Chapter 49: Thank You for Being Brave

Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Thank You for Being Brave

Audrey unlocked the apartment door. The living room was completely dark. She flipped the light switch on and set her bag on the floor.

Chloe was sitting on the carpet, leaning her back against the sofa. Her knees were pulled up tightly to her chest. She was not wearing her tough leather jacket. She just wore an oversized t-shirt. She looked incredibly small.

"You came back," Chloe whispered. Her voice was raspy.

"Of course I came back," Audrey said. She walked over and sat down on the floor right next to her roommate.

Chloe buried her face in her hands. She took a shaky breath.

"I was so mean to him, Audrey," Chloe cried quietly. "He was just trying to talk to me. He looked so tired. And I just yelled at him right in the middle of the courtyard."

"Why did you yell?" Audrey asked gently.

Chloe looked up. Her eyes were completely red. "Because I was scared. I saw him in the coffee shop talking to that freshman girl. She was smiling at him. And he was just standing there, letting her."

"He was just being polite," Audrey pointed out.

"It does not matter," Chloe said. A single tear rolled down her cheek. She wiped it away angrily. "It made me realize how easily he could just walk away. He could find someone nice. Someone easy. Someone who does not fight with him every single day."

Audrey sighed. She leaned her head against the side of the sofa.

"So you pushed him away first," Audrey stated.

"Yes," Chloe admitted. "If I push him away, then it is my choice. It means he did not abandon me. I made him leave."

"Chloe," Audrey said softly. "That is the stupidest logic I have ever heard."

Chloe let out a wet, bitter laugh. "I know."

"Leo does not want an easy person," Audrey explained. She looked her roommate right in the eyes. "He spent three months following you around campus. He let you steal his clothes. He bought you food. He took you bowling. He knows exactly how difficult you are, and he stayed anyway."

Chloe hugged her knees tighter. "But I ruined it. He looked at me today like he finally gave up. The hope in his eyes completely died."

"Then you have to fix it," Audrey said simply.

"How?" Chloe asked. Her voice cracked. "I cannot just walk up to him and say sorry. I rejected him twice."

"You have to be honest," Audrey told her. "You have to tell him you were scared. You have to tell him you actually like him."

Chloe completely froze. "I cannot say that out loud."

"If you do not say it out loud, you are going to lose him forever," Audrey warned. "He is an amazing guy, Chloe. He is not going to wait in the dark forever. Eventually, someone else is going to turn the light on for him."

Chloe stared at the blank television screen across the room. She looked terrified. But for the very first time, she did not argue. She did not throw up a sarcastic wall.

"Okay," Chloe whispered. "I will try."

The next afternoon, Audrey was sitting at her desk in the journalism office. She was reviewing her match notes from Saturday.

The heavy door creaked open.

Daisy walked in. She was wearing a bright yellow cardigan. She held a small plastic container wrapped in a red ribbon. She looked incredibly nervous but very determined.

"Hi, Audrey," Daisy said softly.

Audrey looked up from her laptop. "Hi, Daisy. What is that?"

"Cookies," Daisy beamed. "I baked them this morning. Chocolate chip."

Audrey smiled. "That is very sweet of you. Are they for the office?"

"No," Daisy said. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "They are for Leo. I am going to the athletic center right now. I am going to give them to him."

Audrey stopped typing. Her hands hovered over the keyboard.

"You are going to see Leo," Audrey repeated slowly.

"Yes," Daisy nodded. She took a deep breath, clutching the plastic container to her chest. "I am going to tell him how I feel."

Audrey felt a sharp spike of panic. She thought about Chloe crying on the floor last night. She thought about Leo looking completely defeated on the pitch.

"Daisy," Audrey said gently. She stood up and walked around her desk. "Can we talk for a second?"

"Am I making a mistake?" Daisy asked. Her honey colored eyes looked worried.

"You are not making a mistake," Audrey clarified quickly. "You are very brave. But I need to be completely honest with you. Leo is going through a really hard time right now. His heart is stuck on someone else."

Daisy looked down at the cookies. The bright, optimistic smile faded just a little bit.

"You mean the girl from the bleachers," Daisy said quietly. "The one with the dark hair and the leather jacket."

Audrey blinked in surprise. "You noticed her?"

"I am a photographer, Audrey," Daisy smiled sadly. "I notice where people look. When the match ended, Leo did not look at the scoreboard. He did not look at his teammates. He only looked at her. And when she walked away, he looked entirely broken."

Audrey sighed. She crossed her arms. "If you know that, why are you going to confess?"

Daisy looked back up. Her eyes were completely sincere.

"Because keeping it a secret hurts," Daisy explained softly. "I know he does not like me back. I know he is in love with her. But I want to be honest about my own feelings. I just want him to know that someone thinks he is wonderful, even when he feels sad."

Audrey stared at the freshman. Daisy was so young, but she was incredibly brave. She was doing the exact thing Chloe was absolutely terrified to do. She was risking rejection just to be honest.

"Okay," Audrey said quietly. She offered a warm smile. "Go tell him. He is probably stretching on the pitch right now."

"Wish me luck," Daisy breathed.

She turned around and walked out of the office, holding her cookies like a shield.

The sun was starting to set over the stadium. The sky turned a brilliant mix of orange and purple.

Training was officially over. The stadium was empty.

Leo was sitting alone on the metal bench near the touchline. He was still wearing his sweaty practice gear. He stared blindly at the green grass. He felt completely drained. His body hurt from the drills, but his chest hurt much worse.

He heard soft footsteps approaching on the grass.

Leo looked up.

Daisy was standing a few feet away. The golden hour sunlight caught her curly blonde hair. She held a small container with a red ribbon.

"Hi, Leo," Daisy said quietly.

Leo sat up straight. He wiped a streak of sweat from his forehead. "Hey, Daisy. What are you doing out here? Practice is over."

"I know," Daisy said. She walked closer and held out the container. "I baked these for you."

Leo looked at the cookies. He slowly reached out and took them. He was completely confused.

"Thank you," Leo said. "You did not have to do that."

"I wanted to," Daisy smiled. She kept her hands clasped tightly together.

Leo looked at her face. He noticed how nervous she was. He noticed how she was rocking slightly on her heels. The realization slowly dawned on him.

"Daisy," Leo started carefully. His voice was incredibly gentle.

"Wait," Daisy interrupted. She took a quick breath. "Let me say it first. Please."

Leo stopped talking. He nodded once, giving her his full attention.

"I really like you, Leo," Daisy confessed. Her voice shook a little, but she looked him right in the eyes. "I know we just met. I know it sounds crazy. But you are kind, and you are gentle, and you are so handsome. I just wanted to tell you."

The quiet stadium felt completely silent.

Leo looked at the sweet, brave girl standing in front of him. A few months ago, he would have been thrilled. He would have flirted back immediately. He would have asked for her number without a second thought.

But right now, his heart did not flutter. It did not jump. It just ached.

"Daisy," Leo said softly. He patted the empty spot on the bench next to him. "Sit down for a second."

Daisy walked over and sat down. She kept a respectful distance.

Leo looked down at the plastic container of cookies in his lap.

"You are amazing," Leo told her honestly. "You are sweet, and you are a great photographer. Any guy would be incredibly lucky to date you."

Daisy smiled a very sad smile. "But you do not want to."

Leo looked up at the sky. He let out a long, heavy sigh.

"My heart is full, Daisy," Leo admitted quietly. "It is completely taken. And she kind of broke it a few days ago. I do not have anything left to give anyone else right now."

Daisy nodded slowly. A single tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly.

"It is the girl in the leather jacket," Daisy whispered. "Isn’t it?"

Leo felt a sharp pang in his chest just hearing about her. He nodded. "Yeah. It is."

"She is very lucky," Daisy said. She sniffled slightly, but she kept smiling. "Even if she does not know it yet."

"I think she knows," Leo muttered. "She just does not care."

"I think you are wrong," Daisy said softly. She stood up from the bench. She smoothed down her yellow cardigan. "If she really did not care, she would not have looked so angry when she saw us talking. People only get angry when they are afraid to lose something."

Leo looked up at her. He had never thought about it like that.

"Thank you for listening to me," Daisy said. She took a step backward. "And thank you for being honest. Enjoy the cookies, Leo."

"Thank you for being brave," Leo replied sincerely.

Daisy gave him one last wave. She turned around and walked away across the pitch, disappearing into the shadows of the tunnel.

Leo sat alone on the bench. He looked down at the cookies.

He thought about Chloe. He thought about the fear in her eyes when she yelled at him by the fountain.

Maybe Daisy was right. Maybe Chloe was not just angry.

Maybe she was completely terrified.