Page 29 of Entangled With You
I raise my eyebrows. “A lot.”
I go make a food plate and hear Luca behind me. “Oh, yes. Take your fucking time, why don’t you. It’s like we’re hanging by a thread waiting for the novela to keep going.” We all explode in laughter. Leave it to Luca to lighten the mood.
“Seriously man, hurry up. I only have half an hour before I have to go help with Enzo’s bath.” Yesterday Enzo took a nap on Tío Matías’ lap. He's so tiny and so damn adorable. I couldn’t help but wonder what my kid would look like if I ever became a dad.
“Okay, here’s the thing. I’ve been seeing a therapist for the past few months. Truth is, I’ve dealt with social anxiety since I was a kid, and I let it rule my life all this time. When we were at Playa Blanca for your wedding,” I say pointing at Marco, “I spent the last few nights there chatting until sunrise with Cattleya. She’s the only mina in this fucking life with who I felt comfortable enough to do just that. The reason I didn’t pursue her is because the night Sofi got kidnapped, I was with Cattleya.” I close my eyes because I know Franco is going to hate me for this, but it’s been a long time, and I need to let this out. “I was having the best sex of my life while her sister was in danger. And the guilt I felt once we came back and learned what happened ate at me, and I just couldn’t face her.” The words are not completely out of my mouth when Franco lunges at me and grabs me by the neck of my shirt, pulling me up by my collar. My face is red, and my blood is boiling, but I need to let him say his piece.
“You fucked Cata? And then left? No wonder why she was so broken after that. Did you know you were her first time? I get it you have your issues man. We all do. But what you did is disgusting, and if we weren’t friends, your face would be unrecognizable. All I want to do right now is to punch you until you cry for forgiveness.” Franco’s voice breaks at the end, and even though he was yelling in my face, I know he definitely wanted to do more than that. He’s furious. I know I fucked it up, and I deserve this and more. I’m expecting Franco to land the first blow when Luca and Marco grab Franco and pull him away from me. He lets me go after one final pull of my shirt. I sag in the chair and cover my face with my hands, trying to control my breathing.
“I did know she was a virgin. As I said, we chatted long hours before we became intimate. She’s pure and innocent, and her spark of life is what attracted me to her. I truly feel like an asshole. I know I took that from her and made her feel like it didn’t mean anything to me. But it meant everything. The connection I shared with her, I’ve never shared with anyone else. She’s special, she’s everything,” I say as tears run down my cheeks, and I simply let them.
“And what’s this about a girl you’ve been chatting with?” Marco asks, tone even.
“I downloaded an app and matched with a girl. We’ve been chatting for about a month now, she messaged me asking if I wanted to meet up. I haven’t answered, and to be honest, before telling you guys about Cattleya, I was very excited. It’s been easy to chat with Milena. and I felt it was time for me to move on. But now I’m not sure.” I look at them, trying to read their reactions, but the only one I can read is Franco’s murderous glare.
“Well man, if it was me I would leave Cata alone. Yes, you fucked it up, but that was four years ago. If at some point you see her, I’d apologize, but I’d try to move on. Truth is, you don’t know her. She’s twenty-two now and a professional soccer player. She might be different from the girl you chatted with back at the beach, and if you’re feeling good about this girl Milena, I’d say go out and meet her. If it doesn’t work out, it’s fine. You can match with someone else,” Luca says as Marco nods his head.
“Yeah, man. I agree with Luca. See where things go with this girl, and the next time you see Cata, apologize.”
I’m not expecting to hear from Franco, but he surprises us all when he speaks.
“I know Cata is not my responsibility, but she’s my little sister, and I care about her. I know you didn’t take advantage of her, I get that. She was an adult when all this went down, But man, I wish things has turned out differently.” Franco pauses, and I look him in the eyes.
“I know I fucked it up. I know whatever I say now is of little to no significance because I let too much time pass, but I also know I’m a good guy. I might have a fucked up mind, but my intentions were never to hurt her. I will definitely apologize whenever I see her again.” The words I don’t say are hanging by a thread of thin air. I’m not apologizing to Franco. It’s not his place.
“Fair enough.” That’s all Franco says as he gets up from his chair and heads down the hill. “I’m gonna go for a walk. Catch you all later.”
Marco leaves after Franco too, but gives me a nod before disappearing among the vines.
“I’m proud of you for owning your shortcomings, bro. Now message this girl Milena and move on,” Luca says.
Chapter 14
Cattleya Cardona
People were buzzing around us when they saw the t-shirts we wore to the stadium: “ Mess with a Warrior, Deal with her Tribe.” When Coach asked what the T-shirts were about, Noelia simply said we wanted to show a united front, so Coach shrugged it off. She really didn’t lie; we are showing we are a tight-knit team. They have accepted me as one of their own and have my back.
The game turns out to be more physical than most games we’ve had. The Avellana players keep calling me names trying to get a rise out of me, but I know better. I’ve been watching soccer since I can remember, and have been playing since I was eight years old. Granted, at the professional level, it’s only been a few years, but this tactic is as old as time. We’ve had several shots on goal but haven’t been able to score. It’d be okay if we didn’t win; with a tie, at least we’d get a point. But after all the faults these women have had against us, I’d really like to go home with the three points.
One of their players is on the ground. We let the ball go offside so their player could get medical attention. I think she has a leg cramp, but their team doctor is on the pitch assessing her.
Coach yells at us to gather around for a water break. “You guys have dominated this game, and I’m so damn proud of you all for not falling into their game. I really believe you can pull a win. Open the field. Send the ball across to force them to loosen the defensive line. Feed the ball to Noelia. Cata, make sure you cover Noelia’s back. I know you guys can do it.”
The ref whistles, signaling the game is about to resume, and we all head back to the pitch. Noelia gives me a knowing look, and I nod at her. We’re going to score, whatever it takes. Avellana, in a gesture of fair play, passes the ball to Emma, our goalie. She shoots the ball with all her might, and it lands on Avellana’s field. I instantly run to get the ball from their player, and she taunts me, “¿Qué colombiana? ¿Querés cocaína? (What, Colombian? Want some cocaine?)” I smirk and blow her a kiss. Then I knock the ball from her feet, and dash toward their box. I can feel her right on my heels, but that just fuels me to run faster. Raising my head, I spot Noelia, swarmed by three defenders while Valeria is completely unmarked. Nodding at Vale, I shoot the ball in her direction. Noelia starts running to the other side of the field, taking the three defenders with her and clearing the field for Vale. The girl who was marking me catches on and dashes toward Vale, but it’s too late. Vale spins and caresses the ball in a way that it seems to be floating toward me. I stop it with my chest, turn around, and shoot toward the arc with my left foot. The ball takes up speed, lifting from the ground, and the next thing I know, it hits the net.
“GOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLLL,” I scream at the top of my lungs as I get tackled by my teammates.
“Concha ‘e la lora, Cata. Que zapatazo. (Holy fucking shit, Cata. You hit that ball so hard.)” I laugh at Noelia’s words but don’t correct her; I poured all my pent-up anger and frustration at the name-calling and physical aggressions into that shot.
“If you mess with a Warrior,” Stefa yells, “Deal with her tribe!”
We all shout back as we take our positions on the pitch. The game ends soon after, and we are high on the adrenaline from winning our fifth consecutive match. I think it’s been a while since our goalie has received a goal, as well. Things are looking good for us.
On our way to the locker room, Coach intercepts us and says, “Noelia, Stefa, you’re coming with me for the press conference. Cata, I don’t want to expose you to any questions about what the other players said to you. We can file a complaint if you want— what they did is unethical, and FIFA does sanctions that behavior. But I don’t want to draw attention to it during the presser. I hope you’re okay with that.”
I’m not. I wish I could drag these bitches on the floor and mop it squeaky clean with their hair, but that would be falling into the narrative they wanted to paint tonight. I simply nod at Coach and head to the locker room.
Stefa hugs me and says, just low enough for me to hear, “Don’t worry. We got you. We won’t let anyone call you names.”