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helen-with-an-a · 2 months

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Lena Oberdorf

Enemies to Lovers fic?

It isn't really enemies to lovers but I think it's kinda cute? I hope you enjoy it <3<3<3

Hatred

Lena Oberdorf x Reader

Description: A miscommunication led to years of hatred between R and Lena

Word Count: 2k

It had been a pretty rough ride for you to say the least. You were just 15 when you made your professional debut. At the time, it had been all you ever wanted, professional football at such a young age. Who wouldn’t want that? But like most young players who started their career too early, you were plagued by injuries. An ACL at just 18 years old and a meniscus tear at 20. It had been a long, long road to recovery, but you were just beginning to reach the levels you once were. The previous season had been your first full one back since you were 18 years old and you were storming ahead.

You had completed the season with SGS Essen, and you had gone from strength to strength. It was a true come back story. A player riddled with injuries becoming integral to her team’s defensive line. In fact, you were doing so well that you were gaining attention from top teams all over Europe.

You hadn’t really intended on moving teams, you still had a season left on your contract with Essen, but this was an offer no one could pass up. It happened late in the transfer window. Just days before it closed. Your agent had called and you were in a meeting with the higher ups within hours. You didn’t really want to leave – you liked it at Essen, there was pressure to perform well, of course there was, but there wasn’t the intenseness that you had felt prior to your injury.

You had been expected to make the move to Wolfsburg during the Covid outbreaks, but during a training session with the club, you had felt the pop and heard the snap. Wolfsburg rescinded their offer for you as a young defensive midfielder, arguing that nothing had been signed and stating that they couldn’t take you on since you would cost them so much time, money and effort to get fit again. It was a risk they weren’t willing to take. It had broken your heart when you were told, but with a little cajoling from your teammates and the staff at Essen, you had turned that disappointment into fire. A fire to be better than you ever were before.

Your heart had shattered into a million pieces when you found out who Wolfsburg had signed instead of you. The same age, the same position, hell even the same team. Lena’s farewell picture and signing announcement happened within moments of each other. To say you were devastated would have been an understatement. You were friends. Good friends. Maybe there could have been something more between you if the time was right. Was that why it hurt so much when she had disappeared without warning, without telling you? Maybe that was why it felt like she had just thrown you under the bus. Your loss was her gain, right?

You never anticipated that you would be doing the same thing to her a few years later. You hadn’t quite made it back to the international level just yet, but you were getting there. You still had many friends on the team, so you liked to watch their games. You saw her go down and knew almost instantly what it was. You saw the way her knee popped and moved. You heard her shouts. Your heart was breaking all over again as you saw her get carried off the pitch. You had debated messaging her – you had even gone so far as to click on her Instagram profile and go into the messages. You backed out when you saw what the last message you had sent was.

8th June 2020, 12:13

yourusername: https://www.tiktok.com...

yourusername: how fucking cute is that ^^^^

yourusername: also

yourusername: https://www.tiktok.com...

yourusername: I wanna make this for lunch ^^^^

lena_oberdorf: omg cutieeeeeee

lena_oberdorf: ooooo that looks so good

lena_oberdorf: ugh i want it now too

8th June 2020, 15:04

yourusername: You signed for Wolfsburg?

lena_oberdorf: Right?????? How insane is that?

8th June 2020, 15:34

lena_oberdorf: Y/N????

8th June 2020, 23:56pm

yourusername: You backstabbing bitch

9th June 2020, 01:37

lena_oberdorf: huh?

lena_oberdorf: what did I do?

lena_oberdorf: Y/N

lena_oberdorf: Is something wrong?

lena_oberdorf: Did I do something?

lena_oberdorf: Y/N/N?

lena_oberdorf: ????

10th June 2020, 12:40

lena_oberdorf: please

10th June 2020, 15:19

yourusername: Don’t ever talk to me again

lena_oberdorf: What did I do? Please? Y/N/N???

yourusername: Fuck off

You remembered everything. The pain, the hurt, the frustration, the fear, the anger. You didn’t mean a word of what you said, even back then and especially now. But how could she had signed to Wolfsburg when she knew that you were the young defensive midfielder they were signing for the upcoming season. The pain had settled into guilty not even 30 seconds after you sent it. But you were hurt and embarrassed and broken hearted.

You hadn’t realised that you were doing the same thing to her. You knew that she had signed for Bayern back in January. You had tried your best to ignore it, but it was major news in the Bundesliga. The transfer seemed almost rushed. One moment you were sitting rather happily in your little flat, the next you were in the SGS Essen’s main offices, and then you were in the car, pack up and ready to make the move down to Munich.

The dreams you had harboured since you were a child seemed within reach. The club’s history, the chance to play alongside some of the best players in the world, it was all you could think about. But the thought of leaving Essen weighed heavily on you. This club had been your home, your sanctuary during the toughest times of your life. The support from the fans, the camaraderie with your teammates, it all made leaving incredibly difficult.

The meeting with Bayern's representatives was intense. They laid out their vision for the team, how they saw you fitting into their plans, and the opportunities that awaited you. It was everything you had ever wanted to hear. But there was a part of you that kept thinking about Essen, about Lena, and about how history seemed to be repeating itself.

You had a sleepless night before making your decision. The messages with Lena replayed in your mind, reminding you of the hurt you had felt and the hurt you had caused. You didn't want to be the reason someone else felt that same pain. But you also knew that this opportunity was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. You had to take it, not just for yourself but for everyone who had supported you through your journey.

Your arrival was a little awkward. It was clear who Lena’s friends were and where they stood with you. It was a hard pill to swallow, considering a lot of them used to be your friends too, but that was in the past. You were here and had a job to do.

On the pitch, everything was fine. You were all professionals, and it was clear that you were doing your jobs. By the Christmas break, Bayern was well on the way to take the league title again and were doing well in the Champions League and the Cup as well. It was off the pitch that things became less friendly. Lena was recovering well, but it was clear she still had some work to do to get back to match day fitness. You were in the room with her the first time she ran on the treadmill. The memories were an almost constant in your mind, those first steps, the first run, the first time out on the grass. You couldn’t help yourself but look over and join in the cheering when she started up the machine.

It was afterwards that things took a turn for the worst. You had coincidentally finished in the gym the same time as her physio appointment. Normally, this was no bother, you had been skirting around in silence for months now and you were well-versed in ignoring each other. But this time round, she had slipped in the bathrooms. The small puddle of water that had been left by you after the shower was invisible to her as she made her way into the end stall.

You heard the shout and the loud clatter as she landed in a heap.

“Oh, my god.” You raced back into the room, intending to help her back to her feet.

“Don’t touch me,” she yelled. You took a step backwards, stuck halfway between leaning down to help and backing away from her anger. “Are you trying to fucking kill me or something?”

“Lena, I’m sorry. I-”

“What was it you called me? A backstabbing bitch? Takes one to know one, I guess.” She was standing now, her body seething in anger.

“Lena,” you tried to speak.

“No! You called me a backstabbing bitch for no apparent reason and here you are taking my spot on the team! What? Just ‘cos you couldn’t get into Bayern without a player being injured, you have to keep injuring me? Is that it?” Did she really think that?

“I-, No apparent reason? Fuck off Lena,” you shouted back, using anger as a way to mask the hurt. “You know exactly what you did. And talk about not being able to get into a club without an injury? Please, Wolfsburg only signed you since they couldn’t have me.” You snapped back

“What?” she spun back around to face you, your bodies so close you were almost touching.

“You are a total backstabber. You saw that Wolfsburg took back their offer and signed instead.” You willed yourself not to cry.

“Huh?” you could tell there was genuine confusion in her face.

“Wolfsburg’s offer? Back when you left Essen?”

“What about when I left Essen?”

“It was supposed to be me,” you exploded. “Wolfsburg told my agent that they could only afford one of the defending midfielders from Essen. I had the contract drawn up and everything. It was supposed to be me.”

The silence in the room was electric, the tension palpable. You were nose to nose. One slight adjustment and your lips would be on hers. Your breath hitched. Since when did you think of Lena like that? She was the bad guy here. Why were you thinking about that? She had been a friend, a really good friend. You would be lying to say that there wasn't something bubbling underneath. But then she left for Wolfsburg. Maybe that was why it hurt so much?

“Why didn’t you go?” Lena asked quietly.

“They took back their offer. I did my ACL just before I signed with them. And then you swooped in and took my spot. You knew how much I wanted to play with them. And you did it anyway.” The tears welled in your eyes. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. You cannot let her see you cry.

Lena's expression softened, her anger dissolving into something that looked like understanding, or maybe regret. She took a step back and resting against the sinks, shaking her head slowly. You tried to ignore the way your heart sank as she moved away.

“I didn’t know,” she murmured. “I had no idea. I would never have done that. Especially not to you.” She looked like she wanted to say more, but thought better of it.

You scoffed, crossing your arms over your chest in a defensive gesture. “How could you not know? We were friends, Lena. We ... I ... You knew how much that offer meant to me.”

Lena looked up at you, her eyes filled with a mixture of guilt and pain. “I thought... I don’t know what I thought. I was told you weren’t going to be able to play, that your injury was too severe. When they offered me the spot, I thought it was because you weren’t an option anymore. I didn’t realise it was... I didn’t know it was because they pulled your offer.” She looked like she was reevaluating everything.

You stared at her, your anger battling with the seeds of doubt creeping into your mind. Could it be that she really hadn’t known? The timing had been so perfect, too perfect, but now, looking into her eyes, you saw the sincerity there.

“You really didn’t know?” you asked, your voice wavering.

She shook her head. “No. If I had known... I don’t know what I would have done. But I wouldn’t have taken the offer without talking to you first. You have to believe that.” She pushed herself off the sink, covering the small distance between you in moments.

The weight of her words settled over you, and the anger that had been your constant companion for so long began to fade, replaced by a hollow sadness. You had lost a friend over this, and maybe, just maybe, it hadn’t been entirely her fault.

“I’ve been carrying this anger for so long,” you said quietly, more to yourself than to her. “I blamed you for everything.” Her hand came up to cup your cheek. This wasn't new, you had been ... something ... back at Essen, never crossing that line but the boundaries had been blurred. Your skin felt like it was on fire wherever she touched you.

Lena nodded, tears glistening in her eyes. “And I’ve been carrying the guilt. Every time I saw you play, every time I saw your name in the news, I wondered if you hated me. I guess I know the answer now.” She rested her forehead against yours. She was so close. You closed your eyes, letting her cinnamon scent drift over you.

You both stood in silence, the weight of the past hanging heavily between you. Finally, you took a deep breath and looked at her.

“I,” you started, your voice shaking. “I ... I don't really know what to say. Maybe we can try again? I don’t want to hate you anymore, Lena. It’s exhausting.”

She smiled, a small, tentative smile, but it was a start. “I’d like that,” she said softly. “I’d really like that.”

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