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She smiles. “Please do.”

When he hugs her, he whispers something in her ear. I wonder what it is.

We get on with clean-up and prepare to leave. We’re all in a good mood and ready to party at Amanecer like we now usually do after a match.

But before any of us can leave, my mother joins us in the locker room. She never comes down here after a match. She usually stays in her office or goes home. She’s surprising us all by being here today, and she’s smiling.

“Girls, that was a great performance,” she says. “You played with passion and skill. You made me proud. You made the fans happy. Thank you.”

We smile and thank her back.

“Did anything happen?” I ask, knowing she wouldn’t be here unless something had.

“Yes, but it’s good news,” she says. “I just got off the phone with Commissioner Cole. She has officially opened an investigation into Declan Woods, and Apex Platinum Holdings. She said she’s taking the allegations very seriously, and that she’ll do everything in her power to ensure a fair and thorough process. She also said that the league stands with Rebecca, and with every victim of abuse and harassment. She wants to make the league a safe and respectful environment for everyone.”

We all cheer and hug each other. This is what we’ve been waiting for. This is what we’ve been fighting for.

But then my mom holds a finger up. “There’s something else.”

We quiet down.

“The investigation will take some time, and they can’t make any decisions until it’s over,” she says. “So, in the meantime, they’ve decided not to suspend anything or anyone.”

“Innocent until proven guilty,” Daisy mutters.

“Yes, but there’s more. They don’t want to compromise the integrity of the competition, or affect the teams’ performance. The matches will go on as scheduled, and the standings will be updated as usual. The media can still cover the story. Fans are free to express their opinions. They’re not trying to censor anyone, nor hide anything. They want to be transparent and accountable.”

I frown. “What does that mean?”

“It means,” Alycia says, entering the locker room, a hand on her belly, “that you’ll all be in the spotlight a lot. People will ask all of you a lot of questions and you will need to be prepared to answer them. Carefully, honestly, assertively and compassionately. You’ll have to be careful with what you say and how you say it. You’re now ambassadors representing the league, the club, and the sport. And you’re doing a great job so far.”

I look at my sister, amazed by her. She’s handled this whole thing with such professionalism. Despite dealing with a lot herself, she’s been our voice, advocating for the girls and leading us through this with grace.

We still haven’t had the talk we’ve been putting off about hiding that the affair partner I saw Declan with was Rebecca, and that Alycia found out I hid it from her. Neither of us has brought it up, and every day that passes without us talking about it makes me feel like it doesn’t matter as much as I first thought.

“If any of you need coaching on how to handle the press, my door’s always open,” she continues, looking around the room. “Now, go celebrate your win. First round at Amanecer’s on me. You deserve it.”

We cheer, and thank her. We get ready to go as she leaves. Valentina comes over and kisses me.

“I hope you’re not too tired because I have planned a celebration for after the celebration tonight,” she whispers.

I grin, wrapping my arms around her neck. “I’m never too tired for you.”

She smiles and kisses me again. I feel her lips, her tongue, her warmth. I want to take her home right now. But first, we need to spend some time with the team.

“Let’s go,” she says, pulling away. “I’m starving.”

I laugh. We get in my car, along with Daisy, Rebecca, and Rosario. We drive to the restaurant, singing along to the radio, and laughing at each other’s jokes.

We get out of the car and make our way to the restaurant’s entrance. Word’s gotten out that we usually hit up Amanecer after a match and fans are gathered outside.

They cheer and clap as we pass by. We wave and smile, thank them for their support. Some ask for autographs, which we’re happy to give.

Rebecca’s especially popular. She takes lots of pictures with the fans, beaming and confident.

“I’m so hungry I could skip the meal and go straight for dessert,” Valentina says, biting my earlobe.

I shiver. “Ugh, you make me want to tell the team to fuck off.”