Meet Cody, an average teenager, dealing with a rough home life and the school bully, who just so happens to be her Captain on the high school soccer team. Thinking her life can only get worse, not better, she jumps at the chance to go to a USWNT gam...
"So, tell me what's going on in that head of yours." Kyle breaks the silence that fell over us as we watch the water. It's a calm ripple in the lake, the birds singing in the trees, leaves rustle due to the slight breeze. The place screams calm and peace, things I don't feel on the inside.
"I don't know where to start." I mumble, playing with my fingers as I feel Kyle glancing at me.
"Start from the easiest thing to tell me." He tells me softly.
"I miss my mom." I take a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "I know she has a job, and I know she loves it, but I miss her. I want to tell her everything, about the bullshit that happened at school, to my cravings. I want to be able to just talk to her when I'm having a bad day but I...I feel like I'm a burden, like I can't just call her out of the blue."
"Okay, what else?" He asks, like he knows I'm only getting started.
"I'm dating Kristie." I pause as my brows furrow.
"For how long?"
"A few months." I mumble, feeling guilty about keeping it from everyone. "It's...not the way I thought it'd be. Long distance is hard, and only seeing her a few days every now and then is tough. When I'm with her now...it's like we're one move away from having sex and it makes me uncomfortable." I don't explain why it makes me uneasy but judging by the look on his face, I can tell Ali has already told him about my 'dad'. "She's pulling away, I can feel it. I hate keeping it from my mom, Jack and Hope...from everyone."
"What else?"
"I have dreams...nightmares about using. They didn't really bother me at first, they didn't happen often but...they're pretty much everynight now and I wake up with the taste of them in my mouth. I'm trying my hardest but it feels like any minute I could snap and start using again."
"You need help, Cody. Are you seeing a therapist or anything? Have you thought about joining a group?"
"I haven't seen my therapist in a while...I feel bad that Alex pays for it. I don't like spending her money, it makes me..."
"Uncomfortable?" Kyle asks, cracking a smile at my predictability.
"Mhmm." I hum, stopping when my phone goes off and I see it's a notification for Ellie's IG.
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"Damn. I miss her, too." I show Kyle my phone when he raises a quizzical brow at me.
"A friend or something more?"
"Dude, I just said I was with Kristie." I glare at him, slightly joking about being angry.
"Kids these days, you never know." He laughs, and before I can speak up, he lifts me to my feet and instructs me to start the run back home. It only took 20 minutes for us to get here, so we get home in no time.
I let Kyle get himself sorted as I take a shower, only to interrupted on my way out, by Jack.
"Fucking hell. A little privacy, bitch." I groan, tightening the towel that's wrapped around my body.
