6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Cattleya Cardona

T he game was a dream; I played for eighty minutes and had a goal assist. Rosario is a strong opponent, and the number of faults from both teams was insane. It was a very physical match, which brings me to what I'm doing right now: taking an ice bath as part of my recovery routine that the physio recommended. I'm browsing my phone—since I really don't want to think about how cold I am, and how much getting out of this tub is going to hurt—when I notice a little icon on my home screen that I've never seen before. It's a little angel with heart eyes.

" Qué putas es esto? (What the fuck is this?)," I mumble. When I click the icon, my screen fills with a bunch of men. I'm 1,000% sure I didn't download this app; I'm not sure how it got here, but even worse, several notifications are staring at me. I have fifteen matches. FIFTEEN! Matches for what? I look at Stefa, who is in the tub next to mine, and her shit-eating grin tells me everything I need to know.

"What the hell did you do?" I ask her, trying for a serious tone.

"Nah, boluda . I just gave you the little push you needed."

I take a moment to analyze her words. I can see on her face that she meant no harm, but it feels pretty intrusive to install an app on my phone without my consent, especially since we don't know each other that well yet.

"Hey, I'm sorry if I overstepped. I promise, I just did it in good fun. You can uninstall it and move on, you don't have to go out with anyone if you don't want to. I'm sorry," Stefa says as I stare at her, trying to come up with something to say. I don't want to make a big deal out of this, although it would be warranted. I'm starting to fit in with the team, and I don't want anyone to single me out because I can't take a prank.

After a couple of minutes, I give Stefa a smile. "Yeah, I know you had good intentions. But honestly, I don't feel like going out with anyone at the moment." She smiles back at me, silently accepting my decision. I try to relax for the last ten minutes I have in this tub, closing my eyes, and right on cue, my mind goes to the dark-haired guy who will always be a part of my dreams.

"I left tickets for you and cu?i at the box office. I hope you guys can make it," I tell my sister as I make my way to our training facility. This past week, I've decided to walk to and from instead of taking an Uber. I'm starting to appreciate the cold weather, and wearing cute jackets and beanies is definitely a plus.

"Aww, I feel so special. Make way, people, Cata Cardona's sister has arrived," Sofi says in a fake regal voice, and I throw my head back in a fit of laughter.

"You're insufferable, Sofía Gómez." The moment I say the words, my sister gasps, and I laugh harder.

"How dare you, Cattleya Milena. I am and will always be a Cardona. There's no changing last names, nuh-uh." I love how she defends our last name so adamantly; I feel the exact same way. If I ever get married, I don't want to change my last name; it's part of who I am. As I get closer to the facility, I'm spotted by a few waiting people nearby. By the time I realize they're journalists, it's too late, and I have no other option than to smile and chat with them for a bit. I usually reserve my chats for press conferences or when I'm with someone from PR, but I guess this time I'm flying solo.

"Hey sis, hopefully I'll see you Sunday after the match. Gotta go. I love you." I pocket my phone as I plaster a smile on my face.

"Hi Cata, how are you? Any chance you can share a few words for Bleacher's Pulse ? We're a women's soccer exclusive media outlet and would love to feature you."

I need to be very smart about what I say next. I know there are some amazing journalists out there, but there are also plenty who only want a clickbait story and can twist your words to their advantage. "Nice to meet you," I say as I extend my hand, waiting for an introduction and the woman is quick to shake my hand .

"Oh, of course. Where are my manners? I'm Romina Cutti. Nice to meet you too."

I smile at her and tell her sincerely, "I'm cutting it close for training, but I'm very happy to be on this team. Both the players and staff are incredible, and we all are working toward the same goal. We're going to give it our all for another victory this Sunday." I smile again at her and start walking toward the gate where the security guard has been eyeing the entire exchange when Romina holds me by my shoulder. I don't consider myself a short woman at 5'10" but apparently she thinks I am. I look at where her hand is grabbing me, then look at her in her eyes. If looks could kill, this woman wouldn't be breathing; I don't mind being touched by people who I allow to touch me, but the shoulder-grabbing felt more like a power move. Once I've stopped walking, she removes her hand.

"I'm sorry. It's just I was hoping I could get a picture with you." When I don't say anything she adds, "for the note."

I nod at her, and the man waiting with her gets his camera in position and snaps a couple of pictures. I nod at her with a curt smile this time and disappear into the facilities. As the gate is closing, I hear her in the distance, "Did you get everything? We're going to have fun with this." I wonder if I heard her correctly. I guess I'll have to wait and see what she says in her post.

After another victory, I'm ecstatic in the locker room. Everyone is in good spirits and ready to continue the winning streak.

"What the actual fuck?" I hear Noelia shout, and everyone's head swivels to her cubby .

"What happened?" Emma asks. Noelia lifts her gaze from the phone and looks directly at me, anger in her gaze.

"What did I do?" I ask, confused. I thought we had a great game.

"You? Absolutely nothing, but this bitch Romina wants to break the locker room."

"What?" I ask again, clueless as to what is going on.

"Romina is a journalist and every season she tries to start drama. I'm not sure how she's still an approved journalist in the league. Almost every team has raised complaints about what she writes, claiming she's disruptive and she lacks the proof to support her claims. But so far, nothing has happened since she says she's simply exercising her right of free speech." Emma is the one to fill me in.

"Okay, so what did she write?" I ask because I want to know what got Noelia so pissed off.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that the team seemed like they were gasping for air at tonight's performance, and rumor has it, it's all because the team is having a hard time adjusting to the newcomer, Cattleya Cardona, a Colombian rich girl who wants to rule the locker room at any cost." My blood turns icy as Noelia continues to read the article. It's a shame people enjoy stirring up drama instead of doing a good job of reporting how well we played today.

"Wow, what a bitch. She approached me the other day and asked for an interview. I simply told her that I was very happy to be here, but I was so focused and committed to giving my all to the team that I didn't have anything else to say." My words are met with silence, everyone in the locker room seems nervous. Some are biting their nails while others are biting their lips. "At the risk of sounding like a broken record, what? What the fuck am I missing?" I ask, and this time it's Stefa, who's standing next to me and speaking.

"Well, Colombiana . It sounds like you pissed Romina off, she's used to getting her way. Asking more questions than she's supposed to. Twisting our words for clicks. The mina is a real piece of work."

"Well? So, what are we going to do about it? We are a team, we are working hard to win games, together. Are we going to let this brat ruin our season?" I look at every single one of my teammates in their eyes. If we let this woman win, there's no way we'll ever win anything.

"As much as I like you, Cata, I cannot risk my spot on the team. It's been a very tough road for me to make it to this level, and I'd rather abide by Romina's fist of terror than challenge her and show up on her column as the super villain no one wants to work with." Viole, one of the defenders, is brave enough to speak. I'm a little stunned. Sure, I come from a rich family, and yes my talent and dedication got me where I am today. But I've never had to worry about what I'd do if this didn't work out for me. If I can't find a team who wants to sign me, it'd suck, for sure, but at the end of the day, I have enough money in the bank to live one thousand lives and then some.

Relaxing my shoulders and taking a deep breath, I look at my teammates again. "I know I don't live with as many struggles as some of you do, and I don't want you to ever think that I'm insensitive to your life and the battles you've had to face to be where you are today. But at the same time, I cannot stay quiet and let this woman dictate how our team plays. I understand if you don't want to join me in speaking our truth, but I just can't stay silent," I say in the most gentle tone I can muster. My blood is boiling at the thought of having to bow my head to a woman who hasn't probably touched a soccer ball in her life.

When no one speaks, I head back to my cubby to grab my stuff. "You guys know we are trailblazers, we're paving the fucking way for future generations of women who dared to play a sport dominated by men. When they learn about us, are they going to be proud of us? Or ashamed that we didn't stand up for ourselves?" I'm nearly at the door when I hear clapping. I turn around, and Noelia is rallying everyone. Slowly, one by one, they start clapping and before I know it, I'm joining in. Our collective roar fills the air. We're in this together.

"Who are we?" I shout as loud as I can.

"The Golden Warriors!" my team replies.

"What do we want?"

"Eternal glory!"

We form a circle in the middle of the locker room, arms around shoulders, forming a huge tight embrace.

"Thank you, Cata, for speaking up. Truth is, we are scared, but I feel like together we'll be invincible," Stefa says, and I hug her tight.

"I'm scared, too, but we won't let fear win. Fuck no."

This game was less physical than last week's, but I'm still dead tired, even more so after the emotional speech I just gave in the locker room. All I want is a warm meal and my bed. But Sofi is in the bleachers with her husband, so I'm going out to dinner with them. I'm making my way to the family area, where usually the significant others wait for the players, when I'm approached again by Romina. I saw the little note she wrote in her paper; it seemed harmless enough, but what I heard after our encounter has me on high alert .

"Cata, great game. Do you have a few seconds?" I give her a smile as I try to look for Sofi and Franco. "And here we are with Cata Cardona, another great match. You have had a fantastic start in the league: three games, three victories so far. What are your thoughts about that?"

I twist my hair in my ponytail as I think about the correct words to use. "It's been a dreamy debut, my teammates are amazing and have welcomed me with open arms. It's easy to play well when everyone is working toward the same goal and the coach has been amazing, as well. I'm lucky to be surrounded by greatness, I'm just trying to keep up." I finish my answer, and more journalists approach me, so I continue answering a couple of questions. By the time I'm done, Sofi and Franco have come out of the family area and are waiting for me. My sister's eyes gleam with pride, and I can't hold my emotions back.

"Ugh, we had to be criers like Mom," Sofi says as she hugs me and I chuckle. "I'm so fucking proud of you, sis. You killed it today." I squeeze my sister for one more second before I hug Franco.

"What a game, Cata. You ate that midfield." I smile at them as I wipe my tears off my cheeks.

"Thank you both so much for being here. You don't know what it means to me to have family in the bleachers, cheering me on." Franco ruffles my hair and I slap his chest with the back of my palm. "Sofi, control your husband. I'm not a baby anymore." We all share a laugh as we make our way to the parking lot. There are fans still waiting to get autographs and pictures and when they see me, it gets really loud. I'm pleasantly surprised to see how fast the fans have warmed up to me. That's another relationship I have to cultivate and nurture: fans are the soul of the game. There's no soccer without fans .

Sofi and Franco wait patiently for me as I take selfies with the people who waited for the chance to see some of the players. There's a young girl who reminds me of myself at that age. She has her hair styled in two braids, and she's wearing black bike shorts, black Converse, and a shirt that says: "The Future is Female." She's adorable, and she's looking at me with eyes full of wonder. I crouch to get down to her height and give her a wave.

She waves back at me as she says, "Hi, Cata! I want to be like you when I grow up."

I grin at her sincerely. "Oh, thank you. That's a very kind compliment. What's your name?" She looks up to her mom, silently asking for permission to tell me and her mom nods warmly at her.

"I'm Matilde."

I smile at her as I tell her, "My name is Cattleya, but people call me Cata."

Her eyes grow big like saucers. "Cattleya? What does that mean?"

I chuckle at her curiosity. "Cattleya is a flower, a type of orchid. They are very common where I come from."

She nods her head. "That's a pretty name."

Her mom holds her by her shoulders and smiles at me. "We don't want to keep you. Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with my daughter. She can be a little parrot when she's excited."

I chuckle and wave her off. "No worries, it was a pleasure. Next time you come to a match, please go to will call. I'll leave a little something for Matilde there."

Matilde starts jumping up and down, and with a serious face, she tells her mom, "See mom? I told you Cata would be the best. Now we have to come to the next home game." Her mom simply chuckles as she shakes her head, amused at her daughter's antics. After waving goodbye, I join Sofi and Franco who have dovey eyes.

"That's the most adorable girl I've ever seen," Sofi says, then she rushes to add. "After Victoria, of course." Victoria is their "niece." At some point, Franco thought he was her dad, but then he learned he had been tricked by Victoria's mom, Alma.

"No pressure, mi cielo . But I'll love you forever if our first child is a girl." Franco takes a hand to his chest, feigning being hurt.

"What do you mean you'll love me forever if I give you a daughter as our first born, Mi Sol ? What if it's a boy?" Sofi laughs hard as she grabs his hand and pulls him toward their car. "You better not find out," she says as she gives him a sassy wink, and he spanks her ass as he opens the car door for her, followed by a kiss.

A pang of jealousy hits me right in my heart. I know my sister deserves the world and I'm happy for her. For them, really. They had a rocky journey to get where they are now, but sometimes I wish I had someone who loved me unconditionally. Someone who would be my biggest fan. Someone who would understand me on a molecular level. Someone who would love me for who I am and not for who they want me to be. And the worst part? I thought I had met that someone long ago.

"Cata, let's go," Sofi says from her seat in the car, and I rush to get in and buckle up.

Tomorrow is another day, and maybe I should try out that app Stefa installed on my phone. Right now, I'm going to enjoy annoying the shit out of my big sister. Just like old times.