young
The weekend couldn’t come soon enough. Darcy needed a break from her parents and the stress of being home. Luckily, she would have practices after school starting at the beginning of next term as well as mandatory study tables after school. She had started to sit with the team during lunch which got her out of the friend group situation, even if the remaining two shot daggers across the canteen every time Darcy looked like she was remotely happy with her newfound group. The table usually consisted of everyone from both teams, something Darcy grew to enjoy because she could still stay friendly with Robin and the rest of the reserve team.
Contrary to what Darcy thought, Madison had no hard feelings about being the reserve team keeper. Madison was just happy to still be playing football and she was promised a spot on the bench for games for the main squad in case anything went wrong. This worked out well in Madison’s favour since it is her last year at Higgs and she is incredibly busy with university applications and A levels. This arrangement was the best case scenario for all parties involved which made Darcy happy, she even started to petition for Madison to be allowed playing time on Senior Night, which would be their last home game of the season before the post season tournament.
Becoming a starter on the team gave Darcy a newfound popularity around Higgs and apparently with the Truham boys as well. Although she would never pursue any sort of relationship with any of these boys, she did make it a point to talk up her new teammates whenever the boys approached her to flirt. She wouldn't expect to become so popular because she can keep balls out of a net but then again, high school is a weird time.
She also secretly thought it was hilarious when Ben Hope came up to her out of the blue to flirt with her, right in view of Lena and Macie who scowled at the interaction. She knew it was petty, but she kind of enjoyed the revenge from those two being so controlling over her and Robin. Darcy knew that she would also have to take it upon herself to watch out for Robin, who was starting to be picked on by their former friends. It really pissed Darcy off that they had their knickers in a twist over a school football team.
Darcy had gotten home from school on Friday to both of her parents already home, which interrupted any sort of routine Darcy had established. It was strange to see both cars in the driveway so early and she really didn’t want to know why they were home. It was the start of her winter break and she did not have the energy to deal with the hostility they would likely direct at her.
She pulled the front door open to find two suitcases sitting near the door and a wave of confusion came over her. Those are her mum and dad’s suitcases, this could be a bad sign. She shuffled into the family room to find her mother scrambling to find something and her father taking a phone call. Meredith made eye contact with her daughter once she realised she was present in the room but did not say as much as a word until Marcus got off the phone.
“Well. We’re going on a last minute trip. Turns out we need to make an appearance at some family event for the week over in Berlin.” her mother stated coolly. Darcy furrowed her brows at the news.
“Oh and you aren’t going. You aren’t going to get out of class for this, especially since you have low marks in maths. We’ll be back next Sunday. We left some food money on the table and I went shopping. You are not permitted to go out, do you understand?” Her father inched towards her, a scowl forming on his face at the mention of going out. Darcy nodded her head in agreement and her parents left.
They just left her here. This is not the first time, and it certainly was common for them to just leave her alone with no notice whatsoever. They never give notice, they usually forget they have a daughter at times. The fact that they were leaving her behind on a family trip so close to Christmas of all times was insane but at the same time, it isn’t like they really did much for Christmas anyways. A wave of panic came over her and she needed to figure out what she was going to do and fast.
She went up to her room. Her fucking bedroom. The only place in this house that was home to her, the only sense of familiarity she had in life and yet she still hated that bedroom. She hated the light blue walls that were painted when she was three, she hated the childish decorations that still peeked through behind her shelf, in her closet, and scattered throughout the room itself. This room served as a reminder for her that she never got the childhood she wanted because it was spent in this room. This room was decorated for a child at a point in time but that was the extent of a childhood for Darcy, It was always parents fighting and getting physical if she so much as stepped out of line. It was always early bedtime without dinner if she spoke without permission. It was always being locked in her room to cry while her parents had guests over so she wouldn’t cause a disturbance.
There wasn’t any reason she went to her mirror, she did this when she cried sometimes. She didn’t know why she felt the need to look at her own stupid, pathetic face when she cried about things she should have anticipated. Her face looked distorted as the tears fell down her face, everything was splotchy and red and her face felt raw at the rate she wiped the tears off with the sleeve of her jumper. Her tears of sadness turned to tears of jealousy and annoyance as her thoughts raced a million kilometres a minute. Jealousy for others and annoyance at herself. Crying felt futile at this point. There was no reason she should be so damn emotional when this happened. Seriously, what did she expect?
She felt envious of the other people she knew and the parents they had and the lives they lived. She knows it isn’t always perfect for everyone, but they got some form of a childhood and some ability to express themselves. All Darcy could do was curl up in a ball and cry. She surely felt like a child, wishing that she could be with her parents. The parents she wished she was with were an idealised version of her own. A mum that would write cute notes and put them in her lunch and hug her when she had a bad day. A dad who would be excited that his daughter is taking an interest in the very sport he loved. Parents who would be there for her and not leave her behind to see family that she was also a part of. It all felt insane to her, she should’ve expected this. She didn’t even get to tell her parents about making the squad yet but what would they have said anyways? There would’ve been no acknowledgement from them about the hard work and dedication she has put in.
Why couldn’t she just be normal and happy and content with the life she had? She felt selfish for crying when she at least had parents who paid for her to play football, even if they only did it to keep her out of the house and out of their minds longer. She wished she could just turn off her emotions. She hated that she felt things, she wished she was numb.
After wallowing in her bed for a couple of hours, Darcy realised that she needed to push her emotions to the side and not waste her ability to forget she had parents for the week. She was going to play their stupid game.
The first task Darcy faced with her newfound freedom was deciding what she should do with said freedom. She decided the best course of action was to call Tara, she had asked her to hang this weekend earlier and Darcy thought the request was sincere. She punched her number into the phone and waited in anticipation as the phone rang and rang and finally….
“What’s up?” Tara answered on the other end, sounding a bit sleepy. Darcy stayed silent a bit longer than she should’ve and an awkward bout of silence occurred. “Darc, you there?”
“Oh… yeah. Still wanna hang out? I’m free all weekend and then some.”
Tara giggled on the other end and Darcy couldn’t help but giggle with her. God, she was so awkward that it was comical.
“Yes Darcy, I asked you for a reason. Come round my place tonight, I’ll send the address!” Darcy’s heart skipped a beat at the realisation that she would actually be hanging out with Tara Jones tonight.
They both ramble for a few minutes about what they possibly want to do and they devise a plan for the night. Tara is going to order a pizza and Darcy is going to bring some more snacks and a couple movies and they’re going to just ‘hang out’ as Tara put it. When they finally hang up, Darcy is over the moon excited. She realises that she should probably get everything together since she’s expected at Tara’s place in less than two hours.
Darcy ends up nearly destroying her closet to find an outfit; she decides on a pair of black leggings and an oversized, dark green Kent United jumper and a pair of black high top converse. She throws together a bag to take over with some crisps and candy from her secret stash in her bedroom as well as another jumper and some grey joggers.
She settles herself in front of the mirror and takes a quick look at herself, deciding to keep her hair down and opting for a black beanie to put over it. After what felt like an eternity of getting ready, she embarked on her fifteen minute walk to Tara’s house.
The walk itself was uneventful, nothing would be eventful in Darcy’s mind except for the night she was going to have with Tara. She walked up to Tara’s house and to the door, nerves kicking in as she rang the doorbell. Her stomach was practically in knots as she stood there facing the door to Tara’s house, waiting for someone to let her in. It was purely a nervous reaction, but for a second she was convinced that this was a joke and Tara was never going to let her in.
The door opens to reveal Tara in a purple shirt and black joggers and she is absolutely beaming at the sight of Darcy. If Darcy was unsure about the developing crush she had on Tara then that was no longer the case. She felt her cheeks redden at the sight of her and she didn’t know why. Her brain was a jumble of emotions and she couldn’t seem to understand why she was so damn awkward.
“Hey,” Darcy said, trying to keep her voice steady.
“Hey Darcy, come on in!” Tara motioned for Darcy to come in and she followed.
Hopefully she can put her stupid emotions to the side and actually have a good time with Tara.