The Quiet Girl (An International Story)

The Real You

You will like this update. 

Big things will happen to Alex in the next chapter. Things that will make everyone's reaction to her showing up at Nahi and Vir's wedding make sense.

It all connects!

Hope you enjoy!

July 2023

Nahikari's POV:

"So why aren't you talking to her?"

"I don't know." I looked down. 

"Is it because of Vir or because of Alex?" Mapi said. I looked at her. "I'm just asking."

"I see her and I'm back there." I said. "When Alex got angry. And how Vir reacted."

"How did she react?"

"She was mad but she didn't freak out. She didn't hit her. She made her leave. And then helped with the restraining order." I played with my hands. "It was always going to be Virginia." I shook my head. "I just didn't think I'd lose a friend." 

"If you being happy results in you losing Alex as a friend, then she was never really your friend, Nahi." Mapi said. She put her hand on my knee. "Losing one friend is nothing when you've got all of us." She smiled.

"Thanks, Mapi." 

"Anytime. I told you. I'm gonna help." She left the room. "Hey. Yeah, she's in there. Ok." 

Virginia's POV:

"Ok. Clearly not the time or place. I'll just leave." Leila said.

"Wait." I sighed and looked at her. "Wanna take a walk with me?"

"You aren't going to scare me right?"

I laughed. "No, Leila. I'm not going to scare you. I just need a friend."

She smiled. "Lead the way, Torrecilla." We started walking. "This is about Nahi isn't it?" She asked. I nodded. "Here's what you do. You go into her room, Mapi's with her right now. You go to her. You talk, from the heart. That huge heart of yours." She smiled. "And then, you spend the time off after this tournament with her. No Ibizia. None of that. Just you and Nahi. You love this girl. It's time to show her. Ok?"

I nodded. "I do love her, Leila. I'm sure of it now."

"Why now?"

"Because when Alex put her hands on her, I wanted to kill her. But I mainly just wanted to make sure Nahikari was ok. That I got Alex to leave so she couldn't hurt Nahi again. I love her."

 She looked at the door. "Then go tell her, Vir."

The door opened. "Hey." Mapi said. 

"Is she?" I pointed.

"Yeah, she's in there."

"I have to talk to her."

"Ok." Mapi smiled. She left and I went inside. 

"Is it ok if I sit?" I looked at Nahikari. She sat up and looked at me. She stood up and walked over, immediately wrapping her arms around me. "I'm here." I rested my head ontop of hers.

"I don't want to lose you." She whispered.

"You won't. You're stuck with me." I smiled. "No Ibizia for me this year."

She looked up at me. "But you love Ibizia."

"Yeah but I love you more." I smiled. 

"Vir." She said. "I'm not Leila. I'm not going to laugh at this joke. I will never talk to you again."

"I'm serious, Nahi. About you, about everything. I want this. Come home with me. No teammates. Just me and you."

She nodded. "Ok. No more Alex. She said she'd talk to you. I didn't think that would happen."

"It's behind us. I'm okay. And you are ok. Right?" She nodded. "That's all that matters."

I sat with her until she had to go see the coaching staff. Then I ran to Alexia's room. 

I knocked on the door. "What!" Alexia yelled.

I laughed. "It's Vir! I have good news!"

Alexia opened the door. "What?"

"I talked to her. I told her that I'm serious about all of this. That yeah, I joke around a lot but with her? It's not a joke."

"And?" Jenni sat up.

"Jenni? You weren't here last time."

"I wasn't?" Jenni smirked.

"Ale your wife is weird." I crossed my arms.

"I know but continue." Alexia said. 

Alexandra's POV:

I packed up my stuff to fly back soon for preseason. 

"I wish you'd get your shit together. You were doing so good." Zariah sighed.

"I take 8 steps forward, remember Virginia exists, and then take 40 steps back."

"If you let one person mess up your progress, then you didn't make enough progress." She said. "Come on, Alex. Stop being so stubborn. What would dad say?"

"I don't know!" I yelled. "Dad's dead! How would I know what he'd say?"

"Yeah, I know he's dead, Alex. And if you keep going on down this path, you might be too." She left the room. 

I sighed. "Fuck." 

Nahikari's POV:

"Alexandra Hernandez on the final year of her contract. No reports yet on if she will sign an extension or not. She has been a scoring machine for them since joining off waivers from New York."

I shook my head. "Big game!" Lucia yelled. "Who's ready to kick some Dutch ass? Me!"

"You didn't let anyone else answer." Patri said.

"Because no one else is as important as I am."

"Not even our top goal scorer in the tournament?" Jenni asked.

"Not even her." Lucia smiled.

"Wanna rethink that?" Vir walked over. 

"Oh. Are you doing the whole protective girlfriend thing that Alexia does?" Vir nodded. "Then I will NEVER bother Nahi again. In fact! I'm going to change my last name." She walked away. 

"Protective girlfriend?" I asked.

"Not officially but, everyone needs to know." She smiled. 

The game was a tough one. It went all the way to extra time. The Dutch weren't going to give up so easily.

But neither were we. I watched Mapi defend and then send the ball up to Vir. She shot it and scored. I ran towards them as Vir jumped into Mapi's arms. "What a play!" Alexia patted their heads. "This is how it's done!"

"Spain goal score in the 117th minute by #14! Virginia Torrecilla! Assisted by #16 María León!"

"María!" Leila jumped on her back.

"Get off!" 

I laughed and jumped on Vir's back. She grabbed my legs and laughed. "I had you then. I got you now." 

I laughed. "And you got your goal."

"And the woman of my dreams." I got off her back. "I'm already a winner." 

"You're corny." I pushed her. 

"Call it whatever you want. Now I understand why Mapi acts the way she does with Mariana." We walked back to midfield. "Because love really brings out the real you."