FROM FRANCE TO USA

You'll never loose me

Leah POV : 

It's been days since I last talked to Madi. She's been blowing up my phone, but I just can't bring myself to answer. She lied to me. And even though we weren't officially a thing, it still hurts like hell. The first few days after she told me what happened, I was a complete mess, crying non-stop and feeling like my world had crumbled. But thanks to my amazing friends, especially Dan and Beth who've been total lifesavers, I'm slowly starting to feel a bit better.

Seeing her at training every day is tough, though. The awkwardness between us is so thick you could cut it with a knife,and everyone on the team can sense it. We try to be professional on the field, but it's hard to pretend everything's okay.

Thankfully, the international friendlies are coming up, which means I get to escape the club for a bit and hang out with my national teammates. Milie's throwing a party this Friday, and a bunch of us from the England team are going. Normally, Madi would be there too, but Katie told me she's spending the weekend with her family and friends from the US who had just arrived in England.

Honestly, I'm kinda relieved she won't be there. I need some space to clear my head and try to stop thinking about her. Maybe, just maybe, if I get enough distance, I can finally start to move on.

------

The party was in full swing, a vibrant mix of laughter, music, and the clinking of glasses. Girls from different WSL clubs mingled, but I was most excited to catch up with some of my national teammates I hadn't seen in ages.

A few drinks in (keeping it responsible, of course, with games coming up), I bumped into Jessie. And then, the words just tumbled out.

"You were right," I said, forcing a smile even though it still stung that she was.

"About?" Jessie asked, clearly not following.

"Sorry, about Madison and Kristie."

Her face fell. "Oh... I'm so sorry, Leah." She hesitated. "I won't say 'I told you so,' but—"

"You can," I interrupted, a bitter laugh escaping my lips.

She nodded, her eyes filled with pity.

"Hey, don't look at me like that," I said, trying to sound stronger than I felt. "I'm fine, really. We weren't even officially together."

"If you say so," she replied, but her tone was unconvinced. "But for what it's worth, I'm genuinely sorry to have been right."

"It's okay," I sighed, then curiosity got the better of me. "Was it like this when you were with her? The whole Kristie and Madi thing?"

"Oh, it's a long story," Jessie began, a hint of nostalgia in her voice. "We could be here all night, but—" She paused, then continued. "Listen, Leah, I know Madi. Even though we haven't seen eye to eye lately, when we were together, she was all in. I was the one who messed things up because I was jealous of how close she was with Kristie."

"Yeah, but they weren't just close this time, they slept together," I blurted out, the hurt still raw.

Jessie's eyes widened. "Wow. I didn't think she'd go that far."

"Me neither," I mumbled.

"But you weren't together," Jessie pointed out. "Don't get me wrong, it's not an excuse, but you can't entirely blame her for exploring her options."

Anger flared within me. "I—yes, but she promised! She told me she liked me, that she wanted to do things right and not hurt me. And she did the complete opposite."

"Leah, I'm so sorry," Jessie said, her voice sincere. "What Madi did was not okay. But we're at this amazing party, and all you're doing right now is talking about her. You should be enjoying yourself. I don't know if she'll choose you or Kristie. I can't tell you, even with my history with her. So either way, you try to forgive her and start something new, or you forget about her. But right now, let's just have fun. Take this time to think about something else, okay?"