Change of Location - Pedri González

viii. celebration

***

Be home by midnight, is what Maria Adams-Dìaz had told her daughter. Daughters. Clarissa wasn't too happy at the concept of just Sophia going and the younger girl missing out on all the fun. And despite her mothers reminders that she was 17 and Sophia was 19, she remained adamant. Maria eventually gave in, because she knew Clarissa wouldn't be alone. Sophia would be there, and Sira was going, and so was Pacho. She had plenty of family to keep an eye on the young girl.

Turns out the hotel was only ten minutes from the stadium, and twenty minutes from her house. So she decided to drive herself and Clarissa.

"You need to tell me how you know Pedri," says Clarissa. "That doesn't just happen."

"I told you," Sophia replies, one hand on the steering wheel, her other arm on the window's edge. "It's a really long story."

"Well, we have time." Clarissa proposes, checking the arrival time displayed on google maps on Sophia's phone. "Thirteen minutes, to be exact."

The older girl sighs. "Alright," she admits. "It was almost two months ago. Two days before my final exam. Nothing was getting to my brain, so Sira took me to the club. As a break, a distraction."

"I am not liking where this is going."

"Hush, you. I was on the dance floor and someone full-on collided into me, and it turned out to be Ferran Torres."

"You know Ferran Torres too?"

"I do, yeah, they've both been at our flat for dinner."

"Holy shit—"

"I'm gonna continue." Sophia says, "After I almost passed out Pedri came over to apologise because he was there with Ferran. And then me and Sira were stuck for a cab and Ferran had a fucked ankle after giving me a concussion and I ended up passing out at one point too. So Pedri took us all to A&E in his car."

"Shit, Soph, why didn't you say?"

"Because I was fine." Sophia shrugs. "Just malnourished. And stressed. I prefer to look at the positive side of things, because I made two new friends from it."

Clarissa points out, "Not the conventional way you'd make friends. Well, 'friends'."

Sophia frowns. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"C'mon, Soph," Clarissa rolls her eyes. "Your eyes were all over him. You clearly find him fit. And you guys now have a history, so."

"He's an attractive guy, Clarissa. Anyone can see that. And my eyes weren't all over him." It was Sophia's turn to roll her eyes.

"I wonder if he has dance moves," Clarissa muses. "You could find out tonight. Is he definitely single?"

"I'm pretty sure he is. He's asked me if I had a boyfriend."

"Context?"

"I was wearing your Betis joggers from last year and he was wondering how I got authentic player's merch. Asked if my boyfriend was a player."

"I definitely just think that was him trying to sort out your availability situation."

"Yeah," says Sophia. "I had a feeling myself."