Better Than Milkshakes, Better Than Boys (girlxgirl)

[11]

I can't breathe.

My lungs are on fire. Every cell in my body is protesting, begging me to stop, to catch my breath, to let me rest. This training session has sucked the life out of me, and I can say with assurance that I'm at my peak fitness. I can last a full ninety minutes during even our most competitive matches, and I can bring my heart rate down to near resting in less than five minutes.

Today, my breathing is laboured and uneven. My hair is clinging to my face and sweat is covering every inch of my skin. I hit the hour mark before I had to pull my shirt off, my dri fit making breathing difficult. Most of the other girls followed my lead, Raven and April both running around in just their sports bras along with a few of the other girls, including Mackenzie. Usually I'd be in two minds about whether or not I want to stare at her exposed skin, but so much is going on and there is so much to focus on that I daren't spare her a second glance in case I miss something.

"Alright girls." The main UPenn coach, who's name I found to be Coach Mellor, calls a halt to our sprint and shoot drill. I let out a breath of relief, shooting no where near my strong suit. There haven't been a lot of defensive drills so I haven't been able to show off, the training session focusing on dribbling, passing, first touch and of course shooting. Mellor didn't even add defenders to the shooting drills so I haven't been able to show him just how capable a defender I am. "For the final half an hour, you're going to play a game. Coach Sanders has told me your names and positions so I'm going to pick the teams at random."

I breathe a sigh of relief as I sneak a sip of my water. Most of the girls look exhausted but relieved, a match can give them the break that they need to get their breaths back. I smile when I realise that I can show my defensive capabilities off when I'm marking Freya, if she's on the opposing team.

Coach Mellor rattles off name after name, Raven and I not playing on the same team for the first time in a while. I'm put onto the non bibs team, a welcome thought. The bibs smell like dried sweat and they are just an extra layer I'm not interested in wearing. Out of my friends I have Gemma, April and Elise. One of Freya's friends, a quiet but bitchy girl called Savannah, is on Raven's team, and Emma is put on her team shortly after. The teams are pretty even, and I grin when Freya is put on the opposite team, the way she swears quietly under her breath has my chest puffing out.

She knows that she's not getting past me.

"Final forward, Mackenzie Daniels, you'll be on the bibs."

I let my gaze fall onto Mackenzie and watch as her eyes fall on me. So she is a forward. I think to myself and look at Mackenzie again. Like everyone else, her skin is glistening with sweat and her chest is heaving erratically but she still looks incredible. Her legs are bronzed and lean, her shorts making her thighs look bigger. She still her has shirt off, exposing her toned stomach and sharp collarbones. Her grey eyes are glued to mine as I smirk at her, knowing that she'll be the player I choose to mark today.

She's seen me defend in training but I've never seen her attack as a proper forward. This will be the first time I've seen her play as an out and out striker, and I blow her a kiss and watch as she pretends to catch it and tuck in into the waistband of her shorts.

God this girl drives me crazy and in all the right ways.

I take my place in the centre of my back four, flashing a thumbs up to Elise on my left, and a sophomore girl who's got some incredible raw talent called Sophia on my right. Coach Mellor blows his whistle and bibs kick off, Mackenzie passing the ball back to Raven who carries the ball upfield.

April puts in a strong tackle and kicks the ball my way, allowing me to put my foot on the ball and look around the pitch. Most players are marked on my team and Freya is sprinting towards me to put on some pressure. I grin wolfishly as I lay the ball to Sophia on my right, who hefts a perfectly weighted ball down the right for one of her friends on JV to chase after. Freya curses as she dives into the pass late, making herself look silly as I easily side step her attempt at a tackle.