Page 54 of Chasing Football Dreams

"I think that's enough now," Brenda said to Shane. "It's been hard on both of you, but this is not going to make anything right,"

I looked at Shane and the hurt in the eyes made me go over to him. "For eleven years I've tried to uncover the dreams in my head until it started making me see things that weren't there. I don't know what happened to me or who took me,"

"I don't want to chase fantasies that are going to stand in my way of living my life,"

"We can't have back what we lost,"

My eyes followed him when he got to his feet. "I just feel so powerless knowing that I let someone walk into my house and take you from me,"

I saw the conflict and guilt. "You couldn't have known," I hugged him, closing my eyes when I felt his arms snaking around my shoulders.

"Why don't you trust the police?"

I dropped my head back gazing up at him. "So many people are involved in my kidnapping. From the coroner faking evidence to the police writing a false report,"

Shane's forehead furrowed. "We need to find out whose daughter we buried seventeen years ago,"

I blinked when I grasped what he said. Someone's daughter has been buried in my place.

Chapter Twenty-Six

"Zoey,"

I dared to look away from my locker when I recognized the soft voice of my mother, catching her walking over to me.

We haven't talked since the suspicion of our mystery was solved. I still couldn't believe that a beautiful woman like her was my mother. She carries grace in every move while I'm here giving people the cold shoulder.

I found her eyes resting on my shoulder and I could already summarize what she was thinking. The birthmark on my shoulder.

"At first, I thought it could be fake but there it is," She mumbled, coming closer.

I thought the blood tests would be the confirmation she needed but instead, her focus was on the heart-shaped birthmark.

"Here you are. Alive. Following the footsteps you imprinted years ago," She cupped my cheek in the palm of her hand, tracing my cheek with her thumb.

"I'm sorry that I didn't come and visit you after we confirmed you are our daughter,"

"I am not blaming you," I walked around to grab my jersey from my locker and pulled it on.

"Shane told me that you don't want this. Us,"

"It's not that I..." I let out a sigh.

"I'm also scared,"

I turned around. "Scared?"

She nodded. "You were four when I lost you. I've lost seventeen years of watching you grow up. Missed out on your awkward crushes. Girl talk. Prom night. Watching you graduate,"

"I was prepared to be that mom blowing off parents judging my daughter on her amazing talent," Tears formed in the corner of her eyes.

"I didn't come here to cause tears. I just came here to wish you good luck and tell you that I am proud of what you achieved,"

Her smile was accompanied by sadness it pained me to see her hurting like this. "I missed out on having a best friend,"

I wasn't dissing Eliza. She is my best friend and only friend. But I was talking about having a mom who is your best friend. Who you can run to and talk about just everything and she won't judge you.

"We can still be best friends," she said with tears running down her cheeks. "We can meet for cake and coffee where we can chat for hours, or we can go for a spa day,"

---