Saving Lotte Sullivan | Collingwood/Carlton

62 - Goodbye, Goodbye, Goodbye, Goodbye

'Alright - who do I have to see before I go?'

Lotte quietly spoke to her cat as she sat at the kitchen table, a notebook wide open in front of her. She tapped her blue pen against the wooden surface over and over, leaning her jaw against her hand. Her brain felt like it was going to explode.

Her cat - socks - simply ignored her, jumped down from the table and went to curl up on the couch instead.

'Uh - I have to speak to Jack and let him know I'm leaving again. He has to apartment-sit for me' Lotte said, quickly writing his name down.

'Should probably check in with Darcy, because I have a feeling he knows' she added, writing his name too.

'Trent. Trent's definitely my biggest priority, and then Josh. Or Nick. Depending on if Josh is home yet' she mumbled, writing his name down too then crossing it out. She quickly put 'any Daicos I can find'.

'Kylie, although she'll be angry I sabotaged it again...no, not Kylie. I can't bare to say goodbye to Ashlyn...Ella, or Rhiannon...this list is going to be a lot shorter than I thought' she said, putting the pen down and closing the notebook.

'Rochelle? Mum?' She asked herself, wondering if they'd like to know of her plans so they'd at least know if she was alive or not. 'Nah. They won't care anyway. Ashlyn can tell them when Nick tells her' she decided, pushing the idea out of her head.

'Alright Socksy - I'll be back in a few hours. Have to go drop some things off, head to Northland to pick some things up, buy my new phone and SIM and then hopefully, we'll be out of here by tomorrow' Lotte said, ticking the cat's chin and grabbing her keys. Sorry, Jack's spare key to her apartment. Her keys were locked away at Josh's in Balwyn. There was no point getting them back now. She still had her car keys on her anyway.

She had tried to sneak out of the apartment complex as quietly as she could. But of course, the Carlton player and Tyler were still living at Jack's. She'd completely forgotten - her suitcases and baskets weren't at all quiet. And coming up the staircase, the three of them had ran into each other.

'You doing some donating?' Tyler asked, offbeat as he raised an eyebrow at her large pile of things.

'Yeah. Just heading down to the Salvos' she said, nervously laughing the way her friend had when interviewing a Melbourne United player. Don't ask him for his dog's name, she sarcastically noted mentally.

'Do you need help loading up your car?' The Carlton player asked. Lotte looked him up and down - he was wearing shorts and a tee shirt, all of his weird small tattoos on display. She didn't like them.

'I think I'll be fine, thank you' she said snobbishly, heading for the stairs again.

'I'll help' he said, ignoring her and grabbing one of the heavier baskets like it was easy.

'I'll go back to the apartment' Tyler said carelessly, disappearing from sight.

'Thanks' Lotte said to the Carlton player, uncomfortable but offering him a small smile anyway. They walked down the staircase together.

'You probably don't remember me, I was there the night you came back from the airport. The others said you name, but I don't remember it' he said, just trying to make conversation. Lotte squinted her eyes at him, trying to figure him out. You don't need to know my name.

'I'm Lotte' she said so quietly it almost wasn't heard.

'Lotte, that's right. My name's Zac' he said, holding his hand out for her to shake. She looked down at her suitcase and pretended she hadn't noticed.