She's Everything To Me

Chapter 18

Somebody Else Might Take My Place

~~~

"How do you know," asked Alex quickly looking up.

"He told me. I've known this whole time."

"Tobin I'm sorry. I am. I was just being stupid, I didn't think," she said holding onto her arm.

"No, you stay the fuck away from me," she muttered, beginning to walk to their room, soon to be hers only. She got a lot of trash bags and stuffed everything that was hers in there. Her clothes, shoe boxes filled with money, and her guns.

When she pulled my guns from under the bed, Alex got scared. "Tobin. calm down," she quickly said as Tobin finished packing. "I would never hurt you because I love you too much," she said, eyes watering.

She took one last look into Alex's eyes. "He's dead, Alex."

She left her in the room and walked out the door taking her Challenger's keys.

She played music as the moon shined down on her car. She dialed Ashlyn's number and after a couple of rings she picked up. "Ash?"

"Sorry Ash is in the shower," answered Ali.

She could feel her smile through the phone. "Can you please tell her I called?"

"Sure."

"Thanks." She headed to Hope's house, knowing she'd be there.

She opened Hope's door without knocking. "Well hello to you too," chuckled Hope. I looked at her friend standing still at the door. "Um weird," she chuckled again. She didn't say anything. Instead, she ran to the keeper and hugged her, tightly, sobbing on her shoulder.

"I left her."

"Hey. Look at me," said Hope holding her arms as Tobin pulled away from the hug. "You left a relationship that was killing you inside, you know that."

"I know, Hope, but I love her. Eventually, someone's going to take my place and that hurts me most."

They sat in the living room in silence then Ashlyn came in. "I heard," she said, hugging her. The memories of the couple were flowing back into Tobin's mind.

"I remember when we had to do a little dance for the winter social. Every person nominated together had to do some stupid dance, I remember I didn't even want to do it. Alex and I danced to 'Give Me Love.' It was like two years ago."

Hope and Ash listened carefully to her story. "That was the day I realized I liked her..."

"Alex, it's okay," comforted Kelley, rubbing Alex's back while she cried on Kelley's shoulder. Soft music played in the living room. Then the song began to play. "We danced to this song, years ago," smiled Alex.

"We didn't even know each other we just had to dance together because we were both nominated," she sniffled with a chuckle.

"That was the night I actually met her," she said before beginning to sob again. "I'm so sorry Tobin."

"Hope could I stay? Till I find a house?"

"Sure, Tob," replied Hope with a smile before getting up to bring her a blanket. The following day was a Monday. Ugh, Mondays, I hate Monday, thought Tobin, sitting up on the couch she fell asleep on. She went to school with Hope and Ash, it was going to be a regular day.

Hopefully.

She didn't exchange any glances with Alex. None whatsoever. She couldn't. Not after what she did to her. The whole day, she spent it thinking about what to do with herself. How was she going to be okay if she saw her every day?

Because they were the school's cutest couple, everyone wondered why Tobin wasn't walking with her girl and why they both seemed very quiet. "Where's her girlfriend, Alex," whispered one Sophmore as Tobin passed her.

She swiped through her phone, heading quickly to class as Alex did the same.

They bumped shoulders, making Alex's books fall, the books Tobin would carry. The shorter girl quickly put her phone up and instinctively picked the familiar books up. "Thank you," mumbled the raspy voice Tobin had not yet noticed.

"Sorry I..."

Her sentence trailed off as she looked up into her blue eyes, the ones she had to get over for her own sake. She loved her but she shouldn't. 

The hallway went quiet and watched as Tobin tore her gaze away from Alex's, quietly shuffling away.

She drove her two friends home. "I'm moving with my dad," she said driving them to Hope's after school. "We won't lose connection, I promise. I'm leaving tomorrow. Wanna help me pack?" 

Ash and Hope's eyes teared up. "I'm gonna miss you, Tobin," they said in unison. The girls hugged one last time. "I love you guys. I'll keep in touch," she said, waving goodbye at them.

They waved one last time.

She looked outside the airplane window the second it took off.

I'm heading home, she thought, listening to the music playing on her headphones. She wasn't going to worry about Alex anymore, she was going to focus on graduation and soccer, that was all that mattered to her now.

Soon, she'll just be a memory, a lesson she learned. 

8 fun and long years later...

In case you're wondering, she never lost connection with her best friends, Hope and Ashlyn, they talked on the phone every day till now. She couldn't wait to see them again.

Then there was Alex Morgan.

The name she heard every day now because of how well known she was in the Woso community. Her plan to forget about her backfired but the one about getting over her didn't.

Laure made sure of that.

"I am finally moving back to the U.S. after playing for Paris Saint-Germain, I want to thank my teammates, my coach, and the best fans in the world. They've taught me so many things. They've taught me how to be a better team player and let's not forget the french I still cannot speak." The crowd interviewing her chuckled.

"Thank you, I will see you in the United States." She waved with a great smile before walking off stage with a roaring applause behind her. "I'm gonna miss you, Toby," smiled Laure, hugging her friend tightly.

"See you soon," replied the midfielder, hugging back before boarding the plane.