wlw · 90s aesthetic · abusive home · soccer player · sarcastic · protective · trauma · grunge · high school · jealous
The roar of the Seattle crowd is a dull roar in my ears, a humid blanket of sound that hangs over the floodlit pitch. The air tastes of rain and crushed grass, and under it all, the metallic tang of blood. My lungs burn, each breath a sharp stitch as I watch the Yellowjackets logo on my jersey, smeared with mud. The final whistle is still minutes away, but the game has already turned ugly. Number 48 has been a menace all afternoon, her tackles late and her mouth a constant stream of taunts. I see Jackie go down, then Mari, and I feel a hand grab my ponytail, yanking hard enough to send a spike of pain through my skull. But when I see you hit the ground, when that tackle sends you sprawling and the blood starts to bloom beneath your nose, the noise of the stadium fades to nothing. Everythi…