ʀᴏᴏᴋɪᴇ | ᴋᴏ ✔︎

26

"You don't need to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."
- Martin Luther King Jr.

One Week After Intervention.

| Kevin |

"Please, I'm begging. I don't what else to do, or who to call. You're my last hope." I beg over the call, hoping she'll hear in my voice that I'm close to crying. Which would be quite a cheap shot but if it works, who cares?

"She won't want to see me."

"Where is that 'can do' attitude?"

"I'm sorry Ke-"

"No. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. I just...I thought you loved her, that's all." Tears roll down my cheeks as I prepare to hang up on Kelley, until I hear her sigh.

"Wait!" She groans. "I'm flying in with the team to play Seattle anyway, I can stop by and talk to her."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

_____

"And that's it, folks. Seattle beaten by Sky Blue on their own turf. The fans don't look very happy. How much is that down to the missing Rookie, Logan Scott?"

"I don't know. I can't lie, she did always make an impact when she was on the field, but at the end of the day she is a Rookie. The more experienced players need to step up in important games like these."

"Idiots." I grumble as I switch off the TV. I don't like seeing my hometown lose, but it's not as bad when I know Logan isn't on the team.

Today there is more important things to do than play soccer. Like getting Kelley to my sister's apartment and...well, getting Logan to let Kelley in.

My sister responded well after the forced intervention, but with the awful influence of my mother, and her heartbreak from Kelley, it's been difficult for her to stay sober for more than a day.

"I can quit when I want," Logan always says. "I just don't want to today."

Today is that day, Lo.

| Hope |

A few hours after the game against Sky Blue, I join Pinoe and Zurrer as we travel to the hotel that is hosting our opponents, and wait outside for O'Hara.

Things between her, Pinoe and I have been slightly rocky since her whole breakup situation with Logan. Kelley thinks it's because they broke up, but it's more that her teammate deliberately injured our friend, and Kelley took her side.

It only takes Kelley five minutes to get to my car, and she takes the back seat with Pinoe.

We drive in silence, not even the radio dares to cut through the tension in the vehicle.

Two blocks west from our Rookie's apartment, my phone begins to ring, and I answer it, putting it on speaker immediately.

"Hey Hope!"

"Hey Kev, you doing good?" I ask, while hearing a small voice in the backseats say something about my having Kevin's number.

"I'll be better when Logan gets her head on straight."

"We know. We're trying, kid." Emily speaks up from the passenger seat beside me. She's quickly become close to Kevin as she's one of Logan's best friends. Must be the Canadian in her.

"Thanks. Is Kelley there yet?" He asks, only to be met with silence.

Kelley takes a few minutes to realize that we're waiting on her to speak for herself, "Yeah, I'm here. Hey Kevin."

"Good, call me later okay, Em?"

"You got it. Later, kiddo."

When we make it to the apartment building, we park where we usually do when we visit, since our visits have become rather frequent, and ride the elevator to her floor.

We didn't tell her we were stopping by, let alone that we're bringing Kelley, so it's clear that we're all a bit nervous.

Emily knocks on the door, grinning like the child that Logan is, when she completes her 'secret knock' and Logan knocks back.

"Yes!" She cheers quietly, diffusing the tension slightly, until Logan opens the door.

"Nope." She closes it in our faces with a slam  after spotting O'Hara.

"Let us in, Scott." Pinoe raises her voice, ensuring that Logan hears but that she isn't technically shouting. Yet.

She does open the door, ushering us inside before throwing question after slurred question about why we brought Kelley with us. It's disappointing to see that she's still drinking, but she's not as drunk as we've seen her in the last month or so, the dark circles under her eyes are almost invisible to the naked eye, and she isn't looking as thin as she was. But it's still not any good.

"We need you to be an adult for the next half hour, and talk this shit out with Kelley." I start, and hold my hand up to silence her, "We have all tried to help you, and each time we come back you're drunk again. Kelley is your last shot, Logan. I mean it. Sort your shit out."

Pinoe, Emily and I sit in the living room, helping ourselves to food and drinks while the once-happy-couple talk in the bedroom.

| Kelley |

"Why are you drinking?" I ask Logan after we get through the usual pleasantries such as how are you, what have you been doing, and so on.

"Cause, I like it. It seems to agree with me."

"You know that's not a good reason, right?" I hit back at her attitude, only for her to laugh at me.

"That's not a good reason? Pretty much like how I wouldn't answer you about why I was scared about coming out, and you just went ahead and assumed the worst." She retaliates, instantly shutting me up. "And who knows what you've been saying to your teammates to make them want to end my season!" She yells.

She's beginning to crack, as signalled by the tears in her eyes threatening to escape.

"I did nothing wrong but fall in love with you and you threw it back in my face by accusing me of being unfaithful?!"

I want to interrupt but I don't. I know it's partly my fault she's drinking and I just need to let her vent.

"I was always faithful to you, Kel. I never even look at other woman the way I look at you."

Present tense?

"And what do I get for it?" She asks as she takes steps towards me, closing the distance. "I get my heart broken and my season ruined."

"I didn't-"

"I'm not finished!" She yells, making me flinch. "Did you know I almost handed in a transfer to move closer to you?" She asks as she stares into my eyes, and now it's me that's close to crying. "Of course you didn't."

"I-"

"You can leave now."

I find myself walking to her bedroom door, although I'm still shocked about her revelation my legs seem to be obeying the demanding tone of her voice. I get to the door frame and stop.

"No."

"No?"

"No, I'm not leaving." I tell her, stepping back into the room. I close the door behind me. "I let you say what you needed to say, now it's my turn."

"I don't think so-"

"I'm sorry." I cut her off. "I'm so sorry. For everything. I should never have sent that tweet, I wasn't thinking. I shouldn't have accused you, the most amazing person I've ever met in my life, of cheating. I know you wouldn't do that, but when you said you didn't want to come out, I freaked, I thought you were using me for some kind of experiment. I'm sorry for everything, Logan." I confess as tears run freely down my face. "I'm sorry for every time I made you cry, for every time I made you mad, for every time you couldn't sleep because of the anger I caused. I'm so sorry-"

She cuts me off. Not with words but the one action I wasn't expecting. A slap to the face, followed by the longest kiss I've ever received . It's a kiss filled with longing, with passion, with love and even a little anger. But it's the most addictive kiss I've ever had and I find myself wanting more. That's when she pulls away.

"I love you, too." She says before yawning and resting her body against mine.

I don't know how much she was drinking, but I find myself putting Logan to bed and retreating out into the living room hoping and praying that Logan won't forget everything that happened tonight.