CH 11: Stay

**Stay** is the eleventh chapter to ***Darlin'***. Stay is the fourth chapter of *Phase III*, with Ana Sophía facing off against her Brazilian rival Calisto Ávila in the 2017 Women's Super League Final hosted in Texas that will seal her fate as pro-sports team visors watch on to decide who is the better player. Stay is known as the smallest chapter in ***Darlin'*** and its title is inspired by Kygo's 2015 song release, **Stay**.

## Summary

### **Stoppage time**

Ana Sophía opens the chapter in suspense, screaming instructions for her team to drop down to defense. Being two goals ahead of the rival team with two minutes left of gameplay doesn't convince Ana Sophía, as she highlights a potential comeback from the rival team. In a corner kick, Sarah calls for her ball but Julie jumps to header it, crashing into her. Calisto receives the ball and fakes a shot to get past Ana Sophía. The shot goes past Emma, Julie & Sarah and scores the shot to place her own team just one goal away.

As the game start back up with just one minute left, Ana Sophía receives a long pass from Julie. Ana Sophía takes the ball to the corner flag area to kill time, only to be fouled and encounter racist slurs by a player from the Jaguars FC team. As Emma helps Ana Sophía up to her feet, Ana Sophía realizes she is unable to continue because of the kick to her calf she received and drops to the ground when the ball comes back into play by Emma. Seconds later, the referee blows his whistle to end the game and crown the South City Wolves champions of the Women's Super League.

### **Ticket home**

Ana Sophía's mother comes rushing through the field, calling for her to attend the call she has in her hand. She discovers it to be a scouting director from Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras, whom informs her that they are interested in taking up an agreement to place her on the female team ahead of their 2018 season. She also learns her mother helped in the process. Ana Sophía thanks the director and hangs up, asking her mother the reason for helping her. Her mother explains her own absence as a mother in Ana Sophía's life, admitting regret for having work and not providing enough for Ana Sophía.

Her mother gifts her a one-way ticket to São Paulo (GRU), set to depart from San Francisco Airport (SFO). She also confirms to her that she will live with her father, sparring her from living costs in the city. This is the first & only time Ana Sophía's father is mentioned in ***Darlin'***.

### **Nation Roots**

Ana Sophía takes her mother's flag of Brazil and places it on her back, rushing over to the stage where the trophy ceremony is set up. John Hebert makes a second and final appearance as he hands over the gold-plated Women's Super League trophy to Ana Sophía, getting to understand that Ana Sophía is ambitious for her new challenge of returning home as an accomplished athlete.

## Change of storyline

### Event alteration

Stay features the scene in the moment Ana Sophía discovers interest of Brazilian club Palmeiras and the surrounding possibility of representing the female team in São Paulo. Although the chapter describes a short scene involving an unknown representative of the club talking on the phone with Ana Sophía, the scene was **downplayed** & **heavily cutdown** to simple descriptions of the real event due to reasons of privacy and the process of keeping the process of acquisition towards a contract, confidential & non-public. A part of the conversation did not occur, including the dialogue of Ana Sophía and the representative during the phone call.