The Coach's Daughter

Chapter 32

Tuesday morning I woke up in the same position: with the boys huddled around me. Henry's alarm was what had woken me. I groaned quietly, for I had a huge headache from crying last night.

I pushed past the pain in my head and tried to wake the three others. I went to Henry first, since he would be the one who got up first.

I didn't bother trying to be quiet since Alex and Ben needed to be woken also. "Henry," I said, "Get up. We have school, unfortunately."

In his way of answering me, he rolled over, now lying on Ben, Alex, and mine's stomachs, making all three of us groan.

"Henry! Ow! Just get up please," I told him.

"Mhm..." Henry moaned.

"I mean it Henry if you don't get up I''ll..." I left it there to see what Henry would do.

"You'll what?" Henry mumbled.

"I'll give you a haircut," I grinned.

"Fine I'll get up. Just not the hair, okay? That's my baby," Henry said, as he combed through his hair with his fingers, not moving.

"Let's go Henry," I said impatiently.

"Alright I'm going, I'm going," he replied, starting to crawl over us.

"Ouch," Alex groaned.

"What?" I questioned.

"I just got kneed in the stomach," Alex muttered.

"Sorry Alex," Henry grinned.

"I'll get you for that," Alex muttered.

"Come on guys, knock it off," Ben interrupted.

"I'm going," Henry said, sliding off the bed.

Alex got off the bed after Henry, then me, then Ben.

Alex and Ben walked into Henry's closet. Just as Henry was about to follow them I spoke, "Henry, can I have a different shirt?"

"Yeah," he said, nodding. Henry walked into his closet, and brought out a grey plain t-shirt. "It's small on me so it shouldn't be too big, but it'll still probably be big."

"That's okay. Thanks Henry," I responded.

Henry smiled. "No problem." He walked back into his closet, looking for his own clothes to wear. Alex and Ben came out, holding some of Henry's clothes to change into.

I turned around and took off the current shirt I was wearing, and put the new one on. I also threw my hair up into a messy ponytail.

When I turned back around Alex and Ben were dressed. Both were wearing athletic shorts and random t-shirts.

Henry came out of the closet in jeans and a plain t-shirt.

"Everybody dressed?" Henry asked. We all nodded and followed Henry down the stairs and into the kitchen to grab some breakfast.

All four of us had a bowl of cereal; Alex had Fruit Loops, Ben had Cheerios, And both Henry and I had Lucky Charms.

I finished first, and set my dirty dishes in the sink. I headed upstairs to Henry's bathroom and brushed my teeth, using my extra toothbrush I kept here.

As I was rinsing my mouth, somebody came into the bathroom and also grabbed their toothbrush. I looked up briefly, and saw that it was Ben. He hadn't put the toothpaste on his brush yet and it looked like he was waiting for me.

Once I was finished and put my things away, I looked at him questioningly, for he had not yet started brushing his teeth.

"How are you feeling?" Ben asked quietly.

All this morning I had pushed away my feelings, making myself feel numb. But when Ben asked me that, the feelings just came flooding in. The heartbrokenness, the guilt, the anger, the tears.

"I feel horrible," I answered quietly, trying not to let out my cries. "My head hurts from crying, I'm numb from pushing away my feelings, I feel so guilty, I'm angry at both myself and Charlie, I'm trying my hardest not to cry right now... And my heart feels like it's in two. I realized it yesterday Ben. I'm in love with him. I love him, and I never got to tell him. And now it's too late."

"Anna, I'm so sorry. You don't deserve this."

"Ben, sometimes I feel like I do. I mean, I never told him about my mother, and-"

"Anna stop. You don't deserve this. Okay? You. Do. Not. Deserve. This," Ben responded, cutting me off.

I nodded. "Thank you Ben," I replied gratefully.

"You're welcome," Ben smiled.

I smiled back at him and left the bathroom, leaving Ben to brush his teeth as I entered Henry's room.

I picked up my clothes I was wearing yesterday, and shoved them into my bag with my laptop.

I looked at the shoes I wore yesterday to Delilah's and frowned. Tan flats wouldn't go very well with sweatpants. I sat down on the bed, waiting for Henry.

Henry entered his room a few minutes later, seeming to have just brushed his teeth.

"Hey Henry, can I borrow a pair of shoes? The ones I have won't work," I explained.

"Yeah, let me go ask Nikki," Henry answered, leaving his room for his older sister's. She was 20, and was in the middle of college. She was home apparently because she didn't have any classes on Mondays.

Henry returned with a pair of plain black flip flops, which I took gladly. "Thanks Henry," I said gratefully.

"Thank Nikki, not me," he grinned.

"Thank her for me will you?" I asked him then.

Henry nodded. He took a step towards the bathroom to see Ben talking to Alex, while Alex was brushing his teeth.

"Hey you guys almost ready to go?" Henry asked.

"Lemme finish," Alex tried to say, with a toothbrush in his mouth.

"Hurry it up," Henry said.

Alex nodded. In less than a minute both him and Ben were out of the bathroom with what they had brought last night in their hands.

We followed Henry downstairs and outside to the cars; Henry's, Ben's, and Alex's.

"Who ya riding with?" They asked.

"Ben," I replied. They nodded. I followed Ben to his car and set my bag in the backseat, same as Ben with his things.

I climbed into the passenger seat, phone in hand, as Ben sat down on the driver's side and started the car. We pulled out of Henry's driveway and headed towards the high school. I opened my window slightly, letting in a cool breeze.

Once we got to school, I told Ben, "I'm going to see if my dad is here, and then I'm going to find Haley, so don't come looking for me if you don't see me."

He nodded, and then left, meeting up with Alex and Henry, most likely telling them my plans.

I slid my phone between the waistband of Henry's sweatpants and my waist, creating something like a pocket.

As I walked around the side of the building, to where the faculty parked. I saw my father, bent over, looking into the trunk, pulling out his bags.

I walked quickly over to him and said, "Hey Dad."

"Hey kiddo. How'd Henry's project go?" He asked.

"Um.. It was okay. I think he finished what he needed to," I lied.

"That's good. How are you feeling?"

"I've just got a headache, but otherwise I'm fine," I half-lied again.

"Okay. Take some medicine if you need it, okay?"

"Yeah, I will if I need to," I agreed.

"I grabbed your backpack," my father told me.

"Thanks Dad," I replied, taking it from his hands.

"No problem," he responded.

"Well, I'm going to go meet up with Haley now. I'll see you later Dad," I told him.

"Love you too. Have a good day."

"Thanks Dad, love you too," I replied.

I walked away, with my backpack on my shoulder. I pulled my phone out from the makeshift pocket I created, and texted Haley, asking to meet her by my locker. She responded right away, telling me she was on her way there.

In a few minutes, I was at my locker standing next to Haley.

"What's up Anna?" Haley asked.

"Well... Umm... Charlie broke up with me," I said.

"What!? Oh my gosh why?! What happened?" She fired the questions.

"I told him something, which I'm not going to say, and he thought I was lying, and that led him to think that I didn't want to be with him since I haven't told my father," I explained.

"Oh gosh Anna, I'm so sorry," Haley gushed, surrounding me in a hug.

"Thanks Haley," I told her.

"Yeah, sure thing. Do you wanna come over after school? We can eat ice cream and wallow in our boy sorrows," Haley offered with a smile.

"Will there be hot chocolate?" I asked.

"Now there will be. We'll just have to stop at the store after school to pick some stuff up," Haley explained.

"That'll be fine. Are you sure?" I questioned.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" She wondered.

At that moment the bell rang, and I grabbed my books. Haley already had hers, and so we walked together.

As we walked I answered her, "Well, you're... You're the first girl who has ever invited me over to their house before." I kept my gaze down on the floor, embarrassed at my confession.

Haley nudged my side and said, grinning, "Well, I'm honored."

I smiled gratefully at her, speechless.

"Well I gotta get to class, see ya later!" Haley exclaimed, turning away from me.

"Okay! Wait! What happened with Alex?" I called out. I got no answer, for Haley was too far away from me to hear me.

• • • • • • •

After school, I gathered all my things together, and followed Haley to her car, where I dumped my belongings into her backseat.

"I just have to go tell my dad that I won't be coming home with him," I explained, walking towards the soccer field.

"Do you want me to come with?" Haley asked.

I hesitated. "Yeah, that'd be nice," I answered.

Haley and I walked towards the field, and saw that practice had already started.

The boys were doing some simple shooting drills. Alex was in goal, of course.

We walked around them, with Haley glancing back to Alex every other second. I wrapped my arm around her forearm, guiding her so she wouldn't trip while she ogled Alex.

My father was standing by the equipment, looking over something on his clipboard.

"Hey Dad," I greeted.

My dad looked up. "Hey kiddo, aren't you practicing today?"

"No, I'm going to hang out with Haley," I explained, nodding my head at Haley.

"Okay, that's fine. Be home by dinnertime, okay?"

"Yeah, sure thing. Be Dad, see you later, love you," I told him, turning to leave with Haley.

"Love you too Anna. See you at home," my father replied.

Haley and I walked around them again, chatting about school.

Once we got to the car, Haley and I got in, with her driving and me in the passenger seat. We drove to the grocery store, where we bought hot chocolate mix, a box of microwave popcorn, and three tubs of small ice cream: chocolate chip cookie dough, strawberry, and chocolate.

With the food in the backseat, Haley drove us to her house. We picked up the bags from the back, and I followed her through the front door, through her living room, and into her kitchen. We sat the bags down on the counter. Haley grabbed two mugs, and filled the kettle with water, placing it on the turned on stovetop, while I pulled out the hot chocolate packets, pouring the mixes into the mugs.

Haley opened a drawer, and in her hand appeared two spoons. I opened the container of strawberry ice cream and started eating straight out of the container. Haley did the same.

"So," I started, pointing my spoon at Haley, "What happened with Alex?"

"Well, he still hasn't asked me out yet. I'm mad or anything, but sometimes it feels like he doesn't want to ask me out and he just wants to be friends," Haley explained. "Plus, I saw that girl.. Um... What's that chick's name? That one who you fought with in the locker room?"

"Heather," I supplied.

"Yes her! She was all over Alex and he didn't do anything! He just stood there, all awkward and cute!" She ranted.

"Awkward and cute, huh?" I smirked.

"That's what you got from my tiny rant?" She exclaimed, shaking her head and smiling.

"Sorry," I sheepishly said. "But seriously, Alex is clueless. Has he kissed you at all?"

"No," Haley replied, frowning.

"Have you had your first kiss before?" I asked her.

"No..." she answered, looking down.

"Hey, don't feel bad. Wanna know something?"

Haley nodded.

"Alex hasn't had his first kiss yet either. So he's very nervous," I told her.

"What should I do then?" She asked.

"Hmm... You can hint at him while talking to him about couples. Like point out sone random couples at school, and say something like 'oh they're so cute together, I wish I had a boyfriend.' You can also give him a small kiss on the cheek to kinda show him how you feel," I suggested.

"That's a great idea! Thanks Anna," she said.

"No problem," I replied, smiling.

The kettle started to whistle then, and Haley turned off the stove and poured the hot water into our mugs full of the hot chocolate mix.

We took our spoons and stirred the hot chocolate, making sure there were no clumps of powder.

I gingerly took a sip, so I wouldn't burn my tongue.

We started talking about random things that came up, eating our ice cream and hot chocolate.

Soon enough, it was time for me to leave, so I could make it back home for dinner.

Haley dropped me off at home, and told me she'd see me tomorrow.

I walked to the front door, pulling out my keys and opening it.

Stepping through the door I called out, "Dad, I'm home!"

"In the kitchen," he yelled back.

I dropped my stuff off at the bottom of the stairs and entered the kitchen.

"Hey Dad, what's for dinner?" I asked.

"I'm making some spaghetti with some garlic bread, is that okay?"

"Yeah sounds great," I smiled.

"So how was your day?"

"It was the same as usual," I replied.

"How come you didn't practice with us today?"

"No reason, really. I just wanted to hang out with Haley," I half-lied. I did want to hang out with Haley, but I didn't want to run into Charlie.

"Oh okay," my father said.

"Yeah," I responded, grabbing a blue Gatorade out of the fridge. "I'm going upstairs," I stated, opening the bottle and hearing the caps separate from the plastic strip underneath it.

"Okay, I'll call you when dinner's ready."

"Okay."

I exited the kitchen and picked up my bags, climbing the stairs to my room.

I hooked my iPhone up to my dock and started playing music. I pulled out some homework and sat at my desk, filling it out.

About ten minutes later my father called me down for dinner. I left my unfinished homework on my desk and turned to my dock, stopping the music. I left my phone connected, charging it.

I went downstairs and dinner with my father. I helped him clean up the dishes when we were finished and then I went back upstairs to finish my homework.

I went to turn my music back on when I saw that I had missed two calls and four texts. All from Charlie. I unplugged my phone and unlocked my phone. He didn't leave any messages.

Text message number one: Anna please answer. 

Text message number two: Please it's important.

Text message number three: Please don't ignore me. 

Text message number four: Either you're ignoring me or you just haven't seen these yet, but I need you to call me as soon as you can. It's very important.

Reading the messages, I wondered what it could be about. Just then, Charlie sent me another message:

It's about Dani.

I called him immediately.

"Anna, thank god you answered, I did-"

"What happened to Dani?" I questioned.

"What?"

"What happened to Dani?" I repeated. "You said it was important and it was about Dani. So what happened to her?"

"Oh, well-"

"Spit it out Charlie!" I exclaimed.

And then Charlie told me.

"What?!"

"Mom said she tripped and fell," Charlie explained.

"Gosh. You're such an idiot!" I growled. "Which hospital are you at?"

"Same one your father was at," he answered.

"Goodbye," I said, and hung up.

I dropped my phone on my bed, and ran into my closet, pulling out a jacket and slipping it on. I picked my phone back up and ran own the stairs, stopping at the living room, where my father was.

"What's the rush, Anna? Where ya going?" My father asked.

"I need the keys, where are they?" I questioned.

"Kitchen table. Anna, what is going on?"

Keys in hand, I stood in front of my father and said, "Charlie's little sister is in the hospital. She broke her arm."


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Hey guys.

Sorry for the cliffhanger. I have more to write but I decided to cut it off here for this chapter and make the rest another chapter.

So what do you guys think?

What's gonna happen with the Bakers?

How do you think she broke her arm?

There might be another chapter up before break, but that is not likely. I go back to school on the sixth, so it'll slow down again, unfortunately.

So, I'm dedicating this chapter to KaytiSmith because she commented on a previous chapter and it was criticism, which is what I'm looking for. So, thanks!

So, I wrote some poems, mind checking them out?

Can we get 10 votes on this chapter?

VOTE COMMENT SHARE :).


Has anyone heard the song When The Darkness Comes by Colbie Caillat? I'm obsessed with it.