Chapter Text
Erin hadn’t done much research about the players she would soon call her teammates in Chicago, neither did Carm really, but they figured they would at least be going in together not knowing much about some players and could learn.
One person they did know about was Ella Masar. Everyone that had any sort of clue about MagicJack knew Ella’s name.
She was the one that walked.
Erin had to respect for the girl, she stuck to what she thought was right, but that also let the keeper and her fellow Canadian to find the blog where Ella made her opinion known about the gay community.
Sure she wasn’t really disrespectful or anything. She acknowledged that there were gay athletes, but she did say she didn’t agree with their choice to live that life.
Erin didn’t choose to feel the way she does about women, and she planned on asking Ella when she chose to be straight when they met, well maybe not right when they met, that might be super awkward. Once she felt like they were comfortable enough around each other she would ask.
As it turned out, living with the Americans on the other side of the apartment caused them all to bond really well within the first few weeks of the season. They would have movie nights, cook meals together, and play dumb middle school games to get to know each other better.
It was quickly decided that Carm and Ella were both horrible cooks, so they always ended up on dish duty together, and that is where the idea for the Carm and Ella show came about.
Ella came up with the idea to do something for the fans to get to know them all a little more, and Carm figured YouTube was the best place for that to happen.
They both came into the living room one night after doing the dishes with identical mischievous smiles.
“We,” Ella said gesturing to herself and Carm, “are a couple of geniuses.”
Erin and Lori shared a look before the keeper spoke up. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
“Shut up and just listen. We all want spread the word about the NWSL right? Well, we have a bit of a social media platform, so Carm came up with the idea to do a web show so the fans can get to know us as more that just soccer players.”
“And what would you do on this web show?” Erin asked.
Ella shrugged, “Just like have a player or two on each time and do like funny interviews and stuff like that.”
“Yea,” Carm followed up, “Like if we had you on, I would make you sing something too.”
Ella whipped her head up, “You sing?”
Erin slightly blushed. Sure, it was a well known fact within the Canadian team that she could sing, and there were a couple of old YouTube videos, but she hadn’t really gotten comfortable enough to share that with her Chicago teammates yet. “Yea, a little bit,” the keeper said as she shot Carm an annoyed look.
“If I go grab my guitar will you sing something?”
“You, you clumsy human can play the guitar?”
“Rude. But yes and piano a little bit.”
“Don’t forget about the beat boxing!” Carm chimed in.
“You’re kidding!? Beat boxing?”
Ella turned to look at Carm. “How did you know that?”
Carm just shrugged. “You do it when we do dishes all the time. You’re actually really good.”
“Well thanks then. So,” Ella said turning back towards Erin, “will you sing something?”
“What do you want to hear?” Erin asked with a roll of her eyes. She knew Ella wouldn’t let it go until she sang something.
“Ooh sing something Adele!” Carm said
Erin took a breath before going off on the chorus of Someone Like You.
Ella just stood there, slightly in awe, of how talented Erin was.
The keeper had been singing with her eyes pretty much closed, but she looked at Ella briefly and immediately started blushing under the intensity that the forward was watching her. She continued to look at Ella as she finished up.
“That was amazing. You are totally singing when you come on the show.”
“Thanks.” Erin said awkwardly. “I’m kinda beat, I’m heading to bed. Night guys.”
As a chorus of ‘good nights’ followed her out the door, she raked her hands over her face. Why was she blushing around Ella? She never blushed around anyone before.
With a shake of her head she got changed and got in bed, hoping to just erase the reason she was blushing from her mind, because deep down, past the denial, she felt like she knew what was happening, and she couldn’t go through another heart break; she wasn’t even over the one she was going through now.
About an hour after she had left the living room, Carm came and knocked on her door. “You still up bud?”
Erin just groaned in response, knowing her friend would recognize that meant she could come in.
“What the hell was that out there?”
Erin decided to play dumb. “What do you mean?”
Carm just looked right through her lie. “I know what that song means to you. I know you aren’t over Mel completely; she broke your heart I know, but Ella? Ella is straight Erin you can’t go near that. We both read that interview, she isn’t just some girl you can try and flip. This is our teammate, and she is quickly becoming one of my best friends. What the hell is going on?!”
Erin rolled over. “I have no clue Carm. No fucking idea. She was just staring at me while I was singing and… and I don’t know. Something just happened and I just thought that… no, never mind I don’t even know what I thought. I didn’t mean to blush.” Erin had started to get a little teary eyed. “Mel broke me, you know that. You witnessed it for god’s sake. But… I don’t know. I’ve felt like shit every day since she left, but tonight, when I looked at Ella, I forgot about all of that for a second and it scares the shit out of me. I know I can’t have her, but dammit, I don’t know what this means.”
Carm took the space next to Erin and put an arm around her. “Do you think you are getting feelings for her?”
“I don’t know! I don’t even remember what new feelings feel like! I was with Mel for so long.”
Erin broke down again at the fact that she might have feelings for a straight girl, so Carm, being the dutiful best friend, just held her as she cried.
Ella slowly walked away from the door after she heard them stop talking and headed back to her room. Erin had left in a rush so she wanted to make sure she was okay, she didn’t mean to hear all of that.
The forward barely got any sleep, how the hell was she supposed to act if Erin had feelings for her; a girl might have feelings for her. How was she going to act?
Ella decided around 4am that she would just talk to Carm about it tomorrow. Maybe she would be able to understand more about Erin if she went through Carm first.
Fuck she was confused.