- Paige's POV -

Today's my debut game with the team, and we're playing Canada. It's November fifteenth. It's also my seventeenth birthday, so it's gonna be fun today.

I wake up to see that Mal is still asleep. We're on different beds so I'm about to get my phone off the charger. It's eight forty five and breakfast is at nine. I get up and poke Mal. She doesn't move.

"Babe." I say, no answer. "Mally." Again no answer. "Mallory?" I say a bit louder and she still doesn't wake up. I shake her a bit and she still does not wake up. I then check to see if she's even breathing, which thankfully she is. "Mallory Diane?" Again, no fucking answer. "MALLORY DIANE PUGH!" I eventually yell and she groans. "Five more minutes." She gets out after shoving her head back in her pillows. "No. Five more minutes and you'll be late trying to get ready." I say. "And it is someone's birthday." I whisper hoping she didn't hear but she jumps up and tackles me onto my bed with a hug. "Ow." I laugh. "Happy Birthday baby." She says and pecks my lips. "Thank you. Now if we don't get ready in the next five minutes we're gonna be late. We have ten minutes to breakfast." I say and she then gets off and helps me up.

Once ready, we head down to the meal room together and when we walk in, everyone yells.

"Happy Birthday Page!" I'm little shocked by that but honestly I saw it coming with them being well, them. "Thanks guys." I say with a smile. They all nod or say that I'm welcome and then Mal and I head to get food.

- Halftime -

We're sitting in the locker room doing our halftime speeches and all before we go back out. We're almost done and I'm honestly not paying attention until someone says my name.

"Paige." Coach says. "Yes ma'am?" "You want that first cap today?" She asks me with a smile. "Id be honored." I say. "Get warmed up." She says and everyone cheers for me. I do some warm up things before getting my hands wrapped quickly and my gloves put on before we walk out to the pitch again, but instead of going to the bench, I go to the goal.

- No one's POV -

"And welcoming to the field for her first ever cap, Paige Krieger Harris! Seventeen years old today, getting her start on her career as a goalkeeper for the US Women's National Team." "Well, if she's anything like her mother, let's see what she's got." Another commentator says.

- Paige's POV -

This is crazy! Just the feeling of being in this stadium as a player is way different. Anyways, the Canadians have been firing shots like crazy but they haven't been that hard to save. The final whistle blows and we're going to extra time.

Thirty minutes have passed and neither of us have gotten a goal again. That means we're going to PKs.

"Alright kid, we want you as keeper for these. Only if you're up for it." Coach says and all the girls look at me. I nod. "Alright then, I want Alex, Christen, Tobin, Carli, and Mal in that order." She says and we run to the ref. The Canadians are going second and we chose our side to kick.

Alex makes hers easily.

I then make my walk to the goal line and wait for their person to get to the ball so she could do her run up after the whistle. I get ready by studying her. She's gonna shoot to the right but I give no indication of where I'm going. Three, two, one, the whistle blows and she starts her run up. Her boot collides with the ball and the ball is flying towards the net. I try to time my jump just right, and I jump to the right like I knew the ball was going there, and I catch it in the air bringing it to my chest before I land.

Chris makes hers.

I save another.

Tobin scores.

I save another.

Carli scores.

I save another.

Mal scores.

I know I don't really have to save this one, but I wait for their run up and they shoot straight at the center. I catch it like I did with Kelley's, one handed and look at the player. The whistle blows and I'm tackled by the team.

"G- guys. C- Can't Br- Breathe." I say and they start getting off of me. Mom pulls me up and we celebrate the win before all the post game shit and showers and going back to the hotel for recovery for a bit before their plans for me tonight, which I don't know what they've planned.

When we get back to the hotel, it's about 6:35 and we all go to our rooms to change. I hear moms in the hallway so I pop my head out.

"Moms." They turn around. "Yes bubbles?" Mom asks. "how do I dress for tonight?" "Comfortable casual." They both say. "Okay." I say and go back in Mal and I's room. I walk over to my girlfriend who just finished changing and wrap my arms around her from behind. "You look beautiful." I say. "Thank you. Now you need to get dressed birthday girl." She says and turns around in my arms to give me a quick peck on the lips before removing herself from my embrace.

I get changed into a pair of dark ripped skinnies and then a white short sleeve button up, before taking my hair down and brushing it to where it's parted to the side like this:

Then I threw on some white high top vans.

"It's time to go if you're ready." Mal says. "Alright let's go. Also, wait." I say as we go to walk to the door but I stop us. "Should we tell the team about us?" I ask. "Only if you're ready, babe." She says. "They're our family so I'm ready." "Okay then we'll tell them." She says with a smile then takes my hand and we walk down to the meal room. It was really dark and we couldn't see.

"SURPRISE!" Everyone yells after Mal hits the lights. "Wow." I say looking around at everyone and everything. "You guys are amazing." I say with a big ass smile. "Happy birthday kiddo." Mama says and I go over and hug her and Mom, then Danielle, before hugging everyone else. Then music begins playing from a speaker and we begin to goof off.

I'm talking in a circle with Danielle, Mom, Mama, and Mal when I see Mom and Mama smiling weirdly. "What?" I ask, interrupting my own sentence. "We got another surprise for you." "What do y-" "Well your surprise is behind you." A voice behind me says. I turn to see Kyle and hug him. "Happy Birthday and congratulations on your first cap kiddo." He says as we hug. "Thank you." I say and we pull apart. "Who's that very beautiful lady right there?" He asks and we laugh as he points to Danielle. "That's my sister Uncle Kyle." I say and laugh. "He's gay. Don't mind him." Mama says and gets a slap to the arm from Kyle. "It's completely fine." Danielle says. "I'm actually gay too so." She laughs. "Hey you never told me you ass." I laugh. "I was getting to it. Don't you have something to tell everyone?" She smirks at me and Mal looks down with a smile. "What? Tell us!" Kyle says. "Attention everyone! The birthday girl has something to tell us!" Kyle yells and the music gets quiet along with everyone else. "Nice going Kyle." I say. I get on a chair that was next to me and pull Mal up with me. "It's actually something from both Mal a-" "YOU'RE TOGETHER!" Pinoe yells causing everyone to laugh including Mal and I. "Actually, yes." Mal says. "KELLEY YOU OWE ME!" "Is it weird to say that I'm not surprised they made a bet?" I ask Mal. "Nope." She says. "Alright that was all." We say and get back down. I slap Kyle on the arm. "Hey, technically it's not my fault. Danielle was the first one to say something." Danielle mocks hurt. "Says the one who called me beautiful." She says and we all crack up.

A little while later, it's fine for cake and this thing is fucking huge, but I mean we have alot of people here so. I sit in a chair as everyone records some reason like they always do as they sing. I'm so fucking embarrassed but j have to go with it.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR MINI KRIEGER HARRIS, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!" They all sing and I laugh at what they use. A few more yell many more and I blow out the candles on the cake. The cake reads:

Happy 17th Birthday

Mini Krieger Harris

&

Welcome to the National Team

We all had some cake and stuff before cleaning up. After cleaning up, it was around midnight.

"I'd like to say some things, so if I could please have everyone's attention." I say and everyone just turns and looks at me.

"First off, I'd like to thank everyone for giving me one of the best birthdays ever, so thank you. Next, I'd like to say that I love each and everyone of you who have come into my life and made me the person I am today, help with raising me. I'd also love to thank my moms, and especially Jill, for helping my sister and I reunite after these almost eleven years. And thank you again, Jill, for giving me a spot on this team, and mainly all of my thanks goes to my moms for raising me with the some of the best professional athletes in the world. I only learned soccer from the best women in the world." I say and end my speech. We then all come into a group hug.

This was the best birthday ever.