HE WAS GONE by the time the game ended and I walked off the field sweaty, bone-tired, and cradling my wrist. Adrenaline proved to be the best drug for the pain, but I knew once the shock of our first victory wore off, I’d be in a world of hurt. I stood over the trashcan near the trainer’s table, slowly unwrapping the tape between long swallows of my sports drink.
“Good game,” Liam said, patting my shoulder as he trailed behind Coach Decker. Kinsley and Becca were right behind him, but they waited until I’d finished unwrapping my wrist before the three of us walked out of the stadium. We looked like a bunch of zombies, and we definitely smelled like them. My jersey stuck to my skin, and though I tried to pry it away, nothing seemed to help.
Once I returned to the condo, I called my mom and tried to recount the entire game as best as possible, but my heart was still racing and my delivery was choppy.
“Your father and I watched the whole thing, sweetie. You played so well.”
“Thanks. The crowd here in Rio was the loudest I’ve ever heard.”
“Oh! Speaking of the crowd, you’ll never guess who we saw in the stands!”
I already knew the answer, but I humored her nonetheless. “Who?”
“The duke! Frederick Archibald! Can you believe it? Your meemaw said everyone on the news was speculating about why he was there. It would have made sense if you were playing Great Britain, but he must have been there to watch a friend or something. I swear the cameras showed him nearly as much as they showed the game.”
“Maybe he just likes soccer,” I offered.
She hummed. “Maybe, but he could have just watched it on the CBS.”
I smiled. “Listen, I need to shower. I’m about to lose consciousness from my own stench.”
I promised I’d call her again the next day and she promised to watch the news for any mention of Frederick’s attendance. After I hung up, I stripped off my jersey and threw it into my dirty clothes hamper. I went into the bathroom and turned the shower on as hot as it would go, feeling my muscles starting to ache from the game. There’d been a few hard blocks and diving saves. I could already feel the bruises forming as I rubbed my hands down my arms, massaging the muscles as I went. I stepped into the shower, wincing at the temperature, but left it there nonetheless. The water beat down my back as I rolled my neck and shoulders out. My wrist was a little swollen and tender to the touch, so I left it by my side and shampooed my hair with my other hand, lathering up twice before sliding it down to the rest of my body.
I stayed in the shower longer than necessary, replacing my sweat with the more subtle scent of lavender. I thought over the game, dissecting the few mistakes we’d made.
Once the water had all but cooled, I stepped out and reached for my towel. My phone was sitting on the bathroom sink and as I walked by, it buzzed with an incoming call. I glanced over and my heart dropped when Freddie’s number lit up across the screen.
I’d been in denial about wanting to reach out to him. He’d gone out of his way to come to my first game, and even though I’d told him to stay away, it meant a lot knowing I’d had someone there rooting for me. That’s why I swiped my finger across the screen to answer his call, or so I told myself.
“Andie,” he said, as if surprised I’d answered.
“Hi.”
“Have I caught you at a bad time?”
My eyes flitted around the room. “I just stepped out of the shower.”
“Andie.”
My cheeks flamed. Stupid. “Um…that wasn’t supposed to sound as porny as it did, it’s just the truth.”
“Have you still got your towel on?”
“Freddie…”
“I’m just curious.” I could tell he was smiling.
“I’m getting my clothes on right now.”
“I’d rather you didn’t.”
I inhaled a shaky breath. “Freddie. Why did you call?”
He sighed. “I want to know how the last few minutes of the game went. I had to leave to make it to my evening workout.”
“We won.”
“Good.”
“Did your workout go well?”
He chuckled. “Brilliantly. Could’ve used a spotter.”
“Right, well…” I said, eyeing myself in the mirror. My long hair fell down my back, in desperate need of a good brushing. My full lips were parted and my eyes were wide and curious. “I need to go now.”
“You’re lying. I can tell.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not lying. I need to ice my wrist and put clothes on and generally ignore you.”
“Stop saying you need to put clothes on.”
“Well I do.”
He sighed.
“Why’d you really call, Freddie?”
“I already told you.”
I tightened my towel around my chest. “You could have watched the highlights on the news.”
“Maybe I wanted to hear your voice then.”
I avoided my reflection in my mirror.
He sounded so sincere. I hated that he sounded sincere; it only made the fight harder.
“I told you to stay away from me.”
“I remember.”