***

Sophia was skating a very thin line between lawful and unlawful driving. Veering more towards unlawful at that.

With the ambulance having its emergency siren and lights handy to swerve and veer away from traffic, Sophia did her best under normal traffic conditions, relying on her own memory of the streets of Sevilla rather than following the ambulance. It had left her after the first traffic light.

When, at long last the drive had finally ended, handbrake pulled up, engine switched off, Sophia having parked grudgingly within the hospital parking bays. She turns behind to Clarissa, Pedri at her side too.

"You two go in," says Sophia. "I need to call Gio. Let him and his parents know what's happened."

They nod in agreement, and Pedri slides off his seat and outside, making way for Clarissa to push his seat  forward - Sophia's car only had two passenger doors, annoyingly. Before they both leave her sight, though, Pedri drops his head back into the vehicle, a hand on the roof of the car as he bent down.

"Hey, relax, okay?" He says. "They know what they're doing in there. She'll be okay. Breathe."

And breathe, she did. Pedri left and Sophia scrolled through her contacts to Gio's number. She hits call, and it starts ringing.

She hadn't spoken to him since she left him hanging, yesterday. When he confessed that he liked her. And now she needed to tell him his sister was in the hospital. God, this was messy.

"Gio," she says, when the throat on the other end cleared in answer. "Hi."

"Hey, Soph," he replies. "Um, I'm glad you called. Everything okay?"

"Yeah—I..." She sighs. No point in sugarcoating anything. "No. It's Maddie. I'm at the hospital for her."

"What," he breathed, and for a second, it sounded like his heart stopped.

Poor guy. That's his little sister.

"Don't worry," she tells him, though she's not quite sure she sounds as convincing as she should be. "I think she's okay. She's just here in the hospital as a precaution; she fell at the football game and was knocked unconscious. There was head bleeding, so the ambulance was called. I'm with Clarissa and Pedri, and they've gone in to check into her room."

"Thanks, Soph," he says slowly. "For doing this."

"Don't mention it. Thought you and your parents had to know."

"Yeah, um. I'm gonna go let them know. We'll be there soon. It's a lot to ask but any chance you can, er, stay for a while? She'd be relieved to wake up to a familiar face, to see yourself or Clarissa."

"Yeah, Gio," says Sophia, "We'll stay with her until you get here."

"Thanks, Soph. Appreciate it."

"See you soon, Gio."

It felt strange to Sophia. Being in the hospital for someone. Despite her degree relating to science as well as healthcare in some fashions, going to the hospital for someone - in most cases, one would naturally be uneasy. Let alone it being a friend that's been hurt.

Sophia texted her parents that because of this, she and Clarissa might be home a little later.

"Any news?" asks Sophia.

It was easy to spot Clarissa and Pedri in the hospital waiting room. The Real Betis football kit Clarissa wore was not the most subtlest green, and it got her standing out in the bustling hospital waiting area. Pedri was beside Clarissa too, slouched down in his seat, arms folded, lips pursed. It made her want to smile, because it looked like he was picking at nonexistent stubble hairs on his chin.

There weren't many other seats available; by some trend, Accident and Emergency was pretty crowded at this time in late afternoon. Sophia grabs a chair and drags it over to Clarissa and Pedri.

"We're not family, so they're not letting us see her while she's still unconscious," says Clarissa. "Did you call Giovani?"

"I did. He's on his way with his family right now." She looks at the phone in Clarissa's lap. "How'd the game end?"

"4-2," says Clarissa. "To Barca."

"They clearly missed your expertise and shit-eating tackles," says Pedri.

"Don't act like you're sad Barca won," Clarissa said to him as she rolls her eyes, and it prompted a half-smile in both Pedri and Sophia.

Sophia felt inclined to ask... especially now, that they had time to pass for both Maddie's awakening and arrival of her family.

"What happened between you and your coach before we left?"

Clarissa looked down at her hands, a finger pinging her sports wristband against raw flesh.

"I'm, er... I'm in a bit of trouble with the team," she replies.

"Trouble," remarks Sophia. "How so?"

Clarissa thinks of how to word her following words. "You know how there's always... three strikes... when someone gets into trouble? You get one strike, might be a one-off, that's fine. Second strike is a warning of what could happen in the case of a third strike. And the third strike... when bad things happen." She says, "I hit my third strike."

"Right," says Sophia.

Clarissa pauses a moment. "Don't give me that look."

"What look, Clarissa? I don't even know what's happened. You're being cryptic. Spit it out."

Clarissa pauses again, and it makes Pedri think the conversation halting was to do with him.

He gestures to move away, "If you two need a moment, I can go—?"

"Stay," says Sophia and Clarissa, equally meaning, don't be ridiculous.

Clarissa sighs. "I've been pulled up about my behaviour. Bad attitude, mostly. Once was while being substituted, another was after I'd been late to training. And the third... well, you saw it. Coach wasn't happy I wanted to leave mid-game. And yeah, I might have handled it better, in hindsight. I was just worried about Maddie."

"I know," says Sophia. "It's in the past."

But that's all she said, and it prompted Clarissa to look up from her hands. "What?" She frowns.

"What?" Sophia frowns in return.

"You're not gonna... lecture me? Or anything?"

"Seems like that's coach's — and our parent's job, Clarissa. I was only wanting to ask why you let it get to the third strike. Why there were any strikes at all." When there was no answer, Sophia pursed her lips. "Was it... because of Nina?"

The younger girl's silence was the answer in any case.

Pedri whispers, "Who's Nina?"

"My, um, she was my best friend." Clarissa replies, "She was the right winger at Betis."

Pedri didn't miss a beat.

"Was?"

"Was," Clarissa nods.

"She died of cancer a little over a year ago," explains Sophia.

Pedri frowns. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's okay," Clarissa shrugs, smiling minimally. "Betis just hasn't been the same since she passed. I've thought about taking a break, and it's what Mum and Dad and Sophia and everyone else I know suggests, but football is one of my only coping mechanisms right now. And Nina wouldn't have wanted me to leave either. I'm in therapy instead, but... it still gets hard. Maybe it's why I've acted out. I don't know. That's something to unwind with my therapist. I just... hope it didn't ruin me my chance at playing football."

"Nothing could ruin your chances of football, hermana," says Sophia. "You're too talented to sit on the sidelines."

Pedri agrees, "Not everyone can make the shit-eating tackles you do."

Clarissa chuckles. "They're a little too shit-eating sometimes, I fear."

"However shit-eating," says Sophia. "The team at Betis know your value to the team. They're also people of the book, so you'll face the consequences if that's what they decide. Just worry about one thing at a time. The situation at Betis can wait for tomorrow, I'm sure."

Clarissa says to Sophia, "You're such a Yoda."

"I'm stating the obvious," Sophia rolls her eyes, "While you're too busy being a Fernando."

"Fernando?" says Pedri.

"Alonso," replies Clarissa, "The—"

"Formula One driver, yeah," he completes for her, grinning slightly. "I don't know if I want to ask why."

Sophia took this as her chance to answer anyways, "Clarissa was five when she decided she wanted Fernando as—Gio."

Despite the hospital waiting area already being fairly populated it wasn't difficult to identify the three that had just passed reception. Gio, with his mum and dad.

"Where is she?" The man, Gio's father, lead his family to Sophia in quick strides.

"In the emergency room," says Sophia. "We weren't allowed to go in because she's still unconscious and we're not her family."

Gio's dad nodded and spoke a quick thanks, and Gio's mum went with him, brushing her hand over Sophia's and Clarissa's arms as she passed, nodding at Pedri and thinking he seemed familiar. Gio went in too, pressing his lips into a faint smile as he walked by. Was he thinking about what he'd said to her yesterday? That was only yesterday?

Standing with the arrival of Maddie's family, once the three had managed to get into the emergency room, Sophia, Clarissa and Pedri sit back down.

Sophia places her head on Pedri's shoulder, sighing. "This is not the first time we've ended up at the hospital together."

Pedri smiles, but it was Clarissa that said, "That was the night you met, right? It's got to be."

"How could you guess that?" Pedri laughs.

Clarissa rolls her eyes. "One tragic event to kick off a long summer romance and bring two tormented souls living in the same city together."

"Tormented?" says Pedri.

"Summer romance?" says Sophia.

"Well, am I wrong?" says Clarissa. "It was at the hospital wasn't it?"

"Almost right," says Sophia. "That's as much of the story as I'll let you know."

Clarissa squints her eyes at her big sister, when the door to Maddie's room swings open. Gio walks out, and Sophia recognises the button-up he was wearing.

"Hoping my dad didn't cause much of a fuss when you asked to leave?" says Sophia, catching on that he'd previously been at work.

"He was fine," Gio chuckles, and rubs a hand over his face.

"How's Maddie?" says Clarissa.

"She's okay," he replies, and a sigh floated within those words. "Just a bit dazed from her... fall? They said it looked like. They were worried about her being unconscious while bleeding, but think she'll be able to be released tonight."

Sophia releases a calmed exhale, seeing the relief simultaneously flood through Clarissa. Sophia says, "That's good to hear."

"She's still asleep, but you can go in if you want." Gio said this to Clarissa in particular. Sophia and Pedri start walking with her, when Gio's voice halts them. "Um, Soph."

Sophia looks at him, at his uneasy hands, his not being able to meet her gaze properly.

Gio continues, "Can I have a minute? I think we need to talk."

Need was a stretch, because if this was anything to do with what went down the previous day, Sophia thinks she made her stance on relationships clear. Nonetheless, she'd give him a chance to talk. Not that he deserved it, but... Sophia was curious for herself too.

"Uh, yeah, sure," nods Sophia. She turns to Clarissa and Pedri - the former looking impatient to see her friend, the latter looking... sceptical, if anything. "I'll join you guys in a minute."

Before she joins Gio, his voice calls out to the retreating pair. "Hermano?" He says, directed to Pedri. "Thank you for also coming. You don't know my sister, but you still came. I appreciate it."

Pedri nods, but he didn't return Gio's smile.

With that, and a last hesitant look from the Canarian, Sophia follows Gio. She doesn't exactly know where he was going. To the cafe, maybe. He was probably just buying time, walking purposefully slow with those long legs of his.

"What did you want to say to me?" asks Sophia, tired of beating around the bush. This thing with Gio went on far too long. Whatever happened between them, needed finally settled.

"I shouldn't have sprung that on you yesterday, what I said to you." He starts, "About... having feelings for you now when you had feelings for me then."

Sophia sighs, "Gio—"

"Hear me out, please." He says. "I don't expect you to ever return the feelings again, not after I let you down, missed my chance, not when you have Pedri, a guy that's checking in on my sister whom he doesn't even know. I just... I owe you an apology for it all."

"Alright," says Sophia.

"I don't... deny that there was something between us. That summer before you went to uni. Honestly, I didn't know many people that could stack ten dishes on their arm all while starting off a heated tangent on the latest Mandalorian episode. It's part of what I liked most about you, only... I didn't know how to accept it. You were the bosses' daughter, and, well, I've seen your dad's wrath for myself being in his kitchen. But I shouldn't have put being scared of what he'd think about us two in a relationship over what he'd think about me hurting you."

Sophia frowns. "What do you mean? I never explicitly told him what happened between us before I left."

"He made me admit it for himself, Soph," says Gio. "He gets scary when it can come to his love for his family. He wanted me to admit it right there and then what happened, because he knew you'd never say, and I realised how much I fucked it in that moment. Sophia, I'm so sorry. I should never have rejected you like that."

"Gio, I'm over it," says Sophia, and the timing of it all was so wrong that she had to sigh. "I had a year in a new city, new people, new job, and it helped me get over you. The fact you rejected me doesn't plague me anymore. I've grown up a lot in the last year, okay. Thank you for apologising, but don't dwell on it, because I don't anymore. I'm past it all, and I've moved on."

Gio also sighs, a hand to his forehead, because he knew how wrong the timing was too. His late apology could never turn back time. "Yeah. You have. You're a lot better than me, Soph."

"Why did my dad take you back after you left? You said he was really angry, but he said you two left on decent terms. Decent enough to be asked back in."

"Vince has an amazing way of forcing words out of someone," starts Gio, "But nothing I haven't found myself agreeing with now. He's always been like a father figure to me in the kitchen. He's s good man too, and I don't think he wanted to end things in bad terms after all the good times under his employment. He knew I'd never hurt you again, and... to make sure of it, he asked me to promise him that I'd never act out on feelings towards someone, unless I meant it. In other words, not to be a flirtatious dick unless I actually wanted it to go somewhere."

"Oh," says Sophia. "I'm happy it didn't come between you two, then. He really does like you as a person. The fact you came back to help him out in his rough spot proved why you'd been so good for him as an employee. Person, even."

"You make me out to be such a great person, Soph," he says, and the laugh he let out was nothing if not self-deprecating. "I hope you won't stop sending me Star Wars edits. You know, now that you fancy someone else."

Sophia snickers. "So long as you don't make things awkward, De Luca. You know, since I fancy someone else." He chuckles, and she smiles at him. They'd done a loop around the hospital corridors in their walk, and had ended up back at Maddie's room. Before he reached for the handle, she puts a hand to his arm. "Thank you for apologising, Gio. It's what I would've wanted to hear a year ago, but I'm glad we got this chance to sort things out."

He shakes his head. "It's not even half of what you deserve. But thanks for not letting what I did get in between our friendship. You're a really good friend, Sophia. Thank you for being here for Maddie, today."

She perched on her toes, and presses her lips to his cheek.

He would always be her first love, and her first heartbreak. She was just thankful she could keep him as a friend.

"Hi guys," says Sophia, sliding into Maddie's room as Gio held the door open. Maddie was still asleep in her hospital bed, the monitor at her bedside beating in relaxed tandem with her heart, nothing if not reassurance. Maddie and Gio's parents were by her bedside, their dad standing by their mum's chair, while Clarissa and Pedri sat in chairs opposite Maddie's bed. Sophia perched on the edge of Clarissa's chair, her sister giving her a hopeful look, while a double-take made Sophia realise that Pedri didn't make eye contact with her on entry. Was that normal?

"How have you been Sophia?" Gio's dad asks. "I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to say thank you properly earlier. Thank you for watching out for Mads."

"Don't mention it, Señor," Sophia replies. "I've been well, just home for a few more days before I move back to Barca."

"You stay with Luis Enrique's daughter, sí?" says Gio's mum. "I remember someone saying something a while back."

"Her name's Sira," Sophia grins. "She's less of a celebrity at home. But yeah, I'm living with her again. I like staying with her."

"Where is it you were from yourself, young man?" Gio's dad asks Pedri.

"Tegueste, Señor," replies Pedri.

"Las Islas Canarias," he remarks. "Very impressive we have such football talent coming from there. It must have been difficult moving to Barcelona from a small island, at such a young age too."

"We made it work," Pedri shrugs, "I'm thankful for the team and to have my family backing me. It helped me fit in way better."

"How was the change with—"

"Stop boring him with your football questions, Papá," a yawn is heard from the bed.

Everyone's head turns at once in the direction of the hospital bed. Indeed, Maddie, light brown hair tied back by nurses, in a paper thin hospital gown, was adjusting herself into sitting position. A bandage was wrapped around her head, but she seemed to be moving easy. A nurse came for vital checks immediately too, at the same time Maddie's parents and Gio rushed to their feet.

"Thank god you're awake, Mads," her mum breathes. "We were terrified when we got the call from Sophia."

"Wait, Sophia—?" Maddie frowns, and its then that she notices the extra three seated by her bed. "What are you guys doing here? Wait, what happened?"

"You fell, Mads," says Clarissa, "at the football game. That's what everyone's saying. They called the ambulance over there and we came just to make sure you were fine."

Maddie frowns, and touches the bandage around her head. "My head hurts, but I feel fine." She looks at the nurse. "Am I fine?"

The nurse, arranging her medical equipment on a tray replies, "We'll need to do some tests just to confirm." To everyone else, "We'll need the room empty, if you all don't mind."

Everyone aside from the hospitalised girl left the room, allowing the doctors to run their tests. When they returned shortly and it was clear that Maddie was fine, albeit dazed, Sophia realises the time. That Pedri will be expected for LaLiga in a day and he's whole cities away, and Clarissa was in enough trouble as it was. She doubts the team authorities hadn't notified their parents of Clarissa's defiance.

"We should be on our way," says Sophia, looking at Maddie and Gio's parents. "Since you're here and Maddie's okay."

"You're sure?" says Gio's father, glancing from Sophia to Pedri. Maddie and Clarissa were engrossed in conversation, how they knew Maddie truly was fine.

"Sí, Señor," replies Pedri. "I have a train to catch. Great to meet you, despite the circumstance."

"Take care of yourself, young man," the older man claps his hand to Pedri's back.

"Hey," a voice says, and it was Gio.

He doesn't say anything to Sophia, but closes the distance between them, wrapping his arms around her in a warm embrace. Because of his height, all Sophia could do was return the hug around his waist.

"I'll see you around, Soph," says Gio with a soft grin, pulling away from the hug. He holds out a fist to Pedri. "Thanks again, hermano."

"Don't mention it," replies Pedri, and he returns the fist-bump.

After prying the two teenage friends away from their conversation, the three were able to return to Sophia's car. Pedri didn't say much on the drive back to Ansu Fati's place, which was strange. The radio filled the silence whenever Sophia's chatter was brushed short by his quiet replies, Clarissa not saying much in the background herself. Poor girl must have been tired.

"This is us," She clears her throat. "I'm sorry our, er, date didn't go as planned."

"Not your fault," he shrugs. "You couldn't have predicted any of it."

She nods slowly, but noticed how lackadaisical he was. "I'll see you back in Barca?"

Pedri moves his head once, a nod. "Sure."

His hand moves to the door handle, but Sophia stopped him with her voice. This felt weird.

"Hey... the air's clear between us, right?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?"

"You seem different... not like how you were earlier."

"Maybe I'm just tired," he says, and rubs a hand over his face to (weakly) prove the point. "I don't know how you could know that, anyways."

That took Sophia by surprise.

"Um, sure," she replied, furrowing her eyebrows. What more could she say to that.

"All I mean is that we've only known each other for a few months," he explains loosely. "We've not known each other that long for you to... know that."

Right. Interesting.

This time when she asked him, it wasn't with concern. "Are you sure everything is okay."

"Dios mio, Sophia, yes. What else do you want me to say?"

This was different to the Pedri that had his arm around her shoulders during the game earlier, the one with the menacing grin as he sneaked his Barcelona cap on top of her head. It was replaced by some sort of droop to his face... a jealousy, almost.

And the only person that came to mind regarding that was Gio. But she'd told Pedri he didn't need to worry about him. She meant that when she said he didn't need to worry about Gio, because Sophia wanted Pedri.

"This can't be about... Gio. Can it?"

"We did just go to the hospital for him, so."

That tone.

"No," says Sophia. "Maddie. That's who I went for."

"Didn't look like it in there," he mutters. "Don't you two have a history?"

Her eyes squint. That sounded mildly offending. "What's that supposed to mean, Pedri?"

"You said everything was in the past. You two were talking for a really long time, and felt the need for no one to be there. And you seemed perfectly happy with him all over you, and at Rosie's birthday..."

He didn't need to finish, because she understood where he was coming from. She knew how it looked. But she also didn't need to explain herself to him. That's where trust came in.

"You don't think I'm over him," she accepts his implication. "Is my word not enough? Dios mio, Pedri, maybe the reason we'd talked so much was because of our past. That's all it is."

"It didn't look in the past to me, Sophia," says Pedri.

"How else could I prove that me and him was in the past? I asked you on a date, Pedri. Rethink that."

"Only because he rejected you in the first place. I wouldn't have been in the picture otherwise."

"I... what?"

"It's as Clarissa said. I was just your summer romance."

A scoff fell from Sophia's lips, but she didn't hear it. She couldn't do this again. Not for another guy, and not when he was acting like a jealous prick over something she assured him not to be jealous over. Not when he believes that all he was was a short-term fling, after everything. She couldn't do this.

"You're right," she says, "We really don't know each other then."

It was difficult to get the words out, her head spun hearing Pedri talk to her like this. Nonetheless, her voice was bitter when she said, "Safe journey home, Pedri."

He seemed to realise all too late what he said, because his hand hovered before reaching for the car door handle. Pedri looked at Sophia, but her eyes were lasers in front of her, a hand on the gearstick ready to go.

"I—" Pedri caught himself from talking; nothing was going to change her mind. Not even his apology.

The door shuts after him, and Pedri walks away from the car.

Only once did she see in periphery that Pedri had entered the house, did Sophia let herself breathe.

"What the fuck," was what left her mouth, short-breathed when her head dropped to the steering wheel. "What the fuck."

Eyes still closed, she feels a hand on her arm. Part of her hoped, desperately, for it to be that of the Canarian she had just watched go inside. For him to have came back, to have tried to fix this. But it wasn't; Clarissa, having heard the full conversation, crawled into the front seat.

"I'm sorry," she says, "I shouldn't have said that earlier, that it was just a summer romance. I—"

"It's not on you, hermana," she assures Clarissa. "It's not on you. Let's just... go home."

Clarissa nods, failing to hide her frown, as her sister lets go of her handbrake to begin the drive home. Clarissa turns the radio up, filling the silence between them, and the sound of the rowdy country music station their dad last selected was stuck, because Sophia's car had issues and switching radio channels took too much time now.

The music or her car's radio faults was the least of Sophia's concerns.

When the two sisters did reach the driveway of their family home, they found the space to be occupied by more than just their parents cars. Sitting on the steps leading to the front door, hands balanced on his knees, ruffled blonde hair peeled back by a Real Betis cap.

"It's Milk Boy," Sophia remarks. Carlo. The dairy supplier's son.

"He was at the game," replies Clarissa.

"Yeah, I saw Carlo there." Sophia says, "You should go. He's probably waiting for you."

Clarissa nods, but she doesn't leave. Now was not the time to talk about her love life.

"Do you think you two have broken up?" The younger girl asks.

Sophia looks down at her lap. "We were never a couple to begin with."

Another moment passed, and Clarissa remained in the car.

"I'll be inside whenever you want to talk, hermana," says Clarissa. She leans in and hugs her sister with one arm. Sophia watches Clarissa jump out of the car, walking over to Carlo, who stands up immediately on her sight. He pulls something that rested behind him, and it was a backpack, one that Clarissa accepted, that she probably didn't care to pick up in the hurry to the hospital.

Maybe in another moment, one where she wasn't confused, or annoyed, or devastated about what just happened, Sophia might have cared about the conversation going on between Clarissa and their family restaurant's dairy supplier.

All she could do was rest her head against the rim of her steering wheel and think.

Thinking, was that it?

***

imsorryimsorryimsorry

ur girl wanted some drama and ur girl also has zero inspiration to write, hence why this has taken so long to come out and for my multiple sorrys xxxx

mainly sorry for the drama😔

im also sorry if this is rlly scrappy and rushed, wanted to get this out before next week bc im gonna be rlly rlly busy😭

why can i not give them happiness man😔😔 probably bc im still in my sad girl era bc jota actually left celtic, my heart is truly broken😭💔 U KNOW WJATS EVEN FUNNIER THO, THE FACT I NEED TO WAKE UP EVERY MORNING SND STARE AT THAT BEAUTIFUL PORTUGUESE MANS FACE BC HES JUNE'S POSTER IN MY CELTIC CALENDAR, it's not ok, he's not a celtic player anymore why did he go to saudi 🥲😭🥲😭 jota never striked me as the type of player that'd leave for money as well :(

literally screaming crying throwing up, i miss him sm x

goodnight, pls don't hate me, thank u all for ur patience ily all xxx