Attached - Mallory Pugh/USWNT

Chapter 27

April 13th, 2022 - 11:45pm

Mal's POV

"Yes, mom, I'm fine. Just a bit bloody and bruised. That's all." Morgana said on the phone with her mom. 

The police officer was sitting in the room with the 6 of us, waiting to question us. 

"I'm gonna be fine! Yes I can play on Friday. Mom, stop worrying. Go have fun." 

I held the ice pack over her left eye and she was laying across my lap, her feet on Ashley's. Her left hand was holding her phone, and Sophia was watching a video on how to wrap her right wrist. 

Kelley was talking to the officer, telling him what happened to the best of her knowledge. Hatch was just kind of sitting there, chatting with Sanchez about what they saw. 

"Then Kelley shoved the other girl away, and I pinned her against the side of the house. She was too stunned to speak. Then the police came, and I let her go, because I know she wouldn't get away." Said Ashley Sanchez said. 

"All that? I missed that because you told me to keep Mal away?" Hatch smacked her forehead. 

"Do you not believe me?" 

"I believe you." 

"Good. Because you can ask Kelley or Soph. And I'm very sorry I made you miss it. Mal is a bit sensitive so I didn't want her to get upset." 

"Hey! I am not sensitive!" I said. 

"Yeah you are." Morgana looked up at me mid sentence, then started talking to her mom in french. 

"Whatever." I huffed, and took the ice off her eye. "It's swelling." 

"That's okay." Said Sophia, standing up off the floor and putting the wrap stuff back. 

"How much longer? It's cold." Said Morgana. 

"10 more minutes, Morg." Said Hatch, looking at the clock. 

"UGH!" 

"Sorry kid." 

"You can do it. You just got straight up assaulted. I think you can keep ice on your eye for 10 more minutes." Sanchez said. 

"Alright, girls. Who made the call to us?" Asked the officer. 

"That would be me." Said Hatch. 

"Let's go into the other room so I can ask you a few things. This could be a while, girls. So hang in there." He said, and walked into the dining room. 

"I'm sorry this happened, Morgana." Said Sanchez quietly after about 2 minutes. 

"Me too, babe." Said Sophia coming to sit near us. 

"Don't call me that." Was her only response. 

"What do you say?" I asked firmly. 

"Thanks." She said quickly. 

"She's okay. She doesn't have to say anything." Said Sanchez. 

"Stop treating me like 'poor little Morgana.' That's not what I want. I'm fine." She said, sitting up. 

"This is a big deal, you know that, right?" Kelley said quietly. 

"No it's not." 

"This isn't something you can downplay, Morg. You can't just pretend nothing ever happened." I said. 

"Yes I can. I'm going to go to practice tomorrow and play Friday. Then I can enjoy the rest of my break before I have to go back to Nashville." I sighed.