"We need someone in the inside" Ash settles, her eyes wandering on the girls sitting around the table.

Kelley shakes her head : "We don't need to drag our standards down to theirs, guys" she says in a rather serious voice.

"Yeah, but think about it" the goalie insists, serious as fuck. "They dragged Becky to the ground, made sure Tobin and I get suspended. We are obliged to play their game, and beat them at it."

"They're not dumb, Ash" Allie says, rolling her eyes. "Plus, shouldn't we wait for Becky before creating calculatingly intellectual plans ?"

"She hasn't been answering her phone in the past three hours" Kelsey says.

That makes Ash gain more and more confidence, as her mind is running 100%, even though Allie and Kelley remains skeptical.

"Becky already does enough for that team guys" the short-haired says, focused on what she wants to say. "We can do this on our own. Don't you want to see those Stanford bitches get down from their freaking cloud ?"

"Of course, but-" Kelley starts.

"Then, hear me out." the goalie says, determined. "We target one of their young player, get them to tell us what their plans are, so that we can protect our own"

"Guys" Rose interrupts them.

All eyes are now and her, as she blushes a little bit.

Why the fuck did you talk ? Couldn't you just keep your damn mouth shut ? Now you have to explain your idea PLUS reveal them your worse teenage/high school mistake. What a stupid girl you are Rose Lavelle, the rookie thinks to herself. While she is lost in her thoughts, the girls in front of her are confused : first of all, she appeared out of nowhere ; second, she is a freshman that has no business to do in an older girls committee, especially since they are talking about framing someone.

Nevertheless, the girls are now listening to her, curious.

"We are all ears" Allie says, raising her eyebrow.

"I may have slept with one of the Stanford rookies while in high school" Rose blurts out, closing her eyes.

"You WHAT ?" Kelley exclaims, before bursting out into laughter. "This is the best fucking gossip day ever !"

"Kels, shut up" Ash orders, getting up. "Rose, who ?"

"Uhm, well, first of all, what you must know is that we were drunk, and that I was dating someone she knows u-uhm..."

"Speak" Allie orders, out of patience.

Rose takes a deep breath, before dropping the bomb :

"Kailen Sheridan."

All she hears is Kelley bursting into laughter.

Oh my God, if Gibby and Jane learn about that... Rose thinks to herself, immediately regretting to say that. Because the three roommates were in the same high school, in two different classes, while Kailen was on another one. But the thing Rose is the most ashamed is not to have slept with Kailen at a party while they both were drunk... It's that, at the time, she was dating Kailen's sister, Marina, who is one year younger.

Basically, if Gibby and Jane one day learn about that, they'd kick their best friend's ass right away.

"This is definitely a great day" Kelley lets out, dying out of laughter.

"You are just a wonderful person, Kels, that's why" Rose lets out, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, what's with the sarcasm ?"

"I'm 120 pounds of pale skin and fragile bones, okay ? Sarcasm is my only defense" the rookie exclaims, raising her hands in the air.

Allie and Ash both throw them a death glare, before going back to a pretty nervous Rose. Then, the two girls' faces lighten.

"This is perfect" the middy lets out, absolutely delighted. "Does she like you ?"

"I-I don't really know... might ?" Rose says, before adding : "The thing is, we never had the after-sex talk, so she just denied everything, before blocking me in every social media she owned, including Snapchat. So..."

"But you still have her number, right ?" Kelley insists.

"Yes, but-"

"Text her. And then we'll know."

Rose sighs, before sending : . She puts her phone down, before getting on her feet again.

"I'll keep you guys updated if she on day answers, but I doubt it because-"

Right after the last word she pronounces, Rose's phone rings, and the young girl tenses up. As her teammates are all gathered around of her, looking above her shoulder, she reads Kailen's text with her eyes wide open :

Maybe Rose would've liked it better if Kailen never answered... Because now her teammates are just laughing at her, and forced to find another plan.

*

Gibby is rolling her eyes so much that they seem to disappear behind her head.

The museum is almost empty, as she had to dress up nicely. Kristie is here as well, in a beautiful red dress that matches her nails and her lipstick. The worse thing about that dress is obviously that it highlights the blonde's body, which is pretty amazing. Gibby, on the other hand, has always had trouble with her self-confidence, and opted for a pretty simple dark blue dress that also suits her.

When Kristie turns around, she can't help but check the slightly smaller girl out, biting her lips. The defender, who obviously is not as comfortable as she always is, starts rolling her eyes again, pulling it together.

"This shit looks like a freaking date" Gibby lets out, bitter.

"Well" Kristie says, before giving a small tap on the edge of the brunette's nose. She then smirks, saying : "Maybe it indeed is a date."

"'Team bonding', they said" the younger girl says, mumbling. "Not 'try and seduce your teammate'"

"Is it working ?"

"Hell no."

Kristie bursts into laughter, before taking Gibby's arm and walk her through the exhibition. The other girl has no choice but follow her, paying low attention to the 'masterpieces' around her, because she thinks art is bullshit.

The blonde, on the other hand, is quite flirty and confident. Her hand sometimes slips on the hollow of Gibby's back, as she opens the door for her guest, explaining some pieces when Gibby frowns too much.

In other words, Kristie is trying to hide the fact that something in Gibby makes her highly nervous.

"You're pretty silent for a girl with loudmouth" the brunette teases her, while looking at a painting illustrating two people kissing (but, since it's art, it's weird, and we don't really see right away that they're kissing. More like copulating (Gibby's thoughts)).

"Shut up, Giblet"

That makes the defender smile.

The past month has been a roller-coaster of emotions for the rookie, and that one evening on the roof of the training center, where Kristie found her crying, changed everything. The two girls talked, shared personal things, and the blonde was surprised how much she already cared about a stranger.

Gibby stares at her, and since Kristie's eyes are locked on the piece in front of them, she gives her a hit with her shoulder. The blonde then looks down at her, before her eyes fall on Gibby's lips.

The brunette, who has caught that, awkwardly coughs, before saying :

"Uhm, this might sound awkward" she starts, before closing her eyes and shake her head. "Never mind, forget it."

"No, tell me ?" Kristie asks, raising her eyebrow.

"Well, now is not a great timing with everything's going on with the team and so on, but that would have been a romantic moment right now" Gibby says.

The blonde can't help but look down at her lips again, as they're shoulder to shoulders. She then smirks.

"Definitely would have" she says in a low voice.

She slowly leans in, as Gibby's eyes have made their way on Kristie's lips. Her eyes quickly winks, before she restrains the blonde from kissing her.

"The team" Gibby whispers, nervous.

"Just a taste..." Kristie answers in the same tone.

She softly puts her lips on Gibby's, and the world suddenly isn't the same anymore.

Kristie would never have think to have feelings for someone as innocent, nice and cute as the defender. Everything in her is attracting : her mind, her face, the way she laughs, giggles, smirks, makes fun of her all the time. But most importantly, the way she can see through the walls Kristie has built to protect herself, those walls that make her seem so unbearable, cold and bitchy.

Soon, her hand slips on the hollow of Gibby's back, as both girls are still facing the artwork with their bodies when the brunette takes the initiative in breaking the kiss. Their faces remain quite close, eyes in eyes, for a while, until Gibby looks at the artwork again.

"W-what, uhm, what does that one mean ?" she stammers, trying to get away from an awkward situation.

Kristie smirks. "Attraction between two souls."

"Of course" Gibby sarcastically lets out.

*

Julie starts losing it.

She grabs Maro's arm in the middle of a training session, while few people are watching, dragging her in a quiet corner. She is very upset and need to talk about the things that are making her that angry. The German girl, on the other hand, is quite chill and calm.

"Can you please stop doing that ?"

"Doing what ?" Maro asks, confused.

"Doing... that" Julie says, awkwardly gesturing around the girl. "Looking at me, trying to get near me... I don't know, that. I am with Zach, okay ? I love him, h-he makes me happy and stuff, so please, stop, I-"

"JJ, we're on the same team. How am I supposed to pass you the ball if I don't see where you are positioned on the field first ?" the German asks, smirking.

This whole situation looks pretty goofy to her, which annoys Julie even more.

"Well, find another way ! Zach is my boyfriend, and-"

"Why are you always bringing him up, when the only problem here is you ?" Maro asks, not very happy with the image Julie is giving her (aka the image of girl that tries to seduce a girl that already is part of a couple). "I said I respected your choice, since you seem to be so sure he's the one for you."

"He is !"

"Then why are you psychotic and delusional ?" she insists, staring straight into Julie's eyes. "Is it because you know Zach is not the only one in your mind right now ?"

"God, stop !" Julie yells.

Their teammates stops playing and look at them, before Julie fakes a laugh, and that they all think the two girls are just laughing about something. But as soon as the attention is far away from them, Julie's eyes get darker.

Her tone is very cold when she says :

"Things between us ended before they even started, got it ?"

Maro smirks. "If you say so, Jules."

Julie, who hasn't head that nickname since high school, is too shocked to say anything, as the midfielder runs back to her position on the field, shaking her head. The blonde knows the German is pissed.

And the worst part is that she actually cares.