Every time she revisited her time with David at that rugby camp, she knew, together they had started to build a robust foundation. Just a shame that Henry and David's teams had buried those details in utter fiction and her self-confidence took a battering.
That battering was not helped when they met, again, two years ago. The interactions over the last two years, were tarnished by their recollections of their history. Despite that, Ella was pretty sure that the David that she saw over last two years was not the real David.
What he said earlier, just now, confirmed what she believed: he had barricade himself behind a massive wall. Just like her. That is what she told herself over the last two years. He was doing what she was doing. Hiding behind a wall. Her heart often suggested she could approach him, resurrect their relationship, but her brain vetoed that proposal. Why put yourself in the line of fire, her brain repeatedly reminded her. She could see that he dealt with people with his normal courtesy, kindness and empathy but he rarely allowed anyone past that screen of benevolence. Her approach was slightly different. She did deal with people with courtesy, kindness and empathy, but only for a few. In many ways, Ella and David had the same values and were kind-hearted but their approaches were different. Facing an incident, her tactics would be based on flight while his approaches would ground on fighting for his goals.
For a second nothing more was said. Eventually she sighed. "David, what you expect now?"
"A chance." David said quietly. And he wondered if that was the first time she had used his name over the last two years? He was pretty sure that she only used his surname, but then wondered if he had only registered her using his surname, rather than noting when she used his first name.
"A chance?" Ella looked at him. Should she tell him what happened to her? Or will that open another can of worms. Was it worth it, tell him what happened ten years ago? She bit her lip as she reviewed her option.
David was starting to worry. It felt as if a piece was missing. A really important piece.
Ella squared her shoulders, her heart was thumping as she looked directly at him and she said quietly, "What do you think happened to me after that incident?"
His brow furrowed. "You said you went back to school. I think your dad said the same thing. You went back to your school." That statement suddenly was important.
"And what happened then?" She led him forward.
He pinched his lips between his fingers and watched her. Something wasn't right. It felt as if he was missing something. So he re-trawled his information: She went back to school; obviously she went back to her classroom, learned x,y,z, finished school; she moved on with her life. Those statements were reviewed in his mind but her tone suggested he had missed something. So he, eventually said, "I don't know. I guess you finished..."
"At home." She murmured
His eyes narrowed. "At home? What do you mean, at home?"
"I went back to school."
"Ok. I got that." He rubbed his face with his palm, "I said, I guess you finished and you said at home. Finished what? I thought you went to school, you know to finished your studies"
"I left school." Ella said softly. That period of her life always brought stigma.
"You finished school? Or just left?" David frowned at her, not sure if he had missed something again.
"Yes. Both. I finished with school and I left."
"Gabriella, I am really baffled."
"I finished with school and I left." She repeated and then said with ironic, "Well, actually, I think the school suggested it." She said cryptically. David frowned again, it felt as if he was in vortex.
He shook his head, "I am not sure what you are saying. And given I have missed stuff, well, actually misunderstood everything! Just pretend that I only have a single brain cell working at the moment. Just spell it out. Please."
"The School said it would be best for me if I finished my studies at home."
"What? Why?" He asked quietly, despite wanting to shout. Why would the school ask her to leave?
"Why?" She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Probably because parents were not happy!"
"What? I am lost again. Some parents at your school were not happy." He reiterated, hoping that repeating it would help him, but it didn't. "And the school asked you to leave." Again he phrased it as a statement rather than a question. Ella nodded. He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, "Why, exactly?"
"The school was in the paper." She bit her lips.
"The school was in the newspaper?" He jammed his hands in his pockets.
"Yes. Apparently they had a student who slept with the U-21 rugby players according to a trashy newspaper!"
His head snapped back. "What?"
"I guess the school and the parents were fed up with the reporters at the school's gate."
He shook his head. "How did the newspaper know about you?"
"One of the perks of being a daughter to a national manager." Ella said with a rueful smile.
"How would they know anything about the incident?"
She sighed with a rueful smile. " In my head, it was between you and your mates."
"I beg your pardon?" He narrowed his eyes.
"You know, how the journalists knew. You asked how would the journalists would know anything about the incident Your question should be, who leaked the story? I havered between you and your mates. I thought you or your mates told them!"
"Come again?" His head reared in outrage.
She said in a matter-of-fact tone, "A day before the tribunal, there was a story in the newspaper. Your name was not in the newspaper." She thought he must have read that story.
"A story?" He rubbed his forehead. David couldn't remember any newspaper's story about the tribunal, but that wasn't unusual, because he didn't read newspapers!
"Yes. It said a player harassed a manager's daughter and there was a tribunal."
David folded his arms. "So basically my tribunal was reported in the newspaper." He muttered. "Must have been a poor news day!"
"Not exactly." Ella murmured.
David growled. "Gabriella, this is like pulling out a tooth. What exactly do you mean? The newspaper either reported it or it didn't, which?" This was starting to sound ominous.