White Lie | Danny Amendola

Chapter 11

** Kristene's POV **

I pulled my jacket closer to me as I ran from my car and toward the stadium. It was four hours before the game, was extremely cold, and I was running late.

"Kris! Kris! Kristene," there was a voice calling from behind me, one that I knew.

I stopped dead in my tracks and nearly lost my cool then and there. "What do you want, Ryan? I'm running late and it's cold outside," I told him as I looked back at him.

Those green eyes that used to be my favorite looked back at me. "Why didn't you call me," he asked as he squinted at me.

I shrugged. "I've been busy. I'm not looking for a boyfriend," I told him. "And quite frankly, I'm not very fond of you. Last time I checked you cheated on me."

The soft look in those eyes turned dark. "Are you kidding? Are you fucking kidding," he practically yelled. "I gave you everything. Where did you go when you and your parents got in fights? You went to the safest place, and you knew that was me!"

I took a breath and shook my head. "You changed. I changed. You're no longer my safe place, and you haven't been for the past four years! Now if you will excuse me, I must be going to work," I told him as I turned around to continue my walk to Gillette.

Before I could make it more than a few steps, there was a large hand on my wrist, pulling me back. The next thing I knew was I was facing him. Those green eyes were full of crazy.

"Listen here. You will not talk to me like that," he grumbled. Then he brought his free hand up, and slapped it right across my face. It stung, so bad, and it didn't help that it was 10 degrees. I bit my lip as I tried not to cry. "You hear me you bitch?" I nodded slowly. The taste of blood over took my mouth. "You're not even worth it."

He dropped my hand and sighed "I'm sorry, Kris. I-I'll let you go..."

I nodded slowly as I turned back around and made my way to the door. I fumbled with my key card before finally sliding into the warm building. No one was in sight, thank god.

My left hand slowly moved up to cup my cheek. It still burned.

Just as I rounded the corner to go where the women's bathroom was, I ran into someone. "Kris? Are you okay? What happened? You've got a handprint on your face," Josh McDaniels said as he eyed my left cheek.

I shook my head. "I-I'm fine," I whispered through watery eyes. "Just need to use the restroom."

He shook his head. "No, I'll bring you to the medical staff. That doesn't look good... your lip is split, too," he pointed out as he put a hand on my shoulder. "Let's go."

I didn't even want to speak. I just followed him to the room. We managed to get inside the one that players used less often, and Josh directed me over to the chair. "I will let Stella know that you'll be out as soon as you can. I'm sure she'll have someone take over pregame videos for you." He quickly moved out to grab a medical member.

A few minutes later, one of the female medics came rushing in— Melody, I think. "What happened, Kristene? Josh just came in telling me I was needed in he-," she walked a little further, looking back to me to see the hand mark on my cheek as well as my bloody lip.

I shook my head. "C-can you just check me out and let me get to doing my job," I asked in a weak voice. I didn't want to talk.

She sighed and nodded. "Yeah hun," she practically whispered as she pulled on a pair of gloves.

** Danny's POV **

I looked around as I stretched and noticed Stella from the communications team taking videos of us for social media. Kristene normally would be the one doing that... Panic began to flare up in my chest. Why on earth wasn't that my Krissy?

"Jules," I said, not taking my eyes off of Stella. "Have you seen Kristene?" I glanced over at Julian, who was looking at me with an eyebrow raised.

"No, man. I haven't been looking for her. I've just kinda kept my eyes on that hottie over there," Julian said as he nodded to the endzone, "setting up the sign." Vicki was stood there hanging up one of the sponsorship posters.

I shook my head at my idiot of a best friend. "Julian... I got a bad feeling about this! I don't see her anywhere," I mumbled as I began looking around, anywhere and everywhere for my girl. She was nowhere to be seen. "I-I... I gotta go talk to Vicki." I stood up from my spot and began walking toward her.

"Dude, I'm sure you're overreacting," Julian said as he stood up as well.

I rolled my eyes. "Overthrow the football so I have a reason to go over by her," I demanded as I tossed him a football.

Julian sighed, but nodded anyway, easily catching the football. He wound up, then sailed the ball through the air, literally inches from Vicki. I acted like I missed it, and made my way over to her. "Hey, Vicki?"

She turned around from hanging the sign and looked at me with raised eyebrows. "Hey, Danny, whats up?"

"Have you seen Krissy?" I asked as I leaned down to grab the football from the ground.

Vicki shrugged. "She was running late... She texted me twenty minutes ago and said she'd just parked... I have no clue where she is now. I can go check, though," Vicki said as she leaned the hammer in her hand up against the wall.

"Thank you. I just want to make sure everything is okay. I haven't seen her anywhere," I told her with a sigh.

Vicki nodded. "Okay... Yeah, I'll go check!"

We went our separate ways.

Soon enough, warm ups were done, and we headed back into the locker room. Vicki had yet to come back, which made my panic rise a little higher. Just before we made it in, an arm grabbed mine, and I was being pulled to the side.

"She's okay, Danny," Vicki said. "But she's had a little run in with Ryan."

My eyes went wide as I looked down at Vicki. "Where is she?"

"You can't go see her. Not here, Danny. You could be seen by anyone," Vicki said in a small voice.

I shook my head. "Where is she, Vicki? Where the hell is Kristene. I need to see her." I needed to see her. I wouldn't be able to even think about football until I saw her.

Vicki looked down at her feet and let out a sigh. Careful blue eyes were looking back up at me in seconds. "She's in the medical room down the hall," she informed. "Melody is giving her some stitches."

"Stitches," I asked with wide eyes. "The Medical room? What the fuck happened to her?!"

Vicki shook her head. "I can't tell you."

I let out a huff and began running down the hall, toward the medical rooms. My heart was racing. My girl was in there, hurt, and Vicki had the nerve to say she was okay. When I got to the door, the door was already opening, and Kris was making her way out of it.

Her eyes met my chest, and she looked up at me wide glassy eyes. "Kris," I breathed out as I looked down at her. Her lip was swollen and there was a large red mark on her left cheek. "Babe, what happened?"

Those beautiful blue eyes looked up at me, as she shook her head. "Ryan... He got me in the parking lot," she said. She sounded so broken.

I shook my head and sucked in a breath. "I am so sorry I wasn't there, Krissy. I am so fucking sorry."

She shook her head, causing some of her beautiful honey hair to fall in her face. "You couldn't have done anything," she said. "H-He was just an asshole. I told him how it was and he got mad."

I sighed as I brushed her hair out of her face. "I'm sorry, babe. I am so sorry," I told her quietly.

"You have a game to play," she said, suddenly.

"You're my top priority," I told her as I shook my head. "You always will be."