Spain's Brightest (Patri Guijarro)

A Break

June 2022

Patri's POV:

The rest of the Euros went by quickly. We finished as runner-ups. Unable to beat the Dutch team.

No one has spoken to Jess since she stormed out of my hotel room. All my calls have been sent straight to voicemail.

I asked her mom if she's heard from her, she said no.

We were back in Spain. Finally on a break after nonstop football since the pandemic started in 2020. 

None of it mattered though. I just want to know where Jess is. If she's ok.

Jessica's POV:

"You've been coming to this bar all week. How about we go drink at my place?"

I looked at the man. "Go fuck yourself." I grabbed my drink.

"Bitch." He mumbled and walked away. 

I sat up. "What did you just say?" 

"I called you a bitch." He said.

"Here we go." The bartender sighed.

Lola's POV: 

"No one's heard from her." I looked at Carmen. My phone rang. "Hold on. Hello?"

"Lola."

"Jess? Jess where have you been?"

"I need you to come get me." She said.

"Where are you?"

Jessica's POV:

"Jail!" Lola yelled when she walked in. "You got arrested!"

I looked down. "I asked for you to pick me up. Not lecture me."

"Too bad. Let's go." 

They let me go and I walked to Lola's car.

She started driving and didn't say anything.

"You aren't gonna talk?"

"What do you want me to say, Jess?" She sighed. "You disappeared on us for a month. Ignored all our calls, our texts, everything. And then I have to pick you up because you got arrested for fighting in a bar?"

I looked out the window.

"And why call me? Why not call Patri or Leila? Or your mom?"

"I felt more comfortable calling you." I said. "Because you got through to me last time, maybe you can do it again. I don't know what's going on Lola."

"Your're going backward Jess." Lola said. "You were doing so good."

"Maybe I was never fixed." I said. "I was so close to being fully healed. Every time I'm almost back to normal something happens and we go back to 0. This whole thing with my dad."

"Why wouldn't you talk to Patri?"

"She still looks at me like I'm broken." I turned to Lola. "Like I'm going to fall apart again. Even before my dad came back. In Patri's eyes, I'm the broken girl who needs to be fixed. And I hate that because I really love her, Lola. She's my girlfriend, I love her. But she looks at me like a charity case. I don't feel like her girlfriend. I feel like her project."

"So tell her this."

"You try talking to her." I shook my head. "Patri and I were never meant to work. We're too different. I'm too damaged. And now you can add alcoholic to the list."

Patri's POV:

"The tournament was unreal. You would've loved it." Leila laughed.

"I wish I could've been there." Virginia laughed. I typed on my phone. "What's going on Patri?"