Chapter Text
I've been having a hard time adjusting
I had the shiniest wheels, now they're rusting
...
Pulled the car off the road to the lookout
Could've followed my fears all the way down
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
“Leah, as captain, I’m going to look to you to help our new recruits get adjusted this season. As you know…”
Leah begins to tune out her coach’s speech in favour of watching the gravity balls on the corner of his desk tick back and forth. She’s heard this speech what feels like a million times. She gets it every year. Don’t do this. Help with this. Make sure they feel welcome. Team above all. She knows. She understands. She will do it. She’s captain after all. Well, was the captain. She hates that Jonas still calls her that. Now she’s just a player, and who better to spark team morale than the recently sidelined Leah Williamson, right? Wrong.
“Do you understand?”
“Hmm?” Leah’s head shoots back in her coach’s direction, her eyebrow raising just slightly too much to save herself.
“Leah, did you hear what I said?”
“Yes, coach. Sorry. It’s been a long morning.” Has it? “I need to make sure our incoming players get acclimated and especially make sure Katie and Beth don’t get a hold of them all too quickly.”
That earns her a small laugh from Jonas.
“I knew I could count on you!”
“Always,” Leah says grimly, getting up from her chair with a sigh. “See you at training later, Coach.”
“See you, Leah. Keep resting up that knee!”
Leah grimaces at the mention of her injury.
“Will do,” she says, shooting Jonas a tight smile before turning on her heel and exiting his office.
On her way out the door, she runs into Lia who appears to have just come from the kitchen, likely fueling up for their training later.
“Shit. Leah, you alright?”
“Fine, yeah. Thanks,” her face painted with pain.
“Did I get your knee?” Lia asks, worry creeping into her voice.
“Just a bit, but it’ll be alright. Can’t baby it too much or I’ll never make it back, right?” Leah can’t help the bit of bite in her tone.
“I think that might be the opposite consensus,” Lia starts, giving Leah a concerned raise of the eyebrow, “but I’m glad I didn’t hurt you too bad.”
Leah sends her a tight smile–something she’s clearly become quite good at recently.
“Well, are you coming downstairs? A few of the new players are in the lounge room playing pool with Beth and some others. Might be nice to meet them all before we kick off our first training session.”
Leah can tell Lia realises she should’ve reworded that last part as fast as it comes out of her mouth, but it's too late.
“I would but I’ve got washing on at home and some other stuff to catch up on. Have fun, though. Tell me what they’re like, will ya?”
She tries to muster up her best ‘I feel bad for ditching even though I don’t feel bad at all face’ and promises to go to the next hangout, although it's a promise she knows she likely won’t keep.
“Alright, catch you later then?”
“Yea, see you later,” Leah says as she makes her way to the lift.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
It’s a short drive back to her flat, and thank God for that because if Leah had to listen to any more of that new singer on the radio she just might cut her ears off herself. Hozier she thinks is his name. She would connect her phone to the car system like a regular person if Keira hadn’t wrecked her cable the last time she’d be in the car.
Instead, after an insufferable 5 minutes, Leah opts to just drive in silence. Save herself the last of her insanity. It’s thin enough already.
Just as she’s getting comfortable in the silence, her phone begins to ring like mad. It startles Leah and she manages to knock her phone down the crack between the passenger seat and console.
Fucking perfect.
When the light ahead turns red, Leah takes it as her opportunity to reach for her phone on the opposite side of the console, but she tips over the drink that was in the cupholder of the console instead.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
The half-drank, now-flat Coors that Leah swore she was going to throw in the bin two days ago begins to adorn the side of the console and snake its way down to the dip in the passenger seat, the smell taking over the air of the small car.
“Bloody-fucking-hell Leah, you’re such an idiot.”
In the corner of her eye she can see the light flip green and she reluctantly redirects her attention back to the road, leaving the beer to seep deep into the cloth of her seat, likely to leave a lasting stain.
Her flat is just up the road another block and to the right, but when she gets to the car park there is not an open space to be found. She circles and circles and circles as if one will magically appear the more times she goes ‘round. Leah gets increasingly car sick with each go around and begrudgingly makes the decision to try the overflow car park down the road.
Sure enough, there’s plenty of spots to be found. Probably has something to do with the lashing rain that hadn’t seemed to let up all morning. Just another perfect addition to Leah’s day.
She parks the car and retrieves her phone, relieved to find that none of her beer had gotten on it.
At least one thing is going for me.
Missed Call – Kei
Leah swipes the notification away as quickly as she reads it, not wanting to be on the end of whatever she knows Keira would have to say to her at the minute.
‘Leah, you need to stay involved with the team.’
‘Leah you’re still the captain even if you’re not physically wearing the band,’
‘Leah, you can set a better example than this.’
‘Leah, you’re throwing your life away.’
Okay, maybe Keira wouldn’t quite say that last one, not yet anyways, but Leah wouldn’t be surprised if she were thinking it.
She reaches in the backseat for her raincoat before gathering up her keys and other belongings and opening her car door. She’s only out of the car for 20 seconds and she’s already saturated. She’d run if she could, but clearly that’s out of the question. Yet another reason her life fucking sucks right now.
In her UNC shorts and raincoat, arms crossed against her chest, and hood up, Leah trudges her way back up the road to her flat.
There were very few times in her life when Leah questioned her career. This was most certainly, without a doubt, one of them.
Fuck me.