Multi-chapter: Chapter 2: Hello London
Teen Reader (Y/N Poulter) x Arsenal WFC
Summary:The life of a talented but extremely shy young footballer is turned on its head when she is transferred from her beloved Barça to Arsenal. Although the move will allow her to be reunited with her âbig sistersâ, Mariona Caldentey and Keira Walsh, the young player has to cope with the bitter feeling of leaving the club she has loved all her life, as well as the anxiety and uncertainty of whether she will manage to settle in at the club that has turned her into the most expensive signing in womenâs football.
Warnings: Social Anxiety, Medical Issues.Â
N//A : English is not my first language, so please forgive me if it's complete rubbish and everything is out of place.
N//A 2: Yes, you may well have read this before⊠Iâve just modified it slightly
The first light of dawn woke you before your alarm did, and you cursed yourself for not having pulled the blinds down the night before. You carefully searched for your phone under the sheets and found it with 3% battery and dozens of messages from the Barça group chat and hundreds of notifications from your public social media accounts, which you decide to ignore.
You opened the Barça whatsapp group and you see that Aitana shared a screenshot of yesterdayâs video call. A photo where youâre hugging your Cat plushie and trying not to fall asleep. Dozen of replies ranging from: âSheâs so adorableâ, âI miss her alreadyâ to âThere are flights to London in two hours, how illegal is it for us to bring her back stuffed in a suitcase?â.Â
You couldnât help but smile at the screen and type a short message: âI miss you all tooâ. You werenât expecting a reply; it was barely six in the morning. Yet the phone vibrated almost immediately.
Boss Paredes đ«Ą: Good luck on your first day, kiddo.
Patri đ:Youâre going to crush it!
La Reinađž: Show them what youâre made of đ
You didnât reply to any of them. Not because you didnât want to, but because if you did; if you put into words everything that was in your heart, the tears you were holding back would fall uncontrollably. And you couldnât let that happen on your first day.Â
You took several deep breaths and when you felt the lump in your throat loosen, you got out of bed and put your phone on charge on the bedside table.
You rummaged through the wardrobe looking for something to wear, but you found it hard to find anything that wasnât in Barça colors. In the end, you settled on a white short sleeve shirt and a pair of loose-fitting black trousers.
As youâd passed the medical tests a few weeks ago, your day would focus on the media part and a brief meeting with RenĂ©e, after they announce your signing.
You didnât need to take much with you, but you wanted to leave your boots, shin guards and the little Polaroid that now kept in your wallet. That very same Polaroid youâd fought with Cata over.
Half an hour later you came downstairs, already dressed and extremely hungry, but before you could step into the kitchen, someone rang the doorbell. When you opened the door, you were met by a smiling Lia.
âGood morning, SĂŒnneliâshe said before planting a kiss on the top of your head.
âGood morningâ you said with a smile before stepping aside to let her in.âI thought Mariona was coming to pick me up.
âDidnât you read her message?âasked Lia, frowning.
You shook your head, as you hadnât touched your mobile since youâd put it on charge.
âShe hasnât had her blood tests done yet, and I know how your stomach growls in the morningsâ said Lia, just as your stomach rumbled, proving her right. âCome on, letâs have breakfast.
Within a few minutes, Lia had taken charge and was moving around the kitchen as if she were the one who lived there, but you couldnât have cared less, because pancakes were your favorite breakfast and, of all of them and Liaâs were your second favourite, after the ones your mum used to make for you.
âStrawberries or blueberries?âasked Lia as she rummaged through the fridge.
â Besides bananasâthe midfielder replied immediately,â you need to eat more fruit.
âI thought Mariona was the fruit dictatorâ you grumbled, and Lia couldnât help but laugh.
âOrders from the bossâLia explained as she finished arranging the sliced fruit on both plates. âAnd no, strawberry syrup doesnât count as fruit.
You muttered under your breath, as you werenât a big fan of fruit, but you knew Lia wouldnât give in.
âBlueberries thenâyou growled reluctantly.
âGood choiceâ replied Lia triumphantly.
For a few minutes, a comfortable silence settled between them, but it wasnât until Lia realised you were still cutting the same pancake into tiny triangles that she understood how nervous you were.
âIf you keep torturing that pancake, itâs going to turn back into flour,âshe joked before popping a piece of fruit into her mouth.
You let out a sigh and looked at her like a castaway looking at a rescue ship.
âWhat if Iâm not good enough?âyou asked fearfully.âTheyâve paid a lot of money for me and yetâŠ
âDonât you dare finish that sentenceâ Lia warned in a stern tone sheâd never used with you before. âTheyâve paid less than youâre worth and theyâre desperate to have you on the team.
âYour signing wasnât a last-minute decision or a chance taken because of Barçaâs situationâ Lia clarified as she stirred her coffeeâRenĂ©e has been following you for over three years.Â
âWhat?!âyou exclaimed in surprise, causing the fork to slip from your hand.
âWhen RenĂ©e joined the team, Jonas placed his complete trust in her. Especially when it came to managing the team and our needsâadded WĂ€lti, without taking her eyes off you. âA few weeks after she arrived, she asked Mariona about you.
You said nothing, letting Lia explain.
âIt didnât surprise me at the timeâ admitted Lia, a proud gleam in her eyes.â Sheâd seen the photo of you three holding the Champions League trophy, so it made sense that sheâd ask about the girl who had broken the record for winning the Spanish Cup and the Champions League at just 15 years old.
âBut you said sheâs been following me for over three yearsâŠ
âMariona asked her what she liked the most, your performance in the Champions League final or the Cup final,â added Lia before a smile spread across her face. âShe told her that any of your performances at the 2022 Gothia Cup had shown her that you were the next big star.
That tournament in the summer of 2022 had marked a turning point in your career. You were fourteen, the youngest in the C team squad; a team youâd been part of since that very season and which was already starting to feel too small for you. But it was that tournament that catapulted you to Barça B and later to training with the first team; as there was no real chance of playing, given you were competing for a position with Mariona, Pina and Salma.Â
â SĂŒnneli, where have you gone?âasked Lia with her usual sweetness, pulling you out of your memories. âStart eating before your breakfast gets any colder.
Walking into the training centre felt more familiar than youâd expected. Youâd spent your whole life in Barcelona, so Spanish and Catalan were the languages you used daily. But English was your mother tongue, and being welcomed in your own language felt almost like coming âhomeâ after a long time away.
Although having Mariona â who had driven all the way there to greet you with a smile that shone brighter than the sun on that sunny August morning â and Lia with you certainly made the moment even more special.
 Especially when they both started speaking English. You couldnât help but be grateful that your father had been so insistent on making English your first language, seeing Mariona struggle to communicate fluently with the staff who had been greeting you since your arrival, or her face screaming âI havenât understood a single word, but Iâm too embarrassed to admit itâ, made you have to bite your lip to stop yourself from laughing. Although Marionaâs gentle nudge told you that you hadnât been as subtle as you thought.Â
For a few momentsâjust long enough for Liaâs laughter to break the tensionâyou forgot your nerves. But seeing RenĂ©e and Kim Little herself, the moment you walked through the door, made your stomach churn.
âGood morning, girls,âsaid Kim, looking at her teammates, but then her gaze dropped and your eyes met theirs. âWelcome, Y/N. Weâre glad youâre part of the team.
âThanksâ you murmur without looking her in the eye, too nervous to hold her gaze.
Kim just smiles at you, though you donât notice it, too mesmerized by the laces on your trainers.
âMariona, Lia, Iâm so glad youâve arrived early. I needed some help putting a few things away in the pitch â said Kim calmly, as if acknowledging the other personâs limited understanding of the language and therefore slowing down her speech and softening her accent.Â
The two of them looked at each other, exchanging glances as if they could read each other's minds.Â
But whilst they were making excuses, you froze. Facing Renée, Kim and possibly the rest of the captains all on your own. You felt like running, but in the opposite direction.
âGo with herâ ordered a firm yet warm voice behind you. A voice that didnât require you to turn round to know it was Keira.
âIâll go with you, Soleteâconfirmed the English midfielder, this time in a sweeter tone, before placing a gentle kiss on your forehead.Â
That small gesture of affection from Keira was something she had shown consistently whenever she sensed the insecurity in your stance. A silent âIâm here, Iâve got youâ that you were immensely grateful for, especially because you know Keira was not the biggest fan when it comes to physical contact.
You looked at Lia and Mariona, who seemed undecided.
âIâll be fine, Iâve got my big sisterâ you said so naturally that you saw the tension in their shoulders melt away. But you didnât get to see how that little phrase filled Keiraâs eyes with a proud gleam.
âYouâd better look after her, Keiâ Lia warned before following Kim.
For her part, Mariona simply gave Keira a grateful look as she followed Lia and their captain.
âCome on, Solete, letâs go for a quick tour before the rest arriveâ said Keira, looking at you affectionately. âAre you coming with us, boss?
âI have to wait for Kellyâsaid RenĂ©e, looking at the entrance to the high-performance training centre âGo without me
You stood frozen to the spot. You had admired Chloe; since the 2022 Euros, when sheâd become one of your role models. However, there was another playerâor rather, a former playerâwith the same name whoâd been your idol since childhood, the one you used to imitate on the school playground before you even had your first pair of boots.Â
âChloe Kelly?âyou asked, clearly intrigued. Keira who knew how much you loved Chloe Kelly, rolled her eyes with a mixture of mockery and sisterly jealousy, because she still couldnât get over the fact that you wore a Chloe Kelly shirt when you hugged her after winning the Euros 2022.
Renée smiled as she saw your eyes light up at the thought.
âKelly SmithâRenĂ©e corrected, noticing your expression shift from surprise to unbridled excitement. âSheâs really looking forward to meet you.
âReally?âyou asked, utterly bewildered, as if the idea that Kelly Smith knew who you were was madness.
âOh yesâadded Keira beside you, âShe hasnât stopped asking when you were coming. Sheâs convinced that Less and you will understand each other without even looking at one another.
âOhâŠâ was all you managed to say, feeling your back tense under the invisible yet crushing weight of expectations on your shoulders.
âDonât make a big deal of it, Y/NâRenĂ©e interjected. âThe most important thing is that you settle in and enjoy yourself; the rest will follow.
You nod, recalling this morningâs messages in which your former captains had encouraged you, and the pride with which your sisters had introduced you to everyone youâd met on your way in; and then, something sprouts in your chest. A kind of impulse or determination, that shines in your eyes, taking Lia and RenĂ©e by surprise, because theyâve seen that look before.Â
Some of the media team followed you around, filming Keira showing you around the facility, whilst Clare Wheatley hadnât arrived yet.Â
The smell in the corridors was the first thing you noticed; used to Barçaâs training ground smelling of that air freshener sold in the club shop itself, you were surprised that this place smelled of freshly cut grass.
âBefore Win arrived, it smelled different or at least thatâs what Leah said to me. But since sheâs been here, the club has avoided artificial scents, for her sakeâ explained Keira so naturally that you thought she could read your mind, when most likely she had simply noticed the question written all over your face. Something you werenât used to, even though everyone kept saying your face was always a mirror of your emotions.
âWhen I arrived, I was also surprised by the lack of air freshenerâ clarified Keira
Itâs just that⊠itâs so different from the Ciutat Esportiva
âItâs just that⊠its so different from the Ciutat Esportivaâ you murmuredÂ
â Mariona said the same when I joined Arsenal a few weeks after herâ said Keira, with a touch of melancholy and a special sparkle in her eyesâ Sometimes it still surprises me how much the two of you look alike, considering youâre not related⊠with all that expressions you both share and the overwhelming pride with which she looks at you.
You smiled, pleased by the comment, taking the remark as a compliment.
âWill I get to meet Win?â you asked with an almost childlike joy, which made Keira smile.
âSheâll probably show up when you least expect itâadded Keira as you walked through the first glass door. âShe loves being pampered all the time, so donât be surprised if she demands your attention the moment she sees you. She can be a bit bossy when she wants to be.
You couldnât help but smile at the comment; you knew about Win from the photos at the club and from your own sisters. A chocolate-coloured Labrador that everyone adored and whom you couldnât wait to meet.
You walked down the corridor in a comfortable silence, your eyes fixed on the various photos of the clubâs Legends. Youâd heard of almost all of them, whether through your grandfatherâs stories or your fatherâs, but youâd only ever seen a few of them play. Yet a sense of pride began to well up inside you with every photo you passed, like that fine drizzle that seems harmless but ends up soaking you to the bone, making Liaâs words about your value to the club carry a weight you found impossible to ignore for the first time. Without realising it, you had walked halfway down the corridor, until you stopped in front of the first of the glass doors.
âAnd here we areâsaid Keira, pointing to her right. âThis is the canteen; this is where we eat after training or have breakfast if we arrive with plenty of time to spare.Â
The space was spacious, lit by large windows running along the opposite wall and tastefully decorated. Round tables were scattered throughout the room, each with its own space, and the self-service counter on the opposite side, from behind which wafted the aroma of freshly brewed coffee.Â
âIf you ever decide to give coffee a go, Mario makes the bestâ added Keira, introducing you to the elderly man with kind eyes who waved at you with a broad smile, before handing the coffee to one of the reserve players having breakfast.Â
âDon't hold your breathâ you said with such confidence that Keira let out a little chuckle, which caught the attention of the group of homegrown players having breakfast.Â
Keira greeted them politely before placing a protective hand on your shoulder.
âCome on, Iâve still got plenty to show you.
You left the canteen with the scent of coffee still lingering in your nostrils, and the next door you walked through was that of the Physiotherapists.Â
It was a small, white room, with three empty treatment tables and a row of cupboards beneath the large window that ran along the side wall. The room smelled of a mixture of disinfectant and muscular cream, a smell that made your skin crawl in a cruel way, transporting you back to the 23-24 season when Mariona kept going in and out of a room very much like this one. However, it was none of that which caught your attention.Â
What caught your eye was the huge mural of drawings covering the entire blackboard that took up a large part of the wall. Your gaze swept over every little childish cartoon: a giraffe, Goofy, a Pikachu in a cap, various SpongeBob characters and many others you didnât recognise but on which your eyes lingered all the same. The idea that someone had filled a clinical, clinical environment with such colourful childrenâs characters felt out of place but, at the same time, terribly welcoming.
and Iâm sure the feeling would be mutual, but she decided to return to the Netherlands at the start of this summer transfer window; Iâm sure youâll meet her when we come up against the Netherlands.
âLast year there was an epidemic of injuries and Pelova tore her cruciate ligament, so she spent a lot of time in this roomâ said Keira, her gaze fixed on the drawings.â She said that every time she walked into this room, she felt more depressed. So she started covering the whiteboard with every little drawing that popped into her head.
âAnd the physios didnât say anything?â you asked, unable to understand how those drawings had come to occupy a space meant for keeping track of the teamâs injuries.Â
âIt was Sarah who gave her the markersâ replied Keira, as if recalling the moment.ââLetting out her anger, frustration and sadness is part of the healing process; that makes my job easier,â were her exact words.Â
You remained silent, letting those words sink in, and it was then that your eyes fell on the only words written on the board: âVicâs Worldâ.
âI think Iâll like Pelovaâ you admitted with a slight smile.
âAnd Iâm sure the feeling would be mutual, but she decided to return to Netherlands at the start of this summer transfer window â Keira said before taking your hand to lead you to the next place. âIâm sure youâll meet her when we come up against the Netherlands.
âBut I donât play for Englandâ you said a bit confused, as you were still playing for the Spanish Under-19
âYou willâ said Keira with a certainty that surprised youâ As soon as Sarina sees you play, youâll end up wearing the England crest with pride.
Before leaving, you turned your gaze to the mural one last time and asked fate that you wouldnât have to see it again any time soon.
As she led you down the corridor again, the warmth of Keiraâs hand in yours felt comforting. The closer you got to the double doors, from which came sounds of laughter, the clanging of weights and the beat of a song you didnât recognise, the more you felt your stomach start to churn.
But as you walked past the gymâs double doors, you couldnât help but look at her in surprise, with an expression bordering on panic.
âKei, I think weâve just walked byâŠ
âDonât worry, thereâs still time to go to the gymâKeira interrupted with a calmness that felt like a soothing balm for the anxiety beginning to take hold of you.Â
You didnât dare contradict her, secretly grateful to be able to avoid being the centre of attention for a little while longer.Â
Keira squeezed your hand gently, pushed the door open, and you stepped inside almost at the same time. The changing room was completely empty, except for Win. The chocolate-coloured Labrador was playing with a small ball that looked like an Arsenal ball.
You didnât have time to say anything. Win had run to the door, her tail wagging with an energy uncharacteristic of such an early hour. Her brown eyes looked at you with a mixture of joy and barely contained excitement.
You stood frozen, too absorbed in the welcome to do anything, whilst Keira smiled beside you, her gaze fixed on the dogâs eager face, which was still waiting for you to say hello.Â
Tired of waiting for your reaction, Win placed a paw on your shin, trying to get your attention, and Keira couldnât help but laugh.
âI told you she was bossyâ said Keira, laughing heartily as she leaned in slightly to scratch Win just behind her right ear. âArenât you a bossy girl?
Contrary to what you expected, Win snorted, as if sheâd actually understood Keiraâs words and felt offended. You couldnât help but smile, as Keira had told you about Win and described her as a dog with a strong personality, something you hadnât understood until that very moment.Â
Slowly, almost fearfully, as if Win might walk away if you didnât give in to her demand, you ran your fingers through her fur; just behind her left ear, that exact spot you didnât know was her favourite, but which, when touched, made her lean into your touch and whimper with happiness.
âShe already loves youâKeira stated firmly.Â
âSheâs beautifulâ you couldnât help but remark,âand her fur is so soft.
âHave you posted the Barça goodbye yet?âshe asked then, as she walked towards a specific locker, one with a small sun decorating the outside.Â
A sun you recognised perfectly as a drawing Patri had done on your locker before the stadium refurbishment had erased it. Which made your stomach clench in a mix of nostalgia and confusion.
âYesâ you replied sadly.
âIs that why you didnât want to have dinner with us yesterday?â asked Keira as you slowly approached.
You fixed your gaze on the sun, guilt gnawing at your throat.Â
âIs this my locker?âyou asked in a whisper, even though you already knew. That sun had confirmed it, but you needed to hear it; you needed to know that you had a place where you belonged.Â
And it was perhaps that thought that caused the guilt to settle heavily in your chest. But then, Keiraâs warm, gentle hands cupped your face in an almost maternal way.
âI may not fully understand how much it has hurt youâŠafter all, Barça wasnât my home âsaid Keira, looking you straight in the eye, âbut you know you donât need to shut yourself away; you can share that sadness with us.
âI knowâyou saidâ But it felt wrong⊠It felt wrong to cry about leaving Barça when being with you all makes me happy.
âItâs okay to feel that wayâ stated Keira â You can feel sad about that chapter has ended and happy to be here with us. Feeling that way doesnât mean you love Barça any less.
You nodded, though her words didnât change how you felt.Â
âThat sun⊠how did you get it?â you asked timidly.
âWhen you collected your things in Barcelona,âKeira began, âPatri messaged me. She asked me to choose a locker for you and to leave you a little gift from them.
Then Keira hands you the key and you grab it as if you were a shipwrecked person clinging to a lifeboat.
With deliberate slowness, you run your hand over the sun sticker and smile, because even now, even when youâre no longer there⊠theyâve decided to keep looking after you. Tears blur your vision, so it takes you a little longer to open the locker, but when you do⊠You see a photo of your last Champions League final, all of you together. A photo taken just minutes before the Polaroid that adorns your wallet, and you canât help but smile as the tears roll down your face.
Keira says nothing, she just rests her hand on your shoulder and lets you release everything youâre feeling, before you have to get changed and come to terms with the idea of wearing that unfamiliar cannon on your chest.
