Chapter 8

HAILEY TOOK A DEEP breath when she walked into the indoor sports complex and immediately regretted it. Besides an indoor soccer field, the complex housed a roller hockey rink. Between hockey pads and soccer shinguards, the odor of sweat always lingered. It must have been absorbed into the walls at this point.

The smell still couldn’t put a damper on Hailey’s mood. Playing soccer was the highlight of her week for a few reasons.

First, it gave her the opportunity for some stress relief. Between kicking the ball, running up and down the turf and rough contact with her opponents, she was able to let out some pent-up rage she refused to admit she held. Of course, the other team usually noticed.

The second reason was she could simply shut down her brain. There were no problems she was dealing with. No annoying patrons at tables, no boyfriends striking her last nerve, and a little bit of freedom from the dark cloud that usually followed her around. She just got to turn off her brain for a while.

Ever since she started playing sports, she looked forward to that time between whistles, where all that mattered was what happened on the field. The game moved so quickly that even if you made a mistake it was easy to get past it because you really didn’t have time to think about it. It also helped that indoor soccer was just plain fun.

The third reason Hailey looked forward to soccer every week was a little bit harder for her to admit.

She made her way through the facility with ceilings towering above her, passing the hockey rink on her right and turning left toward the soccer turf. The turf was surrounded by tall white walls that you could use to your advantage when you played, passing around the other team when the situation presented itself.

“Hailey Bills!” her group of friends shouted from their spot on the floor behind the field, donning their shinguards and indoor soccer shoes while the game before theirs finished up. They loved shortening her name from Williams to Bills. She was fine with either at this point.

“Hey, who’s ready to kick some ass?” she responded as she sat down among her teammates in matching red jerseys. They all grew up in Cherrywood and most of them still lived in the area, if not nearby. After a particularly lively post-game celebration years back, they decided to call themselves the Cherry Stems, even though Cole did not like to talk about the night that influenced it. But, that was another story.

She heard a lot of yeses, but Avery gave her a serious look.

“I’m not sure I can play, I’m just too nervous about the vital importance of these games,” he said sarcastically while trying to contain a smile.

“Oh c’mon, if you can get up in front of the whole school and sing “Hungry Like the Wolf” dressed up like a wolf—”

Avery couldn’t hold back his smile anymore, “You remember that?”

Hailey hesitated for a beat realizing she may have shared too much so she turned it around.

“Only because it scarred me for life, Avery. I still have nightmares of wolves singing Duran Duran.”

He looked like he was wrestling with a thought until he shrugged and decided to say what he was thinking. “I’m just so honored that you’re dreaming of me.”

Now, Hailey knew her cheeks were getting red. Those bitches were always betraying her. “Oh, shut up!” She giggled and threw one of her long socks at him. He chuckled and threw it back.

Hailey had Avery Stratford on her mind since her last therapy session. He was always such a sweetheart, even in high school. They were never single at the same time so they never got the chance to explore a relationship. Plus, they were just friends. Why would he like someone like her like that? But, Hailey couldn’t help wondering what it would be like, especially after last night’s disappointing anniversary with Gage.

Avery was one of those men that got better as he got older. In high school, he had an impressive display of muscles and a baby face. Now, a bit of scruff gave him a rugged look that made Hailey wonder what his cheeks felt like. She had peeks of his torso throughout the years and she knew he kept in good shape. His soft, sandy blond hair fell over his forehead and his gray-blue eyes were focused on Hailey, making her breath hitch.

She turned and caught eyes with Abby who had a raised eyebrow aimed at Hailey. So, Hailey did the mature thing and stuck out her tongue at her. Abby just shook her head, letting her super curly, blonde hair bounce all over the place and drawing attention to the constellation tattoo behind her ear.

“I’m so ready to destroy this team,” said Cole, their team hype man. “I can’t believe they beat us last time. Not tonight, motherfu—”

“Dude, there is a kid five feet away from you,” Elena broke in, shaking her head at Cole and pointing to a kid sitting at a table nearby. “It shocks me you’re able to keep from swearing all day in front of your students.”

Cole and Elena were both teachers at their alma mater. No one really understood why they were always so annoyed with each other, but no one could blame them after dealing with high schoolers all day.

He ran his hand through his long dark locks that practically reached his chin, rolling his piercing ice-blue eyes at Elena. Avery may have had the comforting gray-blue eyes that were just plain welcoming, but Cole’s had this mischievous twinkle like he knew a secret about everyone around him. Knowing him, he probably did.

“Ah, my bad. Not tonight, mother fudgesicles.”

“Oooh, we should go get victory fudgesicles after we win tonight,” said Hailey.

“Or liquor. Liquor would also work for me,” added Abby. She was one of three girls on the team. The co-ed rules required at least two females to be on the field at all times, keeping the men from hogging all the playing time. It was a far cry from when they played at the high school level together, when wins mattered to a whole school.

She tried to distract herself with getting ready. After she finished tying her shoes, she took off the long-sleeve shirt she wore over her jersey.

“Holy shit, Hailey, what happened?” Abby gasped, staring wide-eyed at Hailey.

She looked down at herself wondering what she was talking about when she noticed the bruises on her arms. Bruises in the shape of fingers wrapping around her biceps.

Now, she could feel the heat reach her cheeks and knew her face must be bright red.

“Um … it’s nothing. It was just an accident,” she said, trying to pull her short sleeves farther down her arms to no avail. Sure. That will convince them. An accident didn’t sound suspicious at all.

She looked around and realized the entire team was staring at her with concern. What was the protocol here? Hailey didn’t exactly want to describe the events of the previous night but she also didn’t want them thinking that Gage abused her.

Abby narrowed her eyes, “An accident.”

“Yeah, no big deal at all. I’m fine.”

Hailey felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to face Avery, his face darkened with worry.

“Are you sure?” It felt like his eyes were boring into Hailey’s. “Do you … is there anything … are you okay?”

Avery was a social worker, so he had lots of experience seeing bruises like the ones on her arms. She worried what he must be thinking.

Hailey stiffened. Her body went rigid with all the eyes on her.

“It’s fine. Things just got carried away last night, but I’m safe. Really.”

Her teammates didn’t look like they bought her vague reasoning and Avery’s hand remained on her shoulder.

She turned to him, “Really I’m fine. Thank you for caring, but I’m good.”

Saved by the scoreboard horn, the game in front of them ended and it was their turn to take their places on one of the benches.

Cole noticed she wanted to move on so he reluctantly got the team back on track. “Okay you guys, let’s go destroy the other team’s will to live.”

His exaggerated hostility fixed the atmosphere and distracted everyone from Hailey’s arms. She was sure this wouldn’t be the last she’d hear about it. Time to let out some of that rage.

———————————

One minute left in the game had the score tied up at nine. Their team needed this win if they wanted a shot at the championship at the end of the season.

Cole rolled the ball from his spot as goalkeeper out to Hailey after stopping a shot from the other team. She lifted her eyes to see the field in front of her and noticed Abby streaking across the middle. Sending the ball her way, Hailey then sprinted behind the blue player that was covering her, setting up a give and go with Abby. Abby returned the ball and it landed perfectly at Hailey’s feet.

A blue player was running straight at her, leaving Avery wide open on her left. Hailey used the wall to get the ball around the blue player and then crashed toward the net. Avery swept up the ball with ease as Hailey made a run toward the net, now wide open. Avery fed her the ball in front of the net and she finessed it with a soft kick right past the goalie, hitting the right back corner just before the clock hit zero and the horn sounded.

Her teammates went crazy and swarmed her. Avery reached her first and pulled her into a bear hug that Hailey felt all the way to her toes, toes that had momentarily left the floor while in Avery’s arms. She got high fives and hugs from the rest of her teammates.

“Now, we’re definitely getting liquor! Time to celebrate!” Cole whooped and jumped, pumping his fist into the air.

Hailey’s first thought was how Gage would feel about her going out for drinks with the team. God forbid she have male friends. As everyone gathered their things, she checked her phone. Gage had left her a message about staying out late with his buddies for drinks somewhere on the other side of town. She was free.

———————————

The team gathered at the local watering hole, Hero’s Pub. It was near impossible to walk into that bar without seeing someone from Hailey’s high school since it was a popular spot in town that had strong pours, crispy Old Bay french fries and good wings.

The large bar was in the middle of the room, with stools and tables surrounding it, filled with people checking out whatever game was on that night.

They settled at a table in the back to save the rest of the patrons from their likely smelly bodies. They were considerate like that.

Hailey put her long-sleeve shirt back on after the game, forgetting about the bruises on her arms after getting that intense win.

After the waitress dropped off drinks for seven, Hailey called out her usual offer.

“Who wants my cherry?” she asked while holding up a single cherry, which Abby quickly snatched out of her hand.

“Sorry, Cole. Wasn’t sure if you wanted to use it to practice your knot-tying skills,” Abby said with a smirk.

“Hey, how dare you call my skills into question. It was one time and I thought we agreed not to talk about it anymore.” Everyone around him snickered. “Anyway, here’s to finally taking down those jackasses! Down with the Blues!” Cole shouted while everyone around them raised their drinks.

The group laughed and cheered, clinking their glasses together. Cole hated being teased about the cherry debacle, but no one ever accused them of being mature. Elena rolled her big brown eyes at Cole, tossing her dark, shiny ponytail over her shoulder. How did she still look so good after playing a game? Hailey had a seat in the middle of the table with Abby on her left, Cole on her right, and Avery right across from her. Their eyes met when their glasses did and Hailey gave him a smirk.

“Ya know, not all of the members of the Blues are jackasses.” Riley said, sticking his tongue out at Cole. Riley, Cole and Josh went to a gym together religiously that included a couple of the guys from the other team.

“When we’re on the field against them, they are,” Cole reasoned. Riley just shook his head in amusement while Josh bumped shoulders with him and chuckled. Riley and Josh pretty much did everything together, Josh loyally following his lead. Hailey remembered how Riley stood up for Josh a bunch in high school when he got teased for his Chinese heritage. Now, those two were pretty much ride-or-die besties.

After the win, it was easy for Hailey to let loose and just enjoy herself. She downed two Dirty Shirleys quicker than she realized and her muscles finally relaxed as warmth from the alcohol filled her belly.

“So Hailey, speaking of losers, when are you going to drop that giant L of a boyfriend of yours?” Abby asked.

She was stunned for a moment before turning to Abby.

“Why, so I can be single and die alone?” Yup, definitely feeling the liquor.

“No, so you have a chance to find someone worth being with.”

“Well, damn, Gage is worth being with. He’s got lots of great qualities. For instance he… He always … Um, wait, I know there was something.”

Hailey was definitely tipsy and had trouble thinking straight.

“Oh my goodness, you can’t even think of something! How was your anniversary last night? Did he get you something nice, at least?”

That got Hailey’s brain back on track.

“No, he did not. Well, he did, but in a bad way.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Cole butted in. Hailey didn’t realize how loudly she was talking and now most of the table was focused on her.

Fuck it.

“Okay, get this. He gets me a PlayStation, right? A fucking PlayStation and I’m like ‘Oh shit, what a great gift! This is too nice!’” She was pretty sure she got that sentence out without slurring.

“Then he tells me he got it for me so I wouldn’t need to spend as much time with him so he can do other things with his friends because I’ll be so busy playing video games.”

Hailey made the mistake of looking up at Avery at that point, and found him shaking his head in … what was that? Annoyance? Disappointment? She was too tipsy to tell.

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me. Hailey, just walk away. You can do so much better,” Cole said. “For example, I saw a rusty fridge at the end of my neighbor’s driveway on my way to the game. That would make a way better boyfriend.”

As everyone else at the table cracked up at Cole’s silliness, she glanced quickly at Avery after hearing Cole’s words and noticed his eyes lose focus, seeming to wrestle with something. With what, Hailey had no idea.

The rest of the celebration dragged on for a couple hours and Hailey had had enough french fries, water and time to sober up and drive home. One of the benefits of alcohol hitting her so hard and fast was there was plenty of time to get over it.

As the group walked out, she realized Avery was walking alongside her toward their cars. After saying their goodbyes to everyone else, he cleared his throat and turned toward her.

“Hailey, can I ask you something? And feel free to tell me to mind my own business,” he said while placing a hand softly against her forearm, making her breath hitch. She hoped he didn’t notice.

“Sure, what’s up?” She could feel the goosebumps springing up in the wake of Avery’s hand, even through her sleeve. She realized Avery was touching her more than Gage would when she was sweaty after a game.

She turned toward Avery and noticed he looked nervous, trying to decide if he wanted to ask Hailey his question or not.

“Do … do you…” While Avery was looking down, Hailey was distracted by his mouth. “Are you afraid of leaving your boyfriend? Like, when it comes to your safety? Is that why you’re still with him?”

Hailey’s eyes snapped to Avery’s, realizing the weight of what he was asking.

“Oh, uh, no. It’s not that,” she stammered. “I’m not worried he’s going to hit me or anything. It’s not like that.”

“Are you sure? I have some resources. I could help. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

Was this an inappropriate time to swoon? Hailey couldn’t decide, but her mouth turned up at the edges anyway. Maybe part of her was afraid to break up with Gage, but it wasn’t because she thought he would hit her or threaten her. It was … well, it wasn’t that. She didn’t think.

“I’m sure. I really appreciate you asking though,” she looked at her feet before bringing her eyes back up to Avery with resolve. “I guess what I’m afraid of is making the decision and if it’s the right thing to do or not. And I hate the idea of being single when I’m surrounded by couples all the time.”

“I doubt you’d have to worry about that for long,” Avery added while rubbing the back of his neck with his hand and looking anywhere but at her. He took a deep breath and brought his focus back to her. He gave her forearm a light squeeze. “Guys will be lining up and down the block for a chance with you.”

Hailey wasn’t sure if it was possible for a human being to melt, but she was suddenly afraid she would do just that, disappearing into a puddle at Avery’s feet at his kind words and concern. Lining up and down the block for her? He was out of his mind if he thought that. But, maybe if it was just one guy. The right guy… No, no, no. He had a girlfriend and she had a boyfriend.

“Thanks.” She took a deep breath and smiled before backing away toward her car.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Goodnight, Avery.”

“Goodnight, Hailey.”