(In Munich)
Lana sat in a room full of grown women, trying not to show how tense she felt—even though she could feel it in her shoulders, her posture, everything.
"You're looking way too nervous."
"Is it that obvious?" she asked, touching her face like it'd betray her.
"Totally. But I don't get why—you clearly belong here."
The room fell silent when the coach walked in. No one dared speak. She gave a quick rundown of training, touched on the upcoming game that Saturday, and admitted that team morale wasn't great after yesterday's Champions League semi-final loss to Chelsea.
Lana had recently been called up to the senior team, mostly due to injuries and gaps in her position. Even though she was just 16 and hadn't been at Bayern long—six, maybe seven months—her development had been seriously impressive. She'd already spent the last couple of months training with the senior squad.
If she kept things sharp this week, she might actually get her first senior minutes this weekend.
But that first day? It wasn't pretty. The manager took one look at her, watched her train for a few drills, and sent her back—no hesitation. It stung.
Since then, she'd been working harder than anyone around her. And it showed.
After the meeting, the players headed back to their rooms. Lana went straight for her journal, the one she'd been keeping since arriving in Munich. Full of defensive plays, tactics, and ideas. It was her personal study guide.
"Hey." Her roommate, Mathilda, walked in and flopped on the bed.
"Hey."
"You're always buried in that book. Don't you do anything else?"
"Yeah. I read other books. Or study."
"That's… not comforting. You're already smart enough." She tapped her own head.
Mathilda Kranz had been Lana's roommate since she got here. Total opposite. Lana liked strategies, numbers, method. Mathilda liked instinct and taking things head-on—football and life.
"You know what? We're going out tonight. What do you think?"
"No. I'm still studying."
"Lana, come on. You've gotta take a break sometime."
Lana held her book and hesitated. Ten seconds passed.
"Okay," she finally said, putting it down.
"Yes! Finally. I've been waiting forever for you to say yes. There's this cafe near the dorms—the girls and I go there all the time. You'll love it."
Lana wasn't exactly excited. She was mostly just looking for a way to stop spiraling about the weekend.
They got dressed, headed out, ordered drinks—Mathilda even helped Lana choose something off the menu.
"Try it. You'll like it."
Lana gave a small smile and nodded.
"The others are on their way, we'll wait for them."
Five quiet minutes passed. Lana scrolled through her phone. Mathilda snatched it, her whole vibe suddenly switching.
"Really? Football again? Okay, that's it—no phone for you."
"Come on, I'll put it down when the others get here."
"Nope. We're talking until then."
Lana sighed and gave up, letting Mathilda keep the phone.
"So… Lana. Get it? So-Lana? Like your name?" She nudged her.
"Yeah. I got it."
Mathilda rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I've always felt like you're kinda distant, even though we're roommates. Like, you're always there—but not really there."
Lana didn't respond. Just looked at her.
"And everyone wants to talk to you. Especially the boys." Mathilda grinned. "They're always bugging me to ask you stuff."
"What's your point?"
"I guess… smile more. Be more open. You've got a pretty smile—I saw it once, when you were on a call. Was it a guy?"
"My little brother."
"Oh." Mathilda's face dropped slightly. "I've also wondered why you're so quiet off the pitch when you're not like that on the pitch."
"What do you mean?"
"When we've played together, you're vocal, confident, in control. But off the pitch, you're... kinda awkward. Why's that?"
"Maybe I just feel more comfortable out there. I'm usually like that around things or people that I'm comfortable with."
Mathilda smiled at her. "I hope you bring some of that pitch energy into regular life too. I think that's the real you." She glanced over. "Oh, they're here."
A group of girls arrived, laughing, hugging each other, then looking slightly surprised to see Lana sitting with Mathilda—but they joined them anyway.