Page 139 of On the Breakaway

And I can live with that for now.

28

Avery

I hate Chicago.

Well, okay, maybe I don’t actually hate Chicago.

Under normal circumstances, I’d probably love it, but after nine straight days of airports and stadiums, every city has started blending together. By the time I push open Wesley’s hotel room door, all I can think about is getting home.

“Please tell me someone brought snacks,” I announce as the door swings shut behind me.

Becca is stretched across one of the beds, wearing fuzzy socks and stealing handfuls of popcorn from a bowl balanced on her stomach.

She doesn’t even bother looking guilty. “Define brought.”

I point at her. “You stole those from the team room, didn’t you?”

“Somebody has to eat them.”

Haley laughs from the desk chair where she’s curled up, scrolling through her phone, while Wesley tosses me a bottle of water from across the room. I catch it and immediately collapse onto the second bed, the mattress bouncing beneath me.

“My body hurts,” I groan. “I don’t care how expensive these hotels are. The beds are always shit.”

“Last night wasn’t bad,” Haley argues.

“That doesn’t mean it was good.”

“Tomorrow it won’t matter,” Wesley says, stealing a handful of popcorn. “We finally get to go home.”

A collective sigh fills the room.

We’ve all reached the point of the trip where home has become less of a place and more of a finish line.

One that Grayson is sitting at the end of.

We drift into talking about tomorrow’s game. Chicago’s been a pain in the ass all season, and everyone has opinions about it.

Outside the window, rain taps steadily against the glass while the city glows beneath the low clouds.

Eventually, like every girls’ night we’ve ever had, the conversation drifts away from soccer entirely.

“You know,” Wesley says casually, tossing a popcorn kernel toward Becca, “I still can’t believe you slept with Liam.”

Becca catches the popcorn in her mouth. “Why?”

“Because he’s Liam.”

“I know exactly who he is.”

Haley shakes her head. “That’s not helping your case.”

Becca shrugs. “He’s hot. I’m hot. We’re both single. It seemed pretty straightforward.”

“I bet it was good,” Haley sighs.

“It was fucking great.”