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Seconds were ticking by and I needed to know that Natalia was okay.

32

Natalia

I wiped the tears from my eyes and dabbed a tissue to my nose. I didn’t know I had this many tears in me. I was crying from the shock. From the humiliation. From the betrayal from the man in my life I had given myself to.

And what did I have left? I had no job. I had no income coming in. And now I didn’t have a boyfriend. Today was terrible and horrible and I wanted to skip over it.

I pulled up in front of the gate. Heather was waiting with her arms crossed. She walked over to my car.

“Hi.” I smiled meekly.

“I tried to tell you.”

I nodded. “You did.” I handed her the uniform and the box that protected the gold boots.

“But I guess he was more important?” She was mad. Her voice cracked.

“It wasn’t that.”

I wanted to explain. I wanted to tell her everything. But I wasn’t sure she would understand. Maybe she did want a love like the reporter girl found with the pitcher, but was Heather really the kind of girl who would give everything to have it? Would she lie to protect her relationship? Would she sneak out in the middle of the night? She said she wanted all the romance, but would she ever put the Warriors second?

“Then what? What could make you risk this? You know there was no choice but to fire you once a picture like that went public.”

“I know. I’m not mad at you or anyone with the Goddesses. It’s my own fault for trusting him. I’m the only one to blame here. I’m not pretending it’s something else.”

I saw the look of pity in Heather’s eyes. We weren’t going to be friends after this. I knew that. I had betrayed her just as Sam had betrayed me. I had lied to her repeatedly and broken my oath to the squad. I felt like an awful human being.

“I thought being a Goddess meant something to you. I saw it. You started to love it. You started having fun. You were becoming one of us. A sister we could count on.”

I wiped a tear with the back of my hand. “I do love it. I did.” I nodded.

“I hope he was worth it.” She swung my uniform over her shoulder.

“Heather, wait.”

She twirled to face me. “Yes?”

“Thank you. Thank you for being so nice to me. I wasn’t the best Goddess and I gave you a hard time. It’s just as important as ballet. And what these girls do is hard work. I’m going to miss it. Especially the gold boots.”

She grinned. “I knew you were coming around. Sad about the boots. Sometimes love wins instead, I guess.”

I felt the pit i

n my stomach widen. There was no win for love this time.

“Right.” I got back in my car and started the ignition. There wasn’t anything left to say. She would pass my uniform on to one of the alternates.

Someone else would go to practice and fly to San Francisco tomorrow. It wasn’t going to be me.

I didn’t expect to see Sam’s car when I pulled up to my building. I stormed out from behind the wheel, the rage fueling my steps.

“What are you doing here? I told you not to come.”

He grabbed me by the wrist. “I want you to come with me.”

I tried to wiggle free, but his grip was strong. “No. I don’t want to see you. Or talk to you. Least of all get in your car.” He had led me to where he was parked.