"Babe."

Steph groans, but that doesn't make her open her eyes. Abby, who is softly kissing her back, rolls her eyes, before smirking : the brunette has been the only bright side of her life those last few weeks, as everything around them is falling apart. She has discovered an hidden side of Steph, the protective girl she truly is. Even thought the forward has been conflicted, she has sticked to Abby's side the whole time, reassuring her girlfriend, acting as a real foundation and pillar for her girl.

And that makes Abby love her even more.

"Baby, it's time to wake up."

Once the brunette has finally decided to get up, the two girls take their breakfast together, before Abby drives them to a cafe downtown, right in between the two campus (). As the miles are passing by, Steph grows more and more nervous, because she knows what they are about to do is a big step. Abby, while driving, has her hand on her girlfriend's leg, and sometimes takes a peek at her to make sure she's okay and not backing up or something.

Once they made it to the coffee shop, and that Abby found a place to park her car, they both enter the cafe, hand in hand. Turning her back on them is Samantha Mewis, and as soon as Steph and Abby sit down in front of her, she tenses up, but has a smile on her lips, growing pretty slowly.

Sam is the one saying :

"Hi. Thanks for coming."

"Of course" Abby says.

But Steph remains silent for now.

"I know you're upset, Stephanie" Sam says in a beyond serious tone. As Steph is nodding, she continues : "I know you guys don't trust me anymore, think I am 'the enemy'. But I am not, and to prove it I came here."

"You only presence isn't enough to prove anything, Sam, and you know it."

Abby stares at her girlfriend, meaning 'let her explain before acting like a freaking snake, thank you very much my love'. But Sam is not annoyed the slightest. In order to confirm this, she lets out :

"Exactly. That's why I came her with some informations that may interest you."

"Which is ?" Abby asks, confused.

"Hope revealed what happened three years ago."

As she speaks, Sam remembers that exact moment...

Flashback

"First year in UCLA, first day, very first hour spent on campus, I met Kelley and Ash. We were immediately friends, since they were very funny but also serious. Then, Christie and Becky were added to the mix, and we became the Fantastic Five, ruling campus and the Bruins. We were unstoppable, winning games after games, seducing boys all around and laughing about everything. Things changed during the second semester, by the end. At the time - and I am not proud to say this in front of you guys - I kinda was a junkie, drunk girl, lost in the world, and Ash and I started messing with our health. One day, as we were coming back from a party, the five of us were walking together on campus."

Hope takes a short break, as everybody is all ears. The silence on the room announces a big drama, something beyond anyone's biggest expectations. But they're listening, and Shelina is frowning : maybe she doesn't want to know about Becky's past.

But the goalie continues :

"Becky and I were by far the stupidest ones." When she says that, thinking back of the memories, she smirks. "Fearless. Regardless of the consequences, we started joking around with some boys, who ended up inviting us to an after-party. Kelley wasn't thrilled with that, and so was Christie. But Ash, Becky and I were just drunk and high, and that's it. This party is where I met Jerramy, my actual boyfriend.

"After a few hours, I don't remember a lot. At least I thought I didn't, but after years passing by, I started remembering, and it hurts every time. I had sex with Jerramy in the toilets that night, as Kelley was also kissing a dude not far from there. But when we went out of the toilets, we realised that we shouldn't have left Ash, Becky and Christie on their own, because everybody was gone. We feared the worse : there were four drunk body for two girls, and we all know about American campuses' tendency for rape.

"So we went out of the apartment, Jerramy coming with us. I remember Kelley was crying because of alcohol, so we left her at a friend's, and I took off with Jerramy. He was high but we didn't care : he started driving across from campus. We shouldn't have, because while we were so determined to find our friends, we didn't see that girl crossing the road.

"I remember the impact of her body on Jerramy's car, and then the screams of that poor girl agonising under the car. We rolled on her, and she was almost dead. We went out of car, cried for help.. and then appeared Christie, Becky and Ash with some of Jerramy's friends ; they were just walking around campus, trying to get some fresh air because Ash was on the verge of an overdose.

"I remember we were then then around that body. We had no choice but either tell the cops what we did and Jerramy and I would've gone to jail, or hide the body and hope that it is never found again. After debating for hours, and fearing that someone would pass by and find us with the body, we put it on the truck and opted for the second option. Becky was the one driving, and we found that cliff over the river. The body disappeared only seconds after its impact with the rocks and water, and we watched it fading away.

"We've been keeping the secret ever since... Whitney Engen - it was the girl's name, one of our teammate at Stanford - was declared missing, and they never found her. Last summer, her parents decided to give up on hope and did a funeral we all attended. Seeing her parents crying just pulled a trigger, and our group started tearing apart even more... Because after that night, we weren't the same and split directions.

"Every day of my life I am feeling guilt inside my stomach, and every freaking day I think to myself : I should've turned myself in. I should've just been on that road instead of her. And even now, I am crying when I remember. I hurts so much remembering. So no, I didn't kill Christie Rampone : she was my friend, my protector, my mentor. But yes, I am a murderer."

The tough goalie bursts into tears, as Carli is silently tapping her shoulder, trying to comfort her. Several girls are crying. But it's Shelina's voice that raises first, and she says :

"It was an accident, Hope."

"Go and tell her parents that !" the dark-haired snaps between two tears. "We murdered her, our fun night costed her her life, and her family is hurting because of us."

"Then why didn't you turn yourself in ?" Lauren Barnes asks, in shock.

"Because it would mean betraying my friends. Even though we hate each other today, I can't do that to them. Whitney Engen is missing, that's the way it is. Nothing will change that. So if you want to tell the cops, go ahead. I am ready."

"We won't."

Jess Fishlock's voice is sharp as hell, but somehow everybody knew something has changed. Mel is nodding her head, as Christen is still confused. Lauren Barnes is standing on her feet now, and Carli is just looking at her friend.

Hope sighs.

"I guess holding that, all that pressure on your chest must've been hell" Jess continues, staring around her. "I apologise, because I misjudged you all this time. I still don't like you, but I now respect you."

"There's a problem tho" Carli lets out.

Everybody is looking at her. So she says :

"It seems like Whitney Engen had a younger sister, and that this person is now either with UCLA or Stanford and is the one that killed Christie Rampone."

Time stops.

As soon as Sam finishes talking, Abby's jaw being wide open for now fifteen minutes, Steph asks :

"Please tell me either of you is the younger sister."

Abby nervously laughs.

"Nope."

"Hell no" Sam lets out, confused. "Kristie is enough already."

"I don't see anyone from the Bruins murdering someone" Steph says, raising her eyebrows.

"I don't see anyone from Stanford murdering someone, apart from Hope and Carli but they both are innocent."