THEA TOOK A look at the man sprawled across the sofa. His blond hair was sticking up at different angles and even in his sleep, the light eyebrows were scrunched up. His legs were off the sofa, too small for his larger frame. He had been in the exact position a few weeks ago.

Thea shook her head; she'd been naïve to think they had made progress. It hurt her, seeing him like this.

Someone who had once been so bright, filled with laughter and in tune with her emotions, was compressing his feelings and sucking everything in like a blackhole. Orson seemed determined to take her down along with him as well. Some days, she thought it might be easier to just cave, and give up on life like he had.

But she didn't get the luxury that he did.

He hadn't come to her room last night. She wasn't sure if she was grateful or missed his presence. Her bed felt emptier last night, and she didn't need to rustle back her blankets in a game of tug of war they often played in the midst of their slumber. But she found herself still curling on the right side, accustomed to his presence on the left.

She tipped toed to her kitchen, not wanting to wake him up—and deal with whatever attitude he would have this morning. Her fingers skimmed the envelopes she'd brought back from the lobby yesterday.

Thea ripped open the familiar brown envelope, glancing at her latest student loan payment. She sighed; it was never ending. It had been years since she graduated, yet she was still riddled with debt. Sometimes, she wondered if she would ever be debt free.

She tossed the paper in the recycling bin and carefully tucked the letter back in her kitchen drawer where other bills remained. Thea would deal with the student loan payment after, but right now, she had a game to play.

⚽⚽⚽

Thea's face was drenched with sweat but there was a huge smile on her face as the referee blew the whistle twice, signaling the end of the game.

They had actually won a fucking game. She ran to the other girls huddled in a group and joined them. They all had ear splitting grins as they hugged and cheered before waving to the crowd.

While it was sparse, and nothing compared to the crowds she saw at her brother's game she noted the overzealous fan section filled with little boys and girls. Her heart warmed at that, seeing their excitement and joy and their faces and the relief in their parents. She could imagine it was hard to explain a loss to a child once, but to do it for nearly the season was another story.

Someone placed their hands on her shoulders, and she spun to see Lauren grinning, "Come on, the faster we can get out of here, the faster we can make it to our dinner."

Thea let her captain lead her through the tunnel, "You were phenomenal today, especially that last goal? Where did that come from?"

Lauren shrugged her shoulders casually, "To be frankly honest, neither do I. But something just felt lighter after the goal. Whatever voodoo seemed to be following me around has disappeared."

Thea laughed; the grandmother would have a heart attacked if she heard them talking about voodoo. Her grandmother was utterly religious and called anything or anyone to do with voodoo devil worshippers.

They entered the locker room and 90s hip-hop was blaring through the speakers. Some of the girls were dancing while they put away their equipment, and Thea was taken back by the quick change in atmosphere. Well, one win did make a huge difference apparently. Even she felt lighter, even thought it hadn't been her best game by a long mile.

Kendra entered the room and Jess elbowed one of the girls to shut of the music. Her coach surprisingly had a smile on her face. "Good game ladies. I'm proud of the way you played tonight. While our passes became sloppier in the second half, and we missed a few wide-open nets, a win is still a win. Enjoy this and take the momentum to help us finish out the rest of the season."

Kendra nodded towards Lauren, "Our captain did a great job of leading us tonight," her gaze shifted to Jess, "And Jess held the back for us."

Thea's heart pinched slightly; she'd helped on the back as well, but apparently not enough to earn Kendra's praise.

"Enjoy your team dinner, and I'll see you in practice a couple of days from now."

Thea watched her retreating figure. She slumped into her chair and slowly began packing away her things.

Lauren slung her bag over her shoulders before glancing at the rest of the girls, "Make sure you guys are at the restaurant in forty-five minutes. If you take longer, I can't promise that I won't eat your portions."

Thea laughed and Lauren's warning, even when she knew that her captain wasn't entirely joking.

"Do any of you fuckers need a ride?" One of her teammates called out.

"Who are you calling a fucker Ginna?" Someone else ribbed back.

Thea missed the rest of the exchanged as her phone pinged with an incoming text from her agent.

What is taking you so long?

Thea pursed her lips tightly. Randolph was apparently outside her dressing room. What was he doing here? Had he met with the general manager? Was there a contract on the table for her to sign now?

She stuffed the rest of her items in the bag and jogged outside. The hallways were mostly empty with a few of the stadium staff lingering around.

"Thea," a gravelly voice called out.

She spun around to see Randolph leaning against the wall, dressed in a plaid suit. His hair was slicked back, and he had sunglasses still on his face, even though they were inside. She smelt the scent of cigarettes wafting from him and she smiled ruefully. It seemed like Randolph was back to smoking after his brief hiatus.

Thea took a few steps to stand beside him, still keeping a respectable distance. She knew some of the girls were really close to their agents, but she and Randolph always maintained professional boundary.

"What bring you here today?"

Randolph shrugged, one hand in his suit pocket. "I had a few meetings with executives for athlete endorsements, so I thought I would stop by your game. Thank the fuck it was a win, or you'd lose the small number of fans that are still watching this atrocity."

"You brought us the good luck charm we needed," Thea said sarcastically. A few of the girls exited the locker room sending her curious looks.

She supposed it wasn't the most conventional meeting place with her agent.

"You good Thea?" One of the forwards asked.

She nodded giving them a smile as she stepped further into the wall, "Yep, just chatting with my agent. I'll meet you all at the restaurant in a bit."

They didn't say much, but Thea watched their retreating figures.

"You have somewhere to be?"

Thea titled her back to look at Randolph, "Yes, the team is meeting for dinner," she glanced at her watch, if she continued talking to Randolph, she would be late. "If you can quickly give me an update now, or we can meet tomorrow?"

"No need for the meeting tomorrow," Randolph said gruffly. "Dawson and I had a brief chat."

"And?" Thea pressed, while holding her breath for the next few words.

"I can't gauge their interest at the moment," Randolph shrugged his shoulders, "If you want to sign with the Panthers, you need to play more Thea, not get in a pissing match with your coach."

Thea ignored the rebuke, "Kendra actually has warmed up to me," she lied. Well, it wasn't completely a lie. While her coach wasn't sending her death glares, she did still seem to have Thea as the whipping horse.

Randolph's phone pined and he frowned, glancing at his screen. He looked up, "Look, I got to go but just keep your nose clean for a bit. I'll reach out to other teams as well and see where we are at. Don't do anything dumb like posing with hookers."

He patted her on the shoulders once before walking down the tunnel. What were the last words supposed to mean?

⚽⚽⚽

Thea smiled as she looked up at the night sky. Her stomach was full of kimchi and the delicious cuts of Korean BBQ they had sampled. She'd needed this night more than she had expected.

It was great to cut loose with the girls away from the pitch. The last few weeks had been far from easy, but between the hearty meal and shots of Soju, it had created a warm feeling in her stomach.

Beside her, Jess laughed loudly as something Lauren said. The defender's face was flushed red from the many drinks she'd consumed, and she was still giggling as Lauren gently pushed her in the backseat of an awaiting Uber. It amazed Thea to see Jess in such a great mood. It had been nearly a month ago where Lauren and Jess had almost come to blows before the latter had backed down.

It was crazy to think that in that moment, the locker room tension had been the biggest problem in Thea's life. Now, the list was a mile long and didn't seem to be ending anytime soon.

Lauren came and stood beside Thea, elbowing her lightly, "You good? Or do I need to call an Uber for you as well?"

Thea gave her a smile and shook her head, "Nah, I didn't have much to drink. But thanks for looking out for us Cap."

Lauren had also generously paid tonight's dinner tab for the group. Of course, Lauren made more money than the rest of the girls based on her many Sponsorships and being on the National team, but Thea still appreciated the gesture.

"I hope you enjoyed yourself tonight."

"I did."

Lauren dipped her before ruffling a finger through a few strands of her blonde hair and tucked it behind her ear. "Listen, I know the last few weeks haven't been easy with Kendra, but she only wants the best for you—and this team."

Thea's mouth soured slightly at the topic of conversation. She hardly believed Kendra was interested in making her a better player. To do that, she would need to coach Thea instead of criticizing every move. If she wasn't telling her how to do things better, then it was useless.

Thea swallowed up the words that were waiting to come out. It would be no use in sharing her feelings with Lauren. Weather she liked the position or not, she was Kendra's right-hand women. She didn't want to stand here and discuss Kendra, after what had been a mostly great night.

"Listen, I'm going to head home now," she leaned in for a hug, and Lauren hugged her back. "Thanks for the meal, Lauren, I'll see you at practice."

Lauren let her go and said goodnight, but Thea could feel her captain's gaze on her back long after she was in the car. Sometimes, Lauren was too astute for her own good.

⚽⚽⚽

When she entered her apartment, the smell of booze and weed was the first thing she noticed. She almost threw up but covered her nose quickly.

Thea hated the smell of weed more than anything else.

"Orson!" she shouted, as she slammed her hand to turn on the hallway light.

She was going to fucking kill him.

Her house was supposed to be a drug free zone, it didn't matter that it was only weed. She could get drug tested at anytime and he was putting her career—and his at risk.

There was no response.

Thea rolled her eyes, checking the usually prime suspect—the couch, but it remained empty.

"Orson!" She shouted once again, taking of her shoes and dumping her gym bag by the door.

Her apartment remained eerily silent. Where was he?

Probably asleep in your bed, the voice in her head rationed.

She'd check up on him after she used the bathroom. The bathroom lights were open, casting a faint glow in the small space between her bedroom and bathroom. She swore quietly. Thea had reminded Orson more than once to shut the lights after he did his business. She'd reminded him that she wasn't an heiress who could afford the high electricity bills, but it seemed like nothing got through to him.

She opened the ajar room fully and looked inside. What she saw, made her scream. 

----------------

Soo.. a lot happened in this chapter. Comment below your guesses for what you think Thea saw!