| Cody |

I stare at the beautiful girl in front of me once I've helped her to her feet, internally scolding myself for fawning over her after she broke my heart. It's odd, that my mom hasn't lashed out at her, but I want to. I understand why she shut down the idea of being with me, doesn't mean I like it, and I like it a lot less when she thinks she can break my heart and then kiss me, before turning and leaving.

Remembering that, I brush past her, suddenly full of anger that I didn't know I possessed.

"Cody! Cody, wait!" She calls after me, but I ignore the looks of the other people on the street, keep my head down as I make my way to the diner, board in hand. I only make it a few paces when she wraps her hand around my wrist, halting my getaway. I concede, and turn around, donning a bored expression.

"What do you want, Kristie? I've got places to be." I say, the bored expression seeping through to my tone of voice.

I know she gets it when I see a look of hurt flash in her eyes. I want to take back what I said, I want to tell her that I'd love to spend my entire day with her, but I can't. I can't because I'm 'too young'. I can't because she hurt me and I don't want to go through that crap again. I can't because...she has Rachel.

"Are you okay?" Is her response, which I find pathetic. I furrow my brow in silent question before she elaborates. "You're bleeding." She moves to raise her hand to my forehead and I flinch away, she immediately retracts, apologizing profusely.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it." I wipe the blood from my forehead, not even noticing I had kissed the pavement. I take my phone out to check the time, seeing that I'm running late. "I'm sorry, again, for crashing into you but I gotta go, I'm late now."

I leave her standing in the street, I don't turn around to look at her because I can feel her watching me so I just keep my head down, speed-walking to the diner. Once inside I scan the booths looking for my newly found Canadian friend and I spot her almost immediately given that she's a lot taller than I am, and that I know most of the people in this small crappy town.

"Hi there, Cody! What can I get you today?" I'm greeted by the always enthusiastic Dolly, who owns this small diner. True to form, she knows all her regulars, myself and Jack included. She has always looked out for us, she also never fails to put a smile on my face. Dolly very quickly became someone I felt a family-type bond with, which is why I call her my aunt - even though she isn't.

"Oh, hey aunt D. I'm actually meeting a friend." I motion over to the booth that Jordyn has occupied. She nods, handing me a menu anyway as she scurries off to deal with another customer. I make my way over the the booth, sliding in across from Jordyn.

"Oh, there you are. I was beginning to think you were ditching me."

"No, I ran into someone...literally." I explain, pointing to my forehead where a small gash lays, and I wear it like a badge of honor.

"I see that." She says handing me a tissue to clean it up a little. "How brave you must be." She sasses which makes me laugh.

| Jack |

Ugh.

Come on.

Where is sheeee?!

"Will you sit down, your pacing is making me anxious." Hope says from the kitchen island as she watches me, eyebrow raised. Shes sitting beside Alex who is nursing a steaming cup of coffee.

"Can I have coffee?" I ask Alex, but my attention snaps to my guardian when I hear her scoff. "What?"

"You're kidding right? Of course you can't, you're already restless enough! Any more and I'll lock you outside."

"Well, that's just rude."

"Then sit down and talk to us"

"How is that like having a coffee?"

"It's not-" She answers, only to be interrupted by Alex.

"Gosh, you're both so alike, I'd swear you're related." She smiles into her coffee, but I shrug it off, my mind too occupied.

"Where is Cody?!" I whine out, sounding like a 5 year old waiting for their mom to come home with ice cream, and the two adults before me obviously agree as they chuckle at my behavior.

"She said she was going to have lunch with a friend." Alex explains, which is news to me because Cody was very secretive about this new 'friend'.

"But I'm right here! Who? Who is this so-called friend?"

"I don't know, Jack."

"So you just let her go out there into the big bad world, alone?! Without me?!"

The adults once again laugh at how I'm acting. I understand, I sound ridiculous, I am ridiculous but let's not go there right now. I'm just worried about my best friend. Ever since I found out about the way she was living before, I've become extremely protective of her, almost like she's my baby sister that I have to do anything to protect and keep safe. Now, she's god knows where with god knows who, which scares me.

"Jack, sit down." Hope physically guides me to the seat across the island her, gently shoving me down onto it. She pours me a glass of water and she sits back down beside Alex, both of the women now watching me with concern.

"What's going on in that mind of yours?" Alex asks me, and I look to her. I never would have thought that I'd ever think of Alex as another mother, but here we are. I explain to the two across from me how I'm feeling and why I'm feeling the way I do, and I'm relieved when I see that they don't think I'm being irrational.

"Why would she hide it from you?" I hear Alex ask, and when I look at her I can see that she's mostly talking to herself, while Hope is completely silent, obviously thinking.

"You know, she doesn't have to tell you, right?" She finally says, thought it sets me off slightly. I use everything in me not to lash out at the woman who gave me a lifeline after my mother died. I take a deep breath before I answer her.

"I know that, Hope and I don't ask her to, but she always does. Until now. And that's not all, ever since she's been to therapy, she has become...short tempered, less interested in soccer and everything else that she enjoys. All she wants to do is go boarding, but she wants to go alone."

"I've actually noticed." Alex sighs out. She bites her lip when Hope turns to look at her.

"I thought therapy was supposed to be good for people?" Hope questions aloud.

"Yeah...but I basically forced her to go, I can't force her to stop, and if she's finally confronting feelings and thoughts that she suppressed for years, there's going to be some fallout. Look, Jack...I know she might be more difficult for a while but she's still Cody. We just need to remind her of that."

"I'll always be here for her, Alex. You don't need to give me a sales pitch." I tell her and I smile when she laughs.

We continue to chat until we hear the front door, and Kelley's voice as she answers it.

"Mewis! Fuck, are you okay?"

We all share a look of confusion as we stand, walking to the sitting room while Kelley guides Mewis to the couch, sitting her down as she tells us she's going to get the first aid kit despite Kristie's relentless barrage of 'it's okay, I'm fine'.

I'm still not on talking terms with the Pro in my sitting room, I'm not a fan of anyone who, as I see it, plays my bestfriend and then breaks her heart. Not after everything that she's been through.

"What the hell happened?" Kelley asks when she comes back to the room, Alex and Hope quietly standing while I roll my eyes, not really caring what happened to her.

"I uh...ran into Cody..." She mumbles out, but Alex hears.

"Did she hit you?!" Cody's mom asks. She looks concerned for her teammate, and angry at the thought of her daughter becoming physical, meanwhile, I'm hoping she did smack a bitch.

"No, well...yes. She was riding her board, we basically ran into each other." Kristie explains, but Alex doesn't seem to calm down for some reason.

"I told her to be careful. I'm sorry Kristie."

"It's okay, Alex. Cody apologized enough." She breathily chuckles out, while I scoff, a little too loud as I see everyone in the room turn to face me, so I do what all mature people do, I try and play it off like a cough, standing and leaving to go back to the kitchen.

"That. Was. Smooth." I jump when I hear Tobin, who laughs at me.

"Where the fuck did you come from?!"

"Portland" She shrugs, walking to the refrigerator to get a bottled water.

"Ugh, shut up."

"So, what's your problem with Kristie? Is it because she blew Cody off?" I look at the midfielder, utterly confused that she knows what's going on in my mind.

"How did you know that?"

"Well, it's pretty obvious." She laughs. "Plus, the entire team has been giving her shit since she did that to Cody." She explains, which makes me feel better, I can't lie.

We're enjoying our conversation, which has drifted from the Cody and Kristie situation, to a 'how are you so good at Mario Kart' kind of conversation. She insists it's just skill, but I seriously doubt that. Our very mature argument is cut short when the backdoor opens and in strolls Cody, with a guest.

"The hell, Maxi? Why not use the front door?"

"I seen Kristie's car, didn't wanna deal with that shit for the second time today." She shrugs and I notice the cut on her forehead. Tobin sees it too, and tells Cody she'll get something for it and leaves the room, obviously heading to the first aid kit that Kelley has in the other room.

"Hi, I'm Jack. Forgive my friend, she's terrible at introductions." I tease, receiving an eyeroll from my oh so lovely best friend. I shake hands with the girl beside Cody.

"I'm Jordyn."

"Holy cow. You're Canadian! Is that why you didn't tell me about her? Frolicking with the enemy?" I jokingly ask Cody.

"Frolicking? Seriously?"

We look at each other, both of us trying to be serious, until we can't any longer and we burst out laughing, Jordyn included.

"Cody? Is that you?"

"Yeah, mom!" She shouts back through the door, and it doesn't take long before an upset Alex walks through it, followed by a sheepish looking Tobin, who sets the unopened wipe and bandaid on the kitchen table before she hastily leaves.

"What the hell did I tell you?!"