Project 438

Chapter Five: Visiting the Willis's

The weekend was long and boring and all I could find to do was throw darts at my old dartboard. The dance was postponed till next week. It was rather boring, but I needed to pass the time. Thankfully, my mom had some work to do out of town so I was able to have a lazy day. Soccer practice was at three today and I wanted to skip it so bad, but my mom would be home by then. Skipping would only make her go crazy. So being bored as I was, I gathered my soccer gear this morning and tossed it behind the door. If my mom was here, she would yell at me for that. Mom was a neat and orderly person. If anything was out of order, she would freak.

I had phoned Eric a few more times, and by then I was furious. How could he not answer me and where has he gone to? It was killing me to know and the only thing I could think of was to go to his house and corner his parents.

My thoughts were interrupted when my phone buzzed. A message from the coach telling me that practice was being held early today. Perfect. Coach is always anxious to get started. I tossed my phone on my bed and growled hating how my Saturday was going so far. I wanted to spend my Saturday with Eric, but since he had not answered my calls or messages, plans changed.

I had not even received any calls from my dad. I was getting pretty bummed until Ally texted wanting to hang out before practice. I didn't really want to, but I didn't want to stay home either. Usually Ally has Mercedes and Ashley with her on the days we have a game.

Ally had pulled up an hour later honking her horn. I grabbed my bag and jumped in her bug. Mercedes was busy brushing her hair and putting it into a braid. She had the prettiest reddish hair and bright blue eyes. She smiled at me in her compact mirror and continued braiding her hair.

"Coach wants us there early so I figured you would want to hang out before then. I know that you're upset that Eric's not contacting you, and the best way to get over that is to have a girl's day out." Ally said pushing her blond hair behind her ear.

She was right. I had not had a girl's day out in ages. My mom was never the one to go shopping or hang out in town so we mostly spent time together practicing soccer. I didn't mind either way.

"We talked to Tracy about the game and she was still upset about it. She was mad that you stole the ball from your own team mate." Ashley said pushing her blond hair back.

I had almost forgotten about Tracy and the last game. I was pretty sure she was going to take it to the coach, and then I would be in trouble. Tracy is after all the captain of the team.

Larry's coffee shop was opened as usual, and was not as packed as I imagined for a Saturday. We each grabbed a cappuccino and sat down at a small booth in the back. The cafe was quiet just how I liked it, and it smelt so clean and refreshing. Larry was cleaning the counters as we sat down. Larry was my favorite person in the cafe because he loved to crack jokes even though they weren't funny. We laughed anyway because he tries to make people smile.

I sipped my cappuccino and tapped my finger nails on the table thinking of what I would say to Tracy when we got to the field. Ally was the first to break the silence.

"So Max and me split. I guess he realized we wouldn't have time to be together with his busy schedule. I knew it would happen."

The look on Ally's face said that she was a little upset about it. She really liked Max and sounded calm before when talking about it, but deep down she was hurting. I patted her hand and gave her an assuring smile. She smiled back thanking me. Mercedes however tried to lighten the mood by pointing at a young man standing at the counter. We all looked to see a very handsome young looking man standing there ordering a coffee. He wore baggy jeans and a leather jacket and was wearing sunglasses. When he saw us looking, he nodded and slouched in the nearest booth.

"Now that you're single, you can find a new hot guy. He is definitely your type. Go talk to him." Mercedes encouraged.

Ally smiled and walked to the man with her flirty smile. We all laughed as she flirted and once she got him to smile, we knew that she had succeeded. Leave it to my best friend to take a dare and achieve it.

She stood there talking to him for almost an hour until it was time to go. We listened to her tell us about what they talked about and how he invited her to his party next Saturday. She was all smiles by the time we got to the field. I was so happy she was happy again that I had forgotten my fear of facing Tracy.

Tracy stood by the bench stretching when we walked up. She glared at me and crossed her arms.

"Now that you're here, we can discuss what team members don't do to each other. Brandi, you can tell her the first thing we don't do."

Brandi was Tracy's best friend and just as mean. She was a lot prettier even though no one else agreed with me. She had the most beautiful light brown hair that looked like silk and her skin was so smooth as if she used lotion a lot. I was almost jealous of her smooth skin. She didn't even hesitate to stand up and give me the dirtiest look she could give to tell me what I did wrong.

"You cannot steal the ball from your own team member. That should be an automatic penalty."

Tracy smirked and got so close to me that you would think she was ready to hug me. Thank goodness her breath didn't smell bad. I felt a little awkward with her so close to me like this.

"I talked to the coach and she has agreed that you should sit out today as a lesson to never cross your own team. Sorry, but you have been benched today."

I was so mad I wanted to hit her. If my mom knew that I was benched, she would yell at me and find some way to make this my fault. Being benched was the worst, and I never imagined I would get it. I wanted to argue to change her mind, but when coach pointed to the bench, I realized there was no way I could argue my way out of this one. I stormed to the bench and sat down so mad, I wanted to scream. Ally gave me a sad look and began practicing with the team.

I was so grounded when my mom found out about this. But when practice was over, I decided to go to Eric's house and see if he was home. I really needed to talk to him and share everything with him, but when I got to his house and his dad answered, I knew he was not there.

Mr. Carson Willis was Eric's dad and very good looking. He was also the sweetest person I knew and looked very much like Eric. Mr. Willis didn't look old at all. He looked young. He was very muscular and handsome. Not that I am crushing on my boyfriend's dad. When he saw that it was me, he smiled and let me in.

"Hello, Lizzie. It has been awhile. What's been new with you?" He asked handing me a glass of tea as we stood in the kitchen later.

"I came to see Eric, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me he isn't here."

Mr. Willis smiled and leaned his hands on the counter. I hoped I was wrong. I really did.

"He went to stay with his uncle for a while. He is really close with his uncle and wanted to get some football practice done down there. He should be back Monday. I hear it is supposed to be a very interesting day."

I wondered what was happening that would make it interesting. I downed the tea and sighed. I was still mad at Tracy for benching me and really wanted to talk to someone about it. Someone who would not get mad at me or ground me for it. Mr. Willis was a lot like Eric and that made me want to tell him everything. He listened quietly nodding as I talked and when I finished, he rubbed his chin shaking his head.

"Seems like you're having a rough month. You have a dream and that is to be a doctor. Yeah, you play soccer and may enjoy it, but you love helping people. Do what makes you happy and not what others want. Sometimes you have to upset your parents to follow your dreams, and this Tracy may have benched you, but it's only because she knows that you are strong willed and do what it takes to get ahead of things. Don't let people get to you, Lizzie. You have a big heart and that will get you far in many things."

He patted my back and followed me out. I felt so much better having that talk with him. I was thankful that he listened and didn't get mad about any of it. Eric would have listened as well.

"Remember what I said, Lizzie."

I nodded and went home knowing my mom would be waiting and I would be grounded.