Dedicated to cause Thorns.

| Alex |

I walk around the house looking for my daughter, finding her in the kitchen watching old highlights from my games on her laptop, which makes me smile. I stand in the doorway, observing her as she focuses intently on the screen in front of her, smiling when she dons a look of extreme concentration as she rewinds the video and rewatching the clip she just seen.

I clear my throat, making my presence known, apologizing when I see Cody jump, obviously startled.

"Jesus, mom!"

"Sorry, baby." I apologize for startling her, and also for the fact that it made me laugh. "What are you watching?" I ask her, although I already know. She doesn't answer, she only closes her laptop and pivots her body to give me her full attention.

"Nothing. What's up?" Cody asks, and I sober up on the situation, and the conversation I'm about to initiate, and I see that Cody can sense it's about to get serious as I sigh.

"We have to talk."

"About?"

"About...you talking to someone." I state, and I see my daughter wearing a look of confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"This isn't easy for me to say, or do so I'm just gonna put it out there okay?" I ask, but don't give her a chance to answer. "I've made an appointment for you to speak with a therapist."

"What..no."

"Cody-"

"No, mom! I'm not...I don't need to talk to someone."

"Baby, you do. You're having nightmares, you started drinking-" I start but she cuts me off again.

"I'm fine now, mom. I don't need to talk to a therapist, please don't make me." She begs, starting to tear up and the sight breaks my heart.

"Cody. I don't want to force you to go, but I will if I have to. You need to let all this out, and a doctor can help you, you need a safe space to open up."

"I don't need to talk to someone mom, I'm not crazy!" She denies, the volume of her voice rising as she goes on.

"Baby." I start calmly, hoping that my tone will help her relax, "I know you're not crazy. I'm not saying you're crazy. Lots of people speak to therapists for a lot of different reasons. I want you to grow up healthy and happy. Can you honestly tell me you're healthy and happy right now?" I ask her, and I watch as she bites her lip, and sighs.

"No, I can't."

"Then do this. Not for me, but for yourself. If it doesn't help then you don't have to go back, but I want you to at least try it." I offer her an out, and I observe her as she obviously thinks it over. I wait until she's finished thinking about it.

"Okay, mom. When is the appointment?"

"It's next week, before we fly to California."

"Why are we going there?"

"You'll be meeting your grandparents, baby, and Blue. My mom has been watching him, they're both flying out from Orlando later today."

"But...what if they don't like me?" I do a double take of my daughters face, finding it incredibly hard to believe that she's being serious, and that she's genuinely worried that my family won't like her.

"They won't like you baby, they'll love you." I firmly state to my daughter, pulling her in for a hug, holding her tightly in my arms, I feel her body shake as she silently sobs. I'm about to whisper reassuring words in her ear when the door bursts open and in strolls Jack, Ellie, Kling and Tobin.

"Oh shit. Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt." Jack blurts out and I smile as I hear Cody chuckle. She lifts her head from my chest but her arms remain around my waist, almost as if she's scared I'll disappear if she lets go.

"It's okay, what's up?" Cody asks the intruders.

"We're heading downtown for lunch, we wanted to know if you both wanted to come with?" Tobin asks, and I wait for Cody to answer, having already decided that if my daughter wants to stay home, I'm staying with her.

"Sure, let's go." I smile as my daughter's body language changes dramatically once she's with Jack. I watch with Tobin as Cody runs upstairs, telling us she's getting her board when she sees Tobin has hers in her hands.

| Cody |

"Ready to lose?" Tobin asks, with a smug grin on her face which makes me scoff.

"Bring it on, Heath." I say, before we both race towards the diner we've all agreed to eat at.

"Cody! Be careful!" I hear my mom yell at me.

"Is that just code to let Tobin win?" I yell back, not bothering to listen for a reply as I pick up my speed, closing the gap on the midfielder who cheated and left before I did. I use all my concentration to avoid all the cracks and holes on the pavement as I go as fast as I can, and I sigh in relief as I make it to the diner in one piece, missing all the obstacles in the way of my board.

"I won!" I jump off my board and glare at Tobin.

"No. I won." I claim, and enter a glaring match with my mom's partner.

"No."

"Yes."

"Oh my god, both of you shut up." We hear and both turn around to see Kling frowning at us.

"But I won!"

"No, I did! Ouch!" I slap my moms hand away from my ear as she pulls on it, dragging me into the diner and away from Tobin, effectively ending our debate.

We all take a seat at the booth in the diner, while looking over the menu, after 10 minutes the waitress approaches and takes our orders.

"What about you, cutie?" I watch as she shamelessly flirts with Jack, and I don't miss the look on Ellie's face as she watches the interaction before her. What strikes me is that my best friend doesn't flirt back, instead she throws a glance to Ellie, and seeing that she's being watched she answers the waitress in a bored tone of voice which makes me laugh. The waitress obviously hears and knows why I'm laughing as she glares at me.

She eventually brings our food to us, and I hesitate, wondering if she's spit on my food for laughing at her poor flirting but after inspecting my food thoroughly and deciding its safe to eat, I do until I'm kicked in the shin.

"Ouch, fuck!" I yell, a little too loud and gain the attention of other customers as Kling giggles from across the booth.

"Please, don't start you two."

"Yes mom."

"Sorry mom." Kling says, aiming at my mom who glares at her national teammate.

"You're ridiculous Kling, you're supposedly an adult."

On our way home, Ash steals my board as she decides she'll race Tobin home and I hang to the back of our group with Ellie as we talk. We haven't had much of a chance to spend time together, someone else is always there so we take our time as we walk behind everyone else. I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy my time with the Aussie, that is until she brings up our date and I freeze. Literally.

Ellie takes a few steps before she realizes I've stopped walking and she turns around, obviously studying me. She furrows her brow and tilts her head to the side before something clicks.

"It's Kristie, isn't it?" She asks and all I think about is 'is she a mindreader?'

I try and play it cool, and act subtle in my own moronic way but it clearly fails as I hear Ellie chuckle at me.

"I'm sorry Ellie, I'm so sorry. I didn't want to feel this way, but it's like...the harder I try not to, the more I do." I apologize, and I'm about to continue with my rambling until she cuts me off.

"It's okay, Cody."

"Wait...what?"

"I know you see me as a friend. I'd be lying if I said I see you as anything more than a friend, too." She confesses, and while im relieved, I'm also confused.

"Then why ask me on a date?"

"I won't lie, I was attracted to you but I asked you before I caught feelings for someone else." Ellie states, and since I have to know everything, I ask who it is but she doesn't say. Instead I catch her glancing towards my best friend who is walking ahead of us, chatting with my mom.

"Oh my god! It's Jack, isn't it?!" I ask her, only for her to throw a hand over my mouth as I said that a little too loud, and the others looked back in confusion before turning around again and continuing the walk home.

"Yes, now shut up!" She whisper yells at me, but I lick her hand making her remove it from my face. "Yuck, that's disgusting."

I shrug it off, before a face-eating grin grows on my face.

"That's so cute. Well, I ship it, Jellie!" I laugh as my Aussie friend tells me to shut up, throwing an arm around my shoulder as we start to catch up with the rest of the group. "You should talk to her though."