A Call From Cheney
"Press will you come help me with the groceries please!!" Julie calls out into the apartment she shares with Christen.
"Yeah I'll be right there Jules" Christen answers walking towards the door.
Her and JJ have shared an apartment in Chicago since they started playing for the red stars together. They had gotten along pretty well, considering they were best friends, and never really fought much. After they had set down all the groceries, Julie and Christen talked to each to other from across the island in their kitchen.
"You ready for this camp Chris? It's only like a week away"
"100% ready"
"I'm worried about you..."
"Why? You don't need to be"
"I just don't want every camp to be like this. I don't want you to dread every camp because of her. I want you to be able to grow and be comfortable on the National Team without that feeling of awkwardness or resentment yunno? And because of my falling out with alex and Tobin I want the same thing for myself too."
"I get it Jules but we'll find a way to get along again. I mean Jill told us to play nice so maybe eventually with all this pretending maybe it'll be natural after a while. Time heals everything Julie, I know time can fix this one"
"Are you sure time heals everything?"
"Positive"
"Tobin Heath where the fuck are you??" Kelley screamed at the midfielder through the phone.
"I'm coming home right now I promise" Tobin answers in a more than slightly slurred voice.
"I'm giving you 20 minutes to get home Tobin. 20 damn minutes" Kelley hung up to phone too frustrated to even finish the conversation.
When they first got back Tobin had been fine. She had been acting normal and seemed to be completely unfazed by the last camp, but as time went on she slowly started to change. Kelley had never seen Tobin get flat out wasted let alone beyond tipsy in her whole entire life, until now. It started out slowly. Tobin would just go out a little bit more than usual here and there, but she never did anything too wild. Kelley thought it was her way of getting over christen and becoming more social, but then it turned into going out every single night. One Friday night Tobin came home completely tanked. Kelley didn't think it was even possible to be that wasted and live through it. After that it became a reoccurring event, whenever Tobin had gone out Kelley knew she would be nursing Tobin back to health the next morning.
One night in particular Tobin had come home and immediately started sobbing. Hearing the loud commotion Kelley got up to check things out. There in the middle of the kitchen was a broken and defeated Tobin Heath.
"What're you doing Tobin?"
"Kelley I fucked it up. I fucked it all up!!"
"What did you mess up Tobin?"
"I had the chance to get over Alex!!I had the chance to be happy!! I had the chance to be with a girl who actually cared about me!! Why didn't I see that? I had the chance to be with this drop dead gorgeous girl. I had the chance to be with Christen Press. But guess what? I ruined it, and now it's over. She probably doesn't even care anymore"
"Tobs...?"
"What Kelley?!?"
"Do you love her...?"
"I don't even know what love is anymore"
After that Kelley had figured out why Tobin went out so much. She couldn't just let Tobin try drown all her pain in drinks that make your throat burn and your head spin. She was adamant in getting Tobin to stop going out and cope with everything in a safer way. She hated seeing one of her best friends throw her life away over this.
"Kelley?" The freckled girl heard a familiar voice answer her phone call.
"Yeah Cheney it's me" She answered back.
"Is something wrong? Isn't like 3 am where you are? Why are you up? Why are you calling?" The motherly instinct came out in the retired midfielder.
"Chen, it's Tobin. It's really bad. I've never seen her like this. Drinking is just not her thing. I rarely see her drink, but now I'm seeing her come home completely bombed every night. I don't know what to do Lauren, it's really bad. I'm just so worried."
"Has she said anything about why she does this?"
"Well not exactly, but one night she came home sobbing and vented about how she messed everything up with Christen, and how she could've gotten over Alex with this beautiful girl who actually cared about her. And how she'll finally be happy and stuff"
"Wait Tobin got together with Christen? As in Christen Press? I knew her and Alex broke up, but her and Press were a thing? When did this happen? Kelley why doesn't anyone ever tell me anything? Retirement sucks"
"Maybe that's why you should come out of it, but anyways yeah Tobin and Christen roomed together at the last camp and started getting closer and apparently they had feelings for each other and Alex was really jealous because apparently she still had feelings for Tobin. One night we played never have I ever in Syd's and there was a lot of drinking going on and one question in particular had really pissed Alex off so she ran off into the hallway and Tobin ran after her and then she started arguing with Alex so alex grabbed Tobin's faced and kissed her and christen walked in. And they ignored each other after that but Julie heated everything and got in fights with Tobin and Alex the next day at breakfast and practice. It got so bad that Jill noticed so she had an intervention with all of us and Carli and broon. So she basically just made us play nice until camp was over but yeah that's what happened."
"Jeez Kelley slow down I never knew you could talk that fast. Wait so Alex still has feelings for Tobin, what? And I love Julie, but why was she being so damn protective over Christen?"
"Yeah I roomed with Alex and she got really drunk one night and told me that she still had feelings for Tobin and that she cheated on her with Serv and had asked to be traded to Orlando. She was pretty broken up about Tobin though. She really missed her. And the whole Julie situation was weird. It was like an animal instinct came over her and she did everything to protect Christen right away. I don't know Chen it was just weird"
"Alex cheated on Tobin with Serv? Ugh this is all so complicated. Wait Kelley do you know where Tobin is now?"
"No I came home and she wasn't here so I called her and told her she had twenty minutes to get home, but that was like 15 minutes ago"
"Can I stay on the phone with you so I can talk to Tobin when she gets home?"
"Yeah sure Chen"
As if on cue Tobin walked in the door less than a minute later.
"See Squirrelly I told you I'd be home soon. Right on time!" She proclaimed before collapsing on a bar stool in their kitchen.
"Tobin I'm on the phone with Cheney she wants to talk to you"
"I'm always up to talking to my Chensaw!"
"Alright Lauren she's all yours" Kelley whispered into the phone.
"CHENDOG WHATS UP!! LONG TIME NO SPEAK!!" The very drunk midfielder yelled into the phone after snatching it away from Kelley.
"Tobin I'm not talking to you so we can catch up. We can do that later. I'm talking to you because you're drunk off your ass right now and I know exactly why you're being like this, but what pisses me off is you didn't tell me Tobin. You didn't tell me anything about what was going on in your life, but I found out, I always do. So Tobin you're going to listen to me right now alright?"
"Oooookayyyyy"
"At the next camp you're gonna stop acting like a baby and you're going to talk to Christen and tell her exactly how you feel alright? If you do that things will get better Tobs I promise."
"I don't wanna talk to her."
"Tobin it's the only way things will get better. You're not doing so good rn aren't you?"
"Chen my heart hurts. It hurts so much. I don't wanna hurt anymore. I want it to stop"
"Tobs I promise if you stop going out and stop getting plastered and if you tell Christen how you truly feel, it'll stop hurting I promise. I promise you things will get better. You'll get better"
"You promise?"
"I promise?"
"I love you Cheney"
"I love you too, but I know you'll probably forget this whole conversation so I'll call you again in the morning"
"Okay"
"Alright goodnight Tobs go get some rest I'll talk to you in the morning, love ya"
"Goodnight Chen"
"Babe honestly what's up talk to me" Servando said looking at alex from the opposite end of the couch they both laid on while watching tv.
"What'd you mean what's up?"
"Listen lex I love you but ever since you came back from the last camp you've been acting kind of...off... What happened...?"
"Nothing Serv there was just a lot of drama with Press, JJ, and Kelley."
"I don't see how that has to do with you acting weird"
"C'mon Serv you know Kelley's one of my best friends so I'm just worried about her. It's been getting to her lately and I hate that that's happening to her. She doesn't deserve it. She's such a kindhearted and loving person. She wouldn't even hurt a fly, I don't know why Press won't believe her. Anyone would be lucky to have her. Anyone who's had her and lost her, lost one of the most amazing girls in the world. I can't believe Press doesn't see that in Tobin. I sure did." The forward said getting lost in her thoughts.
"Wait did you just say Tobin? I thought this was about Kelley? Alex-"
"Oh shit did I say Tobin? My bad, She was hanging out with Kelley, whenever Kelley wasn't with me, for like the whole entire camp. I just got their names mixed up"
"It's alright lex I get it. And I know you're worried about Kelley, I would do the same if it were one of my best friends. I'm sure things will get straightened up by next camp. I mean I really hope so because I hate seeing you so torn over this"
"I know babe, don't worry things will be worked out when I get back from this next camp."
"Are your sure?"
"100%"
"Tobs wake up we're landing"
"Uh ugh whaa?"
"We're in LA, wake up!! We gotta get off this plane before we do anything else, and that includes eating"
"Alright alright im getting up jeez"
After making their way through the airport they waited outside for their cab to pick them up and take them to the team hotel.
"You know what I find kinda ironic?" Kelley asks Tobin.
"What?"
"Before the last camp I was asking you if you would be okay seeing Alex, but now...I'm asking you if you're okay seeing someone else"
"I thought I would be okay last camp...We all know how that worked out..."
"It gets better Tobs...Trust me"
"I'm not so sure about that"
"Remember what Cheney said that one night?"
"Yeah"
"Didn't you feel better in the morning...well after you nursed that massive hangover"
"I mean yeah I guess"
"See Tob. I know you didn't think you would feel any better but you did huh? And just like that night you'll get through this and you'll get better soon. I promise."
"Kelley why do you care so much?"
"Because you're my best friend Tobin. I hate seeing you like this. It's absolutely agonizing seeing you go through heart break after heart break. I just can't sit back and watch this happen."
"I'm sorry you had to be so involved in this Kelley. You don't get as much credit as you deserve."
"It's alright, I'm just doing my job"
"You're job seems pretty damn tough squirrelly"
"Hey you have a job to do when we get to camp too remember?"
"I do?"
"Remember what you promised Cheney?"
"Oh shit yeah. I guess I do have a job then."
"Press how ya holding up?" Christen felt someone clasp a hand on her shoulder.
"Oh hey Carli, I'm alright honestly it's been getting better though." Press said turning around to face her captain.
"That's what I like to hear. Let me know if you need anything okay?"
"Yeah totally, will do"
"Alright kiddo I gotta go make my rounds. Keep your head up okay?"
"I will, thanks Carli"
Christen made her rounds as well greeting her teammates in the hotel lobby. She said hello to almost everyone before roommates were announced.
"Alright ladies I've texted you all the rooming list. I'll give you 30 minutes to get settled before our team meeting at 1."
Christen looked at her phone to see Jill had sent a text in their team group chat. She unlocked her phone and looked at the list.
Carli-Becky
Julie-Hope
Meghan-Morgan
Tobin-Kelley
Sydney-Ashlyn
Lindsey-Dunn
HAO-Sam
Christen-Alex
Emily-Ali
Alyssa-Pinoe
Crystal-Stephanie
Shit.