Chapter 2: If That Is What It Takes

The first day at school was over now. Pauline and Ava said goodbye to the boys and left together from school. They stoped at the Junior High School to pick up Zeta. Once the three young girls were to the car they pulled to the Sambora driveway. There Richie was waiting them. Pauline stoped the car just in front of him.

"Hello girls! How was your first day?" Richie asked while Ava opened the door of the front seat. "It was great!" Ava answered first smiling. "I had a great day too!" Zeta answered from the dack seat. "You Angel?" "You have so many damn fans!" Pauline answered looking at Richie. "If you say so! What happend?" he asked puzzled from Pauline's answer. "It's a teacher named Jenna McCurdy and i can say she's a fan!" Ava tried to explain "Is not just a fan... is Darksider!" Pauline said stopping Ava. Both Richie and Ava looked to Pauline. "Anyway, when she saw my name she froze there for several seconds and Pauline spoke to me and then she caught and warned her!" Ava now finished. "And because of that you're pissed?" Richie asked. "I'm not pissed!" Pauline answered. "Forget  her Angel is just a teacher!" Richie said trying to make her feel better. "Hey, can we lean now? I'm starving here!" Zeta said from the back seat. "Yeah!" Pauline answered and put the machine on. "Ava see you tommorow! Richie take care!" "You too Angel!" Richie said and Pauline drove away.

In half an hour both sisters were the their house. As they entrered the house they found their parents in the living room watching a movie. They sut with them and explained their first day at school. Kostas said to Pauline what Richie told her before to forget her. They were right and that Pauline was going to do.

Pauline after aetting something light she went to her bedroom. She turned on her laptop and sut on the bed. She checked her facebook page. She found some friends in and talked to them. She just wanted to have some 'me' time. But knowing this was not going to last for very long she had a trainning to do. With the competition running she must be ready everyday. She also checked the Fan Fiction site and start reading the chapters she missed these days. The last time she checked the time was at 4.30 in the afteroon.

As she read more than 20 chapters from diferent stories she checked the time again 6.15 in the afternoon. "Oh fuck!" she said out loud. Turning off the laptop and left it to the desk. She quickly changed to the trainning clothes and made her bag. Walking down the stairs two steps at a time she said goodbye to her parents and left the house.

The trainning starts at 7.00 and she must be there at 6.50 max. It was 6.34. She hit the gas a little more on the open road. She hated when she was late on the trainning. And she can't tell her coach that she was reading fanfic and forgot to check the time.

Arriving at the court she locked the car and went inside running. Good for her the coach hadn't arrived yet. She had the time get ready and do some gossip with her team mates. A few minutes later coach walked in the court and the girls start the warming up.

Once the warming up was done the coach talk to them for some minutes and then the trainning started. They didn't do something diferent than the other times. They worked a lot their defense and their serve. About half and an hour ago the trainning was over.

Pauline went a drink some water from her bag. She opened and saw her phone buzzed. She had a text from Jesse

9.10 -Hey, babe i hope that you trainning was great! I have some wonderful news.... i had a trainning today too and the season starts this Saturday! And this will be my first game in Notre Dame the game starts at 7.00 in the afternoon! So, don't book nothing for this day because i'll need some suport that day! Call me when you got the message! Love.... J

Pauline rolled her eyes as she read Jesse's text. He'll play his first game at the team of his dreams and Pauline will miss it? No way she'll in the front seat yelling his name all the time. She've never watched a football game again. In Greece they call football what the Americans call soccer. So, she has no idea how this game is playing. But this doesn't make any diference. Knowing the her season starts in October she was free that day.

Smiling to her self she put the phone backand hit the shower. They all had fun it was the best part of the trainning after all. Once Pauline was dry and clean she said goodnight to her temamates and left the court. Walking back to her car she saw that her coach was waiting there. "Hey, coach did you lost something?" she asked politely. "No, i was waiting for you to come!" he answered. "Okay, then! Tell me." she said thinking what he was going to tell her. "Mr Wafles just call me and told me when the competition will be!" Pauline couldn't hide how happy she was. She was waiting this momment for days. "So, when is it?" "It's this Saturday at 7.00 in the afternoon!" Jerry said and smlied. Pauline's face froze. The same day and hour Jesse will play his first game in Notre Dame. Fuck! she thought. Lookingback to her coach Pauline could say that he was a little screared. "What is there a problem with that?" "Yeah, i had already planned something very important for me at this day and hour! Is there a possibility to vhange the day?" she asked parying the God that they can. "Pauline are you crazy? Opportunites like these are coming once in a life time and you want to waiste it? Look, Pauline i understand how you feel but listen to me this is the chance of your life to let everybody know you! I believe that you have everything you need to get to this team! I believe that you'll make it! I believe in you!" he coach said looking her in the eyes. She've heard those words before. Her coach back in Athens believed a lot in her. he believed that one day she'll a star. "Can i think about it first?" "Of course you can! When you take your dicision let me know to tell you the details!" "Okay!" she simply answered. "Good night! You have a lot of thinking to do!" "Good night coach!" Pauline answered and saw him getting in his car.

Sighing she opened the door of her car and got in. Setting the bag on the front seat she put the machine on and drive away. She was thinking what just happend. She didn't know what to do. Should she go to Jesse's game? Or go to the court to play? What she'll do? Feeling were mixed. She didn't want to miss Jesse's first game in Notre Dame. She wanted to be there for him. She didn't want to let him done in the beggining of his career. Sure his family will be there to suport him too but she must be there too.

On the other hand she was waiting that opportunitly her whole life. It was her dream and still is. She wanted to go there and fight she was a fighter after all. Is not about letting everyone down is about letting herself down. It was a hard decision she must make.

Arriving to her house Pauline had a shower first and then had dinner with the rest of her family. She told them what her coach told her and they are so exited about it. They can hardly wait to see their daughter and sister in the court and why not in the New Jersey volleyball team. When Pauline told them she wasn't so exited like they exepting her to be. Her mother had a feeling that something was wrong. "Pauline is everything alright?" her mother asked. "Yeah, everything is fine!" she answered and looking to her plate. "Pauline look me in the eyes and tell me that everything is fine!" Katerina doesn't give up. She knew her daughter very well to and knew that something wasn't right. Pauline singed and answered. "While i was in the trainning Jesse texted and invited me to his first game in Notre Dame!" "Pauline thsese are great news! You should be happy! And when is the game?" Katerina asked. "This Saturday at 7.00 in the afternoon!" Pauline answered.

They all froze when Pauline answered to her mother's question. "Hard times, bad luck!" Zeta said. "What are you gonna do, Pauline?" Katerina asked feeling how her daughter will feel. "She's gonna go to the competition! That's is what she's going to do! These opportynities are not to waist them! Jesse will play in another games too she can go then!" Pauline's father answered. "Dad, you can't understand!" Pauline started. "Pauline i can understand very well! You see Jesse's playing to his favourite team because he didn't do nothing else! he was fighting for this! And this is what you're going to do! Jesse will understand and he'll be happy for you! I'm 100% sure!" Kostas explained to his older daughter looking her in the eyes. "But i want to be there for him that's what girlfriends do!" "Pauline i think what dad is trying to say is that you must focus to your dream like Jesse did and he made it!" Katerina said with kind and sweet voise. "Ok, i get the message! I'm going to call him! Good night!" Pauline said and left the kitchen.

Her parents were right about this. She must focus to what she wants. She had the great exapmle of Jesse in her mind. This is going to ba hard very hard. She knew in a way that will break his heart about that but there is nothing else she can do. Jesse made his dream come true and he knows how does this feel like. Pauline didn't want to make that call. She couldn't tell him that is impossible for her to come and see him. But she must do it. She has no choise left.

She walked in her bedroom and took her mobile phone. She sut on the bed and she saw the picture she had on her nightstand. This make the phone call more dificult. Taking a deep breath and puched the green call bottom and wait for Jesse to answer.