Disclaimer: I don't own The Last of Us.

"Ellie! C'mon out here, kid! I got something to show ya!"

Hearing the voice of her father figure calling for her to join him, Ellie put down her guitar and left her bedroom. She headed down stairs and stepped out into the back yard, where she found Joel awaiting for her. As she approached him, the young girl's freckled face scrunched up to see he was holding something in his hands.

"What's that ya got?" Ellie asked.

"Man, you really didn't get to have any fun in the quarantine zone, did you?"" Joel chuckled with a shake of his head. "It's a soccer ball."

"A what ball?!"

"A soccer ball. Sarah and I used to have great fun with this back in the day." Joel threw the ball in the air and caught it with his hands, smiling at the girl he had come to love as his adoptive daughter. "And now I think it's time I did the same with you."

"Okaaayyy…" Ellie said, raising and eyebrow. "Sooooo what are we supposed to do with it?"

"This is how we play; I'm gonna stand in front of you while you have the ball. You have to kick it to try to get it past me."

"Why?"

"That's what happens in a game of soccer. The more times you kick the ball past the goal keeper-"

"The what keeper?"

"Never mind. The more times you get it past me, the closer you get to victory!"

"How does getting the ball past me help me win?"

"Because it does!" Joel sighed, getting fed up of having to explain the rules of soccer to this one teenager who had never heard of it. "You just take the ball and take it past me."

Joel hurled the ball towards Ellie. She caught it in her hands as she watched her guardian walk past her. The bearded man stood in front of the house. He was about to put all the energy he used to kill clickers and runners to attempt to stop the ball from getting past him.

"Ready when you are, Ellie!" he called.

"Okay!" Determined to beat her father figure at this game she'd never played before, Ellie sneer as she clutched the ball before running towards Joel. "Try and stop me!"

"Whoa, whoa, who!" Joel held his hands up. "You stop right there, young lady!"

"Why?"Ellie came to a vault as she stared at Joel with bewilderment. "I'm supposed to get the ball past you, aren't I?"

"That's right, you are! But you're not supposed to carry it past me! You have to kick it!"

"Kick it?" Ellie stared at the ball, thinking the idea of using her foot to get it past Joel sounded difficult. "Can't I just throw it past you?"

"No you aren't! No hands are allowed to touch a soccer ball! You can only get it around by kicking it!" Joel pointed down towards the ground. "So get that ball on the ground, Ellie, and give it a good tap with your foot!"

"So dumb…" Ellie muttered, placing the ball down onto the lawn with a huff before taking a few steps back, getting ready to kick it. "This game sounds so stupid…"

"Alright, Ellie!" Joel urged. "Give it your best shot! Remember, keep your eye on the ball, kiddo!"

With a sigh, Ellie ran across the lawn as quick as she could. She kicked the ball with all his strength. It flew through the air in Joel's direction, managing to miss his hands as it avoided his attempt to stop it. It went straight past the man - before causing the sound of glass to erupt behind him as it smashed through the window of the house.

"Alright!" Ellie cheered, jumping triumphantly into the air. "I did it!"

"ELLIE!" Joel hollered, staring at the broken window with wide eyes full of shock. "Look what you've done!"

"I can see what I've done, old man! What I've done is managed to beat you!" Ellie grinned. "I gotta admit, that was pretty cool."

"Cool?!" Joel turned his horrified gaze from the window to gape at the girl who had broken it. "You think this cool?!"

Ellie's smile faded. She frowned in thought as she stared at the window she had kicked the ball through before giving a shake of her head.

"You're right. It wasn't that cool. Kicking a ball through a window isn't as fun as hurling a brick through it!"

"Hurling a brick through a window?!" Joel thundered, staggered by how the young red-haired girl was missing the point.

"That's what I do best!" Ellie smiled proudly. "After all, while I'm no expert at soccurt or whatever you call it, I am none other than the brick master!"

The end.