| Jack |

I'm sitting on Hope's bed with Cody, while the adults are downstairs, I'm guessing they're talking about the man who claims to be Cody's dad.

After we left the mall, we all climbed into the van and came back here - to the house they're renting before they all go home, which im guessing will be soon. The ride back was eerily silent, the situation not failing to make everyone uncomfortable despite Kling and Pinoe's best attempts at easing the rising tensions.

I'm brought back to the room when I feel Cody rest her head on my shoulder, hugging my arm, something I know she does when she's thinking and upset. I hate seeing my bestfriend like this. Just a week ago she was Cody Maxwell Dennings, an everyday teenage girl, who got picked on my the captain, but she wasn't who she is now. Now she's Alex Morgan's daughter. The only child to a World Cup winning superstar, who millions of young girls look up to. I can tell she doesn't know how to process it, because I wouldn't be able to either, I can't, knowing Hope Solo just adopted me. I still have her picture on my wall...I really need to get rid of that.

"Jack?"

I look down to see my best friend looking up at me with tears in her eyes and I put my arms around her, hugging her tight to let her know she's not alone in this. She has her mom, Tobin, all her moms teammates, and I'll never leave her side. I hope.

"It's okay Maxi, I got you." I cooed her, while running my hand through her hair, also something I know that calms her down.

"It's not that."

"Then what is it?" I ask, eyeing her cautiously as I see her bit her lip and sigh deeply.

"I need a drink."

We watch each other carefully before we burst out laughing, though I know she's being serious. You see, as innocent as Cody looks, she's not. I guess looking back it had a lot to do with her old family life - I know I'd drink too.

"Max, I don't think-"

"I know, you don't think it's a good idea, and how it's so irresponsible and-"

"I don't sound like that!" I mock offence when I hear her terrible impersonation of my voice, but we both laugh before I finish what I was going to say, "As I was going to say, I don't think there's any here. They're professional soccer players, I doubt they'd have too much alcohol around."

"Can we go out?"

I study her face, carefully. Looking for any hesitation, any sign of doubt but I see none. I also think of everything we've both been through in the last week and I crack.

"Let's get ready."

________________

"Where are you two going?"

We put on our own game faces, nothing compared to the athletes infront of us, Hope in particular, and we both shrug.

"We're going out for some fresh air, is that okay?"

We wait patiently as Kelley and Alex study us. I can tell that they are because I was just giving the same look to Cody. I'm sure they're about to say no until Cody leans her head on my shoulder. "Please, mom?" Damn, she's good.

I watch Alex sigh, obviously not wanting to take her eyes off of her daughter. I have a feeling it's something to do with the man at the mall, if he's Cody's father or not it's obvious that the whole situation has stuck with the adults.

"Fine, but take Kristie with you?"

I feel Codes nod from her pillow of my shoulder, obviously not too bothered about the youngest of their group joining us. We wait for her to get ready, and we're happy when it only takes ten minutes.

"Okay let's go! Bye!"

"Bye, be safe!"

_____________

| Kristie |

Shit. Fucking fuck. Alex and Hope are going to kill me. Maybe I can flee to Canada?

I had no idea that Jack and Cody wanted to 'go for a walk' just to get drunk. I'm so dead. Maybe if we go back home now I won't feel it because I'm drunk too. That's a good idea.

"We have to go home. Cody your mom will kill me and Jack, Hope will bring me back to life just to kill me herself!" I was being deadly serious but the teens just laughed at me, like it was the funniest thing they'd ever heard. Unfortunately I lost all my credibility when I started laughing too.

"Why are you laughing, Mewis?"

"Isn't it obvious Jack? She wants to go out on a high! I do agree though -hiccup- they're definitely going to kill you when we get back" I watch Cody finish her vodka before I grab both of their hands and drag them the the parking lot for fresh air, hoping it will sober them up a little before we start walking home.

.

"Oh shit. It's Hope!"

I see Cody and Jack's eyes go wide, mirroring my own, as we all look at the caller ID on my screen.

"Answer it Kris! She'll send a search party if she can't find us!" Jack yells...well, slurs loudly, spluttering over my phone. I wipe my phone against my jeans and look back at it to see I've accidentally rejected her call, and my stomach drops even more, if it was possible.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" I curse to myself mostly as I try and hit redial, but before I can, Alex phones me. "Oh, shit."

"'Fuck, fuck, fuck. Oh, shit!' You sound like you're having sex." Cody points out and the two best friends collapse to the ground in a laughing fit while I answer the phonecall from Alex, trying my best not to laugh at the two idiots on the ground.

"Kristie? Kristie are you there?!"

Oh fuck.

"H-hey Alex, I'm here. I tried to answer Hope but I hit the wrong button, my bad. What's up?"

"Oh, okay." I hear her sigh, knowing she's playing it cool and she is in fact incredibly worried about Cody, while Hope is worried about Jack. "We just wanted to check up on you three, you've been gone for hours-"

"We have?!"

"Fuck, Mewis stop yelling, but yes you have. And if I were you I'd bring Jack back and fast, Hope is worried. Bring my daughter too, before I join in with Hope's little rampage. We'll see you three soon."

And with that, she hangs up. She couldn't know could she? I shake it off, deciding to get the two friends off the ground, because they're still laughing only to be interrupted by my phone again.

"Argh, come on, how am I supposed to get them home with all these interruptions!"

I look at the screen, honestly expecting it to be Alex, Hope or a conference call of the both, but I'm happily relieved when I see it's Kelley.

"Hey Kels, what's up?"

"Yellow, Mewis, I need a huge favor!"

"Is everything okay? What do you need?!" I ask, worried by her serious tone.

"We really need ice cream and chocolate milk-"

"AND COOKIES!" I hear a voice in the background.

"Shut up Kling."

I can't stop the chuckle escaping my lips. I love my teammates.

"Okay, you got it. I'll see you all soon-" I'm interrupted when I hear a man's voice.

"Hello, Cody." Turning around I see the man from the mall, entirely focused on Cody, who stood behind me when she seen him, obviously uncomfortable. I'm concentrating on the stranger so closely that I forget to hang up on Kelley.

| Alex |

I laugh while watching my friends yell out their shopping orders for little Mewis, poor kid is never going to make it home before Hope completely loses it.

When the kids left, we decided to watch a movie, to kill time and occupy our minds. I'm snuggled between Tobin and Allie when Kelley stops mid-sentence, and we all look at her.

"Um...Mewis?" When she repeats herself, it catches Hope's attention and she grabs the device from Kelley, putting the call on speakerphone.

"I'm just here to see her." We all listen to the male voice, which sounds familliar, "I don't know who you two are so you can just leave."

"Well, no. We don't know who you are so you can just leave. I'm her best friend, so I'm not leaving." We all know it's obviously Jack.

"I'm not leaving without her. So fuck off and let me see my daughter."

All eyes in the room turn to me and I feel Tobin's grip on my waist tightening as I start to feel sick. I pull my Nike's on, tying them as it dawns on me that I have no idea where my daughter is.

"S-Stay away from me, I don't know you." I hear Cody's voice, and it sounds like she slurs her words. I shake my head knowing she's been drinking but I can't think about that now. I subconciously grab Tobin's hand, squeezing it for comfort, which always works, and she rubs my back with the other hand.

"Look dude, if you wanna see her you gotta take it up with her mom. Right now she clearly doesn't want to talk to you. So get lost, we gotta go home." We hear the strong voice of Kristie as she sets down the law for my daughter and her apparent father, who we hear laugh. A laugh that I remember from that night and I squeeze my best friends hand tighter, making her look at me, eyes showing concern, but I don't say a word. I just listen to the voice on the phone.

"You can't tell me to stay away from my own kid. Fuck off and get out of my way, fucking bitc-" We hear a commotion on the other end. It sounds like a fight started, too many voices going at the one time that we can't understand what's happening, what's being said, until the line goes dead.

It's silent for a few seconds, and we hear Hope.

"I don't know where they are!...No...Yes, three...You have to find them." She hangs up, telling us she was calling the police, but not knowing where they are will make it difficult, but they'll search the main streets, we can only hope that someone in the area calls the police.

Meanwhile I don't let go of Tobin's hand. I can't lose my baby girl, and I need to get all this custody bullshit sorted, I can't let her go with someone like him. Someone like the man who raised her.