querencia ✧ diego lainez

uno

"ándale lainez, we have to be serious now." you said, as diego goofed around on the field, the ball constantly being thrown into different directions by his foot.

i look down at my phone, my eyes widening slowly as i realize what time it is.

"you don't have to be so serious all the time, y/n. we're just having fun, cálmate." diego reached his hand up to his forehead, wiping off the sweat beads that were forming.

"diego, you asked me to practice with you. not mess around with you the whole time!" i roll my eyes, taking a sip from my water bottle that was sitting on the bench.

a day prior to this, lainez had asked me to help him practice for his upcoming fútbol game, a high school game to be specific. we were both 15, not a single care in the world. all we ever stressed about was algebra homework or what our moms were making for dinner that night.

"we should head back now, ya se está haciendo tarde." i mention, shoving my phone back into my pocket and turning to face diego.

"tienes razón, we should go." diego replied,  swinging his bag over his shoulder that had everything he could possibly need while practicing. he picked up the ball and carried it in his hands.

the best friends walked side by side, talking about anything that came to mind.

"you know, i really want to go professional one day. it's always been a dream of mine. i know i always play around but one day, im gonna be on a huge field with all my teammates surrounding me, hundreds of thousands of people will be watching me. i think it's what i was made for." diego looked ahead, lost in his own thoughts, a smile forming on his face from what he was saying.

i watched diego the whole time he spoke about his dream, that familiar sparkle in his eye appearing.

"and im gonna be in the stands, cheering you on. oh! and ill also be the one to expose all your embarrassing pictures when you have a fanbase." i smiled, nudging diego on the shoulder.

"cállate estupida, i don't have any embarrassing pictures. i mean, have you seen this face?" diego pointed to his face.

i lightly pushed diego, laughing at the ridiculous but funny comment that he had made.

the sky was clear, the moonlight shined down on the sidewalk, and we both continued to joke around with each other.

everything seemed perfect, it felt like nothing could ever go wrong during a moment like this.

i wish i could have enjoyed that moment a little more, too bad this was just a memory now.

five years later.

years had passed now, i was no longer 15 and in high school. i had real problems now and not just how to solve for x or how to prove a triangle was a triangle.

diego eventually moved on with his life, he worked hard enough to go professional. he even began to play for México's national team. crazy, right? the diego who would always slip and fall when we practiced was known all around the country and maybe even the world too.

it has been years since diego and i talked. i came to terms with it. but i would be lying if i said i was always this okay with it. i missed my best friend, i still miss my best friend. the only times i ever came close to seeing him was on television. every time my mom would ask about him, i would just smile at her and say he was doing well.

was he, though?

i had no idea if he ever spared me a single thought, the only way i ever knew what he was doing was through social media. i felt like i was simply just one of his 1.8M followers.

each day i wished that id be able to see diego again but what would i do when i did? would we still get along like we did back then? or would it be completely different from the past?

"ya despiértate, y/n." i hear my mom call my name, but in reality, i had been awake for an hour now. i was just deep into my own thoughts.

i got out of bed, opened the blinds, and heard the birds chirp outside. it was a beautiful day today.

i walked down the stairs, catching a glimpse of my mom working in the kitchen. a familiar smell entered through my nose.

"que estás haciendo mami?" i ask, joining my moms side and looking down at what she was doing.

"estoy preparando para hacer tamales." my mom was focused on what she was doing with her hands, not sparing me a single look.

"but why? you only make tamales during a special occasion. is there some sort of holiday that i forgot about? no manches.. no me digas que hoy es navidad." i joked around with her, knowing that my dumb comments always annoyed her.

"ay estúpida. its not Christmas time yet. y de todos modos, estoy haciendo tamales porque me dio la gana."

i could tell that she was getting annoyed by me being in her business so i eventually walked away from the kitchen and plopped down onto the couch. i found the remote and turned the tv on, immediately pausing when i heard a reporter talking about la selección mexicana and the game later that day.

i pulled my phone out, seeing everyone talk about their hopes for the fútbol game. someone had even reposted a picture of diego on their story, it was a bittersweet feeling but i didn't give it too much thought.

a few hours later, the game began and my mom was now sitting next to me as she let the tamales cook in the garage.

"they're doing good," my mom says, her eyes steadily watching the ball move across the green field displayed on the screen.

"yes, they are.."

the only reason i knew how fútbol worked was because of diego. i used to practice with him every night before his games in high school.

was i good at it? definitely not. but it was fun, and that's really the only thing that mattered to me.

it's like i could still hear his voice in my head, constantly having to tell me how to kick the ball the right way so it could go in the net.

"ay... mira a diego. ya a pasado mucho tiempo desde la ultima vez que lo vi." my mom was talking to herself at this point because i had zoned out and wasn't giving her any responses, i was just nodding in agreement to everything she was saying.

after thirty minutes, i got up from my seat and went to the kitchen to see if there was anything i could snack on. as i looked through the pantry, suddenly all i could hear was "diego lainez," and, "GOOOOOOOOL!" coming from the commentators on tv.

i immediately ran back to my previous spot, a soft but not noticeable smile appearing across my face.

"let's go diego..." i said to myself, watching the camera being focused on him on the tv.

he looked proud of himself, he was happy, and he was smiling.

suddenly, i began to replay that memory again.

the one where he talked about his dream.

he really did belong on that field.

Hi everyone <3 I was inspired to make my own diego lainez fanfic and I really hope that you all enjoy it. I tried my best to come up with a plot that has all sorts of emotions that will eventually play out in the rest of the chapters. I will be uploading daily!