Pariah

Your silence is the most violent

A.N. I'm not supposed to post this so close to the last chapter, but I love this story so much and the chapter has been done for months. Hope you enjoy.

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Tell me how to feel about you now. Oh, let me know. Do I suffocate or let go?

Hope winced at the look she was getting from Carli. She was acting like she knew it all again. Like she saw right through Hope's lies. It was one of her lesser qualities.

Carli opens her mouth as though to say something but Hope takes a sharp right before she can get anything out. She has a raging headache and her back stings like a bitch, Carli's voice is oddly high pitched in the morning and it's only going to serve to make her headache worse.

She preoccupies herself with piling food onto her plate. Maybe, if she scowls just that much harder everyone will steer clear of her for the day.

She takes a seat at an empty table enjoying the seclusion for about as long as it lasts. She can practically feel when Melody walks into the room. Her face flushes and her back stings a bit more. It's annoying, to say the least.

Her eyes trace the forward's every move as she walks in and greets a few players (namely JJ, then Ashlyn intercepts her a moment later) then heads to the food. Hope silently wills her not to look in her direction. She doesn't think she'd be able to deal with that. She hasn't even dealt fully with the events of the previous night.

To Hope, Melody Bordeaux screamed trouble. She breathed complicatedness. And she absolutely dripped confidence. It was a scary combination. It put Hope on edge, and yet she admired it all at the same time. Though, she'd be hard pressed to ever admit any of that.

It could be proposed that Hope liked the woman, sure, but the more digestible statement for Hope was that she just harbored a morbid curiosity about the girl. A meager fascination if you will.

She'd never been one to go by the book, so why would she start now.

Melody glances at her with an odd mix of anger and curiosity. Hope raises an eyebrow in question only to receive an eyeroll in return. The forward then reluctantly sits inbetween Alex and Ashlyn a few tables over.

"I think she wanted to sit with you."

Hope jumps a bit in her seat. She winces as her shirt brushes against her back as a result. She glares at the intruder of her personal space.

"Well, it seems her and everyone else in the room got the memo that I didn't want anyone sitting with me." It comes out a bit harsher than she intends, but no matter how she said it, the recipient would always have the same response.

Kelley shrugged, "You're used to me not adhering to your big grumpy keeper mood swings." She sat back in the uncomfortable plastic chair with an easy smirk. She'd kick her feet onto the table for even more of an attempt at relaxation, but she had some sense of manners.

"Just because I'm used to it, doesn't mean I Iike it." Hope replied noncommittally. Kelley wasn't listening, and if she was being honest, which she never is, she doesn't really mind Kelley's presence. The defender would probably walk right into the bathroom with her if she could.

"I'm your best friend. Or course you like it." Kelley smiled brightly, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Isn't Carli my best friend?" She continued to pick at her mediocre breakfast. She pretends not to notice the look in Kelley's eyes at the mention of Carli's name.

"The fact that you have to ask says a lot. Also, I'm over here with you and she's over there cowering in the corner like a bitch because you probably told her to leave you alone." The bitterness slips out before Kelley can catch it, but again Hope keeps her thoughts to herself.