Playing Pretend (Pablo Gavi)

Chapter 7

Carolina didn't know Gavi was at the training centre. She didn't expect him there until after his operation but there he was getting hugs from everyone. It was so hard to see. But nice too. He deserved to feel the love from his teammates at a moment like this. Something Carolina learned quickly was that the entire squad loved him. And she wasn't really surprised. He had always been loved by his friends and teammates. It seemed the only one who didn't join in the love was Carolina.

She tried to leave before Gavi could see her but the lift was taking ages so she couldn't do it. And soon she had an injured Gavi standing next to her. She was almost afraid of looking at him. Carolina didn't like to see him in so much pain. And she never knew what to say to people at moments like that and feared messing up.

"Hi".

"Hi", Gavi's voice was so low.

Carolina had never seen him look so small. He was just looking at the floor and waiting for the lift's doors to open, barely acknowledging her presence.

"I'm sorry about the injury".

"Thanks".

"You'll be back stronger. I know you will, Pablo".

"Don't do this".

"Do what?"

"Being nice. Calling me Pablo like that...you don't like me, Carolina. Don't treat me like a little kid like everyone else does. Be who you really are. I'm tired of this pity party".

"You're a fucking asshole!"

Gavi looked up at her, a small smile on his face for the first time in days. "That's more like it".

"No. I mean it. I know we never got on well but do you really think I don't feel bad about your injury?", Carolina was so hurt by those insinuations. Did he really think she was such a horrible person? "And I do believe you'll be back stronger because you're a pain in the ass and can't live without annoying other players on the pitch".

"Thanks".

"Is there a date for the surgery?"

"Next week. On Tuesday".

"Well, I'll just say that the doctor who will do your surgery did Alexia's and she won a World Cup right after coming back from injury. So...".

"So I have to win a World Cup too?"

"It'd be very disappointing if you didn't", she shrugged. "You don't want to ruin that poor man's reputation".

Gavi couldn't believe the person who actually made him feel better after that visit was her. But that was how funny life was sometimes. They didn't say anything else while on the lift and when the doors opened, Carolina just left. She was in a hurry to get away from Gavi because the pain of seeing him hurt was affecting her too much. So she didn't see Fermín standing there, seeing her walking fast and thinking the worst had happened.

"Please tell me you weren't arguing with her", said Fermín, worried about his friend. "Not today".

"Nah, she was nice for once".

"Are you going to be friends now?"

"Don't push it. And don't worry, I won't steal your friend".

Like she tried to steal mine, thought Gavi. But he didn't say it out loud.

Sevilla, 2014-2015

Carolina had actually been accepted into a football team. The same team Gavi played for. Not that there were many more around the area but it seemed like a joke. A bad joke.

Starting her proper football career playing with only boys toughened Carolina up. But it could also be very hard. They didn't want her there and made it very obvious. Actually, the one who seemed to be more ok with her being there was Gavi. He just ignored her for the most part and when other kids mentioned Carolina, he looked away. Still, it was better than the insults.

Even though she wasn't there to make friends, Carolina wished she could have someone in the team she could just be closer to. For Gavi, it was easier than ever to make friends. That was the thing about boys playing football. They bonded easily.

And that happened to him too when a kid from Huelva showed up at practice to see if he would join the team. His name was Fermín and he connected with Gavi immediately. The week he was accepted into the team, Carolina wasn't there because she had the flu. But everyone told Fermín about the girl they all had to play with. He didn't see what the big deal was but was curious to finally see her after hearing so much about her.

"Is she nice?", he asked the rest of the boys.

"No", said Gavi, frowning.

"Is she pretty?"

A few of the boys blushed, including Gavi. But they didn't answer Fermín's question.

There was no need to answer it, really. Because Fermín met Carolina only a few days later. And he liked her. He felt a similar connection to her to the one he felt with Gavi and thought it'd be fun to be friends with both. But it wasn't.

"Why would you want to be friends with her?", complained Gavi.

"I don't know. She's nice".

"She's mean. She's always been mean to me".

"I only see most of the team being mean to her...do you realise how scared she is of everyone? Well, maybe not of you and me".

Scared? Carolina? It couldn't be. "Nothing can scare her".

But Gavi had realised that. Carolina pretended to be tough but she was just one girl in a team full of pre-teen boys who treated her horribly. It bothered Gavi. But he guessed she now had Fermín to defend her. And she wouldn't want Gavi to defend her anyway. She never had wanted his help.

All of it bothered Gavi. A lot. Carolina had to be in the same team as him. Now she had to be friends with his friend. She seemed to want everything he had...but she didn't want anything to do with him. And that was what really bothered him the most.