| Cody |

I sigh as my back finally hits the bed in the hotel room I'm sharing with Jack while we're here in Texas. Our flight was delayed by three hours, but I don't mind, it delays the yelling I'm gonna get from Alex. Jack and I mended the rather large dent in our relationship, at the end of the day, I don't want anything to do with her relationship drama and she's perfectly okay with that, of course.

I wait my turn to use the shower and freshen up, wishing I'd had the brain power to go first before Jack, who seems to take what feels like years, just to get ready. On the other hand, it gives me time to decide what to wear before I meet up with my mom and Tobin.

___________

| Jack |

I walk between Cody and Hope as we meet up with the others to catch up and grab some lunch. My relationship with my best friend seems to be back on track, which I'm extremely thankful for. I know Ellie is important to her, too.

I hear my best friend audibly gulp when she sets her eyes on Alex, which only makes me chuckle. The grin doesn't leave my face when Cody shoots me a glare. We close the distance, getting closer to Alex who is standing with Kelley and when they both turn, I hear Cody mumble.

"Oh shit. Kill me." I bite my lip, simply to not laugh at her.

"Hey mom, I missed you so much!" Cody squeals, overly happy, with a madman's grin on her face, attempting to look as innocent as possible. She honestly looks deranged.

| Cody |

"Nice try, I still want to talk to you later." Alex informs me, and while I'm disappointed, at least I tried. "I missed you too though, baby girl." She finishes, pulling me into her to remind me of the feelings of safety and comfort that I've only ever experienced from her touch. I revel in her hold as she kissed my temple, and stands with her arm draped over my shoulder, but only for a second before I see my favorite player.

"Tobin!"

"Cody!" She mimicks me, but I don't care, I run straight into her arms and she spins me around like a little kid. I notice the surprised look on my mom's face, and I can't say I blame her, she doesn't really know that I'm becoming increasingly comfortable around the midfielder. "How are you, kid? Has she yelled at you yet?"

"Not yet." I mumble, looking towards my feet, until I hear a relieved sigh and my head snaps up to the veteran player.

"Oh, good. I didn't miss it!" I glare at her until she smiles her million dollar smile, which I can't help but reciprocate.

"You're such a f-"

"A what?" Alex cuts me off, raising her eyebrow in question. I stutter and fall over my sentences, making everyone around me laugh and it's only then that I notice Ash and Ali.

"Other mother!" I yell, swiftly changing the subject as I jump into Ali's arms. It's not until I'm with her that I realize how much I've missed her. I greet Ash too, after she clears her throat.

__________

"So, who are you cheering on, tonight?" Kristie asks as we Facetime, it's become a routine for us, since we're usually so far from one another.

"Tobin."

"Tobin isn't even playing."

"Exactly." I grin, happy with my answer. I wouldn't want to hurt her feelings and say my mom, cause that's who I'm really cheering on.

Our conversation is interrupted by a knock on the door, and I wait in my seat at the small desk as Jack answers the door. I can tell my the evil grin on my best friend's face that it's time for my chat with Alex, so I hang up the call with Mewis, and kick Jack out of the room as Alex takes a seat on my bed. There's a long silence which begins to eat me alive.

"So...how does this work? Do you just get right into it?" I ask, genuinely confused as I haven't really been chewed out by my mom...yet. She still doesn't answer, only raises a brow, which makes me more anxious until there's another knock on the door. I waste no time in jumping to my feet and speeding to the door, hoping for a way out of this, but luck isn't on my side as I open the hotel room door to find a grinning Tobin.

"Hey kid." She ruffles my hair as she saunters into the room, sitting next to Alex.

I groan as I move to sit on Jack's bed, directly across from my mom, and the person who used to be my favourite player. Anyway, I know my mom isn't as mad as she once was, which is why I'm nervous. Her words will be more thought out, and not drawn from pure anger and/or frustration. I sit quietly, like an obedient dog, waiting for her to start.

"You look terrified." Tobin chuckles, not taking her eyes off of me, despite my glaring at her and my mom nudging her with her elbow.

| Alex |

I take a moment to study my daughter. Tobin's right, she is terrified, though she's obviously trying her best to hide it. In all honesty, I'm not mad anymore, not even a little. Spending time with Ali and talking with her and my mom about how to handle this situation has really helped.

"Okay." I begin, and Cody's head snaps to mine. It looks like she's not even breathing, I keep my game face on, she has to know I'm serious about what I'm saying, "You told me you weren't going to drink." I hold up my hand to silence her after she finally takes a breath to begin speaking. I continue after she closes her mouth. "I don't care that you did. You're a teenager, it's what teens do. What I'm not happy about is the pictures online. I know that as a teen, maybe the last thing you want to do is think about the future, but the truth is if colleges and teams see that, they might reconsider having you on their rosters. I just want you to be careful, baby. I'm not saying don't have fun, just don't post everything online for everything and anyone to see."

I sit quietly with Tobin, who was clearly expecting me to yell at Cody, and we watch her as she mulls over what I've said. I'm not sure how she'll react, but I can see that she's not angry.

"Okay mom." she nods slowly before looking up and making eye contact with me. "You're right, it was pretty stupid to post pictures, and even though it wasn't me, it was Jack, I'll make sure it won't happen again."

I hug my daughter tightly, happy that she's turning into a mature young woman, one that listens to the other side of the conversation.

"How is Jack?" Tobin asks as Cody releases her hold on me and sits back down.

"Um...she's okay." She scratches her neck. "Kind of. How is Ellie?"

"You mean you haven't spoken to her?" My girlfriend asks my daughter while I listen.

"No. She's a little mad at me for not telling her what Jack did but it wasn't my place. So, how is she?" Cody asks, clearly concerned.

"She's not good. She's been late to train with the team a few times. I heard she's thinking about going back to Australia." Tobin tells Cody softly, trying to lessen the blow, but it clearly knocks the wind out of my daughter.

"Don't worry, baby girl. Let her calm down and get herself back on her feet, she'll talk to you." I comfort my daughter, grabbing her by the hand and hoisting her up to wrap her in my arms.

"Shut up, Tobin." I pull away from Cody, looking at her. She sees my confused face and elaborates. "Look at her." I look down at my best friend, girlfriend and national teammate to see that she's grinning at Cody like a proud mother. I shake my head and pull my daughter back, ignoring the look on Tobin's face.

| Kelley |

"How is she doing?" I ask Hope, as we get coffee with Jack who is sitting at the table.

"Not well. It's weird, she's...normal with Cody, her usual happy, sassy and sarcastic self, but the second Cody isn't there, it's like the life drains from her. You can physically see the happiness fading away." Hope sighs, rubbing her temples as I rub her back in an attempt to soothe her. "I'm worried about her."