Chapter 5
Niko
Bianca
Water shoots out of my nose as I simultaneously laugh and cough. Shaking my head, I drag the back of my hand across my face and zoom in on the picture Bianca sent.
It’s her on the plane, free of makeup, with her hair in one of those insane heatless curl twists Ellie likes to use. Bianca is flashing a peace sign, her eyes covered with a silk sleep mask, and she’s pouting some duck lips.
Snorting, I tap a reply.
Niko
Exactly what I hoped for.
Bianca
Got you covered.
Also, just want to let you know I took Plan B before I boarded.
Niko
Send more photos.
Bianca
If you’re lucky.
Niko
And I’m not worried, Bianca.
Safe travels
Bianca
You too.
“Okayyy, I see that smile,” my brother Dimi teases. “Who’s the woman?”
“Why do you think it’s a woman?” I look up, slipping my phone into my pocket.
Dimi holds up his hands defensively. “Or dude. Whatever you’re into, Niko.”
“I had a good weekend in New York. That’s all.”
“You should have taken me with you. You would have had an even better time.”
Images of Bianca in that red thong roll through my mind. The sounds she made when she came. The feel of her skin beneath my palms.
The only concerning part of the weekend was the condom breaking, but Bianca taking an extra precaution with emergency contraception puts my mind at ease.
“Nope.” I shake my head. “I wouldn’t have, Dimi. Besides, you’re nineteen. You can’t even get into the bars.”
My younger brother lifts an eyebrow in disbelief. “Of course I can! I have your old ID.”
I mess up his hair just to irritate him. “Don’t get caught with that. Soon, you won’t even be able to use it.”
He scoffs. “You keep hoping you blow up that big.”
I flip him the middle finger and he grins, his dimple popping on the left side, just like Mama’s.
“I’m planning a trip to come visit you with Ellie,” Dimi continues. “And in Europe, nineteen is just as good as twenty-one.”
“That’s a fact.” Baba cuts in, tousling Dimi’s hair the same way I did.
My brother shakes off our father just as Baba headlocks him and gives him an affectionate shake. “You all set for the airport?” He looks at me.
“I got everything I need.” I pat the duffle bag resting on top of my suitcase. “You don’t all need to come see me off.”
“Of course we do,” Mama says, striding into the foyer, her heels clacking on the floor. “We’re so proud of you, Niko.”
“You worked hard for this. Don’t squander the opportunity,” Baba tacks on.
Dimi rolls his eyes. “He’s not going to mess up,” my little brother comes to my defense, the way he always has. The way we’ve always done for each other.
With our parents working long hours for our entire childhood, Dimi’s and my bond, along with our older sister Alexandria, was forged out of necessity. And then, friendship. I’m going to miss the little shit, a hell of a lot more than I let on.
“You’ll come see me.” I stare at him.
“Next month,” he promises.
“Let him settle first,” Baba says. “He needs to establish his relationship with his teammates and—”
“He’ll see you next month.” Mama cuts Baba off and gives me a little smile. Her dimple dips and her eyes shine and it hits me just how much I’m going to miss my mama. My family.
My hometown and my friends and my life here.
For years, I’ve been working toward this ultimate goal. And now, it’s here—I fucking did it. And saying goodbye to the life I took for granted is harder than I realized.
“Oh, thank God! We made it.” Alexandria bursts through the front door with her husband, Greg, and their children Sophia, Ben, and Caleb trailing her.
“Gang’s all here!” Greg laughs. He gets a kick of our family antics, which always amuses me. Alex is lucky he puts up with this shit, never mind embraces it.
“We’re just leaving.” Baba steps outside. “You follow us in your car. Come, everyone. We better leave so Niko has enough time at the airport.”
“Pappou, can I come in your car?” Sophia begs.
“Of course you can,” Baba replies. “Dimi, ride with your sister.”
Greg snorts.
Mama reaches for me and I wrap my arm around her shoulders as she hugs me tightly. “Be good,” she whispers.
“You come see me too,” I murmur.
Mama nods. “Dimi first.”
“Okay,” I agree, kissing her cheek.
Then, I grasp the handle of my suitcase and follow my baba outside. We load up the car, pile in, and with Greg trailing us, drive to O’Hare Airport. And even though I won’t admit it, I know my family knows, I’m grateful that they’re seeing me off.
Once I’m checked in and through security, I grab a coffee and sit down near my gate. Then, I angle my phone for a selfie, cross my eyes, stick out my tongue, and snap the image.
Niko
In ten hours, we’ll be in the same time zone.
Bianca
For one week only.
Niko
I’ll still take it. How was your flight?
Bianca
The pits. I threw up twice.
Niko
Noooo. Airsickness?
Bianca
Turbulence. It was bumpy!
Niko
Feeling better now?
Bianca
Absolutely. I’m home in Tuscany.
I laugh at the photo she sends. She’s lifting a glass of wine, as if to toast me, and smiling broadly. But in between her two front teeth is a piece of spinach or arugula and it’s so massive and obvious that it cracks me up.
Niko
Italian elegance.
Bianca
Always. Have a good flight.
Before I can reply, my phone buzzes with an incoming FaceTime.
“Hey, you!” I answer Ellie’s call.
My best friend’s face fills the screen. “Damn, you’re already at the airport?”
“Have you met my baba?”
“He made you get there four hours early, didn’t he?”
“Mama talked him off the ledge and they compromised on three.”
Ellie snickers. “How long until boarding?”
“Two hours.”
She shakes her head, her wavy hair brushing over her shoulders. “I’m sorry I couldn’t make it up to say goodbye.”
“Don’t be. According to my brother, I’ll be seeing you both next month.”
She wrinkles her nose. “That little shit. It was supposed to be a surprise!”
“You know better than to trust Dimi with secrets.”
“True.”
“How’s everything at home?”
Ellie sighs and bites the corner of her mouth.
I note the worry in her eyes and I know she doesn’t want to let on just how bad things are in Dallas.
Ellie’s parents are addicts and have spent her entire childhood bouncing in and out of her life.
And rehab. While she was fortunate enough to be raised by her grandmother in Chicago, her younger sister, Quinn, was not.
Ellie and Quinn have different mothers and as a result, Quinn’s mom moved her around the United States for years, until her death, when Ellie was able to step in and help provide support to her much younger sister.
“Quinn’s having a rough time,” she admits, rubbing at the center of her forehead.
“Sneaking out again?”
“I wish.” She shakes her head. “It will be fine. I have things under control. She’s still a minor and I’m still her guardian.”
I tilt my head, studying her. “She’s eighteen soon though, isn’t she?”
“Six more months.” Ellie lets out a breath, brushing her hair away from her face. “But she’s visiting her cousins the week that Dimi and I are planning to visit you so…”
“It will be a break?”
“I need the vacation.”
“Noted.”
Ellie manages a smile. “You excited?”
“Of course.” I lean back in my seat, trying to look more confident, more nonchalant, than I feel.
“This is everything you’ve ever wanted; everything you’ve worked for.”
“Yeah.”
Ellie smiles. “I’m so damn proud of you, Niko. Germany is going to love you.”
“They better,” I joke. “Otherwise, I’ll have to come back home.”
“Don’t you dare.” Ellie points at me. “You have to stick it out and make it in Europe.”
“No pressure.”
She rolls her eyes. “You’re good under pressure. Don’t give up your dream for anything.”
“I won’t,” I say, knowing that even if I wanted to, I couldn’t.
Not when so many people—Mama, Baba, Dimi, Alex, our grandparents, aunts, and uncles, not to mention Ellie and my childhood friends, coaches and trainers, hell, the city of Chicago—have invested so heavily in my success.
I know better than to squander the chance that this is.
The chance of a lifetime.
And I’m not afraid to do the work. To make the commitment. To go all in to ensure my family’s sacrifices were worth it.
“I know,” Ellie murmurs. “Okay, I have to go but I wanted to wish you happy travels! Call me from Stuttgart.”
“Promise. Be good, El.”
“Always,” she replies, blowing me a kiss.
Then, the call disconnects and I let out a long exhale.
Ellie is one of my only friends who knew me, who liked me, before soccer.
We became friends the summer we turned six, our birthdays only two days apart, and my mom and her grandma arranged for us to have a joint block birthday party.
She’s like a sister to me, as is Quinn. Not for the first time, I wonder how much the distance and space will affect my relationships with my loved ones.
Will I find real friends in Stuttgart? Will I gel with my team there the same way I clicked with my teammates in Chicago? Will the language barriers prove to be a larger division than I’m anticipating? Will the fans like me and give me a chance to prove myself?
The unknowns loom over me like a shadow. It’s strange because for years, the future felt so uncertain. The goal post never moved. The ultimate goal was playing professional soccer in Europe.
Now, I’m doing it and the unknowns feel larger than ever.
My phone buzzes with an incoming text and I snort when I note the photo. It’s a picture of Bianca, leaning over a full plate of spaghetti, sucking a noodle in between her plush lips.
Niko
Carb loading for the dance floor?
Bianca
How’d you know?
Niko
I think we have more in common than we realized.
Bianca
We’ll see.
When I tuck my phone away, I’m smiling. And I like that Bianca DiBlanco, with her career ambitions, edgy vibe, and understated sexiness, can show me her playful side.
I like that even though we shared a weekend where our chemistry was off the charts, we’ve eased into this casual exchange that feels like a friendship.
I like that she makes me smile.