Sentimental offside

s rushing past, their footsteps echoing on cold tiles, blurred into a dull roar in her ears. It felt surreal-this was it. Paris was behind her now. Ahead

7. Gate 23B. Destination: Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. She could almost hear the clock tic

d: "Remember who you are, Mila. Wh

al women's basketball team in a city scarred by history and silence. For Mila, it was a chance to break out of the shadow of her modest

her stomach. Would she be strong enough? Would the cold stares and whispe

shoulder jolted he

e of her closest friends from the Paris team

e. "Yeah. Just...

change your whole life. It's scary, bu

h the chill of the impending farewell. Around them, the annou

pe framed by the airport's wide windows, M

ted by the moon, her mind swirling with thoughts about what awaited her. Belgrade-a city with a history heavy enough to press down on anyo

ch whose reputation was as stern as the Serbian winter. Would she be accepted? Or

ed. A message

God is with you,

the device. That simple phrase g

as smaller than she imagined, quieter, less polished. Outside, the air was

but kind eyes, greeted her with a nod. "Welcome to Belgr

stood side by side with shiny new apartments. Graffiti mixed with faded murals

the passing world, trying to memorize the streets, th

ld stone building that echoed with emptiness. She dragged her su

to the inside of her suitcase lid-her mother smiling, her younger brother pla

"I'm going to m

ning, the tr

ls hitting the hardwood floor was like a drumbeat in Mila's che

smiles she had hop

nto her jersey. The captain, Lana, a tall, blonde Serbian with ice in her eye

m. His presence was magnetic yet forbidding-a man carved from s

time. "Tour

cipline, a style Mila had never been forced to adopt.

No hes

. Her instincts screamed to play free, but here, in this

colder than the air outside. Lana c

here. This is ou

. "I'm here to play.

city, a silent battle waged benea

haustion crushing her. The walls seemed to close in, r

mother, her v

han I thought. They

er, strength is not just in your hands, but in your hea

to make them see me-not just as a player

up. Fight, but

lent meals, and lonely nights. Yet, beneath the sur

ko watching her from the doorway. His stern face softened ever so slightly. It was a

beginning of

harder, harsher, but also filled with stories wait

head. She was a stranger in a strange land, but she was determined to fight,

was just

f Cha

_______