Chapter 29 #2
“I know, Barbs. I’m going to call my dad.
He and Linda can come get you on their way to the game.
I sincerely think that any photographers who show up—if any even do—will leave after they get pictures of us.
Okay?” Wren asked, but the question was rhetorical.
This was all her fault, and she’d feel guilty forever if Barbara’s photo ended up in some trashy magazine affiliated with her in any way.
“Okay,” Barbara said. “I’m sorry, Wren. I know I’ve called Andy a bitch before, but holy shit. She’s a bitch.”
“Yeah, well, I just wish I had seen it sooner.” She looked at Rebecca. “This isn’t going to be pretty. You know that, right?”
Rebecca shrugged. “I love you. We’ve gotten through six years of shit. This isn’t going to do us in. I’m with you the whole way, Wren.”
That hit Wren like a sack of bricks. She hadn’t realized how much she’d needed to hear that.
On top of everything else, this whole thing with Rebecca still felt precarious in a way she hadn’t put words to.
She hadn’t even let herself think about it.
She’d been too busy being swept away by how right it all felt.
“I love you, too,” she said, her words carrying the weight of just how much she meant them.
“What do you want to do about the National Team?” Rebecca asked.
Wren sighed. “I think it’s going to be best if we just come clean about it. I can talk to Courtney today and get her take on everything. She might know some way we could find a workaround for the contract.”
“Hey, Bird?” Barbara said, a small smile locking itself on her face. “I think I have an idea.”
Wren Eames had never once in her life done or participated in a livestream. So, naturally, as soon as her feed went live, thousands of fans joined in. She felt like she could puke. Her palms were sweaty, and she was definitely shaking.
After talking it over, they’d all agreed that Barbara’s plan was their best shot at setting the story straight or doing anything really to try and take control of the narrative.
If they were going to be fired from the National Team, at the very least, this would give them the opportunity to be fired for accurate reasons.
Wren cleared her throat. “Uh, thank you for joining today everybody.” She smiled awkwardly.
In her seemingly infinite wisdom, Barbara had also had the sense to set the stage a little bit, so to speak.
She’d made Wren and Rebecca put on the fits they would wear to the stadium later that morning.
She’d also done her best to make Wren’s couch “worth filming.” In reality, she had just tossed a few of Wren’s throw pillows out of frame, mumbling about her sister being a big nerd while she worked.
Thankfully, she was also the camera person for the livestream. She gave Wren a big thumbs up and a hopeful smile.
“So,” Wren said, taking a deep breath. “There are some rumors that I’ve been wanting to address.
Hopefully, this can clear a few things up for all of you.
The first is about my breakup with Andrea Santorini.
We did break up, but for what it’s worth, I didn’t cheat on her.
Not with any of my teammates, not with anyone random, either.
But I did want to address another rumor about my relationship with Becky Rothschild. ”
They had agreed before doing the live that it made the most sense for Wren to call Becky by her preferred name while the cameras were rolling. Calling her Rebecca would only prompt other people to call her Rebecca and, at the end of the day, Rebecca really only enjoyed it when Wren called her that.
As planned, Rebecca stepped into frame and sat down on the couch next to Wren.
“But,” Rebecca said, “before we address anything, we really want to officially request that all of the rumors about us stop, here and now. What we’re willing to share with the world today is the full extent of what we’re willing to share, and we do so knowing full well the consequences of that decision.
But this is us formally stating that we do not consent to have our photos taken or magazine articles printed about us.
So, anything you have seen or read or heard about us,” Rebecca shrugged and begrudgingly added, “or probably will see or read about us, are in fact rumors.”
Wren nodded. “Let this serve as proof that we’re willing to share when it’s worth it.”
Rebecca looked at Wren and smiled, her grin far more confident than Wren felt. “The truth is I fell in love with Wren Eames when I was sixteen.”
“And before I get called anything mean, I was also in love with her,” Wren added holding her hands up. “Okay. Sorry, continue.”
“We have agreed to keep all of those details private. But when digging up our past and our college play against each other, just know that rivalry had a healthy dose of heartbreak mixed in,” Rebecca said.
“On both sides,” Wren added quickly, her voice kind of panicked. She could only imagine the comments.
Rebecca snorted out a laugh. “Okay. Fine. We have agreed to keep the details private, but I will admit to the world that it’s my fault we didn’t work then. Happy?”
Wren nodded and smiled for real for the first time since the camera started rolling. “More so. Thank you.”
“Anyway. As I was saying. We addressed all of our history when we were forced to room together for the National Team,” Rebecca said.
Wren cleared her throat.
“Okay. Really?” Rebecca asked, turning to face Wren. She was still grinning though, so Wren knew she wasn’t actually mad. Maybe slightly annoyed, but not mad. Rebecca rolled her eyes. “Fine. That part is also my fault.”
“Thank you,” Wren said again. “I can tell the next bit. Unfortunately, around that time the world saw a photo of me that I did not want the world to see. I was kind of hoping that I could use my platform to be some sort of a role model.” Wren swallowed back her emotions and shook her head.
“The ability to do that kind of got stripped from me before I was even able to have a platform. And it’s my fault.
I sent the photo to someone not trustworthy in the first place.
So, I guess, if there are any teenagers or twenty-somethings watching this, please make better decisions about who you trust with anything like that.
Even people you trust can really violate your privacy and then refuse to do anything about it when you ask them to. ”
Rebecca reached over and squeezed Wren’s thigh, reassuring her.
It worked, so Wren continued. “I wish I could look you all in the eyes and say that I came home and immediately ended things, but I didn’t.
That first magazine spread of the two of us, made Andrea think I was having an affair and she dumped me. ”
“That article also outed me to my parents,” Rebecca added. “So, when we ask everyone for privacy moving forward, I hope this can serve as a good enough reason to grant it to us.”
“All that said,” Wren took a deep breath. “We have decided to try again. Falling in love at sixteen is hard and messy. And while I’m not sure it’s going to be any easier at twenty-two—in fact, in some ways I think it might actually be harder—we’re going to try.”
Rebecca grinned at her, ignoring the camera completely. “Heck, yeah, we are.”