And I can’t help but smile when I see the sender’s name.
Stella: Hey, Cal! What’re you up to tomorrow?
I quickly type out a response.
Me: Not much. Practice at six a.m. Then I’ll be free for a bit. Guessing you want to see Gran?
Not a second after I send it, three dots appear in a bubble.
Stella: Yes, please! :)
Chance kicks my leg. “So, what’s up with you?”
My brows immediately furrow. “What do you mean?”
He leans back in his chair. “I’ve known you for a little while now, and I’ve never really seen you give any girl the time of day. I mean, you talk about Stella and have mentioned Becca. Then, we get here, and you’re fighting Trent, of all people, because of her. Who is she to you?”
Who is she to me?
The question rings through my mind, bouncing against all the memories etched in my brain. Only a word falls off the tip of my tongue. “Everything.” I’m taken aback by my honesty to Chance.
And for the first time since being on this team, I open up to a teammate and tell him exactly who Becca is to me. She is the reason I survived high school. She was my reason for waking up in the morning when I hated being at home, when I was terrified that I would wake up and my grandma wouldn’t.
My parents and I have never been close. They have always cared about vanity—the shiniest cars, the most elaborate vacations, the nicest clothes. But we never had the wealth or money that they advertised.
My mom doesn’t work, and my dad is a car salesman a town over.
My grandma is the only one who ever asked how my day was and checked in.
I used to sit in her room for hours, listening to her tell stories and asking me for mine.
When Becca came into my life, she became my sun. My day didn’t start until I saw her smile, and it didn’t end until I got her text, telling me good night.
Being without her is like having a piece of my soul missing. I can’t seem to get warm. Like no matter how hot a shower is or how many blankets I use, a coldness has settled over me in her absence, and only she can remove it.
Chance raises his eyebrow, probably shocked I even said that. I haven’t really even said more than ten words at a time since I joined the team.
“All righty then. Understood.”His fork clanks against his empty plate. “Please tell me we can just get an Uber back.”
I laugh, half-choking on my last piece of bacon. “If you’re buying.” I say it like a joke, but with how fast my savings are depleting, I’m probably going to need a job soon. Although I should be good until the end of training camp.
He scoots his chair back as he slips his phone into his pocket. “Deal. It’ll be here in five. And this is on me. You get us next time.”
Chance spends the five minutes we wait flirting with the waitress.
He walks over to me, where I’m standing at the door, with the biggest smile on his face. “Anna Thompson.”
His phone screen is still lit up in his hand as he approaches, and I can’t help but laugh when I see the little heart next to her name. I wonder if she added that or if he did.
“Date tonight?”
He slaps my shoulder as he swaggers by, walking out of the restaurant. Apparently, our Uber has arrived. “A date that should last about an hour in my hotel room.”
Shutting the door of my red Charger, I pull my phone out to procrastinate going into my childhood home. I only visit for two reasons—to see my Gran and to FaceTime Stella so that she can too.
I click FaceTime on Stella’s contact. It rings once, twice, and then the picture of me drifts to a small screen as Stella comes into view.
“Cal!” Stella’s smile is real and genuine.
