Alex wakes up early in the morning. 4 o'clock on the dot. He would be tired, but he's excited. He would drink some coffee but his stomach is not going to like that decision. His stomach isn't going to like eating anything and having to sit outside all day. He'll just grab a smoothie before he gets to the field. He sneaks out the front door, making sure not to wake Aaron and Lear. He meets Niyah in the morning like he said he would. He opens her door and sees her pouring something in a glass.
"Good morning baby." She says.
"Good morning. What's that?" He comes closer and kisses her.
"A protein shake. No dairy or anything because that doesn't sit well with the sun. Just pre work out so you can be ready today."
"Thank you. This'll be the only thing that supposed to help my game that I'm taking today."
"You nervous?"
"Very. Haven't been in the field with other people besides Luke. I'm worried about the steroids situation. I know most people are going to be juiced up. It's just a lot."
"You got this. Just knowing you for three months, I know your stronger than any temptation. You've been sober for over 200 days. That's amazing. If anything gets to hard for you, I'm always going to be there and the rest of your family to. We've always got you." She kisses him on the cheek. He grabs her hand.
"Your never going to give up on me, are you?"
"Never."
"I don't know what I would do without you." He kisses her.
"Ok, enough of the lovey dovey stuff. Let's go before your late."
Alex gets signed in at the field. Of course the scrimmage is at UCLA. All the football players across California are there. The nervousness sets in. He heads back to the locker room where he placed his stuff down. Niyah has to do her rounds for her job. Before warm ups she comes back to the locker room. She sneaks Aaron back there with her.
"Take that look off of you face. You know you got this." Aaron says.
"I do. I just saw three people pull out needles from their bag. I had to get away because if I saw the syringe and the vile, I don't know what would've
happened." Alex says.
"You'll be alright. Alex you're strong. Niyah and I are here and if you need to take a step back, we'll be there to excuse you. Ok?" Alex nods his head to Aaron. Just as he does, the ref blows the whistle. Alex picks his helmet up and goes.
On the field there is hundreds of players. They are separated by regions in Cali. This means that Alex is there with the Dolan twins. When everyone is sorted into groups, they notice each other.
"Is that Alex?" Ethan asks.
"Yeah, it looks like it is."
"I though he went to rehab."
"He wasn't going to stay in there forever dummy. All he had to do was train." Grayson says.
"He's not even on a team."
"He doesn't need to be." Grayson looks at him. Alex glares at them. No ill intent behind it. He's just getting his head in the game. He looks at them like the old him that he's beating. This is going to be a long day.
Niyah has to be close to the field to record stats. Alex's family doesn't sit to far behind her. They watch him and cheer him on. They can only stay a little while because that's what's prohibited. Alex fastens his helmet tighter and goes about his game. He's almost blind sighted when Ethan tackles him. It was a hard tackle. An unnecessary tackle at that. Niyah clenches her teeth together. She's so glad his family didn't see that. It was hard for her to sit through it. The coaches from each college scribble something down after seeing that. They don't like overly aggressive players. It's a liability. Alex knows this so he doesn't retaliate. He keeps his head in the game. He's going to play it fair.
The day soon ends and at three all the games are over. The list will be posted tomorrow. Alex is super proud of himself and his game. He's sure that Niyah will tell his stats as soon as they're released. Right now he just wants food, a shower, and a nap.
"I'm so proud of you! How do you think you did?" Niyah asks as Alex is packing his stuff.
"Good, the twins were really trying to take me out."
"I know but you did the right thing. That's all that matters. Roni said that after we're finished to meet them for lunch."
They eat lunch. Alex is asked questions and he answers them. He's just glad that everything went well. He can't shake that tackle though. It kind of hit him mentally and physically. His old life is coming back. Not the bad parts but he's returning to normal and it just feels weird. After lunch, Lear and Sherry go to look at wedding venues. Roni and Aaron go and hang out just like Kian, Nessa, Luke, and Mariah. Alex just needs a shower and nap. He doesn't want to go home. The truth is that today has been a lot for him. He feels himself being triggered. Going back to his room reminds him to much of giving himself a high, so he's going to Niyah's house. That's also a big thing. He's never spent more than a couple hours over there. They haven't made it to the next base because they want to take it slow and the whole situation is new. It's better than being triggered though.
Niyah is fine with Alex coming over. Her dad isn't there and she doesn't know by Alex wants to stay. He might not want to talk about so she doesn't push forward with it. He takes a shower. He thought the amount of products Lauren had was a lot, but Niyah has an obsession. She has every scent from bath and body works that you can imagine. Body scrubs, perfume, body washes, lotions, you name it. He comes in and lays beside her.
"Your bathroom is insane. Who needs that many products?"
"Me. I smell good don't I?"
"You do." He give her a kiss and lays on her. She massages his head. She can tell today has been a long one. He repositions himself so they can cuddle. He feels safe and his triggers seem to leave his mind.
