Little Sanchez // USWNT

Chapter 54

Ainsley's POV

I walked back to my room and knocked on the door since I forgot my key. 

"Hey." Trinity said quietly as she pulled the door open.  

"Hey." I stood in the door frame smiling weakly at her. 

I can tell I hurt her by not opening the present. My problem with the present was stupid and I need to let go of the past and everything that eats away at me daily. 

It's not as easy as it sounds, but I can keep trying. 

She turned and walked away from the door, and I followed her inside. I sat down on the bed where I was before, the present untouched. I waited for her to push it towards me. 

In the silence of the room, there was some sort of deep understanding between us. I'm not sure what this present meant for her but I sure as hell know what it means for me.

She moved the present towards me and I ripped the tissue paper out to reveal a few things wrapped up in wrapping paper. I took them out and then Trinity stopped me. 

"Save this for last." She grabbed one of the presents and put it behind her. 

I started with the big one first. It was a box shape, but it turned out to be one of those boxes you put clothes in. I opened it up and it was the sweatshirt I had taken from her the night we had gotten home from the hospital with Ash. I still wear hers all the time just to make it known that I still have it. 

"You really want yours back so bad?" I smiled as I unfolded it and held it against me. 

"I mean, that one looks like it'll fit better so I guess I'll take the other one back..." 

We both laughed and I moved on after taking off the sweatshirt I was wearing and pulling the new one over my head. 

The next one was my favorite cherry lipgloss, and the one after that was the cherry chapstick  I always wear when I'm not wearing lipgloss. 

The next one was four small picture frames with pictures of us in them. The one on top had a picture of us after one of our Spirit games, the second one had a picture of us at her birthday dinner, the third one was a stupid selfie we took, and the last one was a picture of us looking at each other that I'd never seen before. 

"When was this taken?" I asked, holding up the last frame. We were in her living room on the couch and weren't wearing anything special, so it could literally be any night between February and the beginning of July. 

"Tara took it. It was just a random night that we were all hanging out. It's cute, right?" 

"I love it so much." I smiled at the picture. I was wearing her sweatshirt, the one she's so desperate to get back. You can see me wearing the necklace she gave me at her cousin's wedding, the one I've hardly taken off since. She's wearing the shirt and the sneakers I gave her for her birthday. 

It's the little things that made me love it so much. Nobody but either of us would think twice about what we were wearing.

"Can you text it to me too?" I asked. 

"Of course." 

"Thank you so much." I said, moving over to her to give her a kiss. 

"You're welcome, love." She said, pulling me into a hug before I moved to lay my head down on the pillows. 

She moved next to me, pressing herself against my back, putting her arms around me and her head on my shoulder. I grabbed her hand and smiled as I thought about what Julie had said earlier. 

"You'll never leave me, right?" I asked. 

"Never." 

"Good." 

I wanted to say something more, but I kept my mouth shut. 

----------

Later that day, Ash finally came by my room. 

"Hey." I opened my door with a smile. 

"Hey." She smiled and handed me a gift bag. 

"What's this?" 

"Your birthday present." 

I stared at her and she smirked. 

"Open it." She said as she pushed past me and sat down on the desk chair. 

"Fine." I followed her but sat down on my bed, waiting until her and Trinity exchanged hello's to rip into it. 

It was a gigantic scrapbook. 

I opened it up and flipped through slowly. It was a bunch of pictures from when we were kids, like my first soccer game and a couple first days of school. There was some of her high school games I went to, some of us playing together my freshman and her senior year. There were lots of pictures of my dad and us and some of our cousins and Aunts and Uncles, some earlier on with our grandparents. 

Towards the back, it was pictures of us more recently, with the USWNT and Spirit. 

The last one was the one I posted on Instagram the other day of us at the World Cup. There were a bunch of pages left blank at the end. 

"I love it." I said, getting up and pulling her into a tight hug. "Thank you Ash. I love it so much." 

"Anything for you, Ains." 

"How long did it take you?" 

"I started it when I was 14." 

"Are you serious?" 

"Yep." She smiled. "And I left the pages blank at the end so we can keep adding. You know, our playoffs this season, our first game together next season, everything." 

"I can't wait." I hugged her again, blinking back the happy tears that had formed in my eyes.