LT Day 10 - It's Friday

It's Friday.

Tiff wakes up you and your team. You start with a quick warm up, then you get a light breakfast, then a final team huddle in the locker rooms before you put on your game uniforms.

Tiff recaps yesterday's planning meetings briefly. The main concern with Team Green is the small group of military girls that all know each other. Their soccer technique isn't perfect, but they have excellent synergy and are extremely tough.

There's a sense of relief because the waiting is over. Now you just have to play.

You put your uniforms on and head out onto the field, where there are tons of cameras, and the bleachers are full. These are all FUTA employees and their guests... live viewership is limited while FUTA is still in this early stage.

At least half an hour of group photos, individual photos, and pre-game interviews go by before you're finally walking out there onto the field.

It's another beautiful, sunny day... but hot.

The game starts out full throttle and rough. Green Team is aggressive and focused. There's precision in everything they do... they have their playbook memorized, and they stick to it religiously.

The military girls aren't afraid to get rough, and it's making for a good show. Even the small live audience is pretty loud.

You see Michelle watching. Tiff might be your coach now, but Michelle will always be your real coach. You don't want to lose in front of her.

Even at your best... this would be a hard game. But the last week has been so chaotic, and maybe even traumatic. You are a mess, and you're not a good captain, or even a good player right now. You do your best, but you lose in the end. 2 to 1.

It's rough. Watching the other team celebrate while you and the others have to get pushed into the showers because the FUTA people want everyone gone as soon as the game's over... it's bad. After that they put you on a bus to go wherever losers go.

You and the other girls sit on the bus as it leaves the Soccer Camp area, going onto a gravel road that you never noticed before. Two other busses are coming as well... one for each losing team.

You drive through the forest, but Lara notices something and looks out the window. You turn to look too. There's a sign up ahead. It's yellow, but it has words on it in big, friendly letters:

WELCOME TO

CAMP CRYSTAL LAKE

EST. 1935

"Another camp," Lara says.

"What?" You don't understand.

But in a minute the bus pulls up, and you see it all: it's a summer camp. The Soccer Camp is modern and pretty nice, even just the cabins and showers, but this place... it's a wreck. It looks like something from the early eighties.

But it's on the lake, which is pretty. There's a sand volleyball court, and a basketball court... no sign of soccer. Some cabins that are a lot like the ones at the Soccer Camp, just shittier.

The busses stop.

You all get off, finding four young women waiting for you wearing the shorts and t-shirts of camp counselors. They each have their name written on their t-shirts. Meg, Claudette, Nea, and Kate.

Meg is sporty and looks like a runner. Claudette is Black, very cute, and wears nerdy glasses. Nea looks grumpy and has a beanie on, but she'd probably be pretty if she smiled. Kate is obviously the hot one, with long, red hair and the look of a popular cheerleader.

Kate steps forward as all the losers gather around.

"Welcome," she says. "So you'll all be here until Monday morning. No drills or anything. No cameras. You're free to just relax. I guess the punishment part is that it's... you know." She turns and gestures at the camp. Yeah. The punishment is that it's not the Lodge.

And you had to give up your phone when you got on the bus. No phones, no air conditioning... probably no TVs. So there will be no creature comforts, but it might be very relaxing actually with no cameras and no social media pressure or anything.

You go into the cabin assigned to your team, finding it dusty, creaky, and kind of horrible... the beds squeak, and there's no privacy in the shower, which is supposed to be for six people but is just tiny.

It's... awful. It's a shitty end to a shitty week. Luckily, it seems like the girls are making the best of it. They're changing into swimsuits and heading down to the lake to relax. There are two other losing teams at the camp... you're all losers together tonight, not opponents. Everyone seems relaxed. That's good.

You don't change, but you go with them because you don't want to sit alone in the cabin.

Some girls splash around in the water, but most of them lounge around to vent and get some sun.

You see Lotte. Like you, she's not wearing a bathing suit. She looks as shaken as you are. Of course her team lost too...

Looks at you, then looks away. You can't read her.

You know that her behavior is just... probably part of her baggage or something. She doesn't want to hurt people, she just has issues. You could... maybe try to set things straight. Clear the air. Connect somehow, this time without all that, since it's in the open now. You don't know. You just aren't sure you want to leave things unfinished.

On the other hand, you could be done. She won't bother you again. You truly believe that. You can put her behind you. This is it.

Go talk to Lotte? Or forget her?