Forever and Always

~20~

"When is Mama going to be back?" Jules asks as she swings hers and Jessie's joined hands as they walk home from playing at the park.

Jessie smiles as she squeezes the young girl's hand. "Well Mama had to go to some really boring meetings today" Jessie says emphasizing the word boring making Jules giggle. "So she said she would go do that while we do something fun today and she'll be back later tonight".

Jules nods probably thinking of things to do once Elliot comes home as well as counting down the hours until she's home.

Once they finally reached the house, Jessie unlocked the house and Jules bounded in. She was barely in the door and she already had her shoes kicked off and heading for the TV. Jessie chuckled before heading for the kitchen.

Jessie tsks herself as she picks up her phone off the counter. They had already made it to the park when Jessie had realized she had left her phone at the house.

But her eyebrows furrow as she sees the mass amount of texts, miss calls and notifications on her phone. Her worry only deepens when she sees the messages are from a mix of her Canadian and club teammates, the American squad and her family. Just as she's about to open one of the many text messages she's received to figure out what exactly was wrong, a new notification comes up to her phone. Her fingers pause as she catches part of the headline.

Elliot Griffin - former USWNT Golden girl - not so perfect?

She knew better than to be baited by click bait articles. Especially when it comes to articles about Elliot.

But she also couldn't help herself

With great hesitance, Jessie tapped on the link bringing her to the news article. Just underneath the headline is a picture of Elliot smiling widely all decked out in her national jersey. The picture  was obviously taken after she had just scored a goal as she and the rest of the team celebrated.

Jessie scrolled down and quickly scanned the article trying to make sense of the sudden feeling of dread threatening to swallow her whole.

Over the past few years, Elliot Griffin has become a household name across America. Between playing a crucial role in helping the US win their fourth World Cup, her many achievements in her soccer career as well as being the owner of the biggest investment Corporation in the World and using her profit to found Project Future Stars, a charity to help nurture and guide the next generation of athletes, scholars, musicians and movie stars. Griffin has quickly rose to stardom despite only being in her twenties.

Griffin had created quite the platform for herself and used her fame to talk about key issues she was passion about, such as the wage gap and the fight for equal pay. Many also idolized Griffin for making a name for herself despite her upbringing. Again using her money and fame to donate money to charities to try and ensure no child had to suffer the same abuse she did in her youth.

During the 2016 Rio Olympics,the truth about Griffin's childhood had come out putting a spotlight on the youngster right before her first major international tournament. When faced with the rumors, Griffin, in a brave display, had confirmed that the rumors were true. While they did not win at the Olympics, Griffin still used the momentum to try and highlight flaws of the child services and the neglect and abuse some child face in the system.

Griffin is idolized across the world for her heroic efforts in many causes and charities and is a modern day representation of the true American Dream.

But is she really as perfect as many people think?

A few years ago, Griffin came out via social media to the public about her relationship with Canadian midfielder and recent Olympic Gold medal winner, Jessie Fleming. This was both shocking and exciting news for many of her fans who had been speculating Griffin was in a relationship with some of her American teammates. However, fans quickly took to the newly announced couple after many interactions showing how adorable the pair were together.