I felt a pang of annoyance for Freddie. If people like Sophie Boyle hounded me day and night, I’d lose my mind.
“What is going on here?” Kinsley asked, sidling past Sophie to drop our food on the table. She didn’t wait for the reporter to respond; she angled her body so that she was blocking me from the camera. “Funny, I thought only athletes and their families were allowed in this section of the village. So, either the committee added ‘Bad Eye-Shadowed Reporters’ to the Olympic schedule, or you need to leave.”
Sophie stammered and though I couldn’t see her any more, I imagined her squirming under Kinsley’s sharp stare.
“No problem. We’ve already got everything we need.” She angled around Kinsley so I could see her bright red hair and dark, evil eyes. “Thanks for the interview Ms. Foster.”
I kept my eye on Sophie as she led the cameraman out of the food court. With his camera clutched under his arm and her microphone hidden away in her purse, they could almost pass as two normal people.
“Who were those people?” Becca asked as she joined our table, half turned around to watch Sophie walk out of the food court. “What the hell were they doing in here?” She slid a plate of food toward me.
“Trying to interview Andie. They must have slipped past security during all the chaos.”
“What’d they want to ask you?” Becca asked, sliding into a seat.
I eyed the massive egg white omelet Becca had brought me. I’d been hungry earlier, but Sophie had replaced it with a bottomless pit of annoyance.
“Andie?”
“Oh.” I glanced up halfheartedly. “Just soccer stuff.”
I didn’t have to look to know they didn’t believe me. What would Kinsley and Becca think of Sophie’s questions? I was making a name for myself in the soccer world—most people had never heard of me—and if that interview aired, I’d be splashed across the internet as the idiot girl at the Olympics focused on men instead of soccer. The Olympic slut, trying to steal Freddie from his beloved Caroline.
“Andie, you okay?” Kinsley asked, reaching to touch my arm.
I flashed her a big, fake smile and nodded. “Never better.”
I COULDN’T SHAKE the dark cloud Sophie Boyle had cast over my day. Not even a solid practice and a long workout could pull my mind out of the black. I’d regretted kissing Freddie as I was kissing Freddie. I wasn’t delusional; I knew it wasn’t in my best interest long-term. I’d forced us to keep the masks on in hopes that it would help separate fantasy from real life, but Sophie Boyle had confirmed that wasn’t possible.
Someone has seen us walking out of my practice together and the media had gotten wind of it. What were the odds they’d find out about the club too? We hadn’t been careful. We’d made out in the middle of the third floor. Freddie’s hand had been up my freaking dress for half the night.
My stomach hurt just thinking about it. I had made the mistake of thinking Freddie was the only one needing discretion, but if the details of the club ever surfaced, I had no clue what it would mean for me. My career? Sponsorships? Even my personal relationships would take a hit if word got out that Caroline was his betrothed and I was just his whore.
“Andie, how’s the wrist?” Liam asked after practice.
We’d just broken from the huddle and I was working at unwinding the tape the trainer had worked so hard to apply a few hours earlier. It seemed like a never-ending process.
“It’s fine. I think I’ll take something before the game just in case.”
“Good idea.” He stepped closer. “Kinsley mentioned there was a reporter trying to interview you at breakfast?”
My gut clenched just thinking about it. I glanced up to meet his eye, prepared to shrug off his question, but he was concerned—more concerned than I’d ever seen him. His eyes were narrowed and his dark brows were furrowed, forcing a crease down the center of his forehead.
“As someone who has been where you are, I want to remind you that you’re here in Rio to focus on soccer.”
I glanced down as a flood of shame washed over me.
“This drama on the side, it seems fun and manageable, but I’ve seen athletes lose their sponsors over mistakes far smaller than the one you’re contemplating. You’ve been chosen as the flag bearer for the United States and that puts you in the spotlight. Any drama, any juicy detail they can find, they’ll print without hesitation.”
I opened my mouth to protest, to argue that I hadn’t done anything yet, but there was no point in lying.
“I’m not going to tell you what to do,” he continued. “I’m your friend as much as I’m your coach. I just think you need to keep your head in the game and leave everything else on the sidelines. You have your first game in two days and the opening ceremonies tomorrow. Make sure your interviews are good tonight at the cocktail party and leave your love life at the door.”
I finished unrolling the tape from my wrist and threw the ball into the nearest trashcan so hard it drew the attention of a few teammates packing up their workout bags.
Listening to Liam, dealing with Sophie Boyle, and living with my own self-loathing was enough to send me over the edge. I didn’t have an ounce of regret as I worded a simple, direct text to Freddie. I pressed send just as I stepped up onto our bus and found the first empty row of seats up front.
Andie: Obviously last night was a huge mistake.
He texted back right away and my blood boiled as I read over the three simple words.