It was the first official game back since the break, but I did not want to go. My mom's freak-out in our common room was on repeat in my head. Warner knew what she was like but poor Adam and Abby had no idea. I was just glad Adam didn't try to question me on it. Abby on the other hand has become a total mother hen and Warner already filled that position so having two of them was a nightmare.

I was meant to be heading to cheerleading warmups to practice the routine for the night but I was still wearing my pyjamas. I headed to Warner's room without knocking and flopped onto the bed, taking over the main length of it, face-down like a fussy kid. My face was buried into the soft material of the pillow.

Did he say anything? No.

Instead, I felt the heat of his body get even closer right before the pillow below me was lifted, raising my head right along with it. A heartbeat later, he plops into the empty spot, dropping the pillow on top of his lap so that my upper body rested on his thighs. The weight of his hand settled between my shoulder blades.

He palms the back of my neck, shifting down the bed just a bit. "You okay baby?"

Warner's hand slid up my back again, circling one side of my shoulders before moving to the other. "I hate her, Warner. I hate her for not caring. God damnit. I needed her and she—" my voice cracking. "She doesn't care."

A watery cough escapes my body. "The worst part is I still want her to come back and apologize. I'm pathetic." I confess to the pillow.

His large hand keeps up their circling swipes down one side of my back before moving over to the other while I lay there, trying to compose myself. Trying to bottle up the momentary anger that has made its way out of me. For a long time, we just sit there. Me still laying partially over Warner's lap, Warner with his hand moving around my back. The silence is okay because I'd said what I needed to. I'd released the crap I'd held in for so long. I just needed a moment and he knew exactly how to help me have it.

After a while, I try to sit up since I know he has to get to his own practice but his heavy hand on the middle of my back keeps me down.

"She is not worth your tears. She is not worth the love you've given her. She doesn't deserve it and she never will. I'm sure you needed your mom as a kid but she's a shitty one. And you can't let a shitty one define you. She is not going to be the reason you cry or hurt yourself anymore."

My heart squeezes

"You are beautiful, you are strong, and you are smart, Juliet. Too smart to believe any of the shit that comes out of her mouth." His fingers tighten on my nape. "Please stop crying over someone like her. She will not come here and hurt you again. Do you hear me?"

I nod into the pillow. I feel so overwhelmed, so raw, it was draining. I'd think about her again, there was no way I couldn't but at this moment, it was nice to believe that I could wash myself of my mother.

Warner's fingers extend to where his palm covers the back of my neck and his fingers wrap around most of my throat. "Tracy used to tell me you have to fight through the worst days to get to the best days of your life. So please just hang in there. I swear it will get better...it has to. You deserve better than this bullshit." His fingers knead the muscles on my neck. "If I have to see your beautiful face crying again over something that worthless piece of shit said or did, I'm going to have to fulfil my promise and do something violent."

"Thank you."I get up from my pity pillow and look at him for a heartbeat, still feeling a little pathetic, but I shuffle forward and just go for it. Arms around his ribs, my forehead to his cheek. It takes a second but his arms wind around me. One arm wraps over my shoulders, the other around the middle of my back. And he squeezes. Warner holds me to him, the faint smell of laundry detergent and Warner filling my nostrils. Warm skin, warm body, warm, warm, warm. So much warmth, this wild choke lodges in my throat.

I take a deep breath and shut my eyes.

I can do this

My better days are coming

_______

I am thrown in the air by Abby and my first thought is that I definitely should not have gone for a morning run. I feel so lightheaded I almost pass out twice, and this is just the warmup.

I couldn't be so out of it during the game. Warner's dad might be here, and I needed a plan to take him down. Warner said he was working on it but he didn't tell me much.

"Juliet, you look way too pale. Did you eat breakfast?" Abby frowns at me and I frown back. After my mom's unwelcome visit, Abby had her concerns confirmed. That I may have a few issues with my body and food.

"Yes, you saw me eat it," I tell her, walking over to sip some water. I don't add that I actually only ate the banana and threw out the rest but she saw me eat the banana.

"I don't think you should cheer today." She says it loud enough that Amy hears and walks over.

"Why what's wrong?" Amy gives me a once-over.

"It's nothing, I just have a headache from this ponytail I think I did it too tight." I pull at my ponytail hoping that this will be the end of this conversation but they don't let it go.

"Okay, I have a nice silk one you can use! Come to the changeroom I'll redo it" Amy waves me over and we walk to the changeroom with Abby trailing behind us.

Curse Amy for being such a thoughtful cheer captain

She sits me down and pulls out my hair tie which was actually way too tight. However, once she starts brushing my hair she stops and I see her look toward Abby.

"What?" I ask but she says nothing and keeps brushing but with a more gentle touch.

"Juliet" Amy says softly and I whip my head around to see what's so difficult about a ponytail but in Amy's hand is a clump of my hair.

My face goes red

Was that not normal?

"Sorry I shed like a dog. I forgot to mention that" I let out a fake laugh that comes out way too nervous.

"Juliet that's not a normal amount of hair I think—" Amy puts a gentle hand on my shoulder but I stand up and take a step back.

"It's normal, lots of people lose hair." I smile at Amy to convince her but she's just looking at the clumps of hair in her hand like it's going to tell her something.

I had tons of hair left I don't know why they were worrying.

"I don't think you should cheer today. Maybe you can sit this one out until you are feeling better." Amy finally speaks and I know she isn't going to let me change her mind.

"I feel fine" I grit out with a fake smile but both of them are looking at me like I'm some sad-kicked puppy dog so I just grab my sweater and pull it over my workout clothes. "Okay, I will sit today out." I nod at both of them and give another smile before walking out.

I am shivering on my way back to the dorm because I forgot my sweatpants and I feel the cold much easier this winter. I'm so busy thinking about how I just got kicked off the cheer team because I shed hair like a dog that I don't see the silhouette of a man leaning against the stonewashed wall until his heavy black boot hits the top of my thighs.

"Been looking for you," a deep rumbling voice greets me, and the voice sounds violent.

I face the man and recognize him as the man who followed me down this same path the other day. The bag I am holding with my stuff slips out of my hand and I'm sure my face is pale. "What do you want?" I squawk. Yes, squawked of all things. I didn't know I was capable of making such an ugly noise but here I was.

The man looks at me coolly, like he isn't just standing outside a University student dorm. "What do you think I want?" he asks, straightening up off the wall.

God, he was a big guy.

"A campus tour? You will have to go to the reception building on campus for that sir" I smile at him. Maybe I can dumb blonde my way out of this.

"Nah., I came here because your little boyfriend isn't responding to any texts or calls. I've been told that the only way to get him to do something is to threaten his pretty girlfriend." He eyes me with way too much interest.

I look down the pathway to see if anyone I recognized was coming along. If there was ever a time for Warner to go for a nice mid-day stroll it was now.

"Well I can relay a message for him but he's quite busy these days. What name should I give?" I fake nonchalance and check my nails as if he was wasting my precious time.

"Name is Paul, tell him if he doesn't throw the game tonight we will take his pretty girlfriend and let her know what a real man fucks like. His father does not give a shit if scouts are coming, we need a loss."

Not what I was expecting but after the week I have had, being threatened with assault was icing on the cake.

Scouts? Warner did not tell me scouts were coming to today's game? God, I was such a bad girlfriend. I was too busy throwing a pity party to ask.

"Throwing a game where he might get scouted doesn't sound like a great idea." My smile was more creepy-awkward than convincing.

Apparently, Paul didn't pick up on it or didn't care because he keeps going. "I mean I could change the bets if you and I can work something out instead." His smile was creepy now too.

My silence as I thought about how much of an idiot I was being, was taken as a token of a possibility since Paul keeps going with his proposition.

"You want a solution, I got you one, Juliet Matthews" he purrs easily, taking a step so close to me that he manages to reach out and almost touch my face.

He doesn't because I dodge his hand, but when he laughs, I figure it wasn't really a deterrent.

"How bad do you want your boyfriend to go pro? We will leave him alone tonight if you just get on your knees for me and my friends." He reaches forward again and it takes everything not to vomit all over him.

As much as I wanted to help Warner I don't think I had the stomach for this. I also didn't want to offend this scary man more than necessary. I had a feeling that he was the type of person who didn't deal with rejection well. Which meant I was totally screwed.

"No," I tell him calmly. There was no, "No, thank you." No, "I appreciate the offer, but no." None of that. Nothing to ease my way out of the situation.

Warner would never forgive me for doing something so stupid for him. Most importantly, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. I wasn't a prostitute, and I wasn't a pawn in whatever game this psychopath wanted to play.

His eyes flashed in brief anger. "No?" he scoffed, incredulous. "You're telling me no?"

Thankfully a few guys walked down the path towards us and I try to diffuse the situation by giving a shaky smile. "Thank you for the offer but I decline. I hope your team wins."

The guys are walking closer and thankfully Paul turns their way. As soon as he turns I grab my bag off the ground like a lifeline and dart into the dorm building which was code protected.

I may have burst through the door a little too loudly considering Adam's confused expression over his shoulder while he ties the laces of his shoes. He was dressed for warm up and I probably looked like a crazy person.

"Shouldn't you be at cheer?" he asks as Warner comes over next to him and swings his bag down.

"Yeah, they sent me home. I'm just going to watch today but I don't want to talk about that. Warner scouts are coming?" I practically jump on him.

"Yeah! Who told you that? Are you okay?" he tries to pull back to see my face but I keep him in a bear hug. I was physically shaking after that encounter and I just needed one of his hugs for a second.

"I'll be outside with Max," Adam says awkwardly walking out the door. I wish he stayed in case I get questioned further.

"Me? I'm fine! Now before you leave tell me about the scouts!" I look up at him and see that he is actually really excited about this. There is a spark in his eye I haven't seen in a long time I can't ruin it by telling him about what just happened.

"Juliet it's amazing. Scouts from the MLS draft are here. They want me to come to a pro tryout. This is so big!" he grins at me and picks me up to spin me in his arms.

"Wow, that IS amazing Warner. I'll be in the stands cheering you on then, I can even keep your mom company for once."

"That's another thing I meant to tell you, I have been working to get my mom out of the house for years but we finally did it. She moved into an apartment in town so she doesn't have to live under the same roof as my bastard father anymore. Now I can keep you both safe from him! Everything is coming together, I told you things would get better. Isn't that great?" Warner looks so happy to tell me this information that I can't bear to tell him about my interaction outside.

It was amazing that he got Tracy out of there. "I'm so happy for you Warner, that is great. I can't wait to have her closer and safe." I give him a gentle kiss on the lips.

"Now get out there and kick some ass. You better impress those scouts." I smack his butt and he lets out a laugh, giving me one last kiss, closing the door behind him.

I don't let out the shaky breath I am holding till he is gone.

Warner had been sacrificing so much for me all year. I could take a few threats from some scary bald men if it meant he got to live out his dream.

______

It was my first time in the stands with the other fans, sitting next to Tracy I already preferred this spot to where I was usually doing flips and trying not to pass out. Another good thing about not cheering is I could wear whatever I wanted which meant I could wear Warner's jersey with pride. He needed to see me in it, especially after the Adam fiasco.

The announcer is still yelling out names. When he announces Warner as a starting player, the crowd – already going nuts – gets even louder. Pride beams in my chest.

As the teams line up for the national anthem, the crowd stands and I lock eyes with Warner. He is all the way across the field but it feels like he's right next to me. The corner of his mouth turns up in a smile and my heart starts to beat faster.

The game is going by so fast and the teams are tied 1-1. Warner is, of course playing brilliantly. I do my best not to drool on myself every time he runs by.

Tracy starts to scream as everyone jumps to their feet to watch Warner head down the field with the ball. I've joined in with the rest of the crowd, on my feet shouting, and when Warner shoots the ball past the goalie's outstretched glove into the net, I jump up and down like a crazy person.

The roar of the fans is unreal, and I feel honest-to-god tears pricking my eyes. I'm so happy for Warner right now. I turn to Tracy and we embrace in a bouncing huh. I don't feel quite so foolish anymore, since I can see tears in her eyes as well. She gives me a knowing smile and then squeezes me tighter.

Warner makes the moment even better when he runs over to the stands and jumps up, so he is hanging on the fence right in front of me. I lean forward to meet him halfway and he kisses me in front of everyone. When he gets down and back on the field I almost have to fan myself with Tracy's foam finger to stop myself from falling to my knees.

Somehow, ten minutes later I am now wearing Tracy's big foam finger, waving it above my head as the crowd cheers. While the stadium goes wild, Warner looks right at me and winks. My heart stops. He's smiling, sweaty, breathing heavily and I think I just had an orgasm. Not actually.... especially not next to Tracy but there were definitely fanny flutters.

________

After waiting what feels like forever for Warner to emerge from the changerooms I spot him. He's showered, and his hair still looks a little damp. He's wearing black dress pants and a grey button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up. And most importantly he is talking to two important men in suits who Adam informs me are the Pro soccer scouts.

I give him a once-over. Twice

He's talking to one of the scouts, and both of them are ignoring the women who are trying desperately to get their attention. As if he can sense my gaze on him, he looks up and locks eyes with me. After the conversation ends with a nod and a handshake to the scout, Warner sidesteps the ladies and strides my way.

Being large and intimidating has its perks, such as getting a crowd to part by sheer will.

A breath later, Warner stops a foot in front of me. My heart stutters when he brings his hand up to the side of my face, swiping his thumb across my cheek.

"My good luck charm." The look on his face is something warm, and sweet.

"No, that's all from the ribbon." I smile and look down at the ribbon still tied around his wrist.

"But I am your biggest fan." He smiles at me. "And now I can say I was there when you were scouted for the pros." I wrap my arms around his neck in a hug and Warner bends and hugs me back, surrounding me in his shower-fresh scent and strong arms. I can't help myself; I burrow my face into his neck and inhale.

He speaks into my ear. "Seeing you in my jersey made me imagine a lot of scenarios. Most of them start with you in my bed with nothing on but that jersey" I'm still close to him, so every word from his lips brushes against my skin.

Lord have mercy

I needed to stay focused. Now that the game was over I had to tell him what happened. He impressed the scouts and I had not been hurt so we won right?

I am so twitchy the whole way walk home that Warner already knows something is up. I think I look over my shoulder almost every five seconds even though I am flanked by Max, Adam and Warner who were all over 6 feet tall.

Just as we walk up to the building and I think we have made It home without any problems I hear a familiar voice come from the same spot he was leaning earlier.

"Nice to see you again Juliet."