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The second half starts, and we’re a different team. We’re more dangerous.

We win the ball back quickly and launch a counterattack. I pass to Daisy, who dribbles past a defender and crosses it to me. I head it to Valentina, who shoots. The goalkeeper saves it, but it wins us a corner.

Valentina takes it, curling the ball into the box. Mia jumps and heads it toward the goal, but it hits the post and bounces back. I’m there to follow up, and I smash it into the net.

The stadium erupts in celebration, as my teammates mob me. We’ve equalized, we’re back in the game. I look up at the scoreboard. 1–1, and we’re not done yet.

The game goes on, and we keep pushing, looking for the winner. We have more chances, but we can’t seem to find the final touch.

Ingrid also tries to score again, but she’s frustrated, desperate. She takes more shots, but they’re wild, inaccurate. She’s losing her cool, and we take advantage of it.

The clock is ticking and the tension is rising. We can feel the game slipping away, but we don’t give up.

In the last minute of stoppage time, we get one last opportunity. Valentina wins the ball in midfield and passes it to me.

I run down the wing, with a defender on my tail. I cut inside, then back out, creating some space. I cross the ball, high and hard, toward the penalty spot.

Mia is there, but she’s not alone. Maeve is marking her, trying to clear the ball. They jump together, competing for the header. But Maeve is more experienced, she uses her body to shield Mia, and she gets her head to the ball first.

The counterattack happens fast. I run back, trying to catch up, but the Predators are already in our half. They pass the ball around, looking for Ingrid, who’s making a run toward our goal.

Valentina is on her, but she’s blocked by another player. Ingrid receives the ball, and she’s one-on-one with Aditi. She fakes a shot, then goes around her. She’s in the clear, with only Millie to beat.

I watch in horror. This can’t be happening. We can’t lose like this. Not after all we’ve been through.

Ingrid shoots, and the ball flies toward the goal. Millie dives, stretching her arm as far as she can. She touches the ball, but it’s not enough. It goes past her, into the net.

The final whistle blows, and the match is over. We’ve lost 2–1, in the last second. We’ve lost to our rivals, to my father’s team, to the Predators.

I fall to my knees, feeling a sharp pain in my chest. I can’t believe it. We were so close, so close to a tie or even a win. But we let it slip away.

I look around, seeing my teammates’ reactions. Some are crying, some are angry, some are just numb. Valentina comes to me, kneeling beside me, hugging me. I hug her back, burying my face in her shoulder.

“It’s okay, Lexa,” she whispers. “It’s just one match. We’ll get them next time.”

I nod, but I don’t feel okay. I feel like I’ve let everyone down.

I look up, and I see Ingrid celebrating with her teammates, laughing, gloating. She sees me, points at me, then gives me a thumbs-down.

I can’t take it anymore. I stand up and walk toward her, my fists clenched. Valentina tries to stop me, but I shake her off.

“What the fuck is your problem?” I shout at Ingrid. “You think you’re better than me? You think you’re a star? You’re nothing but a selfish, arrogant bitch. You don’t deserve to wear that number, you don’t deserve to be on this team.”

She looks at me, her eyes cold and hard. She says something in French, then smiles and turns away.

I don’t know what she said, but I can guess it’s not nice. Rage surges through me, and I’m about to go after her again, but Valentina grabs my arm.

“Lexa, stop,” she says. “She’s not worth it. Let’s go.”

I glare at her, then at Ingrid. She’s already walking away, surrounded by her fans and teammates. She doesn’t care about me, about anyone but herself. I hate her, and I’ve known her for ninety minutes.

I let Valentina lead me to the locker room, where the rest of the team is waiting. Raul is talking to them, trying to lift their spirits.

“Hey, don’t be sad, ladies,” he says. “We played a good game, we showed a lot of character. We have nothing to be ashamed of. We’ll learn from this, we’ll improve, and we’ll come back stronger. We have a long season ahead of us, and this is just one match. It doesn’t define us. We’re still a family, and we’re still going to achieve great things together.”

Then he turns to me. “Lexa, you were fantastic today. You scored a great goal, you worked hard, you led by example. I’m proud of you. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

I nod. He’s right, we played well, we just weren’t lucky. And we’ll have another chance to beat them, to shut them up. We’ll have our revenge.