We were searching the New Kids' apartment. At least, that's what the other girls called it. They didn't seem much like "new kids" considering they were juniors. Amy said that we could find a hint to where Arry would flee through her stuff. We hadn't learned anything important. Everything I learned, everybody already knew.

I noticed a younger blond girl. She sat teary-eyed on Arry's bed. I set a picture frame down and sat beside her. "I'm sorry," I said softly. "You were really close to Arry, right? What's you're name again?"

She sniffed and nodded. "Julie."

I put my hand on her shoulder.

"Get away from her," a voice growled. I looked up to see Hope Solo storming through the doorway. I would never forget Hope Solo's name. She was the big, bad goal keeper. Nothing got past her. She was the steel wall behind the brick wall and scary as hell. "Come on, Julie. I don't want you anywhere near her." Kelley O'Hara trailed behind her. She looked uncomfortable.

Julie tried to protest in my defense. Hope ignored her and focused on me. "You screwed the Heath's over in one night. Don't you dare try to do it to Julie."

My eyes were wide with fear. "I—"

"Hope, knock it off. Alex didn't do anything," Tobin intervened, squeezing her way through the doorway. She put herself in between us.

Hope's fiery eyes flicked to her. "Get out of my way, Heath."

Tobin said, "Hope, Alex isn't the cause of all this, and you know it. You just need somebody to blame."

Hope tensed noticeably. Kelley looked like she wanted to comfort her, but didn't move her arms to touch her.

"I know you love Arry," Tobin said. I couldn't see her face, but it made Hope's features soften. "Taking it out on Alex isn't helping."

"She's Julie's best friend," Hope said stiffly.

Tobin nodded. "I know."

"She buys lunch for kids who can't afford it." Her fists tightened at her sides.

"I know," Tobin's voice is tight. She has to be strong for Hope. If she breaks down, so will Hope.

"S-She loves the color green." Hope's eyes shut tight. "We're both addicted to gambling, but she's so much better at staying away from it. She's so innocent."

Bam!

Everyone flinched at the sudden movement, than sound. When I opened my eyes, the one I thought made the noise was still. Her eyes were shut.

Tobin's wrist was out of sight, her hand swallowed by the wall. Dust from the wall blew in puffs. White crumbs littered the hardwood. Before anyone could say anything, Carli Lloyd appeared. She insisted that Hope come and relax. Of course, Kelley followed, being her girlfriend. Julie followed, looking guilty and worried.

Tobin still leaned against the wall, her breathing heavy. It was just her and I. Alone. Again. My heart was beating faster than it should.

She slipped her hand back. More sickening crunching and dust filled my senses. She said, "I'm sorry you had to see that Lex."

The way the nickname rolled off her tongue was so simple, yet it complicated everything. She turned to face me. Her eyes looked at me uneasily. I walked over and picked up her hand. Her knuckles were bleeding and her fist was definitely gonna bruise. Gladly, nothing was broken. "Don't be," I said.

She pulled her hand away and pressed it to her lips. Her eyes were filled with shame.

I didn't believe in love at first sight. Tobin definitely caught my eye when I first met her. I mean, her and her sister were both good looking. In fact, many of the girls on the team were. How that was possible was beyond me. Something about Tobin just shined through.

I had begun to spend a lot of time with Arry. Not because of Tobin. Arry was really friendly. She made me feel like we had been friends since before we were born. But spending time with Arry meant being around her three sisters.

Being in the apartment gave me a feel for the for the dynamics. Tobin, Lauren, and Amy acted like Arry's parents. They made her do homework, kept her on task, supported her, and disciplined her. I would expect her to hate it. Surprisingly, Arry was fine with it. In fact, she thrived on it. Lauren and Amy would tell Tobin off every once in awhile. Lauren and Amy are the ones really in charge. It was a system that worked for the group.

Tobin was kind. Everything that nobody saw. She valued opportunities. I assumed it had to do with whatever happened between her and her parents.

"Things are just really stressful," she murmured. Her eyes were foggy.

I rested my fingers on her arm. The contact felt like a constant prickle. I was wondering if she was feeling the same thing. I said, "It's okay to be scared, Tobin."

She shifted her eyes to look into mine. Her breathing seemed to hitch, but it resumed to its normal pace before I could give it a second thought. Maybe I imagined it.

Do you like guys or girls?

Our gazes were locked. There was no escaping. My heart was pounding so hard it pulsed in my ears. I had feelings for Tobin Heath. My eyes flicked to her lips. I saw hers do the same. Her eyes were even more uneasy, but she saw it. I knew she felt it.

Answer the question Morgan. Guys or girls?

Girls.

I leaned forward to press my lips against hers. Suddenly, I felt her hands on my shoulders. I would've melted into the touch, basked in the heat it ignited. But the touch wasn't meant to evoke feelings.

It was meant to stop me.

Her face had turned so I couldn't touch our lips. I was stopped from leaning any further. Embarrassment burned my cheeks. Confusion scraped my throat.

"Alex I. . ." she choked out.

I took a step back as her eyes took on an apologetic mood. Before I could say anything, a tan, dark-haired girl flew into the room. She immediately fretted over Tobin's hand. Tobin was still staring at me. "I'm fine Chris. Really," she said absentmindedly.

The girl, who I identified as Christen Press, trained her eyes on me. "Is everything alright?" She asked.

I nodded mutely. She smiled softly. "I'm sure we'll find something to help us find her." She gently moved Tobin's head to face her. She quickly pecked her lips and dragged her out saying something about ice and gauze.

I was left in the empty room, feeling even more empty inside.

+ + +

We had made no progress. It was getting late and everybody was tired. In small groups, people were leaving the apartment. Eventually there were only eight of us left. Tobin, Lauren, Amy, Kelley, Morgan, Carli, and Christen.

Kelley was strangely quiet. When Hope had stormed out of the apartment with a strong grip on Julie, Kelley was found locked in the bathroom. I had asked Carli about it since her and Hope were close. She shook it off and changed the subject.

Morgan was asleep on the couch. Lauren had tried to make her go home, but the freshman refused. She ended up calling their parents to let them know Morgan was staying over.

Christen was cuddled against Tobin on the couch. Tobin traced up and down Christen's arm. Lauren was drinking coffee at the island. She would look at the couple over her mug. I caught her eyes glancing at me every once in a while.

Amy walked into the apartment carrying a stack of envelopes. She sat beside Lauren. The stack fell with a thump and Lauren placed a mug in front of the forward. She immediately cupped her drink and sipped it aggressively. She started skimming through the mail. She lingered over one of the envelopes. "Um, does anyone know anything about this?" She held the envelope. No address was written on it. Typed in tiny font "If you want to help me" was written on the front.

Tobin squinted. "What does it say?"

"If you want to help me," Amy read. "Well that's creepy."

Tobin slid Christen off of her and stood up urgently. Christen's eyes were wide as she watched her girlfriend fly across the room. The flash of hurt that crossed her eyes made me feel good. What's wrong with you? She's still you're teammate! I can't just be glad she's in pain! I'm such a terrible person.

She sprinted across the apartment and ripped the envelope from Amy's hands. The forward blinked in surprise. Tobin rushed to open the envelope. It was sloppily done but she had managed to get the paper out. She read it quickly, her eyes shifting right to left like she was high on caffeine. She let out a crossover between a grunt and a scream. She was gripping the paper so tight her hands shook.

"I'm so stupid," Tobin gasped. "So freaking stupid."

Christen came up and snaked her arms around Tobin's waist. She rested her chin on the midfielders shoulder.

Tobin put her hands in Christen's but she didn't lean into the girl. She peeled Christen's arms off and walked out the front door. Christen was in the verge of tears. She took a deep breath. "I've got to go,"she whispered and left in a hurry.

Amy picked up the letter. Her fingers began to tremble as she read. Her eyes grew watery and her other hand covered her mouth in horror. "We've been going about this all wrong."

Lauren blinked. "What do you mean?" Amy didn't respond. "Amy! What do you mean?"

She spun the paper around and thrusted it at us. Her eyes were wild with tears. The paper crinkled and curled in her tight grip. On it was a crisp picture of a teenage girl. She was in a chair. Her feet were tied to the chair legs. Her arms were suspended over her, tied to a rope hanging from the ceiling. She stared at the camera expressionless. The picture quality made it obvious who it was.

The text underneath read:

Don't tell. Don't tell. Don't tell. Don't tell. Don't tell. Don't tell. Don't tell. Don't tell. Don't tell.
You know what. You know what. You know what. You know what. You know what. You know what. You know what. You know what. We've warned you.
Do as we say.
No more harm will come.

"We need to find Tobin." Lauren shot up from her seat. "She's gonna get herself in trouble."

Amy looked at me. "It's getting late. You should probably head home. We'll handle Tobin," she said.

I don't know why, but I didn't argue.

I should've.

I didn't.

As I left the apartment, my heart began pounding. The reality hit me. Arry had been kidnapped. Who would kidnap her? Why would they kidnap her?

I found myself a few blocks from the New Kid's apartment. Yelling and music could be heard. A car horn blared as the car swerved to a stop near me. "Yo! Morgan! Get in!" A voice shouted. I recognized Servando in the driver's seat.

I don't know how it had happened, but I was soon in their car. We didn't get out until we reached the local club. The music was loud as the group sauntered in. Servando had a tight grip on my waist.

"I'm gonna get us drinks," he said. He pressed his lips against mine. I almost fell with the sudden impact, but his hand supported my back.

The night was moving too fast. Arry's picture haunted me. I looked around me, expecting to see her with her arm's hanging. I didn't see the youngest Heath, but I did see the oldest one.

I walked up to her. I set beside her at the bar. "How'd you get in?" She asked.

"Servando knows the owner."

Her fingers tapped against her shot glass. "I should've known. Arry doesn't run from her problems. I do." Her eyes were so broken. She tapped her glass again. She cleared her throat and shouted, "Another round."

Some bartender dropped a few shot glasses in front of her and poured out a drink. I kept looking over my shoulder, expecting Servando to come and pull me away. He never did.

Shot after shot. Soon Tobin was too drunk to process anything. "You're eyes are really blue," she murmured softly. The spun in her seat and laughed. She spun around again. "They're soooo blue!"

I sighed. I helped her off the bar stool and lead her towards the exit. "Come on Toby, let's get you home."

"I hate being called Toby."

"I'm sorry," I quickly apologize.

She vigorously shook her head. She almost tripped over her own feet. I take her out of the club and out into the night. It was kind of chilly.

"No, I-I usually hate it buuut when you say it, it's better," she said. Then suddenly she sang, "I feel better! So much better!" She then started to hum. I shook my head.

"Alright Tob—"

I didn't get to finish . . . because her lips were on mine.

I blinked in surprise and pushed her away. Funny how things work that way. She whined in protest then said, "But you're sooooo pretty. Like, prettier than . . . prettier than the ocean. And I really love the ocean. Your eyes are better than the ocean."

"You're drunk Tobin," I said stiffly.

"But you were pretty before I had a few too muuuccchhh." She grinned at me. She gripped my jacket collar and went to kiss me again.

I wanted to let her. But when she was sober she pushed me away. Was this even what she really wanted? I don't want to take advantage of her.

And there's also that fact that she has a girlfriend.

"Pretty girl. Kiss me."

She was drunk. I sighed. "Look Tobin." She's drunk, Alex. She won't remember anything you say. "I like you. I really do. I love your abs. You're smirk. The way you prioritize. The fact that you don't give a shit what other people think." I paused. "Oh God. That's so cheesy."

Tobin's body leaned against me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and murmured, "So why won't you kiss me?"

"Because you're drunk. I don't even know if you really want to kiss me."

"But I do know."

"No, you don't."

"I do too."

I didn't say anything.

"Don't say God's name in vain," she whispered.

"Huh?" I asked, shifting her so that I didn't drop her.

"You said oh bleep, that's cheesy."

"Bleep?" I chuckled.

She looked around her. As if checking for something. She nodded. "You said God's name in vain."

I chuckled but inside I was ready to die. If only Tobin wasn't drunk out of her mind. Or maybe she only loves me when she's drunk.