Page 4 of Entangled With You

“Fuck. So that crazy bitch followed Franco all the way to Playa Blanca? How did she know he was going to be here? And why did she take Sofi and not Franco? After all, he's the one she wanted to pretend was her baby daddy.” It’s all my stupid ass can come up with after such shocking news. My eyes immediately go to Cattleya, hugging her family and visibly crying. What if something worse had happened to Sofi while Cattleya was with me? I’m sure she will resent me for life. She’s incredibly close to her family, and she must be hating my guts right now, knowing she wasn’t with her parents when they thought they had lost Sofi.

And it’s all my fault. Greedy, loser, asshole me. This is it. She’ll never forgive me, and it’s clear I need to do what I do best: vanish.

Franco decided to propose to Sofi the moment he knew she was safe and sound. He was losing his mind while she was held captive in a cave on the rocky side of the island. Even though I wanted to dig a hole and get back to Argentina as soon as possible. But when one of my best friends decided to marry right then and there, I couldn’t say no. So I stayed as a groomsman. I tried to be as present as possible for one of my best friends on what was probably the happiest day of his life.

Right after Franco and Sofi’s impromptu wedding ceremony, I make up a bullshit excuse and tell the boys I have to go back to La Plata immediately. I’m ready to pack my shit and leave when Sofi stops me from fleeing by holding my hand.

“Are you sure you have to leave? You know how important you are to Franco.” Her pleading eyes hit me like a dagger in my heart. What a mess.

“Yeah, Sofi. I wish I could stay for longer, but I can’t. He knows how much I love him too, but I can’t stay.”

Defeat in her gaze, Sofi gives me a sweet, understanding smile. “Okay, I understand. I mean, this wedding was on no one’s radar.” She laughs, and I join, trying to breathe a little deeper to calm myself. I don’t want to stay for so long that I have to face Cattleya and tell her why I am running away like a fucking coward.

“Do you at least have time for one last picture? I would love to have a memory of this incredible day with all our friends and family.” I’m unable to deny the bride her simple request, so I nod. I just hope I’m strong enough to ignore Cattleya for the next couple of excruciating minutes; it’s best if she thinks I’m an asshole, anyway.

Chapter 1

Cattleya Cardona

Four years later. The Present

“Go up, up!” I shout to my teammate as I motion with my hand to go down. It’s a tactic I use quite often: say one thing and do another. It usually distracts our opponents, but my team knows what I mean; we’ve been playing together for three years now. Right on cue, the defender stops chasing me, waiting to see what I’m going to do. And I dash to their side of the pitch. It takes her a couple of seconds to catch up with me, but it’s enough time for me to look up and scan for my teammates. Lina is wide open, while Maria has three girls surrounding her. I kick the ball as hard as I can with the side of my cleat, and the ball lifts off the ground, creating a beautiful arch. Lina stops the ball with her chest, and by the time the defenders catch on to what’s happening, she’s facing the goalie. I make it in time to get myself in front of the defense as a shield, and Lina kicks the ball with her left foot—her blessed one—and the next thing I know, there’s a roar from the bleachers. Lina gets the ball out of the net and starts pointing at me as she goes to the corner of the pitch for our celebration. I join the group hug as Maria shouts, “We’re in the final, bitches!”

We all explode in cheers, the environment is electric, and the fans can feel it too—they’re celebrating just as much, if not more than we are. The ref blows the whistle, calling us to finish up the game. The rush of adrenaline running through my veins is like an extra push to finish this match strong. I’m not sure how many minutes are left, but I know we’re getting closer to the end of the second half.

The people in the bleachers are getting antsy, but the chants stay strong. I’m loving the environment today. I wish it were this packed every single weekend. But women's soccer is still very underrated. One day we’ll get there. It’s the first time we have a sold-out match—forty thousand people in attendance—and I’m thrilled it’s ending with a win. We’re going to the Colombian Women's Soccer Cup final!

Once all the postgame activities are over—interviews, press conference, and coach’s speech—I’m in the locker room with my teammates, shooting the shit while we take showers and change out of our uniforms.

“Cata, we have tomorrow off. Wanna go out?” Lina, the top scorer of our team and my bestie, asks with her usual smirk. She loves going out, and I’m a little bit on the introverted side, but after tonight’s match, I’m still high on adrenaline, so I nod in agreement. She hollers while fist-pumping the air, and I chuckle at her antics. We catch up with the other girls heading to the parking lot. Since it was a home game, we were all able to drive to the stadium, but I guess my girl here had a feeling we were going to win. When I wonder if we're taking both cars, she says, “I took an Uber here.”

We are lucky to play on a team that has the means to pay us competitive salaries. We’ll never make as much as the men’s team, but our wages are above the minimum wage, and we get benefits year-round even though our tournament is only six months long. Most of the teams in the women’s Colombian soccer league pay very little and don’t provide benefits at all. Players have to cover their health insurance and transportation expenses. Why do women still play, you wonder? Because we breathe soccer, it’s our passion, and we feel we are paving the road for future generations. I have hope it won’t always be this way. I have faith that one day, we’ll be able to negotiate equal pay, just like the United States team managed to do. They proved time and time again that their women’s team is superior to their men’s team and truly deserves equal pay. I hope I’m still alive to see the day this happens in Latin America, too.

I’m able to shake the thoughts from my head as Lina, the mayor of party town, amuses me with her antics. That’s her nickname on the team, too: The Mayor.

“Alright, I’ll drive,” I say as I motion for her to follow me.

“Wait, aren’t you going to drink? Everyone is taking Ubers,” she says as she points her thumb to our teammates.

“Nah, I have a test tomorrow night and need to have a clear head.” She rolls her eyes at me but doesn't say anything. She knows it’s a moot point. I’m one of the few players who juggles school while playing on the team. I’m also one of the youngest players. Everyone else is either over the age of twenty-six or has other jobs to help pay their bills. Even though we have better wages than most, it’s still not enough to cover everything—especially when you’re the head of the house. I’m just a lucky bitch; my family fully supports me, so I’m able to focus on my studies and play the best soccer I possibly can.

We make it to El Poblado in record time since it’s ten at night on a Wednesday. I’m still shocked we had a packed stadium on a weeknight for a women’s match. Things are changing—at least, I hope so.

“Okay, so where are we going?” I ask, looking for all my teammates slowly gathering around us.

“Let’s go to Mamasita,” Danna, our goalie, suggests, and everyone nods. It’s a fairly new place, but it has easily become a team favorite; they have delicious food and good music, and they love it when the team comes by. I’m hoping at some point, it can become the official team bar, where fans can watch the game, and we can stop by afterward to celebrate. I shake my head at my thoughts; I’ve watched Ted Lasso one too many times—it’s my comfort show. And the bar was Ted and Coach’s place, not the team’s. But whatever, I’d love this bar to become our place. As soon as we enter, a roar of chants and applause explodes around us. My heart skips a beat at the sight in front of me: the bar is packed, and most people, if not everyone, are sporting our jerseys. Granted, it’s the same as the men’s team, but beggars can’t be choosers—or are decked out in green and white, our team colors. Each player is greeted with a beer, and the bar owner, Dulce, comes rushing our way.

“Congratulations, ladies, what a fucking match you played.”

I smile at her compliment, and Maria swiftly answers, “Thank you, I think I speak on behalf of the entire team when I say that we weren’t expecting to see this,” she says as she points around us. “We just wanted to grab a bite and a beer, but this is amazing.”

Dulce side-hugs Maria. “I wasn’t expecting this crowd either. Wednesday nights are usually slow, but I guess word got out that the team comes here after the games and all these people decided to come watch the game and wait for you. I can’t imagine how this is going to be next Sunday when you guys play the final.” I smile at that. I mean, what are the fucking odds that my thoughts are materializing in front of me? Am I in an alternate reality? What comes next? Signing with a bigger team? Ha! If only it were so easy.

“Hello, is this Miss Cattleya Cardona?” a deep voice asks as soon as I hit the answer button on my phone. I usually don’t take calls from unknown numbers, but I’ve been waiting for an important call, and I have a feeling this is it.

“Yes, this is she.”

“Oh, hello. This is Augusto Montes, talent manager for the Golden Warriors.”

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