“I know. She’s not talking to me. Won’t even reply to my texts.”
“An apology could help smooth things over…” Andrés trails off.
“I’ll never be sorry for sticking up for Carla,” I bite out, insulted.
“Bianca said you’d say that,” Andrés mutters.
I narrow my eyes. “You talked to my sister?”
Andrés nods, averting his gaze. “We keep in touch. She says you’re avoiding her.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache forming. “I’m not—I’m not avoiding her. I just don’t want to hear her opinion.”
Ale snickers. “Welcome to my life. I have two sisters.” He holds up two fingers.
“B means well,” Andrés adds, defending her.
“Everyone means well,” I agree. “But I’m not apologizing for shit, nor am I rehashing what went down between Sergio and me. He pulled his bullshit, I said my piece, and it’s done. If he wants to press charges, he’s well within his rights to file a complaint with the police. And if that happens, I’ll deal with it then.”
“You sound pretty blasé for a futbolista who is running a youth camp next month and just physically assaulted a coach on camera,” Andrés points out.
He’s right and I fucking hate it. Two parents already complained and one of them pulled their son from my program.
But, “Those who know me, know my values. I wouldn’t have done that shit if it wasn’t warranted. I’m not explaining it.”
Ale shrugs. “That’s one way of looking at it.” He stands and tosses an arm over my shoulders. “I’d ask if you want to get a beer, but I don’t think you can go out in public at the moment. You guys want to come over and play Xbox?”
“I’m in,” Carlos calls out, appearing from behind a row of lockers.
Ale snickers. “Didn’t know anyone was still here. But the more the merrier, mate.”
“I’ve gotta pick my daughter up in two hours from my mom’s house but I could do something mindless for an hour or so,” Carlos explains.
“Will Marlowe mind?” I inquire.
Ale shakes his head. “No, she’s spending her afternoons with Abuela this week to design the nursery.”
Carlos groans. “I remember those days.”
“Your daughter is two, tío. Those days weren’t that long ago,” Andrés calls him out.
Carlos shrugs. “When you have a baby, time is a funny thing. There’s that saying, the days are long but the years are short.” He looks at Alejandro. “That shit is true, brother. Take it to heart.”
Ale looks panicked for a moment but then Carlos nudges him forward. “Come on, you should do something mindless too.” He glances at me. “I guess we all should.”
Tipping my head in agreement, I follow my teammates out of the locker room.
As I slide behind the wheel of my car, I send Carla another text message.
Luca
Cucciola, please talk to me. I miss you.
As expected, she keeps me on read but doesn’t reply.
And as much as I do miss her, I won’t apologize for my actions. Because I know for a fact, from Álvaro, that Sergio has backed off and my message has been received. Loud and clear. Just as I intended.
For Immediate Release
