Broken Souls (Souls #1)

Chapter 14 - Destiny

If someone walked by and asked me how long I've been here I wouldn't be able to answer them. I haven't been counting. I haven't been doing a lot of thinking - period. But the layer of sweat slicking my skin would be able to give the person a hint as to how long.

I yank out my hair elastic and redo my falling ponytail. Even the hair close to my scalp is sticky with sweat. A cool breeze blows and I close my eyes to enjoy the bliss it offers my fevered body. I needed this. I needed physical pain from exercising to erase the emotional pain which formed from the nightmare last night.

I woke up this morning in a tangle of sheets and tears streaming down my face. I dreamt the nightmare I hadn't had in a while since I moved in with the Jennings. It isn't just a nightmare though. It is a real piece of my life that I relive over and over again. In the dream I was hiding behind the semi closed bedroom door of my parents and I was listening to them argue. Their voices rose constantly as they tried to be heard over the other person. I had never heard them argue like that before and I was terrified. I crawled back into my bed after a while. I could still hear them in there so I pulled the coverlet over my head. Then I put my pillow on top my head to block out their raised voices. In the morning when I woke up I padded into their bedroom. I was surprised to see that the half of my mother's side of the room which she shared with my father was cleared out. Even her bedside table was missing. My father wasn't in the room either. I ran down the stairs with my heart threatening to jump out of my cheat. I spotted him asleep on the couch with a blanket draped over his body. I shook him awake and asked him in a trembling voice where all Mummy's things went. After I asked all signs of drowsiness vanished and in a frenzy he jumped off of the couch, ran up the stairs and flung open the bedroom door. His gaze whipped to her side of the room and looked at all the missing items. I watched him as he collapsed onto his knees before me. He fisted the bed sheet and brought it up to his face and cried into it. At four I didn't really understand what was happening but my father was on his knees and crying - for the first time in my life. He was only twenty-two years old at the time and even though I was small I knew that when a grown man went down on his knees and cried it must be bad. I eventually wrapped my arms around him and rested my head on his shoulder. He released the coverlet from his grasp and hugged me tightly to him. He mumbled to himself over and over again while clutching me like I was his lifeline. I pressed kisses to his forehead to comfort him and remained quiet throughout the whole situation. Tears were trailing down my face in the end.

I shake the memory out of my head and reopen my eyes. Football. I must concentrate on football and nothing else. I take a deep breath and zero my eyes in on the football which is set up on the football kicking tee. I straighten the ball and make sure that laces are away from me, then I take a few step back. All noises around me are somewhat muted. The only thing I can really hear clearly is my laboured breathing. I take a few steps to the left so the ball is situated to the opposite side of my kicking foot and just as I am about to jog up to kick the ball a loud sound breaks my trance and I jump. It was the slam of a car door.

I snap my head as far to the side as I can to see who it is. A guy with bed head like Hayden jumps out of the car. He looks like he just rolled out of bed - and not only because of the state of his hair. He wears a plaid sleeping pants and a white t-shirt. When he walks forward towards the track to my right I get a better look at him and notice that it's Matthews. He hasn't noticed me yet and by the furrow of his eyebrows and the heated look in his eyes I can tell that he is upset. I contemplate on calling out to him but decide against it because he looks like he just wants to be alone at the moment.

I focus back on the football and continue from where I left off. When my foot connects with the center of the ball and flies into the air I watch it sail. It lands a few yards away and I smile to myself.

"You got quite a kick over there."

I turn around to see Matthews behind me with his arms folded across his chest. I wipe off sweat from my forehead and then realize what a mess I must look like. But as my gaze scans over Matthews I don't feel as bad. He's obviously not dressed to impress anyone either in those pyjama cotton plaid pants and messed up hair.

Taking a deep breath I say, "I practice a lot."

He nods. "Love school so much that you just couldn't stay away, huh?" He asks.

"Well," I answer, "I must not be the only school lover here because you showed up too. And in your sleepwear, I must add."

He looks down at his apparel as if noticing it for the first time and then shrugs. When he looks back up me he questions, "So, what are you really doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" I counter.

He smiles a little and says, "Well, that is fair."

He doesn't want to discuss why he is here and neither do I so we stay silent for a little while. He nods his chin towards the football. "Wanna toss that thing around for a bit?"

My lips twitch into a small smile. "Sure."

...

I plant myself at the corner of the curb and drink water from my water bottle. I'm parched. Our little game of toss the football around changed into a one on one tackle game after a few minutes due to Matthews. It was fun. It's obvious that Matthews had fun also if the grin on his face is any indication.

"You're good," I tell him and nod my head over to the football.

He smirks and says, "I know."

"Wow. And very modest too at that."

He laughs and nudges me with his shoulder like Hayden would do whenever I make him laugh. I nudge him back and smile with him.

"You're on the football team, aren't you?" I ask and then add, "I mean, I'm just guessing since you have superior skills that I'm sure you know about."

He flashes me another smile. "Yeah, I am."

"What position do you play?"

"Wide Receiver."

"Wide Receiver?"

"Why do you sound so surprised?"

"Well...remember that time I tossed the football at you and Nico and you just watched it sail over your head?"

He points a finger at me. "That was a onetime fluke."

"Mmm hmm..."