Chapter 17 The team

                                    

                                          
Waking up a few hours later, I find that my ribs are feeling a tiny bit better. It is already 9:30 am! I should get back to the house before I cause any more trouble for myself. Where did the rest of the team go? I slowly try to sit up but decide to leave my shoes, I will just carry them home. When I make my way into the living room of Sarah's house, I find the whole team watching a movie. They must have been waiting for me to wake up. "Thanks for the help earlier, you guys probably saved my life," I say from the entrance. They all turn to look at me and some give me small smiles. "What are friends for?" Serena says. I just nod and start making my way to the front door. "Wait! Where are you going? We're all having a late breakfast together," Leah yells from the living room. I could really use some nice food and do not want to be at home but I do not know if it is the safest option. Michael has probably already left for the tracks and will not notice if I stay a little while longer though. I turn back to the living room and sit down next to Leah. When they start the movie again, I immediately recognize one of my old favorites, She's the Man, we used to watch this all the time when I was little. Emma got it for Christmas one year. Amanda Bynes disguises herself as her twin brother in order to join the boys' soccer team and get revenge on her ex. It is just what I need right now, some funny jokes and the team relaxing together. I find myself laughing with the rest of the girls a few minutes later but my ribs rudely remind me that I should not be laughing and I go into a coughing fit. Everyone is watching me when it is finally over. "I'm fine," I try telling them. Sarah tries to divert the attention away from me and asks some of the other girls to go help her get the food from the kitchen. When they finally stop carrying food into the room, everyone sits down and starts grabbing plates. Leah shoves a full plate into my hands before I get a chance to think of getting one myself. We all eat while finishing the movie and for the first time in two days I remember why I still fight to keep this life with them. They might not be family, yet, but they are incredible friends and Leah is considered family in my book. I squeeze her hand to show my remorse over our fight and she just shakes her head, indicating that it is already something of the past and that she has forgiven me. The movie ends and everyone starts clearing the food but when I get up to help they tell me to sit back down. I decide not to argue since my ribs are still killing me and even though I have slept for a while I am still really tired. After they finish clearing up the food they all come back and quietly sit down. "We need to talk, Kate. We are your friends and we only want to help. Some of us already knew about your circumstances at home and after this morning the rest kind of figured it out on their own. We only helped them connect some of the dots. Leah obviously knew the most and she didn't really want to tell us anything but we were ready to report him so she told us, everything," Sarah tells me. "Everything? So you guys know about my old family and my aunt leaving me with Michael... and Jack?" I ask them just above a whisper. Their eyes confirm what I already thought. "I told them that we might be playing them, your cousins, and about Jack. I didn't really have a choice, they were ready to go to the cops! I don't think it is such a bad idea to go and report that bastard," Leah says. "We can't do that. I know you guys don't really understand why but please just try and see it from my point of view. I already lost the only family that ever cared for me and my parents, I don't want to loose you guys as well, I can't. I don't think my heart can handle anymore loss. Michael is a sadistic bastard but he is getting old and lazy. I usually know how to avoid angering him, I was just too distracted and didn't think about the possible repercussions of my actions. I can handle Michael. Jack is the only person that we need to worry about and he left town." Some of them seem to be thinking it through. "The last time you got really badly beaten up, you promised that you would report them if it ever happened again," Christina breaks the silence. "I know but last time it was Jack. He is unpredictable and scary and if it was him that did this to me, I would have reported him with you guys today. Michael is just a mean drunk who is getting old. I can handle him if I'm more careful. Please? They will put me in a group home which is usually a lot worse than what I have to live with now. I will have to transfer schools and will probably have to stop playing soccer because the season has already started and teams have already been chosen, which means that I'll never be able to get a scholarship for college and probably end up working at McDonald's for the rest of my life! Please? I will probably suffer abuse there as well and at least I know what to expect with Michael and Jack," I desperately try to convince them. Natalie surprises all of us by saying, "Fine. We'll help you keep your secret if you promise to get a damn phone, then we can at least check up on you and know that you can reach us if something does go wrong." Wow, I did not see that coming. Why would she want to help me? "Why? Why do you even care?" I ask her. "I know what you are going through," she replies with tears in her eyes. What does that mean? I think she sees my confusion because she decides to clarify. "Jack and I used to date. He was so sweet in the beginning and made me feel special but then one day everything changed. He got drunk and became really violent, I was terrified of him. Still are. This one time he got drunk and started talking about all the things his dad does to you and how he wanted to do even worse things. I thought he was joking about his dad and I didn't think he would actually do those things to you. He is an angry drunk and started drinking all the time. His obsession with you was the only thing that made it possible for me to escape the relationship. He got so focused on you that he forgot about me and our relationship ended. I still didn't think he was actually capable of doing all those things he said he wanted to and thought that you would be able to handle him yourself. If Michael is his dad and everything he said was true, I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you for abandoning you to those monsters." I do not know what to say. "Why have you been so mean to me if you knew I was the one living with Jack? Why were you making my life even harder the last couple of months if you claim to know what I have been through? Jack must have shown you at least a little bit of what he is capable of," I question Natalie. Everyone else has gone quiet and is looking at her expectantly. "I... I was mad at you. I know it doesn't make sense but I have been jealous of you since we started playing together and I only went out with Jack because of it, then I started blaming you for my relationship with him as well. When you moved here Leah was my best friend and I blamed you for taking her from me. I didn't realize that it was all on me. I don't understand what you have been through, I just know what they are capable of now and I don't want to look the other way again." The other girls look like they might explode from anger. "You knew and you didn't say anything or even tried to help her? No. You actually went and made her life even more difficult by giving her more shit at school," Christina looses her temper and starts yelling at Natalie. "Stop. I don't blame Natalie for anything, what could she have done? She's been through a rough time herself and she clearly feels bad enough," I tell the team. "I am really sorry," Natalie quietly adds. "I get it. I've known for three years and I haven't done anything to help so I guess I can't really point a finger. We need to figure something out for the future, to minimize your time at their house. We also need to get you a phone ASAP," Leah comes to Natalie's rescue sensing my nerves about the team fighting. "Well we have the entire day to figure this out, everyone agreed to stay and help," Sarah tells me. After two hours of strategic planning, I have a phone and some pepper spray for emergencies. The team has also come up with a system to check up on me when I am at the house for long periods at a time and Leah has organized with her mom to ask Michael if I can sleepover on game nights. If she pulls it off I will only have to spend Sundays and weeknights at Michael's house. Sundays are usually his calm days and on weekdays I am mostly gone with school, tutoring, practice and even hanging with friends. Everyone seems satisfied and we decide to get a late lunch at Patty's before going our separate ways. The only thing we could not figure out was how I am going to explain my new injury to coach and mrs P, if she finds out. We all agreed to try and hide it from them and see how it goes. I can not believe they are all willing to help me. The lunch is really laid back and we all laugh about last night's game and our opponents losing their shit after I scored the winning goal in the last few minutes. Apparently one of the other players started throwing their water bottles and their coach was crying. I always miss these things! The team is also eager to face our new biggest rivals, my old team. Leah drops me at home afterwards and luckily Michael is still out. I decide to take advantage of my free time and go to bed at 5 pm after taking some more pain pills. Luckily the pills help me sleep through the night.