Losing my religion

3. Support

When we get home, I mentally prepare myself for all the rage my dad is gonna let out. He starts off by saying I'm punished without hanging out with my friends unless he knows where I am every second. Also, he doesn't want to see me with Andy, even if it's only talking (which is, by the way, what we were doing, something I've tried to explain him thousands of times).

"Actually, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have let you show him the school in the first place. You don't know him enough to be alone with him...doing God knows what. If you want to have a boyfriend, make sure he's as Christian as us please, and that he treats you...well, nicely. I never thought you would act this way, daughter. You don't usually act like this. What's wrong? It's only the first day of school after holidays" he keeps talking and talking.

There's a soccer game tomorrow morning, and I would really like to go, since it's the last one our school soccer team plays, and this is the one that will decide if our school wins the league or not. Because I'm not sure he will let me go after what happened, I need to go back to being the "perfect and sweet daughter":

"Dad, look, I'm so sorry. You are right, I shouldn't be talking at night with a boy I barely know and who could be a serial killer! You never know. Anyway, there's this game tomorrow and I had already told Romy I was going, can I...watch it?"

"Well, if you've already told your friend you're going, the you're not going to let her down. But I will tell my fellow teachers to keep an eye on you all the time. Just in case"

"Don't you trust me, dad? It's something that has only happened once! Please"

"Enough. Let's go to sleep now. Go"

I decide not to keep talking, because he might punish me without going to the game, and it's the only event I'm looking forward to these weeks.

Next morning, I wake up with a deep feeling of sadness, and I know it's because I've disappointed my father doing something that wasn't even completely wrong. I start getting ready for the game. I'm obviously not playing, but I decide to wear something comfy. I grab my phone and call Romy. She's meeting me in 10 in the same place as always: my door.

When I see her, she looks kind of upset.

"Hey, what's up? Is everything alright?" I ask, a bit worried.

"No, I'm just tired. They should try changing the time when the play the game, you know. It's so early. But it's me who should ask you if everything is alright"

"Why?" I ask her. Does she know about yesterday? And if she does...

"Hey, it's nothing, don't be so scared, haha. It's just that your father has been talking on the phone to some of his friends, and people who work in the church, and stuff... and he apparently has told them that yesterday night he almost caught you kissing the new guy. Is it true? I though you had said he was a disgusting prick!"

"And it's true! He is! This sucks" I explain her the whole thing. However, I skip the detail that he still was rude to me even when I thanked him.

"Hey, Amanda, calm down, I believe you! But don't you think your father is overreacting? It's no sin to talk to a guy, even if he is as stupid as the English boy." We both laugh and arrive in time for the start of the game. There are no free seats, so we just grab something to eat and stand there.

"Let's play a game called spot the hot guy" Romy says, suddenly. I laugh.

"Romy, please!"

"Who's the captain though. That ass..."

"You know that lust is a sin, right? Stop worrying so much about boys!"

"Wow, that priest father of yours sure has influence on you. You're like the most Christian person I've ever met. You're still my best friend, though". I don't get offended by her comment, but it does annoy me a little. She should try following the rules of God for once and do the right thing.

The game is over and we have won! 3-1! The players come to talk to all of us watching the game about it. At some point, a boy called Jack comes to us and we start talking about how the game went. He's the captain, Jack, the one who, according to Romy, was very hot. He says that they're going to celebrate it later all together, that they're gonna have lunch together at another player's.

"Hey" he glances at me. He must be talking to me now.

"Yeah?"

"Um, I heard something about you. It's a rumor that the whole school is talking about. Um, did you really make out with the new guy? I heard he's a freak"

"No!!" I freak out. "That never happened. We were just talking, but for some reason everybody thinks we kissed."

"Hey, you look pretty worried. Listen, Amanda (your name is Amanda, right?" I nod as he goes on. "As you may know, I'm the captain of the soccer team, and that's why almost everybody in our grade looks up to me, and, I could say, I have a lot of influence on the people here. If you want I can start telling everyone that someone made that up and that you and the English lad never kissed, so that everyone know that truth and you don't have to worry about it anymore"

"Oh Jack, I'd be so thankful. I just can't stand this whole thing anymore. My dad punished because of this and I've lost his confidence and support. I want all of this to be forgotten as soon as possible"

"Don't worry baby, I'll help with that"

Baby? He just called me baby?