Finally Breathing

~ Chapter 31 ~

Tobin's POV

The group stage flew by, us demolishing China 5-0 in our last group game. It was a convincing win, a warning sign to Spain, who we were put up against in the quarter-final. England had come runners up in the group, seeing them through as they faced Norway in the quarters. I had been seeing a councillor online for a few days now, and honestly it was great. My worries were gone, replaced with a new found confidence. I was happier than ever, and was ready to win this cup.

It was the final day before the quarter-final, and I was walking down to breakfast, hand in hand with Christen. Something was definitely up with her, but Jill had told me not to press it, so that's exactly what I did. I trusted Chris enough to know that she would tell us when she was ready, and if that wasn't now, it was okay with me.

We sat down at a table on the far-side of the hotel's dining room, my plate piled up with eggs and fruit, porridge on the side. Today was an off day, and the team were discussing what they wanted to do. The sun was shining, and the temperature in Paris was supposed to reach 41 degrees Celsius, hot enough to burn a person with even the strongest skin.

So far the argument was between a walk around Paris' centre, and shopping, two options which didn't really appeal to me as I watched the sun's rays filter in through the large windows that occupied much of the dining room's exterior.

"How about the beach?" I suggested, looking around the table as they continued to argue, "Its hot, and god knows I could do with a skate."

There was a skatepark located right next to the beach about a 10 minute walk from the hotel, and knowing that Ash, Sky and I had brought our skateboards I thought it was the perfect option to match the different dynamics of the group.

"Sounds good to me." Ash smiled, Ali nodding along beside her.

"Yeah its cool with me too, I've not been to the beach in ages." Kelley added, drawing out the A as she smiled.

The team laughed, agreeing with us that it was probably the best idea. Soon enough we had all finished eating, leaving the dining room to change into swimsuits and grab towels, sunscreen and any other essentials for the day.

"You coming?" I asked Christen and Sky after we had emptied our plates. Somehow they had managed to move into my room, Alex moving in with Christen's old roommates, Ali and Becky, which apparently she didn't mind, complaining that the room was too messy with me in it anyway.

Christen indicated Dawn, sitting there with her tablets raised. I didn't believe that they were for a stomach bug, but it was whatever until she told us what was going on.

"Sorry." She whispered, squeezing my hand before jogging over to Dawn, a grimace on her face as she approached the vile looking concoction waiting for her.

"You down for skating then?" I asked Sky, dinging the elevator. Our room was near the top of our hotel, and I wasn't ready to walk up all those stairs. Got to save my legs for the soccer, if you know what I mean.

"Yeah course," She replied, "don't feel like swimming anyway."

"Fair enough."

We changed into US tank tops and surfer shorts, with matching Nike dunks. I grabbed our skateboards as we left the room, Chris having left a while ago after she changed to go meet Alex and Kelley in the lobby. By the time we made it down the whole team was there, chatting excitedly between each other, towels and sunscreen peeking out of their backpacks. I made my way over to Ash, Sky hot on my heels.

"Yo," Ash greeted us, "Ready to roll?"

I laughed, "Lets go."

~~

I wasn't kidding when I said it was hot. I could feel the sweat dripping down the back of my shirt, the board beneath my feet radiating heat like an oven surface.

"I'm beat. Can we go and join the others for a quick swim or something?" I asked as Sky tripped off her board for the hundredth time, red in the face (Ash was trying and failing to teach her a new skill.)

"Yeah, can we get a drink first?" She asked, indicating the shop on our right selling ice cold drinks.

We made our way over, Ash buying a slush for both her and Ali, while Sky and I got huge bottles of iced water each, promising that we would share with Chris if she wanted some. We wandered over to the counter to pay, the Air Conditioning cool on our flushed faces. It was surprisingly cheap here in Paris, the drinks only coming to 4 euros 20, including Ash and Ali's as I promised to buy her them if she won the race to the shop, which she did. By quite a lot too. Soon after, we left, scared our boards would be stolen as the shop owner made us leave them outside while we looked around. I started to walk towards the beach, some of our friends bobbing up and down in the sea while the others lay around sunbathing on the sand.

"I'm going to join Ali." Ash said, clapping me on the shoulder as she stripped her shirt and dove into the sea, leaving her in a sports bra and surf shorts.

I laughed, looking behind me for Sky, about to suggest that we go and surprise Kelley, Alex and Chris, who were playing volleyball against some teenagers. 

She wasn't there.

 I took a double take, frantic as I spotted her freckled face a few yards back, staring at something as if she'd seen a ghost.

"Sky?"

Sky's POV

"That's him."

I looked over to Tobin briefly, before turning back to the man stood before me. He was tall, with wavy black hair and green piercing eyes, tattoos covering his arms. There was a thin white scar running below his lower lip, a snarl stretched out above it. It was him. From the RDC, or the Ridge Distinct Call.

You see, the gang that had killed Tyler weren't just any gang. They were a gang of young criminals, intent on their sole purpose of drug dealing and testing. Behind my new parents backs I had been researching them, even delving onto the dark web when it required me to.The drugs they sold were dangerous, designed to target the addicted victims with which they were dealing. They were mixtures of cocaine, heroin and weed, with which just one dose had the potential to kill even the strongest of addicts.

Weirdly enough, Tyler knew of them before he died, despite their secrecy, as that was how he knew where that little girl was going to be that night when he stood and defended her. I know it was a near death experience in which I had heard the initials of the gang, yet they always stuck with me. I knew it was important, not just to avenge Ty's death but to save the Basking Ridge district from their terror entirely, so that no more would be killed from their lethal drugs.

"Sky what the actual fuck." I heard footsteps, Tobin peering over me, her expression alarmed. "I thought I'd lost you."

"You still might have." I mumbled, keeping eye contact with the guy as he drew closer, a dangerous look on his face.

"Wha- Sky just tell me what the fuck is going on. Maybe look at me while you do."

"Maybe you should look in front of you, slowly. Follow my eyeline." I whispered, "that man that you see there?"

She nodded, looking confused.

"He killed my brother."

She looked over, her tanned face turning to a pale white as she absorbed my words. I walked forwards slowly, edging out of her grasp. I knew what I had to do.

"Mom, I'm sorry." I squeezed her arm, before turning into a flat out sprint in pursuit of the man with which I had the intentions to murder.

"SKY, SKY PLEASE!"

That was last thing I heard from my mom before I turned the corner, greeted with a knockout blow to the head as the world turned black.