🎶 Haunted - Live/2011 — Taylor Swift 🎶
Pedri ⭐️
Got injured in training this morning, could you please come and pick me and my car up?
I stared blankly at the text message in front of me on a Tuesday afternoon while my girls were getting ready to go to the playground with me. No, this couldn't be true, not again, not so shortly before Christmas. His message sounded composed, but still, again, another injury after just one and a half months of being back. I had tried to keep my happy facade up over the weekend and on Sunday, me, Pedri and the girls had even all gone to a park together in the afternoon, somewhat playing happy family. But now everything was crumbling down.
"Wait a second girls, mami has to call abuela" I told my daughters and moved away a bit as I put my phone to my ear.
"Isa! How are you?" my mum chirped happily as she picked up.
"Mum, I have to pick Pedri up at training, he's injured. Can I drop the girls off at yours for the afternoon?" I asked, feeling whiny and stupid for having to call my mum for every little thing not going to plan in my life. And of course she would never say to me no because I was her poor, widowed daughter that everyone pitied.
"Sure! But you have to pick them up around 7 latest, Papi and I have to leave for the airport then!" she said and I nodded. They were flying to the Caribbean over Christmas for a well-deserved end-of-the-year holiday.
"Yeah, yeah, I can manage that, I just have to pick him up and take him home." I replied hastily and we said goodbye before I hung up again.
"Ok! Change of plans! I'm taking you to abuela and abuelo, because mami has to pick up Pedri" I told them and they immediately pouted.
"But we can come too if you pick up Pedri!" Sofi argued and Blanca nodded in agreement.
"Not this time, girls. Mami has to work and Pedri is not feeling well" I told them. They loved him so much and my heart warmed at how well they got along, but everything was just too much right now.
They still protested on the whole ride to my parents' and walked, still offended, into their house while I left my car there and took a taxi to the Ciutat Esportiva. I already knew my way around and Pedri had texted me he was waiting in the cafeteria with some teammates so I went there. He was sitting at a table with Ferran and Gavi, all looking gloomy.
"Hey Isa" Pedri's friends said in unison and I nodded at them while Pedri turned around to look up at me. He was about to grab my hand, but I quickly shoved it away, the other guys obviously noticing and sending each other a look.
"Let's go. Car keys please" I said dryly and he searched his pocket for them before handing them over. "Bye Ferran, bye Gavi" I said and nodded at them as they mumbled their goodbyes back.
"Sorry... about before... with the hand... it just came naturally" Pedri mumbled but I stayed silent until we arrived at his car. Now we would still have to face the fans waiting at the gate outside.
"I've proof-read the press release from the club about the injury, but they haven't put it out yet, do you want to stop for autographs or should I just go ahead?" I asked professionally and he looked at me with furrowed eyebrows.
"Don't stop, I'm not really in the mood" he mumbled and I just nodded.
As expected, the car was swarmed, but when they noticed we weren't stopping, the people backed away again and I drove away in the roundabout.
"I never know which Isa I'm getting with you" he half-scoffed, half-joked and I gripped the steering wheel harder.
"From now on, it will only be the professional one." I replied decidedly and he turned his head faster than lightning towards me.
"No. Isa. No. You can't be serious! Not again!" he shouted, getting louder with every word.
"I have to. It's very clear, it's like I poison all the men around me! Rodri died, Marcos killed himself after two months of knowing me and you get injured all the time since I'm around!" I sniffled as tears rolled down my cheek. Everything was my fault, I'm the worst.
"Are you serious now? Because this is ridiculous, I should laugh!" he scoffed, his lips curled upwards as if I was joking.
"No, I'm-" I started, telling him that I was completely serious but he just put his hands over his face and shook his head.
"No, no, no! You don't have control over everything! People are drunk, driving, Marcos suffered from a depression of which you definitely weren't the cause and I'm still enduring the aftermath of a season that was three years ago when you weren't even around! The world isn't centered around you and your control!" he shouted, slamming his head on the airbag in front of him.
"Why does it always happen to me then?!" I screamed in between tears, really hoping that I wasn't going to cause an incident with the state I was in.
"People suffer! This is life! You can choose if you want to do it alone and drown or if you want to keep staying afloat together!" he shouted at me.
"Everyone only drowns with me, so it's better that I don't claw onto you" I said quietly as we were finally reaching his street.
"You are unbelievable" he just said and shook his head. "I can't do this anymore. I love you and am ready for you, really trying to step up here as a man and being mature, but in reality, it's you who's behaving like a child. It's like you're on the last step before reaching ground floor and are afraid to jump - it's not a big thing! Yet you act more afraid than Blanca at the slide!" he shouted and stood up from his car and slamming the passenger door as we had arrived.
"Not everything in life works out like you want Pedri! The magician with the world at his feet! You won't always get what you want!" I shouted back, heavily offended by his accusations.
"Yeah! And I will forever associate this negative realisation with your face!" he shouted, with his index finger raised in front of me and the angriest expression I had ever seen on his face.
