Sunday Candy

The Message

The lobby is still nearly completely empty once I leave the janitor's closet. Except maybe for one or two wonderers near the door. As I walk towards the elevator to change into my training clothes, I notice that my phone hasn't been blowing up with messages, specifically from Tobin. Is there anyway she didn't see the message? I've been running different conversations in my head on how this might play out.

Well for one, she might not even notice the message and a conversation won't even happen.

Two: She might see the message but not do anything about it which is preferably the one I want. I rather just put what happened behind me. It won't happen again. Jace was a man of many horrible things but he was also a man of his word. There won't be another time.

Three: She see's the message and completely freaks. Like 0-100 in less than a second type of freak. Remembering how she reacted the last time she saw me all beat up, this is the one I'm assuming will happen.

Four: I find a way to delete our message prior to her hearing it. Which I know is extremely unlikely.

My phone does ping, startling a bit. I read the message quickly.

Ladies, lifting sesh is postponed a few hours. Rest up your body in the meantime. Stretch, stretch, stretch!

Oh thank God.

My phone remains silent after I turn it back off. I look around, my eyes darting around the lobby, landing on the elevator. I walk in, pressing my floor number. I move uncomfortably, the ache on my body becoming a little more present.

The pain makes me embarrassed. Embarrassed that I let it get that far. Embarrassed that with Tobin, I won't be able to lie or avoid the conversation. Embarrassed that I've had to lie endlessly to the people who mean the most to me to protect him.

The door open's abruptly and immediately I get slammed with loud music. To the left I see Horan, Mew, Rose and Sonnet singing along to Justin Bieber's Baby. To the right, Carli is standing in her door frame, shaking her head.

"What's wrong Carl's? The kids too loud for you?" I laugh, calling her out. She chuckles, "I think I'm just getting old honestly"

I walk past her, coming up to my room, and barge in. Pinoe is sitting on her bed, talking on facetime.

"Hey Pin" She waves at me, turning her phone screen towards me, "Is that thunder? Lemme talk to her" The person on the other side of the phone speaks. It sounds like Sue, Megan's fiancé.

Wow, I haven't heard that nickname in YEARS. When I first got called up to the national team, I was on a scoring fiasco. Somehow, with my last name being Reign, the fans started to refer to me as thunder. Basically the same way Alex is known as Baby Horse. Over the years, the name kind've faded but many still used it nonetheless.

"Hey Sue. How are you?" I take a seat next to Pinoe on her bed, looking into her phone.

"I've been good. I saw the game! You played great! Don't stress about the score, you guys are going to bring it home"

I smile softly, thinking about our 3-0 loss to Sweden. It still hurts like a sore spot.

"Thank you Sue. We'll definitely going to come back. You can count on it" I say.

Thump, thump, thump

Pinoe and I's heads both look up at the door.

Oh no.

"I'll get it" I get off the bed, walking to the door. Opening it quickly, there's no other than Tobin Heath on the other side. Swallowing down the sudden lump in my throat, I move over giving space for her to walk in, "Can we talk?"