Fifty-Nine

Athena

Today was the day—the day to leave Cameron behind. I still hadn’t told him. I could only imagine how furious he’d be when he realized I was gone for good.

This was the hardest decision I’d ever made, and the guilt was already eating away at me. I knew his life was tied to soccer, and even though he claimed he wouldn’t play in major tournaments anymore, I felt terrible for making him think about quitting. How could I take away the one thing that gave him so much joy and purpose?

The house was eerily quiet, and I was glad to be alone for the first time. I hadn’t stopped thinking about the last time I saw Cameron an hour ago. Surprised to see me awake, he had been brushing his teeth in the bathroom.

"Why are you up? That’s odd," he joked, winking at me through the mirror. "You don’t usually wake up this early on Saturdays."

I forced a smile. "I just wanted to see your handsome face before you left for training."

As the words left my mouth, I felt the sting of tears threatening to