| Alex |

Seeing my baby girl's face covered in bruises, some that flow down her neck and into her shirt. Her arms also covered. I can't let her go back to them, not for another minute. I have to end this.

"When I was a teenager, I went to a party with my teammates. We just won State and we wanted to celebrate, so we did. Some of the seniors on the team were invited to a house party in town, near the school and managed to convince the hosts to invite the entire team. At first they said no, but once they found out we won we were all invited. It all started great, we each had a few drinks, we danced with our friends, just having fun. I don't remember too much after I was handed a red solo cup, I was just a kid myself so I didn't think anything of it. I didn't think anything could go wrong because I was with my friends." I wipe my tearstained cheeks, perfectly aware my teammates and Jack were watching us, but not able to hear us. "I started to feel dizzy, so I went outside for some fresh air, it didn't click in my mind that something was wrong with me, I just thought I had had too much to drink. I was only fourteen...I was just a kid." I look to my daughter to see she knows where this is going and I don't need to put details in, thankfully. "Anyway, someone took advantage of me that night. I don't even remember who it was. I don't remember a face, just someone grabbing my arm, lifting me up and carrying me somewhere. I woke up the next morning, in my own bed. To this day I still don't know how I got there. I was in so much pain, I knew what happened to me." I wipe my daughters tears away and smile sadly at her.

"Skip nine months later, I gave birth to a little girl. My baby was so beautiful. She had my eyes, I'll always remember the way she held on tightly to my finger."

"Was?" My daughter asks me, I can tell she was assuming my baby died.

"Yeah. Was. I woke up one day in the hospital bed to find out that someone had taken her." I stop when I hear Cody gasp, throwing her arms around me.

"I'm so sorry Alex." I laugh softly, which causes her to pull back and look at me confused.

"I did everything I could be ensure I got call up after call up to the National Team, for the sole purpose of looking for my baby girl."

"Did you ever find her?" She asks, completely enthralled in my story, I brush a stray hair out of her face and tuck it behind her ear.

"Yes, I did."

"Where is she?"

"She's sitting right in front of me."

I watch closely, waiting for any kind of reaction to the news I just broke to her, beginning to get a little nervous when she just stares at me.

"Cody, sweetie...are you okay? I know it's a lot to process-" She cuts me off by throwing herself on me and clinging to me, like I'd disappear if she let go.

"You're the one I dream about." She sobs into my shoulder, leaving me completely confused, she can't remember me to dream of me, can she? "Every night. I'd dream about a mom that treats me with love. I could never see a face but I'd be so happy before I wake up to...them." She continues to sob, and I just hold her tighter.

I let her cry, until she's all cried out, and the others make their way over.

"Soooo, did ya tell her?" Jack asks, obviously excited which makes me chuckle, and I nod. She squeals, jumping up and down, bringing a smile to my daughters face before she calms down. "Okay, let's go Baby Morgan, we have practice!" Jack grabs my daughters hand and drags her to the field.

"'Baby Morgan', I like the sound of that." Kelley says as she bumps my shoulder, making me smile.

"Me too." I reply and settle into the bleachers with my teammates as I finally get the chance to see my daughter play the sport I love.

| Cody |

"Well, Cody. You must think you're 'it', being Alex Morgans daughter." I hear Joanna start, and I honestly can't be bothered with her shit anymore. "Please, I bet she's just lying to you. She obviously feels sorry for you because you're a complete loser." I move to take a step closer to her, my fists clenched, when I feel someone pull me back.

"Let me go Jack." I grit out, not taking my eyes off of a smug Joanna infront of me.

"My name isn't Jack." Is all I hear before curiosity gets the better of me and I turn around to see Kristie Mewis holding me back. She isn't looking at me though, she's looking at my captain like she wants to kill her. I know that look.

"And her last name isn't Morgan." Joanna continues, bringing my attention back to her, to see her pointing at me. "So why don't you stop with all the stupid lies, and run along back to your pathetic little house, and pathetic little existence."

I rip my arm out of Kristie's grip, and shove my way past Joanna, running to my locker to get my longboard while ignoring all the shouts of my name. I don't bother changing, I just go home. Joanna is right, for once in her life. Alex probably just feels sorry for me, it makes sense, who wouldn't pity a child that you see getting beat on by her parents.

My parents. They are my parents, they have to be. I've been with them all my life, Alex obviously has me confused with someone else. I hope she finds her real daughter soon, she deserves to be happy and I won't make her happy, I'll just ruin her life, there's so much she doesn't know about me, yet she's convinced I'm her kid.

I get home to find my mom isn't here, and I gulp. As much as I hate living with them, I hate when I'm left alone with my father even more, it always ends the same way.

| Alex |

Tobin and I run over to Kristie as she yells at the high school captain, and we physically have to restrain her before she does any nonverbal damage.

"What is going on here?" Tobin asks Mewis before turning to the high school captain. "And why did Cody run off like that?" I can tell she's trying to be calm, not to lash out at the teen girl, but I can also see that it's getting more difficult to do so while Kristie writhes, struggling to get out of her grip.

"She was trash talking Cody! Fucking bitch!" Kristie yells, which makes the remaining National teammates venture over, with Jack in tow.

"I wasn't trash talking anyone, I was just telling her the truth." The captain states, with a smug look on her face that I'd honestly love to slap right off of her.

"What the fuck did you say now?" Jack asks, obviously losing the very little amount of patience she has left to spare for her captain.

"I. Told. You." The captain replies, taking a step towards Jack. "I told her the truth, something none of you did."

Before anyone can ask what she's talking about, though I have a sneaking suspicion, Mewis butts in.

"She told her that she's not really your kid, Al. And she called her pathetic. I had to hold Cody back!"

"'Hold her back'." the captain repeated while laughing. "Please. That's too funny, I-" She's cut off by a loud slap to the face and we all look to see Jack fuming.

"I swear Joanna." Jack says, taking threatening steps forward, which makes her captain step back. "If you say another word against my best friend, or her mother, I will break your nose so bad you'll need another nose job!"

We watch as Joanna runs off to her other teammates who all look on at Jack impressed, I smell a future captain in the making.

"Where would she go, Jack?" Kristie asks as she stands next to me. I look at her, admiring how all of my teammates are protective of my daughter, but I'm beginning to wonder if this is something...different.

"Shit!" Jack yells out in frustration, while kicking her cleats off and putting her Nike's back on. "She would go home."

My eyes widen, I instinctively grab Tobin's hand and pull her to Jack's car, telling her I'm driving, so the teen sits in the backseat like the child that she is while Tobin sits up front. Jack directing me from the back seat. I look in the rearview mirror to see that the rest of the girls have followed us in the van that we rented while we're here.

"It's the last house on the left." Jack says as she leans over the console to point at a rundown, abandoned looking house.

"Sit back, Jack." Tobin directs the worried teen. "We don't need you getting hurt."

"Okay, fine. But only because the rhymed."