Lost in the Lights

Chapter 17

By the time Freen returns to the sidelines where the rest of the Cheerios are gathered, she finds Nam waiting for her there with this proud look on her face. Knowing Nam and how long she has been rooting for her and Becky to finally get together, Freen already has an idea of what she's about to say.

"I saw that," Nam comments slyly.

Freen fights the blush blooming, but it's hard when she feels like everyone in the entire stadium is looking at her – especially after that kiss.

She really couldn't help it though.

Similarly to the way she reacted when Becky suffered that serious hit, Freen was drawn to the girl. Her feet were moving well before her head registered where she was going and this time was no different, but a flash of a camera brings her back down to Earth.

"Yeah, you aren't the only one," Freen quips in attempt to mask that uneasy feeling in her stomach.

It's an unnerving feeling, but there's no way she'd ever want to take back her actions. Hell, she should've kissed Becky when she asked her to but she was still trying to appease everyone for some reason – she was still trying to play by their rules.

But there's this odd feeling beneath the surface – a feeling of empowerment, like the bonds have broken and she's finally been set free.

That was the last time she'll be playing by their rules, because now she has seen what a kiss like that can do. It doesn't matter who is watching because the way Becky lit up, the way it made Freen feel to be just like everyone else celebrating on that field, to share a kiss with someone she loves – she loves – for once: it was magic.

She won't take it back and she isn't going to apologize for doing it either.

At some point she has to get used to the idea that people will stare and sometimes they won't, she just can't let it phase her because there's no way she can regress from this. She has to be unapologetically herself and that's hard, but it's better than trying to be someone else. She owes it to herself to keep pushing her own boundaries and she owes to Becky to be brave.

"Way to rock the boat," Nam jokes as she gathers her things and stuffs it into her duffle bag, "I've never seen someone look so happy. I couldn't tell if she was more excited about the win or you."

Freen relaxes a little and says, "I told her."

"Told her what?" Nam quirks a brow but then she connects the dots on her own and her eyes widen, "Wait, you told her? Like you – "

Suddenly Freen can't stop the smile from forming at the memory, "Yes."

Apparently, neither can Nam. She just pulls Freen in for a hug.

Freen laughs at how tightly Nam's holding on, "What's this for?"

"I was going to tease the hell out of you but I'm just so proud," Nam replies, "You've really come such a long way. It's about goddamn time!"

"Thanks," Freen replies and for some odd reason she actually feels a little choked up as Nam pulls away. She swallows back whatever that is and adds, "I didn't even plan on telling her until I was saying it. It just felt right though, I said it and then wondered why it took me so long to tell her in the first place."

"You're always a little late to the party," Nam teases and Freen swats her arm for that. Nam only laughs, "What? It's true!"

Freen snorts, "Well, my dad's probably losing his shit right about now."

"That would explain why he's not with your mom," Nam comments with a nod over Freen's shoulder.

They both look over to where Freen's mom is speaking with Rawee and Ritchie. From where Freen's standing, the conversation between the families looks like it's going pretty well. She wouldn't expect anything less, especially if her dad isn't involved. She knows after the stunt she pulled, he'll have something to say which is why he probably left – so they can deal with this privately.