The New Player

Chapter 10

How is it still Thursday? I feel like a lot of things happened in just three days. I can’t wait to spend the weekend lazing around. I need some days just for myself, doing nothing, and, most importantly, away from the boys. They are always so full of energy; I can’t live like this. 
 
Why do I sound like an old person? Sophie, we need to get wasted. I need a shot. I swear I’m not an alcoholic, but the amount of work I have on my hands will surely get me there. 
 
These goddamn treadmills are still under repair; I don’t understand why it’s taking so long. It drives me crazy; I’m so pissed, and I don’t even use them. Now, the boys—I wonder if they are angry too. I should have handled this problem way earlier. All of this could have been avoided. 
 
We need to schedule the upcoming videos on our YouTube channel. There’s a meeting later in the afternoon with the media department team. We need to discuss some new concepts, then choose the players for the shoots, and lastly, we need to plan everything else. Locations, kits, cameras, microphones, etc. I’m already tired just thinking about it.
 
Actually, if there were no gym sessions with Szobo, I think I could have managed my tasks, but now I need to plan my work according to our sessions. In an hour or so, I could have at least caught up with some major phone calls. Four more sessions to go, and I’ll be free. 
 
It’s almost 14:30; he must be already at the gym. I'll handle some calls and join him when I'm done. 
 
Yesterday, I spent most of the time in the bathroom. I was mortified after what happened with the cockroach and the other thing. 
I could have simply fallen to the ground or somewhere else, but no, it wasn't enough for the plot. The worst part was me running away from this awkward situation. Oh my god, I hope he doesn't think I have a crush on him.
 
My panic attacks have been more common and violent these past few days. I don't want them to worry at work, so I can't let them know. Especially Trent and the boss, I've caused enough trouble last year. 
 
“You're always daydreaming.”
 
“JESUS CHRIST.” I screamed. 
 
“Sorry to disappoint you.” He said while leaning on the door frame. 
 
“You scared me. What are you doing here?”
 
“We have to go to the gym. Did you forget?”
 
“No. Since when do you wait for me?”
 
“I was just walking by. Don't feel special.” He smiled. 
 
“Dude, I told you to stop with the flirting.”
 
“I'm not. I'm just being myself. If I were to flirt with you, you wouldn't have a chance.”
 
“Your ego will always surprise me.”
 
“I'm full of surprises, Sophie.”
 
“Shut up and close the door behind you.”
 
“Oh, now I'm surprised,” he teased. 
 
“Fuck off. I need to pass an important call, so will you shut your damn mouth and wait?”
 
“You're so demanding. You're going nowhere with that attitude.”
 
I looked at him with murder on my mind. He's always yapping. He's the one with an attitude, not me. 
 
“Hello, it's Sophie from the training centre. I called last time concerning the treadmills.”
 
“Oh, hello, Miss Sophie. How are you doing… ?”
 
What is he doing? He's like a toddler, passing around and touching everything.
 
“I'm good, thank you. How about you, sir?”
 
He looked bored. He's a literal child. There wasn't anything worthy of his attention, so he sat on the chair facing me. He leaned back, and now he’s inspecting my desk.
 
“Good to hear, sir. I’m calling because it seems that the treadmills are still out of order, and I wanted to know why it was taking so long.”
 
“Right, I’m deeply sorry, Miss. I wanted to call you, but I didn’t save your number.”
 
“It’s okay, sir. You don’t need to apologize. I know these things take time, but I won’t lie to you; I’m in a tight spot. The players need them as soon as possible.”
 
Apparently, the photo on my desk was the most interesting thing, according to Szobo’s expression. I'm sure he's going to make fun of me. It was an old picture of my family from when I was still a child. I saw a faint smile on his lips. What does this mean?
 
“I understand, Miss. The fault is on our end, but don’t you worry. The treadmills will be delivered tomorrow morning, and again, I’m sorry to cause you so much trouble.”
 
“Thank you a lot, sir. It’s okay; these things happen. I’ll be seeing you tomorrow. Goodbye.”
 
“Goodbye, Miss.” 
 
“You’re really cute in this picture.”
 
“Did I just hear Szobozlai compliment me?”
 
“YOU SAID MY NAME.”
 
“It’s just a name; calm down. By the way, your name is really complicated, so I will keep calling you Szobo.”
 
“I feel the tears coming. One step at a time.”
 
“You’re such a drama queen.”
 
“I can’t wait for the day you call me by my first name.”
 
“Not happening. You’re always going to be Szobo.”
 
“Yeah. You’re going to call for me desperately.”
 
“Stop dreaming and put my picture back.”
 
“Why did you leave?”
 
“I couldn’t pass on that unique opportunity. You didn’t either. Liverpool was my dream.”
 
“No. I mean yesterday.”
 
“Oh, that. It was getting quite late.” 
 
“You really love lying, don't you?”
 
“It's the absolute truth.”
 
“You ran to the bathroom, and you never came back.”
 
“I told you it was late. We usually do these nights on weekends.”
 
“So, it wasn't because you were embarrassed?”
 
“No. I just really love Trent’s bathroom. It's gorgeous.”
 
“You didn't run away because you ended up in my lap? ”
 
I hate him. 
 
“I don't recall anything like that.”
 
“Hmm. I see. What about the roach?”
 
I hate it when he smiles like that. He's so sassy. 
 
“I think we should go to the gym now. You can't laze around, dude.”
 
“So, we are going to pretend nothing happened.” 
 
“I might try weightlifting today.”
 
“I might pray to God for a roach.”
 
“Will you stop talking and walk?”
 
“You're so fun to tease.”
 
"Hurry, or else I'm leaving you behind.”
 
We walk all the way to the gym, and this dumbass really loves to annoy the shit out of me. He keeps talking about roaches just to piss me off. I don't have the energy to deal with him anymore. I was on the verge of slapping this dumbass when I heard his voice. Shit, I didn't know he would be here today. Normally, Lucia would have informed me or someone else. I don't want him to see me. 
 
“Hey, Szobo, let's go this way.”
 
“No, this way is shorter.”
 
“Let's walk for a bit more.”
 
“No. I don't want to, and why are you whispering?”
 
“Just follow me, will yo-.”
 
"Oh, look who's there. The one and only Sophie. You're back.”
 
Fucking Fuck. 
 
“Hello Sir. Yes, I'm back.” I said with a fake smile. 
 
“You took your sweet time being on vacation, doing what god knows while we were dealing with your shits here.”
 
“You're back, and you're still causing trouble. I've heard about the treadmills. How unprofessional of you to let our high-class athletes train without proper equipment.”
 
“I'm sorry, sir. I'm dealing with the technicians, and they-.”
 
“Enough! People like you from the wild islands shouldn't be able to work in such a high position.”
 
“What the fuck?” said Szobo under his breath. 
 
I knew Szobo could snap at him at any moment. I could feel it in his raging breath. As much as I want to kick this old man's saggy balls, I can’t do that, and I can't let Szobo do it either. We need to end this conversation quickly. 
 
“Again, my deepest apology, sir. I will redeem myself for my lack of professionalism and will do my best to meet your expectations. If you would excuse us, we need to go.”
 
“I don't think you will ever meet my expectations. I need to talk to your boss.”
 
I knew I had to stop it when I saw Szobo clench his fist. He opened his mouth, ready to retort, but I grabbed his hand firmly, hoping for him to keep quiet. 
 
“Yes, Sir.” I said, still holding Szobo’s hand. 
 
“Oh! You must be the new player. You're a great asset. You surely have a great future ahead of you, but let me give you this one piece of advice, kid.”
 
“Don't let a slut ruin your career.” 
 
This old fucking asshole really said that while looking at me straight in the eyes. Don't let him get to you, Sophie. You're better than that. 
 
“Who the fu-?”
 
“Thank you, sir. We will leave now.” I interrupted. 
 
I pull on Szobo’s hand. We dodge a fucking pain in the ass kind of problem. I'm proud of myself for not letting that man's hatred get to me. I didn't want to have this conversation with Szobo. I don't want to explain myself. I feel empty. 
 
“Who the fuck was that asshole?”
 
“Why did you let him talk to you like that?”
 
“Sophie! That was racist! Why are you not saying anything?”
 
“Please, I don't want to talk about it; you wouldn't understand.”
 
“Goddammit! He called you a slut!.”
 
“And what if I was? What would you do?” I screamed. 
 
The way he looked at me. He was surprised. He wouldn't understand. Last year was hell for me. I went through so much shits. I tried so hard not to crumble like some people wanted me to. I don't want him to know.
 
He's exactly like him. From the cocky smile to the attitude. I promise myself to never trust someone like him again, but Szoboszlai keeps crashing into me until I eventually forget about that person. But I need to remind myself that he's a stranger; he's not like Trent or any of the other boys. He's like all these strangers who used to look at me like I was a slut. Talking and spitting the absolute weirdest rumors about me. He's not your friend, Sophie. 
 
“Stop it. You're not a slut.” He said it so gently that I thought my mind made up the faint sound of his voice. 
 
I was so surprised that my expression must have been funny, but then I remembered. If he had seen the photos and heard about the rumors, he wouldn't have said that. I looked down. He's not your friend, Sophie. 
 
“Can we just go to the gym already? I have a meeting later.” I said it quietly. 
 
He was mad, but he didn’t say anything else. Why was he even mad? It’s not like we are that close for him to be feeling that way. I don’t want to overthink; I have to focus on my work. We eventually reached the gym, and I was happy to see Trent.
 
“Hey there. Wow. What are the two of you doing together?”
 
“Thank you for ignoring me,” said Trent, offended.
 
“By the way, I saw that jerk of John in the hall earlier. Keep your distance from him, Sophie.”
 
“I know. It’s too late for that.”
 
“What? Did he say something again?”
 
“I don’t want to talk about it, please.”
 
“But Sophie, he’s...”
 
“Please, Trent. I’m tired.”
 
“I’m gonna go get change. You can start the warm-ups with Szobo.”
 
“I hate it when she’s like that. Acting like everything’s okay.”
 
“Who even is that, John? I was with Sophie when that asshole talked to her,” asked Szobo.
 
“He’s an old macho, racist motherfucker. What did he say to Sophie this time?”
 
“He said she was unprofessional. Everything was her fault and other shits. He even called her a slut this fucker.”
 
“This asshole. I’m going to kick him in the balls.”
 
“Who is he? She didn’t even let me defend her, this dummy.”
 
“He’s one of the major investors in the club. He never liked Sophie, even from the start, and she never said anything. Never complain. She’s an idiot, always sacrificing herself instead of standing up.”
 
“What happened last year?”
 
“A lot of shits, man. You won’t even believe the amount of things that happened to our poor Sophie just because of that dick of Trevor.”
 
“Now who is Trevor?”
 
“I don’t think Sophie would be happy with me telling you.”
 
“Maybe ask her yourself.”
 
“You know we are not that close, and she would never tell me even if I asked.”
 
“Next time I see this old jerk, I will punch him in the face,” said Trent angrily.
 
“You’re not punching anyone, mate.” I replied back in the gym.
 
“You can’t expect me to stay still after he called you a slut.”
 
“Szobo! You’re such a snitch.”
 
“You shouldn’t have let him talk to you like that,” said Szobo while stretching.
 
“He’s right. Even if he’s a huge investor in the club, that doesn’t mean he can disrespect you like that. Even the boss would have been angry.”
 
“Nobody is going to tell the boss. I’m an adult. I can deal with my own shits.”
 
“Sophie. Last year, you said the same thing, and you ended up in the hos-.”
 
“Stop it, Trent. Last year, I was a weak, lame bitch. I’m not that person anymore. I can deal with my problems on my own.”
 
“I know when you’re lying, Sophie. You just don’t want us to worry.”
 
“Trent, I love how you care for me, but please trust me on this one. I can do it on my own. I caused enough trouble last year just because I couldn’t deal with my emotions. I’m no more that naive little girl.”
 
“You’re still blaming yourself to this day.”
 
“Goddamnit Sophie! He abused you.” 
 
“I don’t want to talk about it. Please stop.” I pleaded.
 
I could feel Szobo’s eyes on me. I knew he wanted to ask me, but I’m glad he didn’t. I want to forget about it all.
 
“Can we start and get this over with? I have a meeting in an hour.”
 
We did train, but in silence. Doing our little thing separately. I don’t want to sweat because then I will need to take a shower before the meeting; I won't have enough time. On the other hand, the boys are already drenched.
 
He’s still mad. I don't understand why. It's not like me and him are friends or something. Why would he care if someone called me a slut? 
 
“Can I go? My meeting will start soon.”
 
He's sulking for real. 
 
“You're mad?”
 
“I don't care. Go to your stupid meeting.”
 
“You're such a baby.”
 
“See you, Trent.”
 
“Byee, Sophie.”
 
“Why are you mad?” asked Trent. 
 
“She's so stupid. She will retort to me every single chance she gets, but she won't defend herself in front of this jackass.”
 
“I thought you didn't care.” Trent teased. 
 
“You're an idiot, like your friend.”
 
“Dom, don't you have a little crush on my friend?”
 
“I don't. She's too stupid.”
 
“Yeah. I've seen the way you looked at her, dude. And if you hated her like you're pretending, you wouldn't be that mad.”
 
“Trent. I'm being serious. If she was naked in front of me, I wouldn't even be hard.”
 
“Ew. Stop.”
 
“It's not always about sex, mate.”
 
“Anyway, Sophie is a romantic person. She would never have a casual hookup.”
 
“That's one more reason why we would never be a thing.”
 
“Now stop with your nonsense and let's train for real.”