Unrivaled - Alessia Russo

The sound of boots crunching on the gravel of the parking lot greeted me as I stepped out of my car. Early mornings were never my thing, but after London, even the thought of dragging myself to training felt easier. I felt lighter, like there was an energy in me that hadn't been there before.

It was a strange contrast—the routine of football, the rhythm of training, the familiar faces of my teammates—set against the storm of emotions I'd been feeling since I left London. Alessia was still at the forefront of my mind, but today, it was time to focus on the game.

I spotted Alexia by the entrance, chatting with Keira and Aitana. Her eyes met mine, and she gave me one of those smirks that instantly made me regret sharing as much as I had last night.

As I approached, I heard the teasing start before I even got there.

"Well, well, if it isn't London's finest," Alexia called out.

Keira raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "London? What's this about London?"

"Nothing," I said quickly, dropping my bag and pulling my hoodie tighter around me. "Don't start."

"Oh, it's definitely something," Alexia countered, her smirk growing wider. "You should've seen her last night. Practically glowing."

Aitana's eyes lit up, and she leaned closer. "Wait. Who is it? What happened?"

"Honestly, you'd make terrible detectives," I shot back, glaring at Alexia.

But the damage was already done. Now the team would be relentless.

As we walked toward the pitch, the chatter continued, and before long, Mapi and Ingrid had joined in.

"So, what's this I hear about Izzi and some mystery girl in London?" Mapi asked, her tone teasing.

I groaned, rubbing a hand over my face. "Can we not do this right now? Training starts in five minutes."

"Plenty of time," Ingrid chimed in with a grin.

Alexia, of course, couldn't resist adding fuel to the fire. "It's not just some girl. It's the girl."

That earned a round of oohs and whistles, and I shot her a look that promised payback later.

By the time we hit the pitch, the teasing had died down—mostly because Jonatan had arrived, clipboard in hand, ready to start the session.

Training was intense, as always. The drills pushed us to the limit, and I threw myself into them, grateful for the distraction. But even as I focused on perfecting each movement, Alessia lingered in the back of my mind.

During one of the passing drills, my concentration faltered for just a second, and I nearly overhit a pass to Alexia. She caught it cleanly and gave me a knowing look.

"Thinking about London?" she teased under her breath as she jogged past.

I rolled my eyes but didn't reply.

During a break, as we huddled by the water station, Vicky, the youngest on the team, nudged me with her elbow.

"You're in a good mood today," she said with a grin.

"Am I?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

She nodded. "Yeah. You're smiling more than usual. It's weird."

I laughed softly, shaking my head. "Thanks, Vicky. Really appreciate that."

She shrugged, unbothered, and went back to her water bottle.

It wasn't until the session ended and we were stretching on the sidelines that Alexia made her move.

"So," she said, dropping onto the grass beside me. "Are you going to tell them, or should I?"

I glared at her, but she just smiled innocently.

"There's nothing to tell," I said firmly.

"That's not what you said last night," she shot back.

I felt my face heat up, and I quickly looked away. "Ale."

"Fine, fine," she said, holding up her hands in mock surrender. "But you should tell them eventually. They're your team, Izzi. They care about you."

I sighed, knowing she was right but not ready to have that conversation yet.

As we headed to the locker room, Mapi draped an arm around my shoulders.

"You know we're not going to stop until we get the full story, right?" she said, grinning.

I rolled my eyes. "You're all children, you know that?"

"Maybe," she said with a shrug. "But you love us anyway."

I didn't respond, but the truth was, she wasn't wrong. They might be relentless, but they were also my family. And as much as I wanted to keep Alessia to myself for just a little while longer, I knew it wouldn't be long before I'd have to tell them.

For now, though, I let myself enjoy the teasing and the laughter. This was my team, my home, and no matter what happened next, I knew they'd have my back.

As I grabbed my bag and headed out, Alexia fell into step beside me.

"You're going to tell them, right?" she asked quietly.

"Eventually," I said.

She nodded, a small smile playing at her lips. "Good. They'll be happy for you, Izzi. I know I am."

I smiled back, feeling a little more confident. "Thanks, Ale."

She slung an arm around my shoulders. "Come on, the girls wanna talk to you. They wanna go out."

I groaned but didn't argue. Some things never changed.

In the locker room, we all gathered around, sweat-slicked and tired, but there was an energy in the air.

"So, what's the plan?" Mapi asked, bouncing on her heels, clearly excited.

The chatter started up, and I could see the girls all looking at me, waiting. I knew they were planning something—some sort of celebration, to make up for the time I missed while I was in London.

"We're going out," Alexia said with a mischievous grin. "Time to make up for lost celebrations."

I laughed, knowing full well what she meant. The girls had planned something for after our last match, but I had to leave for London. Now they were making up for it.

"Alright," I said, throwing my towel over my shoulder. "I'll be there. Someone has to be the responsible one."

"Don't worry, Izzi," Alexia said, teasing as always. "We've got it covered."

I smiled at her, feeling the familiar warmth of her presence. It was hard to believe how much had changed in the last few days, but in this moment, everything felt just right.