"Practise like you've never won and play like you've never lost." ✨

"Finally!" Austin shouted, running out of the coach as we arrived at our destination, Ethan following him as they made hooting sounds. Idiots.

We were going to stay at this huge building, all the teams were here. The pitch was only a five minute walk away from here, and they also had allocated training fields with allocated time slots. We had the third floor to stay in, the whole team.

"Come on lads, off the bus!" Coach Noah shouted and everyone groaned, heaving themselves up and collecting their bags.

I stretched and looked next to me, a sleeping Jayden. His arms were crossed over his chest and his hair was a hot mess. Yeah, he looked hot, but I wasn't going to admit that to his stupid handsome face. Lord help me if I ever did.

Damn it. Why do I keep complementing him?

I nudged him lightly and he began to stir in his sleep, indicating to me he was waking up. "Get up, you idiot." I rolled my eyes.

He smirked lazily, his eyes still shut close and he chuckled, a soothing sound that made me want to play it forever. His laugh was... captivating. I'm fucking whipped.

"See something you like?" He asked and I rolled my eyes, although I was smiling inside. Your face. "Nope." I nonchalantly settled on. Damn it. I was really fucking whipped wasn't I?

"Sure, princess, sure." He chuckled again, and I swear I think my heart melted. Shit what? Let's be fair, I loved it when he called me princess and it made my heart warm whenever I scrolled down to my contact on his phone. Idiot. Fucking idiot. I hate him.

I coughed and I signalled him to move so I could get off the coach, away from the guy who basically made my heart beat like a hundred times faster than it should.

He got up and picked up his and my stuff and I rolled my eyes. Cocky bitch. "I have hands you know. I can pick it up. I ain't a weakling."

"Look at that bad grammar." Truth. Just like this book does. There goes the fourth wall.

"Shut the fuck up." I said in a mocking voice and rolled my eyes. What a fucking donkey - I mean ass. Or arse. Depends on where you're from, actually.

We walked out and Coach clapped him hands together. "Jayden and Alex, room 6. Sorry Alex. We have 12 people and only 7 seven rooms so you don't get your own."

I shrugged it off. "It's fine. There are separate bed though, right?" I asked and Jayden rolled his eyes. Coach tossed Jay the keys and I caught it with my hand outstretched before he could catch it.

"Yeah, they're bunk beds I believe. Anyways, Nick and Carson, room 7. Ethan and Austin, 8; Sammy and Ian, 9; Barry and Joey, 10; Chase and Graham, room 12. I took 11 because the view from there is awesome. I can watch y'all train from my bedroom window. Amazing." Coach tossed the keys out in any direction as he read the pairs.

Everyone groaned a sarcastic groan and then we started to make our way to the reception. Coach leaned on the counter looking at the receptionist's computer who just rolled her eyes.

"School?"

"Bayside High!" We shouted, and coach looked at us, nodding. He was damn proud. If only Coach Evans was here. He'd pull Coach Noah's ears every minute - literally. Coach Noah was the joking type, whereas Coach Evans was the work type.

"Floor three."

"Right? Y'all run up the stairs. I'm taking the lift." Everyone groaned, and we started running with a lot of luggage on our backs. The stairs were pretty steep, and also had like fifteen steps on each flight.

Yes, this was torture. Well for everyone but me. I was at the top first. Mainly because Jayden was carrying my stuff as well. The last one to arrive was Jayden and he was panting.

"I'm... so... tired..." he panted as we started lightly jogging to our room. He had the keys anyways. I thought I'd get rid of everything from me.

I took the key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. He stumbled into the room and dropped everything. "I'm alive!" He weakly shouted, and also weakly pumped his first in the air.

I laughed and kissed him on the cheek, sitting next to him on the floor. "Thanks for carrying my stuff, Prince."

"Anything for you, princess." And with that, he was sitting up straight, and his face was hovering only inches away from mine.

His eyes started to my lips and then back to mine, as if asking for permission. I closed my eyes and his lips were pressed up against mine in only split moments.

He had me wrapped around his finger. I was out of my mind - falling for a guy that was scarily broken like me. I was scared - I didn't want to break him instead of fixing him.

My fingers on my right hand had found his soft hair and they dug in, as his hands were on my hips, pulling me slightly closer.

I pulled apart first, needing air. We started laughing as I had my head facing down, but against his chest. I was breathing rapidly, but t was nothing compared to my heart.

"Come on, lets quickly go and put away our stuff." I said, coyly brushing my hair behind my ear. I needed to redo my ponytail, it was coming out.

I stood up, and helped Jayden up too. Then, I threw my head down and quickly redid my ponytail. I then picked up my bags and opened it. I took out this little laundry bag I bought that was green and blue. I tried to find a football one but of course, American football was the only one that was payed to hear around here.

I went into the bathroom and put it there, so me and Jayden could toss our clothes in there and then take it down to the washing every other day. We were going to be here for a long time.

"I'm gonna do maths first, you?" Jayden asked me as I hummed.
"Hmm I'll do it too. Then two brains will make it quicker. Let me quickly finish this."

I took out my shampoo and my body wash, and my towel too. I put them in the bathroom and I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that they already had a hairdryer in here. Sick.

"Okay, what's first?" I asked as I sat down, taking my school bag and taking my books out.
"Quadratics. I hate them. I hope they die."

"Amen."

•*•*•

"Dad? Aaron? Uncle Leo?... Ma?" But they couldn't hear me. No, this is a joke isn't it? I was watching my mum... telling my dad to leave? I wasn't even there - what?

"This has gotta be some sort of fucking joke." I shouted at them but hey couldn't see or hear me. Why was I here? How did my mind conjure up this scen-

"Mama, please stop shouting. Cody is sleeping." A little girl, no older than six or seven, holding the Pogba match attack, came to the door.

Aaron and Ma were standing next to each other and my dad was on he other side, fighting. When he saw the little girl, he quickly rushed to her and hugged her. He told her to go to her room quietly and when she left, he sobbed.

"Let me take Alexis. Please. I can't do anything without her. She's my kid as much as she's yours!" He shouted and he threw what looked like a glass.

It cut the palm of his hand as Aaron just smirked at him. it started bleeding as he looked at his hand in pain, holding his wrist.

"DAD!"

Something fell onto the floor as I woke up, tears streaming down my face. I'm still not ready and it's frustrating. I'm still not ready to face those things. I still hadn't got the closure I was seeking - and I was getting more impatient by the day. I needed it, I needed my mind to finally find peace.

I wanted this shit to stop.

"Shhhh." Jayden was by my side and turns out he was the big thing that landed with a thud on the floor. "It's okay, I'm here." Never had I felt more safe since the last time I was in my dad's arms.

"I miss my dad, Jay." I said quietly, into the darkness. I'd never said that to anyone but him. Cody knew, but I'd never actually said it to him.

Having it out there, in the open, made it seem more real, as tears streamed my eyelids. It was there and now I was vulnerable and I felt hopeless.

"I know you do, Alex. But- you need to be strong. For him. I'm a hundred percent sure that he's thinking of you right now." He replied, stroking my hair.

"Jayden, I'm sorry. You're always having to carry me." I said to him. I didn't only mean it physically. I mostly meant emotionally, because I was an emotionally unstable person.

"Hey, it's okay. You carry me, I carry you. That's how it works, okay?" He kissed my forehead and I closed my eyes.

I leaned into him and inhaled his scent - a vanilla and rose mixed scent - and ended up sleeping within a few seconds, but this time I didn't have a nightmare. It was just a sleepless night. But a night with Jayden by my side.

•*•*•

"I dedicate this song to you,
The one who never sees the truth,
That I can take away your hurt, heartbreak girl.
Hold you tight straight through the day light,
I'm right here, when you gonna realize
That I'm your cure, heartbreak girl?"

I woke up to someone singing heartbreak girl by 5 seconds of summer. I looked over at my side and there no longer was a Jayden, and I was pressed up against the wall to avoid having me fall to the ground.

I got up and listened. "I bite my tongue but I wanna scream out
You could be with me now
But I end up telling you what you wanna hear,
But you're not ready and it's so frustrating
He treats you so bad and I'm so good to you it's not fair."

He could fucking sing. I went towards him and found him playing on the guitar I bought him. I thought he literally had a backing track, that's how good it was.

He reached the end of the song, and then he put down the guitar and I clapped, as did a few other pairs of hands.

I looked behind me to see a crowd of the boys standing. Carson and Austin were laughing together, which was a surprise. Ethan was getting a piggy back from Chase and Nick was just leaning against the wall and clapping.

Nick should be the real bad boy if you ask me. Actually nope not even him. Why did people have this obsession with classing people? Jayden was nothing like a bad boy apart from being reckless and it was just his way of expressing himself. He was a teddy bear underneath, deep down in his heart.

I looked back at the angel and a blush took over his face and I laughed, running up to him and holding his face. I kissed him and everyone started hooting telling Jayden to get some.

We were both smiling against each other's lips and when we pulled apart, Nick was standing by my side, and the rest were behind me.

"Yeah yeah, isolate me."

I flung my arms around him and he gladly returned the gesture and I smiled. "Group hug!" Chase shouted and everyone - other than Nick, he was pushed - piled on top of each other, leaving all the weight on me and Jayden.

"What's going - Group Hug!" I heard Coach shout and he also toppled on top. Jayden started coughing and I also started, trembling under their mighty weight.

"Can we - can we reevaluate the situation?" I croaked and everyone got off us, but it seemed like they moved incredibly slow - but it was probably because I was holding all of their weight.

"Anyways, practise is gonna start from 5. I've set it late so you guys can go around this area of town."

I looked at Coach's hand gestures and I saw a lot of bruises, from moving a lot of weights around. His hands looked rough and beaten down, showing that life didn't give him an easy way out either.

A lot of people cheered as I put my hand up. "So you're telling me that I didn't need to wake up so early?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying." I groaned aloud. That's a lot of sleeping time I've wasted and I won't be able to go to sleep now.

"cool." Was my reply, and my mood had taken into a pissed mood. Coach then laughed at my expression, but no one else did. Actually, they feared the worst - and it's good. They should be scared.

I mean I could've slept more!

I grunted, walking out of the disorganised huddle we had made and started walking. "In that case, I am going for a jog to calm me down." I talked very quietly and slowly so no one would interrupt me.

I walked into the bathroom and brushed my teeth and washed my face. I changed into a Nike jacket and some nike tracksuits, and finished with non branded trainers because I was broke.

"Anyone coming?" I asked and no one other than Jayden replied.
"Might as well. Y'all be ready - when we get back, we are going." To wherever the hell they were going. I think I was just going to get as much studying as I can done, so I won't be like these boys - doing it on the coach. It sounds very likely.

I mean, they're boys. And none of them other than Joey would actually sit down and study willingly. I say other than Joey because he's actually very smart. Too bad he acts like an asshole.

Jogging, I completely forgot about Jayden being with me. "So, you wanna go to a cafe or something to eat breakfast?"

"Nah, I'm good. Probably get a breadstick later though because I'm craving them." I replied meekly and then increased my pace.

The wind blew threw my hair and I felt ease and peace. Something that I got in the monitoring from life.

A/N
SURPRISE!
So I'm in the car in the way to school and it looks like I'm going to be late because there was an accident on one of the roads so we had to take another route 😂 but like hi, hey!

*IS IT HI OR HEY* if you get that, I love you so so so so so so so much :)

If not I still love you so so so so much.

Anyways I know this chapter is all over the place AKSJSJS lmao and there was a fourth wall break because I thought it would be funny and yeah 😂

AKSJSJS I'm gonna try my HARDEST to post on Saturday because I want to finish this book as much as y'all want to 😂😂😂

Anyways I love y'all and I'm getting out the car in a minute so I gotta wrap this up 😂 BYEEE

QOTD;
How do you go to school/work?

~ Lillian.