Beyond Home

Lauren

I lift the bottle of alcahol to my lips as I listen to my friend and teammate Max Hamilton, yap about some chick he hooked up with while we were on the road. Max would be what you call a whore version of guy. He's always banging girls.

"I'm telling you Lauren you do not know what you are missing out on here." He says finishing up his beer.

"I'm doing fine on my own." I tell him.

"Okay then..." He says.

My lips tilt up into a smile. "Just because I don't be brag about it , doesn't mean I'm not getting any." Even though lately I haven't been getting any, I can't help but wonder what it would be like to have just one woman. Someone who you trustand be there for you regardless of my career.Someone who wants me for me and not what I have in my bank account.

"Yeah right." He laughs. "How long has been? Weeks?Months?Fuck man your dick is going to fall off from not using it."

"Did you seriously just asked me that question?" I ask him. "My dick is doing just fine asshole."

"Okay jeez no need to get all defensive, I'm just concerned for you man, you haven't been out much. You want another?"

"Yeah." I reach for my wallet, but he waves me off heading towards the bar.

Carmen's is a really known bar here in Florida. It's off the beaten path and the patrons and the owner couldn't give a fuck that the Portland players hang out here.Which is why we come come here. The fans are great, and growing up being the son of the USA's all-star foward player I'm not new to celebrity status.When I signed with the Portland's I was all in it, I loved the attention I was getting.I was only eighteen years old and went straight to the proffesionals. I was an eighteen year old living the dream, or so I thought. Soccer has been my passion since I can remember. I'm absolutely honored to be playing the sport I do for a living. The rest that comes with it, the attetion, the hooksups, it gets old and fast.

I'm fortunate that my dad taught me everything he knows. He did't just teach me about the sport, but the industry also. I did't go all crazy like the rest who start off. I've had my fair share of fun also, but some of the other players make hooking up a sport of its own. My dad was a family man. But I'm sure before he met my Mother he was wild, but those stories are buried a rock somewhere.

I finish off the rest of my beer and let my eyes roam the barely lit room. There are a few regulars I see playing the pool table in the corner that looks to be old as I'am. There's duck tape wrapped around the legs, just barely holding it together. But besides that there's a dartboard that hangs a little further down that no one seems to care about that its crooked. They continue to toss the darts night after night. There are several small round tables and chairs that look like have been here for years. The bar area itself is also wood with chips and carvings on it.

There's a flat screen tv that hangs over the bar. You can probably find a game going on right now. David the owner is all about sports. When I started playing for Portland, the guys would invite me out a drink and they would assure me that nobody would bother us. At first I didn't believe them, we were famous soccer players after all, but they were right. David has threatened to kick anyone out a few years back who ever bothered any of us players. Over the years there has been a few newbies and David is the first to put them in their place or kick their asses out.It's nice to have a place to unwind and not have to deal with the masses.

My eyes sweep past the door and then back. Two beautiful women who I've never seen before just walked in. We're here a lot enjoying our time off the sport. Very rarely is there a face I don't recognize and none ever as gorgeous as the two that just walked in.