Strike It Right (Louis Tomlinson)

Chapter 13

I got out of the shower. It’s already 10 am if I’m not wrong and I already feel good and fresh. I wrap my hair with the towel and hear knocking on my door. I open it and it’s a room service.
“You asked for a newspaper every morning.” Says the young guy and I smile and nod.
“Yes, thank you.” I say as he handles me today’s newspaper. I give him some tip and he smiles me back. He goes to other rooms and I just close the door and sit on the bed and look at the newspaper. One headline catches my attention “One more drama in England’s football”. I frown and quickly turn on the page which was written under the headline. I look at the pictures of this article and in one it’s me and in other Louis and in third a picture of team being in the training. I  started to read it

Are you trying to think about what drama we’re talking about? It looks that everything is good right now. The last match finished with England's 0-2 victory against Honduras and this team’s fans relived their hopes to qualify for further stages. But if you want to have good results you need to have a good and fair atmosphere in the team. So what is the atmosphere in this team?

Firstly, let’s maybe look at the teams coach. The first fact which is shocking us is that the coach is a woman. Sometimes it’s still hard to believe and a lot of us think what Mr. Villar had in his minds when signing a contract with a woman… Maybe he wanted to help a poor woman who has got a sad past and now has to pay for that? Our workers did their job and found some information about Miss Brighton's life. She was a successful football player. Probably that’s why she decided to become a coach. And now she’s a coach of boys’ and girls’ teams in her native city football academy. But there coach’s wage is pay is not so impressive and with those money it’s really hard to have a good life… and especially when you have to take care of your injured for whole life mother. Another interesting fact of our coach. One day she with her family (mother, father and brother) was driving from her grandparents and her father made a car accident. Mr. Brighton and his son died right after the car flipped, Mrs. Brighton was seriously injured and still is and their daughter Navishaa was also seriously injured. That’s why she quitted football… So maybe this could be the answer why Mr. Villar hired this still quite young and inexperienced woman… She needs to pay for her mother’s treatment.

Anyway, so where’s the drama, you ask? The drama is that Miss Brighton has lost one of her team player’s trust. I don’t say that others are relying on her as well, but I believe that the one who talked with us after match is the most disappointed from all of them. As our source told Miss Brighton's decisions who plays from the start and who substitutes who is not so innocent as it might look. We smell a corruption? Maybe not… let’s look further. We asked why the anonymous says like that and he answered like this “You think that Louis Tomlinson came to the field in the second half because he’s worth that? No… it’s not because of that. It’s because he and our coach has an affair. I know that Louis kissed her in the day before match and just look… he got the pass to the field.” Says our source a bit hurt. Can it be true or is it just a slander. It’s hard to say because no one can show us the video or picture of this… But why should one player from the team lie to us? Does he hate Miss Brighton so much that he could tell such things? If yes then the federation should think again if their decision to hire her was right… and if no… then the federation still needs to think again of the decisions of their new coach. Everybody knows that woman’s heart is weak and maybe we will see Louis Tomlinson starting in the next match?

I bite my lip and see a tear falling from my face on the newspaper. I take a deep but shaking breath and feel anger rushing through my whole body. What I have done to them? Can someone explain me that?
I quickly stand up from my bed and move into slippers and rush out of the room.

>>>>Louis< <<<
I keep lying on the bed and looking at the ceiling.

“Come on, Lou. Let’s go to the city. You need to walk off and think about somebody else.” Says Zayn and wants to drag me out of the bed but I just shake off his hands a bit. But I can’t be angry with him. He only wants to help me and I think I really need to take a break from my thinking about both the girls. I just sigh and get out of my bed.
“Ok.” I say and his face brightens.

Suddenly Navishaa only in her bathrobe and wrapped towel on her head storms into our room. She’s crying? I look at her confused and meet her angry look.

“And I though you were talking honestly.” She says angrily and laughs sarcastically “How stupid I was that I believed you?!” she shouts and puts a hand on her forehead and I just look confused and frowned at her.
“About what you’re talking?” I ask softly and she just glares at me deadly

“Oh, so you don’t know?!’ she shouts angrily and throws a paper on my table “I can’t understand what I have done to all of you?” she asks angrily and looks at me and Zayn “Do you hate me so much because of that I’m a woman?! I thought that everything has become better. You started to listen to at the trainings and matches. We are now on the right track and I really believed that we can reach a lot but as I can see our opinions are different because you just want to get rid of me.” She says with tears in her eyes and my heart aches “You’re such a good actor, Tomlinson.” She says my surname with such amount of hatred that my heart aches even more “I thought that you were talking seriously that you don’t want me to leave, that true coaches don’t do that and all that other bullshit. You knew how to play with me… and that kiss…” she says and laughs ironically and I just keep looking at her painfully “Oh my God… what a move.” She says and claps to me “You’re really a smart guy. At first you wanted to take a place in the starting eleven and then you would easily kick me off the team. Good that your plan didn’t work…” she says and looks at me painfully “…But congratulations… you ruined my life once again.” She finishes with shaking voice and crying goes out of my room leaving me standing totally misunderstood. I slowly look at Zayn.

“What was she talking about?” I ask but he just shrugs his shoulders the same confused like I am. He comes to the table and takes a newspaper in his hands. He quickly turns to one page and then shows it at me a bit surprised. I see mine and Navishaa’s photo and then the photo of the team doing an exercise. I quickly grabbed the paper and read the article immediately. With every word I frown more and when I finished I nervously throw the paper away and glared at Zayn.
“Was it your job?” I ask angrily and he just looks at me surprised.
“Of course not. I can tell only to somebody who I and you know… no one else.” He says a bit insulted I think and I just covered my mouth with a palm. It’s not good at all…

“It’s written that the source was very hurt that you substituted someone. I was really not hurt. I even was glad for you.” He says to me and I just look at him sadly. He’s right. He even tried to talk with me after the game when we were in the bus.
“Also it’s said that he talked with her after the match and after the match I was in the bus.” He says and looks at me and I nod and apologize for accusing him. But then suddenly his eyes explode and he looks at me like that.
“What?” I ask.
“Vince.” He says and now I remember how he was not with us in the bus and that he wasn’t so happy when he found out that I kissed Navishaa.

I bite my lip strongly and stood up. I storm out of the room and barged into Vince’s room and find him watching the TV. I took his arm and roughly stood him up.
“You did this right?” I hiss to his face and he keeps looking at me scared “That article was your job.” I shouted again and  his face shows that this time he understands everything clearly. “You want to get her sacked?!” I shout and release him but not release his look.
“I bet that you don’t.” he says back and I get more angry and want to jump on him but Zayn stops me “With that you can easily get the place in starting team.” He says and fixes his shirt.
“You think he played because he kissed her?” asks Zayn and walks in front of me “You’re wrong Vince… He played because he was the best option at that moment. Because Navishaa saw that he’s better than you. I’m sitting on the bench also, but I’m not crying and putting the blame on others that I’m not as good as Charles and or anyone.” Says Zayn still holding his hand on my chest that he would stop me if I want to jump on Vince again “Let’s go Louis.” he says turns to me and pushes me out of the room.

“What’s going on here?” Charles rushes into the corridor from his room.
“Vince just made the biggest mistake in his life.” I hiss and enter my room angrily. I go to the bedroom and kick to the bed angrily.
“Lou, calm down.” Says Zayn and sits me on the bed while Charles comes after him.
“He’s such a bastard… Do you even realize how Navishaa feels right now?” I shout and angrily look to Zayn’s eyes. He just looks at me a bit strangely and sits in front of me.
“Maybe you should think about Jessica now?” he asks and my eyes explode.
“Oh my God… Jessica.” I quickly say, jumping of the bed and grabbed the phone “I need to call her.”
I dialled her number and impatiently went near to the window. I nervously play with my fingers on the windowsill.

“The Westin Palace hotel. How can I help you?” a young woman answers.
“Hello. Can you contact me with the room 204?” I quickly say.
“Wait a second.” She says and I hear some beeps.
“Hello?” suddenly I hear my sweet Jessica's voice which was making me to feel better.
“Honey. It’s me.” I say with a bit shaking voice.
“Oh… Louis.” She says somehow strangely and I painfully close my eyes and sit on the ground “Was she good?”
“No… Jessy. You misunderstood.” I say and beg in my mind that she would let me to explain everything.
“Which place I misunderstood? I thought that I’m good at reading.” She says....
“It was not like that how it’s written.” I say painfully and hear her sighing.
“So then how was it?” asks Jessica.
“I thought that she will leave us… and I went to her room to find out everything.” I start to explain her when she interrupts me “And you thought if you make love with her she will stay?” asks Jessica nervously and I just close my eyes and frown.
“No.” I say “I don’t know what happened… We were shouting at each other and then… then I kissed her. I don’t know why…“ I say sadly and Jessica laughs.
“I asked you only to be nice… not to fall in love with her.“ she says and I hear how her voice starts shaking also. Please… don’t cry.
“I’m not falling in love with her.” I tried to be convincing although I don’t know that myself... “That kiss means nothing to me.”
“Louis… you’re adult. That means you’re responsible for your acts. If you say that it nothing means to you then maybe the newspaper is right and you’re using her to find your place in the start?” she asks sadly and I cover my face with my palm.
“No… it’s not like that… I’m not like that…” I say almost crying…
“I thought that you’re not a cheater also. But now I know that I was wrong…” she says and hangs up the phone and I hug my knees and sink my face into my legs.
“Louis…?” Charles carefully says and I stand up and wipe out my face.
“I need to be alone.” I say sadly and got out of the room…

>>>>Navishaa<<<
For some time I started to think that the kiss was real.. Oh my God… I’m getting more stupid every day. How could I think that famous but the same arrogant Louis Tomlinson can change his personality and fall in love with me… What a good actor. I though I saw sparkles in his eyes when he looked at me then in the bathhouse, but it was just a big fat lie. They just wanted to fool me and show to the world how stupid I could be. They’re not enough of the pain which I feel every day when I take a newspaper in my hands or read some articles about me on the Internet. They’re not enough of the pain which I feel when I think how people hate me enough…

I want to go home… I so badly want that. I want to take care of my mom, to be with my girls and boys… to meet Rick who always understands me.
But I’m here… and that makes me to feel worse…
I hear a knock on my door but I don’t want nobody to be with me right now so I just don’t respond. Another knock and I just turn my look to the window.
“Navishaa?” I hear how the door opens and Xavier sticks his head in.
“I’m here.” I say and sigh and he comes deeper into my room after closing the door.
“It’s time for training already… why are you not prepared?” he asks and sits on the bed and I just look at him ironically.
“What? You didn’t see today’s newspaper?” I ask nervously and turn my look through the window again and he just smiles and softly strokes my hand.
“I did. So? It’s just another stupid article.” He says and I laughed.
“Maybe it is…but other articles were only journalists’ ideas… this time even the team was the part of this and it makes me to feel worse then ever.” I say sadly and look down “If they want me to get out from their way so badly than maybe I should do that?” I say
“Stop saying that, Jessica.” Xavier says quickly “You’re here. You reached your first victory, you’re here to lead your team to a final and you’re doing a good job. You have to be as ambitious as you were previous. You have to be tough. So don’t care about those stupid articles, stand up and let’s go to the training.” He says strictly and stands up from the bed.
“Sorry… but this time you didn’t convince me.” I say sadly and Xavier takes my arm and stands me up from the bed.
“If not like that then we will play different. You go and prepare or I will make you.” He says and I just sigh nervously and wander to the bathroom. Maybe he’s right… maybe not… I don’t know if I even care.
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I’m sitting in the stadium and waiting till they will go out already prepared for the work. I stood up from the chair when I heared that they are coming out. They were all standing in front of me and I just try not to look at them. I feel disgusting… especially I feel disgusted just thinking of Tomlinson…
“15 laps.” I say in a cold voice and raise my chin up. I won’t show them that I’m broke down.
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While they are having a shower after training I’m putting the stuff in the bags.
“Can we talk?” suddenly I hear a voice which I hate the most right now.
“No.” I say coldly, closed the bag and got away from him but he catches up with me.
“Please.” He says acting hurt… Acting again… ugh. No this time I won’t believe. I’m hurt right now not him…
I didn’t say anything and went to the bus and asked the driver to close the door after me and open it only then when everybody will come.

>>>>Louis< <<<
I  kicked the rock and sweared. What? She thinks that she’s only one suffering here? Well she’s wrong! My girlfriend hates me and that is killing me… but I don’t know if it’s killing me more than the fact that I really can’t forget my coach…