Broken Pieces

Time Flies

Tobin's P.O.V:

I walked back outside where Alexa was talking to her Mom. I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her abdomen. I heard their conversation. "Why weren't you picking up your phone, Alex? You always have your phone on," I heard her Mom say.

"Sorry, Mom that won't happen again. I guess I didn't hear it," Lexa said. 

"It's quite alright, I know you're safe over there. Just update me every few hours next time, okay," her mom asked?

"Promise, mom."

Lexa got off the phone and turned so that we were face to face. "We haven't done that in a long time," she said laughing. 

"Too bad I couldn't finish," I said whispering in her ear. 

"Not here, I don't want you to get trouble," she said against my lips. I kissed her back.

"Do you think your mom would let you sleep over with me," I asked? 

"More than likely. She's gonna ask me really weird questions about what we did though," she said as she made a weird face. I laughed and hugged her. 

"Does your Mom know," I asked?

"About our sex life? Probably, I mean I came home one day with a hickey and she just looked at me," she said.

"Well,youmighthaveanotherone, and I'm sure Ashlyn's caught on as well," I say quickly. 

"HARRIS, you make me mad sometimes," Lexa said angrily. I laughed and she slapped me. 

"I deserved that," I said putting my hands up and she nodded her head. I took her hand and led her inside. We walked into my room and I stood her in front of the mirror. "Look, see it's not that bad."

"We have school in a few days, Tobin," she said annoyed. 

"Which I will not be attending," I said quietly. She turned around and looked at me. She pulled me close and she wrapped her arms around me. I did the same. 

"I worry about you, you know? Every damn time we step into that school I'm afraid something's going to happen to you. The people at school are assholes and you never know what's going to happen. I can never keep myself from getting into fights. I can never sit in class because I know I can't do it," I said to Alexa.

"Look at me, Harris," she said. I obeyed. "Last year was bad. I know. It was for everyone, babe. You lost control a lot, but I think you know how to control your feelings, you just didn't try. As for the classroom, you are the smartest one in the entire school. Why isn't it showing on paper? I don't know, I think you gave up. It's your last year and your off to college. Think about that. Make it something that was worth your time," she said sadly. 

"I haven't even thought about college yet. Have you," I asked worriedly? 

"Yes, I have my choices and I haven't picked. I was waiting for us to get back together a little more so I could talk to you about it. I knew it was going to bring you back down to earth. I think you've lost a lot of time. You've been going in and out of being healthy," she said stroking my face. 

I was in so much shock. I didn't want to have to make the decision. I don't want her to leave, I love her too much. 

"where you going," I asked with a tear rolling down my emotionless face. She wiped my tear away and kissed me. 

"It's going to be okay, babe. I've got UNC, UCLA, Virginia Tech, and Penn State," she said slowly so to not freak me out. I hug her and more tears fall down my face.

"Alexa, I love you and I'll support you in whatever school you want to choose. I just don't you to leave because I'm so in love with you it makes me crazy," I say. 

"That's why I chose schools that you got offers from," she said quietly. I looked at her confused.

"Babe, coaches want you to play for them. I brought letters that you got from home. Ashlyn and Ali didn't want you to see them until I really needed to make a decision so don't get mad at them," she said pleading. 

"Can I see them," I asked? We walked to the table and Ashlyn and Ali were sitting on the couch. I saw Lexa give them a nod and I guess they knew what that meant. 

"Tobin, I didn't want this in your life until it really needed to be dealt with," Ashlyn said. 

I looked at her said, "Ashlyn, I don't want to go to college. I want to stay here and play with the Pride and the National team. I can't leave. Not right now."

"Tobs, this is one of the few things you don't get to decide. Wentworth, myself, Ali, and Alexa have all talked about this for a long time. You need an education and you have amazing offers that are willing to give you full rides," she said. 

I started to walk away when I heard Ashlyn yell, "You are not walking away from this, Harris. Don't do this. Don't shut us out. Talk to me goddammit." I stopped dead in my tracks. She's never yelled at me like that.

I walked back and said, "Let me see the letters."

Alexa handed them to me. There must have been thirty of them. I shuffled through them and only took the ones that Alexa was going to. 

"Babe, listen to me. Don't go to a school just because your girlfriend is going. Follow your heart," Lexa said. 

"I am. You are in my heart, so I where you go I go," I said blankly. She kissed me on the cheek and I caught her lips before she could pull away. "I'll look through all of them, okay? I promise."

I open UNC and I got a personal letter from Anson Dorrance. It said that he really sees me playing for him and starting. All of the other letters said the same thing over and over again. 

"Ash, everybody wants me. How in the world am I supposed to commit to one," I ask frustratingly? 

"Take out the ones you don't want to go to location wise," she said. I took out half of them. "Now take the ones out that don't fit your career choices." I took out five of them. "Start looking at game scores, start looking at who's more successful." I looked at all the stats from the schools that were left in the pile. I threw away six of them. I was left with the four that Alexa said she wanted to go to. 

"How in the world did you know these were the four I was going to end up with," I asked amazed? She laughed and stared at me.

"Because I love you and I know you better than you think I do. You weren't going to go play somewhere that wasn't successful and I knew what you wanted to do when you got out of school," she said.

"I know where I want to go," I said determinedly. Everybody looked at me shocked. 

"Already," Ashlyn asked?

"Yeah. Chapel Hill here I come," I said smiling.

"I knew it," Alexa said. "I committed there two weeks ago."

"Wait, I thought you told m-," 

"I didn't want you to freak out. I knew that's where you would pick and personally, it was the best for me," she said. 

I got up an hugged her. "Can we now please go somewhere where I can kiss the shit out of you"?

"I love you, Tobin," she said.