Spain's Brightest (Patri Guijarro)

My Partner

February 2024

Jessica's POV:

"We're going to the final!!" Leila screamed in the locker room. 

Everyone started jumping around and chanting. I stood and watched. We beat Sevilla to advance to the final of the Copa de la Reina.

They brought in beer and the players started drinking. 

I slowly backed out of the room and sat down outside. The door opened and Mapi walked out. "Hey?" I looked up. "You ok?"

"Uh." I looked forward. "No." I said. 

She sat next to me. "Want to talk?"

"I've been sober since September 2022. I had my last drink the night I got hit by that car. Got put into a group for alcoholics in November of 2022. I've been good. Never touched a drink. Haven't even thought about it." I nodded. "But seeing other people drink? That I can't do."

"I'll sit out here with you then." She said. 

I looked at her. "You don't have to sit with me." 

"I'm not a big drinker anyway. Especially when the season isn't even over yet." 

"Thanks, Mapi." I said.

She shrugged. "What are friends for?"

Patri's POV:

We left the stadium and Jess was quiet the drive home. "You ok?" I asked when she stopped the car. 

"The drinking made me a little uncomfortable." She said. "Mapi sat with me outside."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"Patri." She said. "You don't have to change how you live your life for me. If you want to drink with your team after a win, go ahead. I'm capable of dealing with it. It's been 2 years. But sometimes I just can't. But don't stop doing what you want to for me."

"I'd rather be with you than those idiots." 

She looked over at me. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you loved me or something, Guijarro." She smirked.

"I do." I nodded. "I love you so much."

"Well, this is going to be awkward then because I," 

"What." 

"Think I love you a lot more than you love me." She said. "Just a feeling."

"Don't ever do that again. You just scared the shit out of me." 

She laughed. The light changed and she kept driving.

April 2024

Jessica's POV:

"I like this new friendship we have." Mapi said. "It's interesting."

"What do you want?" I spun around in my chair.

"I can't just come into your office and say hi?"

"Virginia did this once a week while I was at Atleti and it always ended with her asking something. What do you want Mapi?"

"I just wanted to talk, actually." She sat down.

"What's up?" 

"Um." Her leg bounced. "When you went to get help. Was it hard for you?"

"Is everything ok, Mapi?"

"Fine." She nodded. "I'm fine I just," She sighed. "I don't know sometimes I just feel like I'm suffocating? There's pressure for my football career, my art, and now my family too. Everyone around me has their futures locked down and I just don't know anymore." I nodded and grabbed my phone. "What are you doing?"