heyheyhey— this chapter is more soccer related and past Thalia related so I'm sorry if some of you find it boring bUT THE TIME HAS COME FOR THALIA TO PLAY AKKSKSKS

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Thalia Lively

The nerves built up more and more with each step I took towards my former team, I knew I had to face my past eventually— but I didn't mean literally face my past, I thought as I stared at the team of girls.

Jessica saw me coming and a smile was etched on her face within seconds, and she raced over the coach I presume. There were two coaches, one was a man and the other was a younger guy that seemed like he was in his twenties. They both had whistles on, the man was in a tracksuit and the younger one was in basketball shorts and a plain black t-shirt.

"Do you recognize any of them?" Carter asked me, popping up beside me as I stopped walking and just looked at the team. I shook my head absentmindedly, I was trying really hard to remember at least someone but again, everything just came out blank.

The older coach's head whipped towards my direction after Jessica was finished talking to him, and I stood in my spot not really knowing what to do. The team stopped what they were doing, which looked like drills to get them warmed up and followed their coaches gaze towards me. I heard a few gasps, saw a few widened eyes, some flares filled with hatred, some filled with tears.

I looked over at Nathan, hoping he could help me in this situation. He gave me a soft smile then grabbed my hand, walking in front of me as he pulled towards the coach that was waiting for me to walk over. Riley and the guys stayed put behind us, but Nathan remained beside me.

"Wow, um," the coach, whose name was Andrew Daniels I found out once I read his name tag, stared down at me speechlessly. "I never thought I'd get the chance to see you again," he continued and my eyes flickered to Jessica who had said the same sentence earlier. He looked like he had a lot to say but was struggling to get the words out, and the more I looked at him, the more I was getting a sense that I know him.

"I remember you," I said, shocking the people around us, including myself. "You were my dad's best friend, we used to call you Drew." The words left my mouth without me even thinking it through, it's like something clicked in my head and I automatically connected the dots.

He smiled with tears framing his eyes but dropping down his face. "Yeah, yeah that's me." He confirmed my thoughts and I abruptly reached in for a hug. I know I shocked him because his whole body tensed but he hugged back once he got over his shock. "I've missed you, Tal," he said. I didn't answer, just hugged him for a couple more seconds then let go, going back to my spot beside Nathan. Andrew recovered from his emotional state and joy hit his body, his mood getting brighter.

"Nathan, nice to see you again." He nodded at Nathan who nodded back as a greeting.

"Can we play now?" Jessica interrupted and Andrew looked at the team who was just standing around waiting for orders.

"Scrimmage, same teams as yesterday," Andrew said loudly so everyone could hear him, then he looked over at me. "I hear you wanna play too Lively, are you still up for it?" He asked me and I looked up at Nathan.

He matched my gaze then a smile found its place onto his face. "You're ready." He said to me, having confidence in his words which made me believe his words. To answer the coaches question, I took off my jacket and handed it to Nathan, then pulled my hair up into a ponytail. Some girls on the team got really happy by that, and the others, including Lea, protested to themselves.

"Which team am I on?" I asked the coach but Jessica grabbed my hand, pulling me with her.

"My team." She answered instead. "We're the ones in the red, Lea's team is the one in blue."

"What position did I used to play?" I asked her, wanting to find my place on the field.

"Striker or forward but play as a striker," she said and I nodded, setting up in my position only to see Lea was the other striker. 

"There's no place for you here anymore, get that through your head." Lea said to me lowly, and I raised an eyebrow at her, her words going in one ear and out the other.

"Tell me that after the game." I said disregarding her.

The coach blew the whistle and the game started, everyone diving into action. Lea took the call first, kicking it over to her friend then she ran forward asking for the ball back but I already anticipated that she going to do that. I intercepted the pass and took the ball swiftly, shocking myself in the process but once I realized that this was going to be fun, a smile broke out on my face. I ran up with the ball fluently, then saw the defending players coming to reach me. I had to think quickly, keeping my head up to see if anyone was open and saw Jessica off to the side. I passed her the ball then ran up to take control of my striker position.

She passed it to the other friendly girl that was with her earlier. I found an open spot and she locked eyes with me, without me even calling for the ball. She forcefully kicked it because I was a good distance away from her, making me stop the ball with my chest when I saw that I had a clear shot. Before I could attempt the shot, a girl came up in front of me and I crossed her out in time to get passed her. I didn't think twice before kicking the ball into the goal in hopes that it would go in.

The goalie missed the ball as she dived for it, making the ball fly into the back of the net. I looked over at the sidelines seeing Ethan and Austin getting hyped. They both looked at Lea and started clapping for me, making me shake my head at them. I started running back to position but looked at Nathan as I did so, seeing him off the side as he talked to the coaches while looking at me. He gave me a look of approval and I was more encouraged than ever.

As I was running back, Lea slammed her shoulder against mine and I clenched my jaw as I stopped myself from calling out to her. I knew what game she was playing, and I'll be damned if I let her continue coming at me.

The goalie kicked the ball way up on my team's side of the field but I stayed back, waiting for my team to get it back. The ball was passed to Lea and she smirked as she flew through people, not once letting anyone touch the ball then she finished off by getting close to the net and taking her shot— which went in. She gave me a cocky look and I rolled my eyes.

Jessica got ahold of the ball and along with her friend they brought it up the field in a zig-zag pattern. I noticed a defender staying near me, but she was on my right so once Jessica looked up at me I motioned with my hand to pass it to my left. I didn't move until she understood what I was saying and kicked it to an empty spot beside me, and I flew to run after it before the defender could process what was happening. I kicked it through another defenders legs, since she left them wide open and I had an opportunity to make this game more fun than competitive. The defender laughed after I pulled that little stunt, and I smiled at her.

I was a little far from the net but I was willing to take my chances since the other players were catching up to me and I had to think quick. This team was fast on their feet, like incredibly fast. I ran with it a little more as I tried getting a good angle and then kicked it with force, it going in once again.

Jessica ran up beside me and excitedly hugged me, "it feels so good to have you playing with us again, it finally feels like a whole team." She said then ran off to play since the game was still in motion. I smiled to myself but then looked over to the side where Riley was jumping up and down because of my goal. She smiled widely at me and I smiled back, then focused back on the game.

I suddenly was pulled into a focused state, my playing-for-fun persona left and I analyzed every player, having the time to do so since the ball was all the way on the other field. I noticed that Jessica worked best with her partner when bringing the ball back up, her friend also relied on Jessica. The defenders on blue team weren't as fast as the ones on the red team but the blue defenders anticipate passes faster. Lea's friend seems stressed once she has the ball so she looks for Lea quickly, and Lea works better alone. But soccer is a team sport, not a self-sport.

I saw the ball coming back up and I saw a girl that hasn't done much this whole game because frankly, no one noticed her. She was open, but Jessica was looking for me. I called for the ball then looked at the girl went unnoticed and told her to go up. She caught what I was saying and moved up to an open spot and I passed it towards her, my pass swiftly going directly towards her.

"Go!" I yelled once she got it, wanting to give her an opportunity to show her team that she's there too. If she got this shot in, then the team would notice her more, and thankfully she did. She turned back and smiled at me and that smile alone made me freeze in my spot as another locked memory opened, right at this moment.

Jasmine, her name was Jasmine. She was a year younger than me, she was an only child. I remember taking her to the local park and practicing with her, since she was shy and quiet so she went unnoticed easily. But she loved soccer, she could spend all day talking about her passion for it.

I remember her, I remember Andrew, I'm remembering.

I zoned back in and saw the ball making it halfway through the field but I ran as fast as my legs could take me, and I suddenly was being pushed to play by my conscious— no by my past self who was creeping back. My old skills and playing tactics were coming back.

The wind flew with me, almost like it was my long last companion. I took the ball from a blue player, and turned the game back around to face the net I was running towards. Lea left her striker position and seemed to had enough as she ran to her side of the field, where she wasn't supposed to be at but since her team wasn't doing much, she took it upon her self to get the ball from me. I knew she was close, and I smirked knowing this was my chance to not only show her, but show myself that maybe I wasn't so lost. This part of myself has always still been here, I just pushed it so far to the back of my mind when I was controlled by fear and anger.

Lea found her place beside me, her feet kicking in every so often to try and get the ball but I kept it away from her with ease. She managed to get in front of me and stop my running pace, making me back up with the ball and look around for options. No one was open, and her team finally took the game more seriously and was aiming for me. I couldn't go in from the sides, the best defenders were out on both sides, and going through the middle would be the only option of going through successfully.

"You gave up once, this isn't your life anymore, give up already." Lea spat at me and my fierce eyes met her own.

"It's just a game," I said while crossing her out, having enough of her dramatics. "Plus, if you're so good, take the ball already." I teased her and she dove for it again but I kicked it around her and I met with the ball again once I got to the other side. I flew through people and kicked it towards Jasmine then ran up to an open spot, making eye contact with Jasmine letting her know I was open. She skillfully dodged the defenders then kicked it towards me, and with one kick I shot it into the net.

And with that, the coach blew the whistle, calling for us to meet back up with him. I walked past Lea who practically had fumes coming out of her ears and I could've easily made a remark about what she said earlier since my team won, but I didn't care that much anymore. As I was getting closer to where the coaches, Riley and the guys stood, someone came up behind me and stuck their leg out causing me to trip.

"Fuck," I cursed as I felt a slight pain in my ankle. I looked up and saw Lea bending down to my level with a fake concerned look on her face.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going," she apologized and offered to help me up but I pushed her away, getting up on my own.

"What's your problem? I don't even know you!" I exclaimed and she dropped her fake act.

"What a shame you don't remember," she mumbled sarcastically then walked off to the rest of the group.

"Her boyfriend for three years dumped her to ask you out two years ago, she was— nope is heartbroken still." I heard someone say beside me and I looked over to see Jasmine. "That and she's intimidated by you, you were the best on the team and when you left she finally had a chance to shine but now that you're back, it puts her in the dark again." She explained and I nodded slowly.

"Well I'm not rejoining the team, so she can have her spotlight back, I don't want it." I said quiet enough that only Jasmine would be able to hear me. She nodded looking down with a sad expression and I stood in front of her. "What's wrong, Jasmine?" I asked her and her head snapped up.

"Y-you remember me?" She said in a whisper and I nodded with a small smile. She jumped into my arms, squeezing me in a hug. "I've missed you so much. We always practiced on Fridays and when you didn't show up that day, I knew something was wrong. You never missed our little practices. I went to your house but no one was there, I looked through the window and the house was basically empty. I then went to Jessica's house and saw her crying in her room, she told me that you had left." She explained and my heart softened at her heartbroken tone. I hugged her tighter then wiped away a few of her tears that fell down.

"I'm sorry," I said, not knowing what else to say. I feel bad that I just suddenly disappeared one day and those who knew me had to find out in the worst way. I, at the same time, can't be blamed since I wouldn't have left like that if I remembered.

She waved off my apology and collected herself. "Don't apologize it's not your fault, I'm just happy I get to see you again." She smiled at me and I nodded.

We both made our way back to the group and I found my spot next to Nathan, and stood there by his side until I was tackled by a very heavy force.

"What the—"

"THAT'S MY GIRL! DID YOU GUYS SEE WHAT I SAW, THALIA THE SOCCER LEGEND BACK IN ACTION BABY!" I heard Ethan say very loudly in my ear and just when he got off, another attacked right after.

"GO BEST FRIEND, THAT'S MY BEST FRIEND!" Austin yelled, following Ethan's actions.

"You were freaking amazing, you were so focused and you moved so swiftly as if you weren't even running with a ball! I knew you'd be good but that seemed like second nature to you, and you didn't even do anything big but I'm still impressed. Holy, you're, woah." Emmett said and Riley came up and pushed him away to get closer to me.

"What he said, and I've seen videos but seeing that in person, oh-my-god." She said excitedly then her face dropped into an angry one. "And I saw that little stunt Lea pulled after the game, why didn't you do anything about it? Shit, I'll take care of it." She said and I laughed while pulling her back.

"No, I don't care it's fine." I dismissed the topic.

"But I care—" she was cut off before she could finish.

"Thalia." I heard someone call me and I turned to see Andrew smiling down at me proudly. He reached for a hug and I hugged him back, loving the feeling this gave me. Just this sense of familiarity, it's something I've never felt before so it felt good. Maybe we aren't blood-related but if my dad considered him family, I'm sure I did too. "You still have it kid." He chuckled, referring to my soccer skills.

"Thank you, that means a lot since I thought I had completely forgot that too." I chuckled and he looked at his watch, suddenly going into a more hurried state.

"Here," he said while writing something on a piece of paper then ripped it off to give to me. "That's my phone number, I know you're with Heidi so tell her to give me a call sometime. Feel free to call me if you ever need anything kiddo, I'm always here to help." He said and I stuffed the number into my pocket and hugged him quickly before he had to go.

"Good luck in the competition," I said to him and the girls who were standing behind him.

"It would've been better if you played with us but maybe next year?" He said in a hopeful tone.

"Yeah, maybe." I softly chuckled and he nodded with a smile, and with that, they all left.

I finally let out a deep breath that I didn't know I was even holding in and turned around only to be met with a chest. I tilted my head up and saw Nathan looking down at me with a face that I've come to know means he wants to talk.

"Their game starts in twenty minutes so I'm going to go find a spot in the crowd while they go get ready," Riley told me, seeing that Nathan wanted to talk alone with me. I nodded at her with a smile but then rolled my eyes at the guys who winked at me or bounced their eyebrows up and down while looking at Nathan.

They were gone after a couple minutes and I was left with a mysteriously quiet Nathan and I was beginning to think if something was wrong. I walked over to a bench nearby with him following my trail.

"What's up? You okay?" I asked him, and he chuckled at me while handing me back my jacket that he has been holding. He was sitting forwards while I was sitting cross-legged and facing him. His side profile was quite the sight, especially with the sun glowing on him like a spotlight.

"I should be asking you that question," he started off by saying and I stayed quiet as he spoke. "For starters, you finally played and you looked better than ever out there. I bet I'm still better at soccer than you." He finally looked at me and I rolled my eyes.

"No, I'm definitely better than you, any day." I joked, even though I knew deep down he was probably better. He just seemed like he could be the best at anything he does.

"I'll take you up on that challenge one day then. How's your ankle? I saw what happened." He questioned and I groaned once Lea was brought up.

"I'm fine, but I think I found my very own Rebecca from home." I said and he laughed, not a chuckle, not a little stifle, a laugh. His laugh will be the death of me. Whoever he ends up with, will be one lucky girl. "So, you know my coach?" I asked him, remembering their little reunion.

He looked away and nodded. "Yeah, he used to help me with drills back then." He dismissed the topic quickly which made me think if there was more to the story. "I knew you, from before. I didn't connect the dots until I saw you play." He said abruptly.

"Continue," I said, urging him to the tell me the story. My curiosity spiked up at the thought of possibly knowing Nathan before, but I could swear on