Awkward

11

The next morning was filled with delirium and anxiety. Waking with no sense of direction or security. The unknown couch in an unfamiliar room surrounded by a foreign scent. It was all too much. Kelley staggers from her room, slamming the door a tad bit too hard. Pictures on the wall shifting from the force. "Sorry kid, did I wake ya'" she chirps from her spot, leaning against the counter as the coffee machine brews.

"No. I've been up a few." Mumbling as she rubs the sleep from tired eyes.

"What's your plan for the day?"

"Figured I'd head to training with my team. Besides for that everything's in the air. You got plans of your own?"

"Gonna grocery shop. Might head to see my mother. I'm not in town often."

"I'll hold down the fort." Inhaling harshly as move to crack my back. 

"When are you heading back to school? She prods raising an empty mug into the air, i nod as she poured the rest of the pot into the old sky blue mug, chipped ceramic displaced around the lip of the glass. Logo fading next to the handle, years  of use and heat wearing away at the printing. 

Muffling a yawn, pulling her feet to her floor. Arms stretched the sky's above. "I texted my coach. He told me to show up Monday since we have a game. He did extend the invite to join practice today and tomorrow."

"Its up to you kid. I'm just trying to figure out my week you know."

"No problem Kel. If you need to be out of your hair i can always grab a hotel room. Might save me on gas." She tosses the idea out there. Maybe Kelley was wanting to retract her offer to let her stay there. What if she just wanted peace and quiet. Kelley  seemed- to her at least like a person who verbalizes what is wrong when it wrong.  

"I offered it for a reason Corey. I meant it what ever you need I will always help you." The pair nod and go about getting ready for the day. Corey scrolling through her phone the rest of the day. She would need to leave soon for practice. The hour drive would suck but it was needed. She needed something to anchor her to this place. To the state. While overseas would let her grow away from her father she knew no matter how far she went she would always be a Demarcus and with that came a reputation of being a grade A asshole. 

Dressing hastily into shorts and her practice jersey pulling the kit bag over her shoulder. Kelley had left about a half hour ago with promises of her meeting her mother and sister for lunch. Clambering into the handed down suv. Starting the long drive towards the practice fields. Stopping at her usual gas station taking the chilled white monster and two packs of welches fruit snacks from their spot on the shelf. Swiping her card through the card processor. 

Clambering back into the truck driving the rest of the length towards the school. Coach Arce was already there, pulling cones and mesh bags of soccer balls from the shed his visor pulled tightly over his ears as the bald spot became more prominent. "How are you doing Corey?"

"Pretty good, Coach." I  Mumbling swapping the trainers for studs. Triple knotting the decrepit laces, still wet from the turf of her last training session.  

"I watched your last game. You had some great goals." He states off handedly has he counts his steps before placing the neon orange cone to the ground. "Didn't really understand how physical they were but happy to have you join us so soon." Placing the fifteenth orange cone in a row before turning and continuing the path in the next direction. 

"They couldn't beat us through ball movement so they tried to take us off the pitch. Just seemed like Us- Canada all over again just 2008 edition. The sparring elbows definitely left a lasting impression." Cory states bringing a lone hand to rub sparing circles over the sore muscles. The final bell rings. Corey watches everyone spills into the parking lot or heads to their respective locker rooms. 

Corey steals a stray ball and starts jogging with it doing mindless moves trying to kill the fifteen or so minutes until her teammates join her on the pitch. Coach Acre walks himself in circles, running the drills without a ball a few times; shifting a cone a few inches forwards or a step to the left before restarting and continuing to make adjustments as he went. 

Practice went smoothly as corey settled into pace. It was a harsh adjustment as she went from running dead sprint every minute of practice with the national team, now having to shift into a semi jog to keep pace with the rest of her teammates. They scrimmaged the boys team to wrap up her first practice back. The boys reminded her a lot of Uzbekistan, harsh elbows and the use of studs to the shins to deter her from tracking badly handled clearances. It didn't work as she out paced them, slotting a few before shifting her focus and spreading the wealth. 

She thanked coach Acre and the principal who had wondered outside to meet  her. Informing him that she would return on Monday unlike Friday as previously planned.  Swapping the wet, hot studs from dry trainers she thanked coach acre and bid her farewell to the girls, forgoing the badly needed shower. The drive to Kelley's was long and the stench was making it unbearable. Lana Del Ray filtered through the speakers as she Drove I-95 all the way to Atlanta. Never rolling her window up. She had to stop for gas for real this time six miles from home. Only the pine trees to keep her company as she barreled down the worn out highway. 

Pulling into the parking lot of Kelley's complex. Locking the vehicle thrice before stalking towards the door. using her newly acquired key unlock the four pin system, pushing the cork filled door open she was met with a rather shocking site. Kelley straddling a blonde woman, hair tumbling out of the lazy bun it was secured in. Their shirts both long forgotten on the floor. Corey taking that as her signal pulling the door shut softly before re locking the door and unlocking her truck. She drove three streets over to the motel 6 and bought a room for the night. Grabbing the go bag from under her back seats, turning the water to hot and plugging in her phone. She shot kelley a text that she was staying with her friend for the night to not shame her on the scene she had walked in on. 

Stepping into the shower she scrubbed the dried sweat and dirt from her skin. Stepping into clean clothes and wrapping the freshy washed hair into clean towels that smelt of bleach. flipping the TV onto the local news station letting the backroom noise draw her to sleep as the moonlight filtered through the sheer curtains the dark surrounding her as the phone buzzes continuously throughout the night into the wee hours of the morning. 

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sorry it took a minute to put out a new chapter. I should def be asleep right now but figured you all wanted a chapter more then I wanted to sleep. 

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