Joining the Soccer club was one of the worst ideas I ever had since writing that pathetic love letter. It's literally torture. I've never wanted to quit something so bad. Even though I've only suffered through tryouts, I obtained a bruised nose, scraped knee, and an enormous pile of embarrassment.

"Owww," I whined, rubbing my nose.

Catalina, Meadow, and I were finishing up our lunch before our next classes began. Catalina and I ordered buffalo chicken sandwiches, while Meadow opted for spaghetti and meatballs. The cafeteria was quite empty today — by desert; I meant the one other person I cared about wasn't here. Spending time with my two best friends was everything I needed and could hope for.

"Lana, is your nose okay?" Meadow asked, tapping my throbbing nose.

"If you stop touching it, maybe it would be." I poked my tongue out.

"I heard Silverlake Soccer club is very intense and because it's so hard the dropout rate is over seventy-five percent," Meadow explained, slurping her linguine. "Every year only a few would stay till the end."

"Really?" Cata gasped. "Are you sure about continuing?"

"I'll do anything if it gets me closer to Declan," I admitted, reaching over for my grape juice box.

Soccer club might be horrible but in the end, it's worth every single second if I could spend it with him. Also, I was so loving the new wardrobe and couldn't wait to wear my lavender-colored tracksuit. 

"Just quit." The familiar raspy voice of Ambrose appeared.

"Ambrose, what are you doing here?" I asked, looking up at him.

"I had to bring you this," he said, placing down a tray with a gigantic crimson red frosting cake with 'Lana, my love' written on it.

"Why does only Lana get one? It's not fair," Meadow whined, a pout slithering on her lips.

"Be quiet or I'll fart on you," Ambrose teased, placing his butt in her face, causing a gagging sound to depart from her lips, and Meadow jolted into the other chair.

"You do that, and I'll chop your shriveled tiny balls off," Meadow countered, holding up her plastic knife. Somehow I knew she could make it happen even without a metal knife; her strength is something out of this world.

"It's my special cake for you. I made it with lots of love," Ambrose explained.

My spoon slipped into the cake so effortlessly, when broken apart, I noticed it was one of my top five favorite flavors-- red velvet with cream cheese icing. Ambrose stole the utensil from my grasp and pretended the spoon was an airplane-- Gee, am I, baby?! Still, I accepted the mouthful piece and rolled my eyes back in satisfaction.

"10/10," I declared, watching as Ambrose dug the spoon back into the moist, delicious cake.

"Hey, Lana, you should consider quitting soccer," Ambrose suggested, concern, shining in his eyes. "There is no need for you to injure your pretty face and keep playing." He smiled shyly, placing a small peck on my bruised nose.

"Sounds tempting... but my father taught me that I should never give up halfway. I'm going to continue to working hard," I reassured.

"Lana, you're so dedicated! I love that about you." He dramatically cried leaning over on my shoulder.

I rubbed his messy mocha curls, enjoying the sensation of his hair on my fingertips. "Ambrose, you're just as amazing as I am," I cooed, sticking my unused hand into the cake and licking the frosting off from my fingertips.

"By the way, I have a message from your father. He wants you to meet him at his restaurant tonight," he admitted.

A small crease formed between my eyebrows. "Why?"

"I'm not sure. He didn't really explain it or maybe I got distracted either way just don't forget to go," he said, pinching my cheek.

"Don't worry, I will." I flashed a wide smile at him. "Now, let's get back to eating!"

I shoved another spoonful of creamy cake in my mouth, giving me a sugar rush. During Ambrose and mine's conversation, Cata and Meadow managed to consume more than half the freaking cake. Didn't know we're feeding pigs.

"How dare you guys eat 'Lana, my love' that was reversed for Lana and her only!" Ambrose animatedly groaned, crinkling his chef's hat by crushing it with his fist.

"Oopsy, Poopesy." They both winked cutely in unison.

I swear they have the same mind because they always say or do the same things at the exact same time. It's kind of creepy sometimes.

It would be a lie if I said I was looking forward to the Soccer club today. However, on the bright side, I get to spend two hours gawking at my Declan. I'm dying to get a glimpse of his sexy soccer uniform clinging to his body.

I stared at my reflection in the full-length mirror outside the change room and tied my hair up into a ponytail. If Catalina and Meadow aren't going to be here, then I'll have to be my own hype woman. Declan can't resist me in this outfit! You are slaying the game, Lana! As I pathetically modeled in front of the mirror, Sophia appeared from one of the change rooms.

The minute I saw her reflection in the mirror, I knew I was doomed. My gut twisted while my jaw dropped to the bottom of the ocean as my eyes raked over her entire outfit. She was wearing the smallest booty shorts I have ever seen and a crop top jersey to match. I regretted making kissy faces in the mirror, acting like I was a hottie when really I was the ugly duckling.

"Were you making faces in the mirror?" She asked, an amused smile tugging at her lips.

"No! Why?" I exclaimed, frantically.

"Nice tracksuit, I'm sure the conservatives would love it," Sophia commented, sending a slice of spite in my direction.

"Be careful not to fall or your whole butt might come out," I resorted, admiring how tan her long legs were.

"At least I have an ass worthy of staring," she mumbled, strolling over to the full-length mirror and applied a thick layer of her glossy lipgloss.

"Why would I want guys staring at me?" I asked, taking my own personal bejeweled soccer ball out of my bag.

"What are you, seven? All I know is all the guys are going to be staring at me, especially Declan Novak," she said, her eyes glimmering with mischief after she said his name.

"He wouldn't do that," I insisted.

"No guy can resist a pretty girl in a sexy outfit. Maybe you should try it sometime," she smirked. "Bye, Lana."

Just seeing her made my blood boil.

Matias was holding practice for all the new students, and for the first fifteen minutes, he presented a grand speech boring the living daylights out of me. The most important rule was the courtyard was reserved for Juniors and Seniors only.

Once his speech was over, he started yelling dozens and dozens of commands.

Two hundred and fifty squats. My stances were completely off, yet I managed to finish all the reps. One hundred and fifty burpees. By the end of them, I was barely breathing and my chest burned like buffalo sauce. Matias gave us a break for zero point two seconds before shouting at us for being too slow.

The top hardest thing was push-ups--even girl push-ups were impossible to do; my arms are jelly. One hundred sit-ups made my stomach ache like crazy. How was this soccer club? We aren't doing anything soccer-related. Was my precious ball I designed made for nothing? After we moved on to two hundred and thirty-five leg reverse crunches, which ended with all of us rolling into each other like rolly pollys.  

The most disappointing part was Declan and Sophia were nowhere in sight. But if I stop for a second, then Matias would aggressively scream at me. He's so scary and passionate about this sport. Suddenly, during rep one hundred and fourteen a ball smacked my face like I was the bullseye.

"What the heck!" I groaned, craning my neck to see where it had come from.

"I'm sorry, Lana," her velvety voice said, smirking. "Could you please throw it back?" She acted so innocently cute it's not freaking fair!

I narrowed my eyes before jogging my way over to her with the bouncy ball that left a permanent mark on my face.

"Hey, aren't you a new member too, so why are you practicing in the courtyard?" I asked, curiosity flooding in my mind. "What about all the muscle training?"

"Oh, didn't you know? Performance is the most important component in Silverlake soccer club so if you pass tryouts with a perfect score then even a new members are allowed to play on the court," Sophia explained, leaning her tall-slim frame on the gate.

Instantly, I started searching for Declan. "Wait really? So does that mean Declan is-,"

"Oh, silly, Declan has even more special privileges. Since Matias forced him to join he had two conditions-- he would only play when he felt like it and at official games," Sophia babbled.

"So you're saying he's not going to be coming to practices," I gasped, in realization.

What's the point in joining the club if Declan wasn't going to be here at all. Now, I'm suffering through muscle spasms to only be paid dust. Curse you, Universe!

"Oh, I heard that you guys live together." She smiled, wickedly. "Yet you seem to know nothing about him. I guess that means your relationship with him is only skin deep."

I wanted to cry. I wanted to hide. I wanted to stop working out.

Someone like Sophia got the gist of our relationship in a matter of a few days. How embarrassing! Sophia Anderson, you might have the upper hand on me right now, but I'm not holding back. The benefit of living in his house still stood.

"Are you daydreaming again, Ms. Hart?" Matias screamed, alerting the goosebumps on my skin. "As punishment, you must run one hundred laps around the track!"

Kill me now!

My legs trembled with each step, pain following close behind. Never in my life had I worked out intense enough that my legs felt like jello. Because of the aching soreness, I was walking like I had two watermelons between my legs. Oh, god it's only going to get worse. Can I just cry in my soft fluffy bed with ice cream?

Strolling into my father's restaurant, the quiet chatter of customers and plates clashing together filled my ears. My father stood at the podium, bowing down and shaking hands with all the customers. For a Thursday night, the restaurant appeared to be booming with orders either for take-out and dine-in.

"Lana, you're here," Ambrose singsonged, carrying a bucket filled with dirty dishes in his arms.

"Hi." I awkwardly waved since my body was slanted, because standing up straight only caused more discomfort to shoot up my body.

"Ambrose, we don't have time for you to fool around," one of Ambrose's co-workers said, pointing at the backroom. "Dirty dishes won't clean themselves."

"I'm sorry," Ambrose mumbled, sending a small smile in my direction before rushing back to the kitchen.

My father's eyes lit up once he noticed I arrived and left his spot by the podium to meet up with me. Suddenly, his features were altered into a worried look as he took in my awkward stance.

"Lana, are you okay?" his voice lingered with concern.

"Yeah, I just have some sore muscles," I responded, smiling brightly through the pain. "Anyway, why did you want me to meet you here?

"Umm... Jimena, can you take over while I talk to my daughter for a bit?" My father asked his employee, earning a nod from her. "Great! I'll be on booth fifty-seven if needed." My father wrapped his arms over my shoulder as we wandered together to the back of the restaurant. "Are you sure you're alright? You can barely walk."

"Yeah, don't worry about me," I reassured, kindly shooing him off.

A waitress came over as soon as we settled in the booth, conversing with me for a few minutes before asking for my order. I ordered a Pepsi with chicken parmesan to reach my protein and carbohydrates for the day. Matias said that should help our muscles heal better and faster. My father only ordered water since he had eaten early in the day.

Watching the sizzling heat pour from the chicken made my heartbeat in content. My stomach ferociously groaned as I basically drooled at the sight of the spaghetti meat sauce drenched over the entire plate. Nothing beats eating after a long day of working out.

"It looks delicious, like always!" I beamed, cutting a piece of the chicken and stuffing it into my mouth before blowing on it. "Oh, it's hot! Hot!" I gasped, leaving my mouth open to let the heated air release.

"Be careful, don't burn your tongue," my father advised, stealing a forkful of my pasta.

"Such a nice reward after a long day of working out," I commented, slurping the cheese that melted on the top of my chicken.

"You were never good at playing sports, just like your mother," my father stated, laughing. "Why the sudden interest in soccer? Is it because of Declan?"

My eyes grew wide. "Why are you suddenly asking me this?"

My father raked his fingers through his auburn hair and his crow's feet appearing as his face scrunched up. "Listen, Lana... It's been almost nine months since we moved in with the Novaks. I've been thinking about this a lot lately and I don't think we should take their generosity for too long."

My heart sank down to my belly, and instantly my palms started cramping up. Is this going where I think it's going?

"I know. Nolan and Mrs. Novak especially are treating you like their own. After hearing your confession about Declan, I hoped that you two would be together in the future," my father admitted, a crease forming between his eyebrows.

"Dad..." I drawed out, my heart clenching.

"I've been keeping a close eye on you guys for a long time, and Declan seems to show no interest in you. No matter how much everyone around you wants it to happen, it solely depends on both of you," my father croaked, capturing my hand in his and tenderly his thumb rubbed over my knuckles.

"I think it's time we go back to living on our own, just the two of us. What do you say, Lana?" he asked, his somber gaze burning into mine. "Your feelings are just as important as mine, and I respect anything you have to say, but I found a nice place nearby. Please, just consider my feelings too."

My heart clenched in my chest. Of course, the last thing I ever wanted to do was leave Novak's house, but everything my father said was true. He only wanted what's best for me-- for us. I couldn't be selfish. Maybe it was time to finally let go of my unrequited love-- no matter how much it hurt.

The pained look on my father's face caused my heart to split in half. "The last thing I want is to see you get hurt."

"Okay, Dad, if this is what you think is best, then I'm okay," I lied, smiling brightly to mask the sadness underneath.

"Great, I'll contact the place." he smiled softly. "Finish up."

After dinner, I applauded the chefs for the incredible food and handed a twenty-dollar tip to my waitress. My father had to wrap up the night shift, so I used my GPS to walk back home without getting lost. His restaurant was located near Times Square, and I felt lost at sea with the dozens of people passing by.

If we move out... there would be nothing left to connect Declan and me. Clutching onto my shoulder purse, I got lost in the sky, letting the fluorescent lights coming off the stores reflect on my face. The sky was dark, and empty-- exactly like how I was feeling. Out of nowhere, a shooting star flew through the sky; the same one I saw the night before, writing my love letter.

That little thing caused everything to drastically change.

"What are you gazing at?" Declan's familiar voice boomed through my ears. I almost thought I was dreaming. My eyes widened as I watched his lengthy frame stroll past me.

"Declan." I instantly smiled, following behind him. " Are you going home now? Where did you go?"

"I don't need to tell you where I went," he stated with an edge.

Probably the library.

"How about you? It's late?" he asked, glancing back for a second.

"I visited my father's restaurant," I answered, walking in tune with him.

"Your father's?"

"Yup."

"Did you go see that guy?" he asked, sighing.

My eyebrows rose up. "What guy?"

He shook his head. "Nevermind."

"My father said he has found a house for us nearby," I declared, trying to keep the conversation between us. Though a part of me wanted him to stop us.

Abruptly, Declan halted, craning his head in my direction, chewing on his cheek like he had something he wanted to say. "Really?"

"Yeah, he hasn't signed the lease yet, but I'm sure he will get it done quickly. It's been nine months since we started living with your family. That's what triggered my dad's decision." I smiled a pearly white one to keep the mood light.

He stared off into the crowd. "So you're moving out?"

Swallowing the heartsick feeling in my chest, I asked, "I-if it happens, would you miss us? Miss me?"

The silence between us lingered like a blanket of darkness. Declan stared at his toes, nibbling on his bottom lip as if he was in deep thought. My heart begged for the answer I needed-- wanted and my pulse accelerated at the burning silence.

Declan lifted his chin, his emotionless eyes piercing mine, sending my heart in overdrive.

"Finally, I can go back to living my normal life," he answered, leaving me utterly speechless.

I don't understand.

I don't understand how you feel Declan...

I stood still as a wall, letting the tears pour out of my eyes. There was no way to stop them, it's like they had their own brain. My heart collapsed, and I felt my breaths becoming shaky.

Maybe our ship has sailed before it even started.

It's so sad how the chapter begins with a light hearted mood than quickly shifts to such a sad ending for Lana :(.

Send some Lana she's going to end it in the next chapters :(!! But we know our girl is strong and will always be positive;) .

Who's sad about Lana moving out?

Love you guys!! Can't wait to read your comments!!