by Tara Wimble
She respects Bella and her sexual orientation in a way that Bella hadn’t done for her.
Fuck.
Jacque’s been nothing but amazing to her from the bat. For agreeing to this, for continuing to support her through this and even carrying it on now after Bella’s put her through so much shit.
Their team regains their bearings and the wet grass doesn’t hinder their play for the minutes winding down. They connect passes and runs and don’t slip. Jacque holds down the backline with Niav and Bella let’s go for a minute.
She let’s go of all the crap going on, the divorce, the fraud and the fakeness to just look at her best friend.
The whole team is soaked now. The rain gave them that much. Jacque’s hair is fighting to keep it’s bounce against the elements while the rest of her body has given into the reality of being wet. She directs the midfield on Imogen’s orders. They fall in line.
Bella respects Jacque on the field. She respects her as a friend. To an extent she respects the strength that she has to stick by her like she’s doing.
Why shouldn’t she respect her feelings like she would do for anyone else? It wouldn’t take anything. It wouldn’t mean that she had to reciprocate those feelings or give her a false hope. She’s not uncomfortable with Jacque, it’s not that at all.
She’s never thought of it like this. Of Jacque being more than just her best friend. Of being someone who has needs and wants and desires. While Bella knows they include her, she’s distanced from it. It’s like Jacque has started to become something whole before her eyes where she was once apart.
There’s a shout from Niav as the ball plays to Sophie’s feet and launches forward. Oliv has it. Then Whemb. Then Oliv again-
The backline kind of dissolves in her view when the roar that follows Whemb’s second goal erupts. Bella doesn’t even react other than to sit back and it makes it clear that she’s just looking at Jacque.
Her best friend. Her fake wife. Whatever label she gave her, Jacque had become the most important person in her life in the space of a few years. There’s too much confusion to work through now but Bella can’t help but decide that she’s done enough damage in those years for her to ever rid of the guilt.
Jacque’s arms are raised upwards to the sky in joy as the Brazilian players turn their heads down. When she looks over to the bench, Bella smiles bashfully and places a hand over her heart.
She’s has to do better.
*
31st March 2012;
Canada (1 - 3) Sweden;
Jacque hates heart stopping moments. They’re never good things in her experience. Always something bad or inconvenient or both.
In this case it’s both.
Fischer is a tank of a player and a defender that Jacque is thankful that she doesn’t really have to cross with considering their similar positions. Whemb and Oliv have been having problems with her all night so there’s only a little grumble of surprise when Bella is subbed into the attacking midfield in the hope that she can help them out.
She does in a sense.
The ball she saves from crossing the line is then kicked back at her in an attempt to win a goal kick but Bella steps out of the way. The corner is given to them.
Jacque hovers around the top of the box, not expecting to get a touch but to prevent a quick turnaround.
Sophie steps up to take it and sees what Jacque sees, and what Fischer sees, that Bella has an open run. The right ball, the right angle and that’s going in the back of the net.
The sound of Soph’s foot hitting the ball is a reassuring sound that they’re about to score.
And they do.
However the celebrations that Jacque expects Bella to be wrapped up in by Oliv and Whemb and herself are cut short instantly because she’s not standing up, pointing at the sky, but face down on the ground screaming into the turf.
Fischer had gone for the ball and hit Bella’s face instead.
“Shit, shit-” Jacque sprints over, almost knocking Fischer out of the way and into the path of Oliv, to kneel next to her. “Bell, Bella-”
There’s blood.
“Oh shit-” The ref is furiously waving for the trainer to step onto the pitch as Jacque tries to rolls Bella over onto her back. “Let me see. Bell, look at me. Babe.”
The unconscious slip of affection is what manages to pry Bella’s hands from her nose and show off the bubbling stream of blood rushing from it.
“It’s albahys tuh bose.” Bella coughs. Jacque carefully sets her on her back and grabs at her hand.
“Got you. Okay?” Jacque grips onto her as Bella squeezes back and breathes heavily through her mouth. In the background she hears a piercing whistle and a cry of justice from the Canadians. There’s a card shown. “Don’t worry about it-”
“M bleedun-” Bella frowns at her.
Their trainer is by their side and asking Bella to sit up so that she can give an initial assessment. Jacque keeps hold of her hand for the longest time since- since she can last remember. “Hey, don’t worry.” She repeats. Jan has run up now to check on her as well. “-you’re still the prettiest, right?”
Bella dabs her top lip and still finds the blood running but even with specks of red on her knuckles and laughs and kind of shoves off Jacque. “-dm righ-”
She helps Bella up and walks her to the sideline. John is forced to make another sub for her and the ref waits for them all to settle before resuming play.
Jacque jogs to the backline again next to Jan. “What?”
Jan rolls her eyes. “She’s covered in blood and you both look like hot messes and you STILL manage to be the most adorable couple ever.”
Jacque snorts but apparently Swedish newspapers think so too the next morning. It lessens the sting of a three - one loss to the home team and Bella comes in to sit with her at breakfast. Her eyes are black, her nose taped up, and she looks so worse for wear that Jacque wants to laugh a little but she pulls out the seat by her instead.
“You’ve got something under your eyes.” Jacque chews on her cereal and waits for Bella to swat at her.
She does but suddenly there’s an ice that’s been broken, Bella only had to break her nose first, and then Jacque slides the newspaper over to her. “You ass.”
Sweden is good for them.
*
30th May 2012
Canada (1 - 0) China
Most of them went out for dinner, they had a friendly against China tomorrow, part of their continuing Olympic preparation series, but Jacque and Bella had begged off claiming they needed some alone couple time.
Instead they had more legal bullshit to sort through ahead of yet another meeting with their lawyers in a week.
Mostly though it was Jacque going through the mess that had become of their money. It was a mystery why they’d ever combined their bank accounts, probably some stupid choice to make everything look more real but it was a proper mess now.
Bella was never much help when it came to monetary decisions, only spending it, so she mostly laid on the couch opposite Jacque in the hotel office area.
Every once in awhile she’d make like she was about to talk but had stopped herself each time. Finally the question that must have been on her mind the whole time snuck through.
“What do we tell people?”
“Hmmm?” Jacque questions, looking up from where she’s sorting through financials on her laptop.
Bella sits up straighter. Her nose has healed up better since Sweden but Bella has taken to touching it protectively more often. “We have to have some sort of story. Why we went from ‘golden couple’ to nothing at all.”
“Just tell everyone you fell out of love with me.” Jacque answers flatly. “Wouldn’t be too far from the truth, it’s something I think you could sell.”
“Jacque.” Bella warns.
She regrets the comment a little. Until Bella opens her mouth again. “What?”
“I’m just- it’s draining.” Bella mumbles. “I feel like I�
��m actually getting a divorce.”
Jacque pushes her glasses over her face. “What the hell do you think we’re doing?”
Bella rubs her collar bone underneath her shirt. “Don’t pretend that you don’t understand what I mean-”
“What’s there to understand?” Jacque crosses a leg over her knee. “We’re getting a divorce.”
Bella gestures between them. “There’s a difference between getting a divorce and-”
“Ending a deal?” Jacque stills. “Wow.” There’s a bitter aftertaste in her mouth at Jacque’s dark tone.
Bella swallows the lump in her throat that tells her that she’s definitely said the wrong thing. Jacque picks up her laptop and stands up.
“Wouldn’t it suck if this was actually real?” Jacque scoffs and brushes past her. Bella cringes as the door is opened and shut. The intent to slam it was heard in Jacque’s efforts but the fire safety latch forces it to slow until it just clicks shut.
*
30th June 2012;
Canada (1 - 2) USA;
It was either squads last match before leaving for the Olympics so of course it’s draining when the US ends up besting them again, as they do, by a score of 2 -1. It’s even worse because she’s directly responsible for one of the United States goals, courtesy of an own goal, and she doesn’t want to deal with anyone right now having made a colossal mistake like that in such an important friendly.
But the world doesn’t really seem to work on her terms so instead of absconding to her room and sulking like she wants to she gets dragged on a team bonding outing instead.
Even if she’s not in her room it doesn’t mean she can’t still pout. Or try to at least.
Because Bella is not having any of her sulking. Every time she looks over and sees Jacque still trying to be as sullen as she feels inside she pulls a goofy face at her. She’s like an actual child and it takes all of her willpower to not give into this goofiness.
She fucked up big time, damn it, and she should be allowed to feel grumpy about that for a bit.
Still though every time Bella turns to her with her cheeks puffed out, teeth bared comically, nose plugged, or even at one point, her ears crushed to the side of her head a little part of Jacque’s anger thaws.
She tries to stay pouting, tries to hold onto the disappointment in herself, but it’s actually not possible.
Finally she cracks and can’t help but laugh at how stupid Bella looks which of course causes Bella to actually jump up and start doing a victory dance, much to the confusion of everyone else around them.
Jan wanders up with score cards for Imogen and points between them both. “Okay, we’re splitting them up, right? I’m not bowling with the married couple.”
Imogen shrugs. “What’s up with them being on the same team?”
When she turns around to plead their case for them Bella is doing some sort of hoedown looking dance around Jacque who’s laughing and trying to swat her off at the same time.
“Look at them and tell me honestly that you’re not giving whichever team they’re on a huge handicap.”
“Hey!” Bella protests. “We’re serious athletes.”
Jacque clears her throat, hiding the fading laughter in her voice. “Oh yeah. Super serious.” When Imogen turns her back on them she pushes Bella over.
“Y’know what- you could just put us on a team by ourselves if you’re that threatened by our bowling chemistry.” Bella picks herself up. She dusts her knees and throws an ‘I’ll get you back’ look at Jacque.
It’s amazing what five minutes away from the field and from most reminders of the disappointment that her life has become can do for her mood.
Jan is quick to agree. “Deal.”
“That’s not really fair-”
“It’s cool.” Jacque says before Imogen ends up putting them on a team with Sophie and Sess. They’re not amazing bowlers but they’re not the real handicaps on the team.
They take an end lane, the furthest from Ginny and her camera, and put themselves into an order for the game.
“Okay so the rules are the usual ones!” Ginny shouts. “Bowling. So no kicking, no stepping over the line, no illegal blocking tactics...” That gets a jeer from some of the ‘height challenged’ players. “Whichever team scores the most points wins, individual scores will also be counted and may result in some sort of reward.”
“Let’s do this!” Oliv shouts from one of the lanes in the middle and the one innocent family who managed to get themselves entangled in this mess waiting to happen look as though they’re seriously considering leaving for the night.
Bella stands over the balls and reaches her arm out for Jacque. “Help me choose.”
“Choose your own ball.” But Jacque still gets up next to her anyway. Sess goes first and there’s a chorus of groans when it heads straight for the gutter.
Bella bumps her hip. She’s being nice and Jacque isn’t in the mood to question it or try and distance herself from it because they could have tied the game if not for her. “You gonna choose or are those glasses actually making your vision worse?”
“These glasses are cool!” Jacque protests. “And my prescription. You can’t lose.”
Jacque gets up for her turn. She picks a blue ball and Bella smirks as she brushes past a disappointed Lauren to bowl. “Go Jacque! Woo!”
Jan shouts from two lanes over. “No cat calling!”
Bella leans back over the team bench and shouts louder, alarming the family in between them. “You throw that ball deep, Jacque!”
That’s how Jacque gets the first strike for the team.
From the lane next to them Whemb tries to get her off the bench but Bella doesn’t even notice.
Then it’s actually Bella’s turn so she does jump down, grabbing a red eight pound ball on her way. She walks up to the line, makes a big deal about getting into her stance and then promptly rolls the ball straight into the gutter.
It doesn’t even make it all the way down the lane and they have to press the attendant assistance button to keep playing.
“And we already have a bonus award for ‘most awkward moment’-” Ginny wanders by them with her flip cam out. Bella hangs her head as she retreats to the bench where Jacque is sitting for ‘comfort’. “Yeah, it’s gonna take a lot more than hugging for you guys to beat Whemb’s team.”
Sophie gets up with the intent to single handedly save them from coming last and Jacque’s arm, which rests on the back of the bench, is now kind of around Bella’s shoulders by default.
“You hanging in there?” Bella’s voice drops to a whisper and Jacque has to blink because she didn’t expect the sudden turn around. “About the game.”
“Oh that.” Jacque suddenly has the thought of her facing her own goal, poking the cross in off of her left foot at the forefront of her mind. “It’s--it’s whatever.”
“It’s not whatever.” Bella pushes. “Just get it out and then you’ll feel better.”
“I scored for the other team today and it ended up basically being the winning goal.” Jacque feels like pouting all over again, not even Sophie almost tripping and falling during her strike celebration dance can shake the mood. “It sucks. I should have done better.”
“You could always think of it this way,” Bella bites her bottom lip before clicking her tongue against the top of her mouth. “At least one of us sitting on this bench managed to score a goal for the full US National Team.”
Jacque pauses. “You little shit.”
She nudges Bella who slides away from her on the bench.
Bella recovers quickly, still remembering how Jacque pushed her down at the beginning of the night.
“Oh.” She gives Jacque a look that has her smirking back. “You’re definitely getting your payback right now.”
From a sitting position she throws her shoulder into Jacque who catches her in a side hug, which actually feels more like a side headlock, and they start to struggle for position. Bowling shoes don’
t really give them great footing and so they end up sliding off the bench.
But something so insignificant as falling off the bench wasn’t going to stop this impromptu wrestling match. Jacque initially has the upper hand, having landed on top, but Bella is kicking her legs to try to get any level footing and slapping at Jacque’s back to try and get better positioning.
Then a great idea comes to her and she knows exactly how she’s going to win this. Of course, she doesn’t think it all of the way through.
Pulling Jacque’s hair seemed like the best plan and for a moment it was because Jacque yelled out, loosened up on her hold momentarily, and it gave Bella the split second she needed to flip them so Jacque was on her back slapping up at her as Bella grabbed at her arms to try and stop the onslaught.
But it also got everyone else's attention, including the family next to them.
“Lesson number one, Jacque!” Bella shrieks as Jacque keeps on attacking. “I always win.”
Jacque bursts out laughing and it’s the perfect moment to do the same thing as she did last time under the cover of her teammates all whooping at them. She flips them. “Lesson number two. Remember.”
Bella groans as her back hits the floor and Jacque pushes the awkwardness right to the back of her mind along with the thought that they’re not doing themselves any favours by doing this. Jacque winks though and Bella catches on. “I still have more experience than you at this.”
“Oh god.” Bella whimpers. “My back-”
“You had to push it.” They shouldn’t be giggling but it’s hard not to with Bella weakly pushing at Jacque’s shoulders and the rest of their team taking as many pictures of this for blackmail purposes as possible.
“I had to win!”
“You’re gonna have to leave.” They both look up at the assistant manager peering down at them. “You’re disturbing the rest of our customers.”
Imogen attempts to negotiate with the staff on their decision to remove them but they won’t be swayed thanks to the family in between them complaining about their antics. Jacque has an inkling that if she had been wrestling with a guy there wouldn’t have been a complaint.
