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She sighs. “I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about it a lot. I mean, I want him to pay for what he did. I want him to be exposed. I want him to lose his job. To suffer.”
“But?” I ask.
“But I’m scared. I’m scared of the backlash. I’m scared of what people will say about me and about my past choices. I’m scared of turning this into an open wound for everyone to pick at. I mean, you know that I’m still not entirely convinced that he used me. I felt like I was a willing participant at the time. But he was in a position of power as my coach, and he did, every so often, not so subtly insinuate how he’d put me on the bench if I didn’t…”
I reach across the table and take her hand. “You were groomed, Rebecca. It’s not your fault. You did nothing wrong.”
“Tell that to the media,” she says, looking away. “Tell that to the people who will slut-shame me.”
“They won’t,” I say. “Not if we stand together. Not if we show them the truth.”
She looks back at me, her eyes shining with tears. “You want to stand with me?”
“I will be by your side no matter what you decide. If you want to speak up, I’ll be there. If you want to stay away from it, I’ll be there too. But you have to make the choice that’s right for you and no one else.”
She smiles, squeezing my hand. “You’re the best, Lexa. Thank you.”
“Hey, that’s what friends are for,” I say.
We finish our coffee and head out. We walk back to the stadium’s parking lot, where Rebecca’s car is. Valentina took mine home.
“Need a ride?” Rebecca asks.
“Nah, I’ll get one from my mom,” I say. “I’m sure she’s still in her office.”
“Okay. Call me if you need anything.”
“I will,” I say, hugging her. “And hey, whatever you decide, you’re one of the bravest people I know.”
“Thanks,” she says, hugging me back. “You too.”
We part ways, and I go to the administrative building. Inside I greet the new security guard they hired a couple of weeks ago when things started to really take off.
He lets me in, and I go upstairs, to the floor where Mom’s new office is. There have been a lot of changes over the summer. I knock on the door, and she calls me in.
“Hey, Lexa,” she says, looking up from her laptop. “What are you doing here?”
“Just came to say hi,” I say, walking over to her. “You’re working late again.”
She smiles. “What can I say? I love my job. The team is doing well, the attendance is up, the revenue is up. It’s a dream come true.”
I’m happy for her. “I’m glad. You deserve it.”
“The team’s really looking up to you,” she says, closing her laptop. “You’ve grown into that armband.”
“Thanks,” I say, sitting on the edge of her desk. “So, can I get a ride home?”
“Of course,” she says, standing up. “Let me just grab my things.”
I smile. I missed this. Well, it’s hard to miss something we never really had, but I like this new us. We’ve been talking more.
We leave the office for the parking lot, get into the car, and drive off.
“You want to tell me what’s on your mind?” she asks at a red light. “Or did you just for a ride?”
I shrug. “Maybe a little bit of both.”
She glances at me, then back at the road. “Something happened?”
