment, well she was scared of commitment- now adays commitment to one person in particular was all she could think about.
…...
Piper had her headphones in and was fast approaching her fifth hour of studying. She was sat cross legged on her bed surrounded by text books and was tapping wildly at her laptop. Piper was so immersed in her work that she didn't realise Lorna had entered.
"Are you still doing this?!" Lorna asked. Piper didn't reply to her friend and continued to rapidly tap on her keyboard.
"Piper?" Lorna shouted taking the headphones out of Piper's ears.
"Wh…what?" Piper stammered.
"Why are you still working?" Lorna asked crossing her arms. "You've been doing it all day, you need a break."
"I need to get it done Lorn" Piper replied, before returning her eyes to the screen.
"Hmm, either that or you're distracting yourself from a certain someone" Lorna stipulated. Piper hadn't been herself for the past few days, she was really trying- Lorna could see that but she was failing at hiding her despair. Lorna had tried everything to get Piper out of her room, even Nicky had tried but it was proving difficult.
"OK" Piper replied, defeated she put her laptop down on the bed in front of her. "Guilty."
Lorna uncrossed her arms and sat on the bed, looking at Piper with sympathetic eyes. "I know how you feel Pipes, it won't be long though- I promise."
"I really didn't expect to miss her this much" Piper laughed.
"Just shows how much you loveeeee her" Lorna sung.
"Fuck off" Piper laughed, nudging her friend. Piper had felt like a part of her had been missing for the last few days. She had spoken to Alex on the phone but it wasn't the same. All she wanted to do was see Alex's eyes, her lips, her face- to make sure she was okay. Piper's heart felt twisted and her stomach churned as she contemplated a life without Alex. Piper found herself spending the evenings thinking about what these feelings meant- surely this wasn't normal, to miss someone this much after a few days.
"We need to get you out of here," Lorna smiled, as she noticed that Piper's face had gone vacant. "Let's go for dinner, come on I'll message everyone and we'll all go for something to eat."
Piper sighed but eventually gave in, she was truly grateful to have a friend like Lorna.
…...
Lorna and Piper walked arm in arm to their favourite Italian restaurant in Litchfield, DeMarco's. Ever since the disastrous double date with Polly Piper had avoided the other restaurant on the college campus. DeMarco's was a quiet restaurant that not many people knew about, the restaurant had been introduced to the pair by the soccer team who often held their team meals here. The restaurant was spread across one level and there was a large bar located at the back of the room.
"Here they are, Mrs Vause and Mrs Nicholls" Boo shouted from across the restaurant.
The girls laughed as they approached the table; Boo, Poussey and Nicky already had drinks in front of them. Piper felt strange seeing the group without Alex- it just didn't feel right. Nicky noticed Piper's face drop slightly and moved around the table allowing Piper to take a seat in between her and Poussey- who nodded at Piper before continuing her Steph Curry vs Lebron James debate with Boo. Lorna rolled her eyes at the basketball conversation before disappearing off to the toilet.
"You okay Chapman?" Nicky whispered discreetly, she'd just ordered Lorna and Piper a cocktail each and her big brown eyes looked genuinely concerned as she spoke to Piper. Piper was continually being surprised by how much Nicky cared about her and Alex.
Piper nodded in response and smiled sweetly at Nicky, "I feel so pathetic missing her after a few days" she laughed.
"Love does funny things to you Chapman" Nicky replied, taking a sip of her drink and raising her eyebrow towards Piper.
Piper laughed at Nicky and took a sip of the cocktail that the waiter had just placed in front of her, it tasted like pure vodka and Piper could feel it affecting her head as soon as she swallowed the liquid. Lorna took a seat next to Nicky and smiled before lifting her drink to her mouth, she spluttered and coughed as the strong liqueur slid down her throat. Nicky patted Lorna on the back lovingly whilst laughing.
"These freshman still can't handle their drink" Nicky smirked shaking her head.
Piper laughed and jumped slightly as her phone vibrated, she quickly grabbed it and smiled as she saw Alex's name.
Alex: Hi beautiful. Just got back from training. I miss you. X
Piper: Hey, have you had a good day? I miss you so much more
Alex: I've had a great day, Red told me I'm coming along well- I'm just super tired now. What are you up too?
Piper: I'm actually at dinner with all of your favourite people!
Alex: Comfort eating because you miss me so much?
Piper: Exactly!
"How is she then?" Boo asked Piper.
"Who?" Piper replied startled as her attention was drawn away from her phone.
"I'm guessing from that goofy smile on your face you're talking to a certain tall, dark, lesbian?"
Piper laughed, "Oh yeah… She's fine, just tired -she's had loads of fitness tests the last couple of days". Piper loved being asked about Alex, it filled her with a sense of pride and love to know that she was now associated with the dark haired girl.
"She don't need fitness tests, couldn't you comment on her stamina Chapman?" Poussey asked, causing the girls to laugh in unison.
…...
Alex had spent her second afternoon being put through her paces by the team fitness instructor. The session had consisted of sprint training and weight lifting in the gym. Alex had passed all of her fitness tests with flying colours and was keen to impress over the last day and a half of trails. Alex was not surprised by the fact that she had played hardly any soccer, Bennett had warned her that the national team put emphasis on a player's physical and mental capabilities before focusing on their actual gameplay.
After their initial encounter on the first day of trials Alex had managed to avoid Sylvie. During their team meeting on the first day Alex had caught Sylvie staring at her but chose to smile civilly at her before turning away again. Alex wasn't the only one who was noticing Sylvie's uncomfortable obsession with the dark haired girl.
"What is her problem man?" Ashely had asked as Alex finished up another set of squats in their earlier gym session. "She keeps staring at you." Alex had turned around and shrugged her shoulders, Ashley was staring in the direction of Sylvie who was blushing- obviously ashamed at being caught.
"You know her?" Ashley probed, placing her hands under the weight bar to ensure Alex didn't drop any as she started after set off squats.
Alex sighed, fuck.
"Kinda'" Alex said honestly.
Ashley raised her eyebrow in response.
"I hooked up with her about a year ago."
"Shit" Ashley laughed. "That's it? Just a hook up?"
"Yeah" Alex replied, shrugging her shoulders as they made their way back to the changing rooms. "She wanted more and I didn't, that was really it." Alex crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her polo shirt off, revealing the sports bra and toned abs underneath.
Ashley caught Sylvie checking Alex out in the mirror. "She's got it bad", Ashely laughed.
…...
"I finally get to play soccer today! Red wants it to be set up like a real match. The teams get announced this morning, we actually have to travel to the venue separately and everything" Alex explained as she unloaded her gym bag for the third time to check that she definitely had everything. She had her phone pinned to her ear by her right shoulder.
"Wow, they take it seriously then" Diane said down the phone.
"Mmm.." Alex hummed as she smoothed out a crease in her training kit.
"Come on, fess up- what's wrong?"
"Urgh, I'm just stuck in a sticky situation."
"Wanna' talk about it?"
"I feel like an awful person"
Diane stayed silent, allowing Alex to continue.
"There's someone here who I used to be… friendly…. with and she seems to still have feelings for me. I feel like such an awful person for making her upset"
"And how have you made her upset?"
"Because I told her when I last saw her that I didn't want a relationship."
"Well that's fair enough…"
"But now I feel differently, I do want a relationship- but not with her. Does that make me a bad person?"
"No babe, it certainly doesn't make you a bad person!"
"Mmm..."
"You've just got to think Al, what would make her more upset- you telling the truth or you stringing her along and allowing her feelings to get stronger?"
"True" Alex replied. "I've only got one person on my mind"
"That's my girl", Alex could almost hear Diane smiling down the phone. "You'll be back with her soon."
"I'm so excited" Alex smiled as she tucked everything safely back into her bag for the final time.
"Now you go and smash today babe, I'll be rooting for you."
"Thanks mom, love you"
"Love you too babe"
Alex smiled again as she hung up the phone, speaking to her mom always made her feel better. She felt a hunger for success rise in her stomach, she was going to give today all she had- not just for her own future but for her mom's.
Alex made her way down to breakfast and was stopped by Coach Murphy at the bottom of the elevator. The Coach had a clip board in her hand and ran her finger down the page of names.
"Vause," she said. "Team A." She pointed towards the conference centre which had been opened up as a makeshift breakfast room. Alex hauled her bag onto her shoulder and made her way into the conference room where Ashley was already sat at the table.
"Yes Specs" Ashley cheered as she fist pumped Alex. "The A team are part of Team A".
Alex laughed and took a seat next to her. The room had been set up to mirror the main breakfast area, there were jugs of water and orange juice placed on the single long table. A waiter greeted the girls and placed a basket of bakery products in the middle of the table. Alex looked up the table, scanning the faces of today's team mates. She noticed that Sylvie was sat at the end of the table, Alex sighed in relief- the last thing she wanted was to be attacking against Sylvie today.
"Welcome to the best day of trials" Ashely exclaimed as she lifted her glass of orange towards Alex before taking a sip. "You ready?" she asked.
Alex nodded as she reached for a croissant from the basket in the middle of the table, "Ready as I'll ever be".
As the room filled up the girls chatted nervously between themselves, there was an uncomfortable tension in the air as the team waited to for their transport.
"Why is everyone so nervous?" Alex asked quietly.
"This isn't just a trial for you Specs," Ashley replied, spreading jam on her croissant. "This is a trail for everyone, you heard what Red said- no one is irreplaceable."
…...
Alex felt like she was in an alternative world, dressed in her blue Team USA kit she was playing her usual changing room playlist through her headphones. The music pumped through Alex's body, she tapped her feet in time to the beat and closed her eyes. It was strange to be in a changing room without Janae's last minute press ups or Nicky's crazy dancing. Alex smiled slightly at the memory. She opened her eyes and removed her headphones as Red entered the room. Alex pulled her socks up higher before giving the red headed woman her full attention.
"Right girls" she barked. "The majority of you know how this works, for those who don't- let me explain. Today those girls in the other room are not your friends, they are not your team mates, they are your enemies. The people in this room are your team, your family, you are to put everything on the line for them today. If you do not perform in this game, I do not expect you to perform in the big games."
Alex glanced around the changing rooms nervously, the majority of the girls seemed equally worried.
"Vause, Summer- you'll both be starting on the bench. We'll get you both on for the second half," Red said before demanding the girls to get ready and out onto the pitch as soon as possible.
Alex felt slightly disappointed that she wouldn't be starting the match, it was an unfamiliar feeling for Alex to not be favoured on the soccer pitch- the feeling only added fuel to the fire growing in her stomach. Alex pulled on her coat and threw a neon vest over it- signalling that she was a team substitute. She followed the rest of the team out of the changing rooms but instead of heading onto the pitch she took a seat on the bench running adjacent to it. Sylvie took a seat next to Alex.
Throughout the first half Red paced along the touchline of the pitch barking orders at the girls, Coach Murphy marched behind the older woman occasionally writing down notes on a small notepad. Alex watched the match in awe, the speed and agility of the women close up was quite terrifying. Team B seemed to have a physical advantage and dominated the match, Sonny was lethal as a defender and wasn't letting Ashley have a second on the ball. Alex was getting frustrated watching her team lose the ball repeatedly in important areas. By the time the half time whistle had blown Team A were losing 3 goals to nil.
The team were sat in a defeated silence when Red had entered the changing room.
"Vause, Summer you're on" Red barked. "Girls, I'm not going to tell you how to get yourself out of this hole, you're all professionals you need to come up with a solution" she looked expectantly at the team who awkwardly glanced around waiting for someone to speak up.
"We could break Sonny's legs?" one of the girls suggested jokingly.
"Do you think this is funny?" Red glared at the girl who had made the suggestion.
"Urm… I have an idea" Alex spoke up nervously. Red looked at Alex, urging her to continue. "We seem to be losing the ball whenever it's played straight to our striker's feet, Sonny's too good to play like that. We have to exploit her weakness- her pace. If we make the runs in behind her and lift the ball with enough precision our striker's will be in on goal easily."
The room stayed silent after Alex had finished speaking.
Red raised her eyebrow, "Now someone explain to me why it took a fucking trialist to figure that out" she spat before slamming the door behind her.
Alex's heart was beating incredibly fast as she stood waiting for the second half to begin, as soon as the whistle blew her nerves disappeared and she snapped into 'game mode'. Alex chased down every ball and made hazy runs around the pitch attempting to perplex the defenders. Alex could tell that the defenders were tiring, she spotted that Sonny had left a gap in the back four of defenders and darted towards it- Alex pointed at the space with her hand as Sylvie ran with the ball down the right wing. Sylvie crossed the ball, it reached Alex who chested it onto her right foot and volleyed it into the top right corner of the goal. Ashley jumped onto the back of Alex and it felt as though the rest of the team had joined her. Alex bent over with the weight of the team, her head and back being repeatedly tapped by her excited teammates. When the girls had released her Alex ran to the goal and retrieved the ball, ready to go again. As she was running back to the centre of the pitch she called out to Sylvie.
"Summer?"
Sylvie turned around. Alex held out her hand, "Nice ball." Sylvie smiled and slapped Alex's hand with her own.
"Trialists are running the show," She smirked.
Alex had a hand in the team's second goal as well. She received the ball on the left wing and passed it through the legs of one of the defenders, she could see Ashley making a run into the middle of the box and chipped the ball perfectly into her. Ashely stuck out a long leg and the ball looped over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net. Alex lifted her arms into the air in jubilation, Ashley pointed towards Alex and ran towards her to celebrate.
Alex was preparing herself for the gameplay to start again when the final whistle blew. She looked around confused, she didn't realise that the match had been going on so long. Her heart dropped as she realised that despite her efforts they had lost the match. She respectfully shook hands with the other team and congratulated them on their victory.
"I can't believe you play college soccer Specs, you ran rings around me" Sonny laughed. Alex smiled at Sonny but couldn't hide the disappointment from her face as she head off the field.
"Well played kid" Red said, patting Alex on the back as she passed.
…...
The teams piled off the coaches at the hotel and said their goodbyes in the foyer. The training camp was officially over and the team were all due to head back home.
"It was nice to meet you" Gibbo said, "I'm sorry about the penalty dig" she smiled at Alex.
"Bye Specs, thanks for the assist today- I owe you" Ashley hugged Alex, who hugged her back almost awkwardly.
"Vause? Summer? Can you spare 5 minutes?" Coach Murphy called from across the foyer. Alex and Sylvie followed Coach Murphy through the foyer and into Red's office.
"Girls…" Red smiled looking at the two girls. "Well done for getting through trails. I hope we haven't scared you too much. You've both done really well. Coach Murphy and I will take some time to compile our notes and make a decision about what we think is next for the pair of you. As you may know, we have been invited to take part in an Invitational cup in the summer- the top 8 teams in the world will be competing. If all goes well we hope that you will be able to join us at that tournament. Safe journey home, we'll write to you when we've made a decision."
Red extended her hand to the girls one by one and shook their hands.
A/N- Thanks for the great response to me being back! I love seeing what you guys think. This chapter took me longer than expected because I thought it seemed a bit too jumpy. I'll still not thrilled with it but hopefully you enjoy! I have full on plans for the next 6 chapters and have ideas for more after that so plenty more to come with this story. As long as you are enjoying- I'll keep writing! Lots of love- C. xxx