AR Day 5 - The next day

You wake up in pain, alone in your room. Your ankle isn't killing you, but it's sore... this is bad. You quickly limp into the shower to warm it up, then wrap it tightly. You have been an athlete long enough to know how to handle it... but it's not good.

As you come out of the shower, you can hear everyone else downstairs. You better get down there.

At breakfast, everyone quiets down at the coaches gather at the front of the room. Everyone stops eating and talking to listen. Something is going on.

Michelle steps forward, apparently the spokesperson.

"So, announcement time. Everyone listening?" she asks.

"Yes," everyone says together.

"OK. Remember how you have all been gossiping about a new league? And how that's our fault, kind of?" She gestures at the other coaches.

"Yes," everyone says.

"About that. There's no new league," she says.

The room explodes with shock and from some girls, outrage.

"What?" You can't believe it. It's all anyone could talk about yesterday...

"Shut up and listen," Michelle says impatiently. "It's not a league. It's a TV show."

She has to wait again while you all freak out.

"But! But! It's not getting produced yet," she goes on. "Seriously, guys. Let me finish. The producers are here to do a trial run. Your coaches and supervising coaches all have the contract, and you will get your chance to look at it and make your decision."

You want to laugh... like anyone is going to NOT want to be on a TV show about soccer. Everyone will sign.

"For this show, we are going to do a scaled down league, which means teams. But it's a show, not a league. That means these people want to see drama. They want rivalries and things like that. You're sorted into teams, and you *stay* with your team. Your team is like your family," Michelle says.

Wait a minute. What are the teams? Who is on which team? You and lots of the other girls start demanding to know, but Michelle shushes everyone.

"We'll post them in a minute. And I know! I know there's romance here at this camp where we are supposed to be concentrating on training," she says, kind of irritatingly. "So this is how it works. On Mondays you train. On Tuesdays, you have a half-day of training and a practice match. On Wednesdays, you do strategy and light training. On Thursdays, a half-day of training and match prep. On Friday, you have a real match against another team. There will be six teams. Three matches. The winning teams get to spend the weekend here at the lodge. The losers have to stay at camp. What happens at the lodge stays at the lodge. This is the only place where you can mingle with other teams. So if you want to mingle, you have to win. If you don't care about mingling and you just care about soccer, you still have to win, because only winners get interviews. That's how this is going to work."

Whoa. That's a lot. But wait... there are a lot of girls at camp, but not enough for six teams.

"Are these just very small teams, then?" Beth pipes up.

"No. Full teams. More girls arrive tomorrow, and a few of the girls from the Swim Camp are going to come up and join. We..." she says, pointing at herself and the other coaches. "Are your subs if there are injuries. Yes, we know there are some girls here who don't have to sit down to pee. Those girls don't have to hide that. No secrets. Any other questions?"

Wow! You can shower with everyone else now? And share a changing room? And yes, there are lots of questions, but you just want to know what team you are on... but you don't get to see that until after you sign a contract, and none of the coaches will let anyone sign a contract that they have not read yet.

Going over the contracts takes most of the morning. You finally get yours signed, and are handed a sheet with the teams on it. You are officially a contestant in the pilot shoot for Football Ultimate Television Association, or FUTA for short.

You check out your team.

PINK TEAM:

1. Riley (USA) Captain, Striker COACH: Tiff
2. ATT Aki (JAP)
3. ATT Lara (UK)
4. MID Sun (KOR)
5. MID Sam (UK)
6. MID Elena (KEN)
7. DEF Rebecca (USA)
8. DEF Sheva (SEN)
9. DEF Lili (MON)
10. DEF Max (USA)
11. GOAL Viti (IND)

SHIT. This isn't happening. This is a huge opportunity, and you are injured... You have managed to hide your limp so far...

And Adella? What about her?

BLUE TEAM:

1. Adella Captain, Striker (SPN) - COACH: MOTOKO
2. ATT Hana (KOR)
3. ATT Olga (RUS)
4. MID Beth (UK)
5. MID Feng (CHI)
6. MID Duni (KEN)
7. DEF Ingrid (SWE)
8. DEF Riona (IRE)
9. DEF Jill (USA)
10. DEF Julieta (FRA)
11. GOAL Miranda (UK)

This is why they wanted to separate you. Fuuuuuck.

"Riley? You OK?" Michelle asks you worriedly. The other girls are all excitement, but you are having a panic attack...

"I'm good," you lie, searching the room with your eyes for Adella... she's right over there, but you can't go hug her and ask her what to do in front of everyone. You are on your own.

It's OK. You can do this. You secretively test your ankle. It hurts, but it still works. You can play... you just have to be careful. You won't be at your best, but...

"You want to call your family? This is a big deal," Michelle is saying to you.

"Yeah. I'll do that," you say, going out on the patio. You don't call anyone. You have to calm down first. You should talk to your teammates... several of them are already here at camp, like Lara and Viti. There's a lot of things you should do...

At least it's a nice day now. Warm and sunny, not like last night... you remember falling off the roof... that was so stupid. You are a captain now. You have to be smarter than that.

"America? Are you all right?"

It's Adella. She's standing on the other end of the patio, just outside the door.

"I'm OK." You smile at her, but leave it at that... you don't know who's watching. No one else is out here with you two, but lots of girls are inside, and there's nothing but windows.

"A lot of them want to have a picnic," Adella says.

"Nice day for it," you say.

"You should go with them."

"Are you not coming?"

"You should go," Adella says, and goes back inside.

What the hell? Adella is staying, but she wants you to go? What do you do?

Go with the others? Or stick around the Lodge and see what Adella's up to?