- Ash's POV -

We're all working on painting the twins' room a color they wanted, and we're talking about random things.

"What are your thoughts on it, Pai?" Oakley asks, but the room goes silent besides the paint roller against the wall.

"Paige?" I say as I turn around.

"Uhm... Where'd she go?" Maya asks. "I don't know." My wife says. I move to the window to look out and see if she's in the backyard.

I don't see her, but I see a shadow from the top of the house.

"I know where she is. I'll go talk to her." I say and the others in the room nod before I leave.

I go up the stairs that lead to the attic and climb up onto the roof through a glass window that's on the vaulted ceiling.

I then quietly and carefully go down the side of the roof a little bit so I can sit next to my oldest.

"You disappeared on us." I say softly. "Sorry. I just needed a minute." She says. "Everything okay?" I ask as I look over at her.

"I feel like I'm failing." She says, looking over the houses in our area.

"What do you mean, bubbles?" I ask.

"I haven't played soccer in a long time competitively, so I feel like I'm failing myself and you guys by not doing what I'm meant to do. Hell maybe it's not what I'm meant to do." Paige lets out.

"Hey, don't say soccer isn't what you're meant to do. Ever since we adopted you, Ali and I knew you were meant to be a soccer player. The way you loved kicking the ball around with us and your aunts. Always challenging us against you. You love the game and you're amazing at it. It's what you're meant to do, Paige." I say, and she doesn't respond to that, she just stays quiet for a little bit.

"But that's not the only reason I feel I'm failing." She says. "How else?" I ask.

"I skipped free application week." She says and finally looks at me. "You what? When was it?" I ask. "It was a few weeks ago. I skipped it." She says. "Why didn't you say anything?" I ask her. "I don't know." She says, and I know she's lying.

"Paige, truth please." I say softly, hoping to only say it once, and she sighs in annoyance.

"I don't think college is right for me. I already am educated on a higher level than others. I don't even know where to begin with looking for a college, applying, or anything! I never payed attention to that because I thought I could figure it out on my own but here I am at the end of the first semester of my senior year of highschool and haven't even applied to a college yet, when basically everyone else has! I don't even know what schools to try and I haven't even had any reach out to me. Not even for soccer." She rants.

"Paige honey, you don't have to feel like your failing us. If you don't want to go to college, that's fine. You are a very smart young woman and I believe that you can make whatever choice you want by yourself, and I know your mother would say the same." I say and wrap an arm around her, pulling her into my side before kissing the top of her head.

We stay quiet for a little bit.

"I have offers from pro teams." She says quietly. "What teams?" I ask and she sits up out of my hold.

"Seattle, Portland, Sky Blue... And well..." She draws off. "What?" I ask. "There's overseas teams, too." She says. "Let's hear em." I say.

"Man United, Man City, Arsenal, and Tottenham." She says.

"Have you taken any of them into consideration?" I ask. "Mhm." She hums. "Well let's talk more about it later, with Mama, okay?" I ask. "Okay." She says.

"I love you." I say. "Love you too." She answers.

- Paige's POV -

Mom then tells me to go back inside so I do and she follows me in before we go back to the twins' room and continue painting.