SOUNDTRACK: "Call It Stormy Monday" - Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughn

"I'm sorry I've gotta miss your game, Gremlin," Jared said over the phone as Kate sat on a bench in the locker room in Santa Clarita. "But I'm sure you'll do great," he assured her.

"Yeah, sure," she answered with a sigh. Her pride was still wounded from the loss a few days prior.

There was a flood of noise on Jared's end. "Look, Kate, I've gotta go. Good luck. Have fun. I'll call you later, okay?" he said quickly before hanging up.

Kate sighed and put her phone back into her locker before sitting back down to slide her shin guards on. Jared's absence wasn't a concern for her this time; Connie and Shannon had both come to the game that night and would be cheering her on wildly. Connie had never come to a game at Santa Clarita and it had been a while since she had seen Kate play. But she was hoping this game would go differently than the last.

Suicide Squad's premiere date was fast approaching and Jared was getting lots of press because of it. Almost every week some story would run about things he did while filming and on set, including but not limited to sending quirky and strange gifts to the other cast members. There had been a story about used condoms, but Jared had quickly assured her that it wasn't true. If nothing else, it was all giving her a crash course in how the press handled things in Hollywood.

Kate's teammates had all asked for autographs and Jared had very kindly supplied them. He had even come up the day beforehand and done a photo session with all of them as a thanks for treating Kate so well. She no longer felt like the high school kid who was coming up to train with them. They had done a fantastic job of welcoming her onto the team officially. And once Jared had signed the contract for the rest of the season, the entire team had rejoiced. Kate was easily one of the better players and having her on a permanent basis would likely give them the edge they needed.

"You okay, Kate?" Lyndsey Donovan asked as she passed by. "You look green."

Kate shook her head. "I'm afraid we're going to get beaten again," she replied.

Lyndsey smiled. "Well, there has to be a winner and a loser, right?" she said as she sat down. "All you can do is play your hardest and do the best you can. If you leave it all on the field, it doesn't matter if you win or lose."

"Seems pointless to even play if you look at it that way," Kate stated.

"Winning isn't everything, Kate," the older player smiled at her.

Kate opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by the remaining members of the team entering the locker room. Lyndsey started a conversation with another player, leaving Kate to her own thoughts. Her phone rang in her locker and she went to answer it, smiling when she saw Olivia's name.

"Hey," she greeted her friend.

"Your uncle and grandmother are crazy," Olivia huffed. It sounded like there were several voices in the background of the call.

"Huh?" Kate asked.

"Your uncle and grandmother are crazy," Olivia repeated. "They're sitting next to me and I swear to God, Shannon has painted his chest blue."

"He did not," Kate replied in disbelief, embarrassment starting to wash over her.

"I'll send you a picture," Olivia said. "And Connie is just smiling along with him as if he looks like this on a daily basis."

Kate burst into laughter. "Wait, I didn't know you were coming to the game. I thought you had to work?"

"I did. But the class was canceled at the last minute. So I called Shannon to see if he had left yet and hitched a ride down with them," Olivia explained. "I thought I'd see my best friend the Pro Soccer Player in action."

"Five minutes to line up!" one of the assistant coaches shouted through the locker room.

"Liv, I've gotta go. I'll talk to you later, okay?" Kate said, ending the call.

~~~

"And another goal from Wexler will bring the Santa Clarita Blue Heat to three, ending the match with a win for them!" the announcer said as the clock ran the final seconds down.

The crowd burst into cheers as the winners were declared. Kate leaned forward, putting her hands on her knees in an effort to gain her breath back. Now that she had stopped moving, the hot early July air caught up to her. After a second, she looked up to the dark sky, illuminated by the bright stadium lights. Her sweaty hair was matted to her head in its braid and she wiped at her forehead as the sweat ran into her eyes. She looked to the stands and did a double take when she saw a man with a blue painted chest before laughing when she remembered it was Shannon. Kate walked over to the barrier as the three of them came down to see her.

"What happened to you?" she asked Shannon.

"I can't show support for my niece? That's rude," he replied in a mock insulted tone.

"I thought you'd try to lay low, that's all," she answered.

Shannon scoffed playfully. "Then how would anyone know you're related to me?" he joked.

Kate rolled her eyes and looked at Connie. "Did you have fun?"

Her grandmother nodded. "You played so well," she smiled. "You really looked like a professional player out there."

"Definitely," Olivia agreed.

Kate smiled. "Alright. I'm gonna go get cleaned up. I'll meet you in the parking lot."

With that, she walked across the field and into the locker room. She showered and changed before saying goodbye to her teammates, who were celebrating. They invited her to join, but she had to decline. The drive back to LA would take at least an hour and she'd be lucky of she got home before 10:30 that evening. By the time she emerged from the locker room and headed to the parking lot, Shannon had pulled a shirt over his chest.

"Ready to go?" he asked, hugging her lightly as she walked up to them.

"Yeah. Let's go. I have to be up early to check out the camp site with Emma tomorrow morning," Kate replied.

"So are you working at the camp this year?" Olivia asked as both girls got into the car.

Kate shrugged. "I don't know. It's eighteen and up. So probably not."

"That sucks. You put all this effort into it and don't even get to enjoy it?" Olivia remarked.

"Considering most of the guests will just be drooling over Jared, I'm kind of okay with not having to watch it," Kate said.

"I'm not drool-worthy?" Shannon demanded from the front.

"That, too," Kate added, nodding to him. "Seriously, it's probably best that I don't go."

"Camp was fun last year," Connie remarked. "You should go if Jared lets you."

Kate shrugged. "We'll see," she said, looking out of the window at the lights on the highway as they zoomed past.

GOSSIP BOARD

HURRICANE POSTED: Kate was playing with Santa Clarita last night. Shannon was there, with Connie. I gotta say, I laughed so hard when I saw the pics someone posted.

LETOSPRINCESS333 POSTED: Is he painted blue? He looks like a fucking smurf.

WWJLD564 POSTED: I think he looks hilarious. How sweet is it that he went to Kate's game and supported her like that? I wonder where Jared was.

LETOSPRINCESS333 POSTED: He was doing press for SS. Probably just as well that he wasn't there. He'd have been mobbed. People are really excited to see the film even though it sounds like its been insane in post.

HURRICANE POSTED: I wonder if she will go with him to any of the premieres? Other celebs have brought their kids to movies like this.

WWJLD564 POSTED: I doubt it. He seems to be wanting to keep her away from all of that. But she might be at Camp this year. She posted a pic to her Insta a little while ago of the campground. I guess she was there earlier with Emma. Probably getting things finalized.

LETOSPRINCESS333 POSTED: I think it would be awesome if she came to Camp. But I'm sure Jared is well-aware of fans ambushing her. So maybe not.

WWJLD564 POSTED: So I have to eat my words. Jared just posted a picture of Kate on his Instagram. I don't think he could be any cuter in it, even if they're hanging off the side of a mountain by their toenails.