After school, Erika and Shay were together at a cafe just studying, but the boyfriend was not focusing on his books. He was thinking about what happened the previous day.

Shay stared at his girlfriend and thought how he could make their relationship work, and also told her that he won't be attending their graduation so he could leave early for the tryout.

Erika looked at him, but he looked away, "What?" she asked him.

"Nothing." Shay tried to shake it off.

"Do you have a problem again? Is it your dad?"

"No, it's nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, yeah... ahem.. actually." In just a brief second, he decided to tell her about his news, Erika looked at him and waited for him to utter some words since she was getting worried. "I'm just nervous that the Super Tundra won't pick me," he lied instead.

"What are you talking about?" she told him, believing his lies. "They will. You worked so hard for it."

"Thanks, I needed that." He took her hand and held it.

"Alright... Uhm... are you sure that you are not going later?"

"I told you, I can't."

"Just checking," she giggled, then her phone buzzed. It was a text, and read it. "I have to go, Chris wants me to go shopping with her before the party."

"Okay," Shay said.

After that, they stood up from their seat. Erika was about to leave, but Shay pulled her back and hugged her tightly, which was unusual to her, yet she reciprocated the gesture. He pulled away to hold her face and kissed her on the lips.

After that ten seconds of heaven, they were looking at each other eye-to-eye, and Erika felt confounded and euphoria, "What was that?" she questioned him.

"What? Can't I kiss my girlfriend before she leaves?"

"Of course you can, I just did not expect that."

"Well... I just want to, that's all." He stuck his forehead to hers.

"Okay," Erika replied, shaking off her doubts from his very romantic signals. "I'll call you later, bye."

"Alright, have fun," Shay said as he watched her leave. Deep inside, he was feeling sort of sad to see her go without telling her what was going on.

Later in his house about hours before training, he checked out his friends from school had posted pictures on social media about Trevor's party, and couldn't help wanting to be there instead.

His father appeared by the doorway, "Duke, are you ready?" he asked him.

"Just a minute." The boy put away his phone, then grabbed his shoes to put it on.

"What were you looking at?" Rome walked into him.

"Nothing," Shay said defensively. "I'll be right out."

Rome took a chair and sat near him, then noticed Shay's phone was still open with the posted pictures. "I know you want to go to the party..."

"Dad, I'm here. Can we just skip the lecture?"

"Listen," Rome told his son, but his son was not in the mood. "I just want you to know something that I never told you."

"What is it?" Shay looked at him in a strange way.

"You know how I got the injury?"

"You told me because of a car crash."

"No, it wasn't. It was my mistake that made me careless."

Shay's brows lifted. "What are you talking about?"

"The day before the game, I was supposed to train because our coach told us that the opposing team's new goalkeeper was quicker. I underestimated his speed because he was a rookie. Coach told me to work on my kicks, but I didn't, I went out to drink instead," Rome explained. "The game started. That was when I realized why they got him. He was fast. I was about to hit a goal in midair, but once I kicked it, he already caught it, so the sudden impact hurt my leg."

The teenager's eyes widened from the actual story. "Why didn't you tell me this?"

"I was ashamed, and I still am. That's why I'm thankful I have you when you wanted to be a soccer player. I know you hate me right now for being hard on you about training. I just don't want you to waste a chance when it's given to you."

"I'm sorry, Dad." Shay now had a better understanding to his father was the way he was.

"I didn't take it seriously. These parties and other idle moments, it will be there, but what we're working on, it's not something you can take lightly." Rome became somewhat teary after he told his son the truth. "Anyway... ahem, I'll meet you in the car."

The man stood up, and walked out of the room so after hearing the true story, Shay took his soccer ball, and stared at it then turned to the framed photo of him and Erika and back at the ball. That was when he made up his mind about his decision.

----

It was night time at a big house with a pool, all the seniors were there, music was loud, some kids are dancing, swimming, drinking, playing those drinking games, flirting, making out and losing their virginity.

The two girls arrived in time when the chaos already happened, "Hey! you came," Trevor greeted them, looking slightly drunk. "Food and drinks are in the kitchen. You know where that is," then wobbled away.

"This is so cool. I can't believe Shay is missing this," Chris expressed as they grabbed a drink from the table.

"Leave him alone. It's not like your boyfriend is here tonight, and he's best friend with Trevor."

"Okay, you got me there. let's just have some fun."

They each grabbed a drink and started dancing with the other people by the pool. Mikey was there with his friends and was eyeing at Erika as she looked so attractive. He was feeling that hunger at her.

Hours later, the energy was toning down a bit, the dancing was not a lot, music was still playing chill, yet upbeat songs and everyone was just talking to one another yet half of the guests were leaving.

Erika decided to check her phone, but there were no notifications of messages from Shay at all, "Hey!" Chris called her from behind. "Come on, let's dance some more."

"You go ahead, I just want to chill for a while," Erika replied, then looked at her phone again.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm just gonna call Shay."

"What for? He's fine. He's having more fun just being with a star player than we are here."

"I guess you're right." Erika puts her drink down at a table behind her, not knowing that Mikey was watching her and saw an opportunit because one of his buddies walked behind the two girls and put something in Erika's drink, then went away without their knowledge.

"Ugh... I think I drank too much, I have to pee, I'll be back." Chris rushed inside to get to the toilet.

Erika took another sip. About a minute, she suddenly dropped her cup on the ground because she started feeling dizzy, and her vision was getting spinny.

Mikey came to her, "Are you okay?" he asked her, even holding her arm just to help her not to fall.

"I'm not feeling well," Erika said. She could barely stand on her own.

"I'll help you."

Mikey took the unconscious Erika to a pool house. He laid her down in the bed and locked the door. After that, what was inside was the end of Erika's innocence.

Chris, on the other hand, was done using the toilet. She washed her hands and was about to get out, but she couldn't, "What the?!" she reacted, then banged the door. However, someone was there guarding outside and not letting her out on purpose.

It reached until midnight, everyone left the party, and the place was a mess, except the two girls were still there.

Chris ended up sleeping in the bathroom tub, and then someone was wiggling the door to open. She woke up the sound and immediately got up.

It was Trevor, "Why would someone lock this from outside?" he questioned, then he saw Chris. "What are you still doing here? The party is over hours ago?"

"What?" Chris got stunned. "I don't know, I just used the toilet, and someone locked me here."

"Huh? Why?"

"Oh! shit, how long have I've been here?" she took out her phone, but it was dead."I forgot, my battery is dead. Wait, where's Erika?"

"Beats me, maybe she went home now, can you go? I need to pee."

"Okay, okay." Chris ran out of the room. "By the way, I forgot my charger. Can I borrow yours? I need to book a ride home."

"There's one in the living room. Come on, I really need to go," he whined.

Afterward, the two teenagers were at the pool area. Chris sat on a lounge chair, with her phone in her hands waiting for it to charge while Trevor started cleaning up, "Fuck! why do they have to throw trash in the pool?" he complained but the girl was ignoring him. "Can you give me a hand?"

"Ugh! fine." She got up, but then her phone went on all of a sudden. "Oh! wait, just give me a sec. Let me just book my ride first." she managed to do that, and she remembered Erika, so she called her to know where she was.

"Hey! are you gonna help me or what?!"

"Hold on, I'm just calling Erika." But then they heard a phone ringing. "That's her ringtone. I think she's still here too. Help me find her."

"It sounds like it's coming from the pool house." Trevor stopped what he was doing and decided to help Chris. They got there and the ringtone was getting louder, so then he tried to open it, but it wouldn't. "What the hell? it's locked. I'll just get the keys."

When they opened the door, they were surprised to see Erika sleeping in the bed with a blanket over her. Her purse was on the floor along with her phone that was ringing when Chris tried to call her.

"She's here," Chris agaped.

"What is she doing here?" Trevor asked, looking confused.

"I'll wake her up."

"Okay, I'll just be out there, cleaning." He went out just to leave them alone.

"Erika, Erika," Chris gently woke her up.

Erika opened her eyes, "what's going on?" she moaned. "My head. Where am I?"

"We're still here in Trevor's. The party was over about an hour ago."

"What?!" Erika was astonished that she sat up on the bed, but then felt this pain in her body, by her hips.

"What's wrong?"

"My hips hurt." When she took off the blanket, there was a speck of blood once she scooted off to the bedside.

"Oh! God, look." Chris pointed.

Erika saw it and was horrified when it came from her bottom. "What the..?! Is that blood?"

"Must be your period."

"No, no!" the frantic girl cried. "It can't be, I just had them two weeks ago."

Trevor rushed back after hearing some screaming. "What's wrong?" Then I saw the blood and Erika crying. "Oh..."

"Let's just get out of here, I already book a ride, I'll help you." Chris assisted her best friend when she could barely stand up because of the ache in her body and took her bag then got out of there.