Page 12 of Entangled With You
When I leave my apartment building, I’m surprised to see so many people walking around, going about their days, with no signs of distress due to the weather. Whereas me? Oh, I’m fucking freezing my sweet big ass off. I should have put more layers on. I’m looking for a bakery when my phone starts vibrating, and I smile at the name I see on the screen.
“Hermanita, buen día. (Little sister, good morning),” Sofi chirps on the other side of the line while a big smile forms on my face.
“Morning! Shouldn’t you be snuggling with your husband or something?” The comment earns me a chuckle.
“I wish, but Franco went out to play Soccer Five with Marco and Juan Carlos, and I’m getting ready to go to work.”
That’s right. As a soccer player, I have Mondays off, but that’s not true for people with regular jobs.
“Oh fun.” It’s all I say, and Sofi immediately catches on.
“What’s going on? Are you okay?” After releasing a deep breath, I proceed to spill my guts to my sister.
“I saw him at the game.” I sit on a bench at the plaza (park) two blocks from my apartment, the cold I was feeling long forgotten.
“Saw who?” Sofi asks, and I roll my eyes.
“You know who. Matías.” My sister’s gasp could be heard all the way to Colombia, I’m surprised she’s surprised.
“I doubt it, sis. Franco invited him, and he said he already had plans.”
This is not what I was expecting to hear from Sofi. I know I saw him.
“Sofi, I swear, it was him. I would recognize those eyes anywhere.” And it’s true, I know I haven’t seen him in a while, but the pull that man has over me is different—it always has been.
“Hmm, that’s strange because honestly we invited him to tag along. We haven’t seen him in a while so we were looking forward to spending time with him.”
I don’t even think twice about what I’m going to say next, I try to sound nonchalant, but I know I’m not. “Maybe he has a girlfriend, and that’s why he was busy.”
Silence. My sister, who usually has something to say, is quiet. A sinking feeling sets in my gut. Maybe Sofi knew and wanted to spare me the news?
Finally, after a few excruciating minutes, my sister speaks. “I really don’t think so. I’m sure Franco would have heard something. I’ll ask him tonight.” It feels like Sofi is saying the right words, but I’m not sure why she’s trying to protect me. The truth is, Matías and I have never been together. It’s just a stupid teenage crush.
“Please don’t ask Franco, this feels like a novela. You’re right, maybe I imagined I saw him.” Sofi tries to speak but I’m quick to say my goodbyes. “Love you sis, maybe we’ll catch up soon. Yeah?”
Taking a deep breath, I pocket my phone and continue my quest to find a bakery to eat my feelings. Tomorrow is a new day and I get to train with my team again. I have to focus on what’s important, and right now, that’s not disappointing all of the people who are counting on me.
Training in Buenos Aires is more demanding than what I’m used to—since here we train twice a day—but I tend to shine the brightest when I’m under pressure. At least that’s what I keep telling myself every time the team captain looks at me with murderous eyes. I get it, I’m the newbie here, and I was introduced as the next big thing in South American soccer, but it’s not my fault. I’ve worked my ass off to get noticed. I’m having a sip of my drink while on a water break when another of the midfielders approaches me.
“Hey Cata? I’m Stefa,” she says as she gives me a pat on the back.
“Nice to meet you,” I say with a smile. I know I’m here to play and earn a spot on the team, but I’ve never been mean, and I won’t start now. I reserve my bitchy attitude for the game.
“Don’t worry about Noelia,” she says, and I frown, confused. “Our captain, she’s testing you. Don’t let her get to you, she’s simply establishing who’s boss.”
“Alright, I can appreciate that,” I say as I take another sip, feeling better and lighter now that I have a teammate giving me an in. “Thank you so much for introducing yourself, it means a lot,” I say sincerely, and Stefa waves me off.
“It’s not a big deal, we’re teammates and I’ve never believed in bully tactics. You have a lot going on at the moment, the last thing you need is to worry about your teammates, too.”
I give her an appreciative smile at the same time the coach blows the whistle. Break is over. It’s time to show the captain and everyone else what I am made of.
As I’m walking toward the locker room, the captain falls into step with me and hangs her arm on my shoulders. “Good job today, Cata. Keep it up.” I nod my head at her, trying not to show my emotions but the truth is, I’ll be able to sleep a little bit better tonight knowing slowly but surely I’m being accepted by the team.
It’s Friday night, and I’m on cloud nine after hearing the roster of the starting eleven. We have an away game in Rosario, so we’ll be going tomorrow for our Sunday match. Stefa mentioned that the team is going out for dinner tonight after training. I tend not to drink or stay up late during the season, but here in Argentina they eat at ten in the evening, so I figured I’d join them.
“Hey Cata, you made it.” Stefa is the first one to greet me as I make my way to an empty seat toward the end of the long table. Only half of the team is here, which is surprising given that everyone was excited at the thought of dinner tonight. There are several pitchers of water on the table, so I pour myself a glass before perusing the men.
“What do you guys recommend here? I’m starving,” I say as I start looking at the main dishes. Everything sounds delicious: pasta, surf and turf, salmon.