Status: In Progress
A World Alone
Chapter Thirteen: Trouble in Sao Paulo
Thalia grinned as the final whistle blew. Lionel had did it again for Argentina! Everyone thought the game would be left as a draw until Leo scored a stunner in the 88th minute, sending everyone into a frenzy. Thalia ran a hand through her hair and started heading towards the parking lots. She waited for a while, nearly getting crushed by the massive hordes of people. Finally after around fifteen minutes, Leo came running out with glasses to cover his eyes. Thalia grinned and gave him a big hug, "That was amazing! Great job." Thalia smiled.
Lionel thanked her, giving her a small side-hug. "Listen, the guys are going out and-" he started, but Thalia cut him off, knowing exactly what he wanted. "It's okay, Leo. You deserve it! Go have fun. I'll see you later, okay?" Thalia smiled, pressing a small kiss to Leo's cheek before fishing the car keys out of her bag. "Be careful, don't get too carried away." Thalia reminded him with a small smile. Leo nodded, still not believing how lucky he was to have Thalia with him. Most of his teammates had really clingy wives and girlfriends who didn't even allow them to go out, even after they've won a game.
Thalia gave Lionel another wave before driving off back to the hotel. She got there in a few short minutes and parked the car in the hotel parking lot before going back up to her room. She ran a hand through her hair and played with the hem of her Argentina jersey. It was Leo's and he had given it to her even though she had brought her own. The jersey was a bit too big for her, but she wore it anyway to show her support. The jersey smelled like Leo did, and it put a smile on her face.
After sitting around in her room for a while, she decided to go out and get some food. It was around 6:30 in Brazil and the sun was just setting, casting a beautiful natural light on the place. Thalia sighed in awe and decided to go to a nearby café. She ordered water and a light salad. She sat down and started eating, her eyes flickering to the TV that was showing the match highlights from the previous game. She felt there corners of her mouth tug upwards when she saw Lionel celebrating with his teammates after his goal.
After she finished her salad, she decided to walk around the area and buy some souvenirs for Olivia, Theo and her parents. Before she knew it, it was already half past 8 and she knew she had to get back soon before Lionel worried about her. She finished paying for the Brazuca replica ball with 'ARGENTINA VS IRAN' written on it, knowing Theo would love it. She hummed a soft tune to herself as she walked back to the hotel. It was surprisingly quiet in Sao Paulo that night, even though Brazil was usually noisy and full of life.
She was about to turn a corner when she felt someone pulling the back of her shirt and pulling her into a dark alley. She yelped and tried screaming for help but felt someone clamp their hand over her mouth. "Not the wisest decision, hermosa." a familiar voice hissed. The gears in her head turned, trying to put the pieces together to figure out who was torturing her when she realised that it was Matthew.
She clawed against his grip, kicking and punching. Suddenly, she felt something hitting the side of her cheek. A palm. Matthew had just slapped her. "Let me go!" Thalia yelped. Matthew chuckled sinisterly and pulled Thalia's body back before slamming it back on the brick wall. Thalia's head and her shoulders hit the wall really hard, sending her into a frenzy of pain. Matthew's hands started roaming Thalia's body disgustingly. She felt the tears slip out of her eyes as she tried to fight against his grip.
"LEO!" she yelled, "LEO, HELP ME!" she screamed in desperation. Matthew slapped her once more before pulling at her shirt. He growled and pulled out a pocket knife out of his pocket, making Thalia cry harder. He shook his head and started ripping up Leo's jersey, scratching parts of Thalia's skin. Scars started forming on her stomach and she started to give up hope, feeling herself lose control of her own body. She sobbed out Leo's name one more time before feeling herself lose consciousness.
The last thing she saw was her boyfriend's familiar silhouette rushing towards her and pushing Matthew off her.
-
It felt like days when only it's just been a couple of hours. Lionel stayed by her side, holding her hand in his. He hadn't left her side, not even when his teammates tried to get him to come out for a short team meeting. Leo felt his eyes droop down when he felt Thalia's hand squeezing his own. Lionel's head quickly snapped upwards as she stared at Thalia who was starting to open her chocolate brown eyes. The eyes he had gotten to know so well, the eyes he had fallen in love with.
"Thalia?" he whispered. "Leo…" Thalia replied groggily, her voice hoarse. "What happened?" she added. Her eyes roamed around the unfamiliar room until she realised that she was in the hospital. She was changed out of the ripped Argentina NT jersey and into a plain hospital gown. Her head was pounding and her whole body was sore. She pressed her hand to her stomach and felt a sharp pain stabbing her. She winced and shut her eyes tightly. Leo let go of her hand and handed her a glass of water. She took a large swig and handed the glass back to Leo.
Leo ignored the question and pressed a soft kiss to Thalia's lips. "You're okay, amor. You're okay." he whispered silently. He was picturing worst case scenarios and it had shaken him up even more. Thalia shut her eyes tightly and tried to shake the images out of her head. Lionel softly pulled away and popped his head out of the door to call the nurse. A few short moments later, a polite lady padded into the room. She gave Thalia a warm smile and pulled out Thalia's clipboard. "Hola, señora. ¿Cómo te sientes?" she asked. Thalia was a bit surprised to find that the nurse spoke Spanish instead of Portuguese, but replied anyway. "Estoy bien."
"Are you in any pain?" the nurse asked. Thalia shook her head and the nurse nodded, jotting down a few things on the clipboard. "Okay, señora. You're allowed to leave whenever you're ready, just make sure to pick up your medication at the front desk." the nurse told her with a sympathetic smile. "Gracias." Leo and Thalia said at the same time. The nurse nodded and exited the hospital room. Thalia sighed, "Leo? What happened?" she asked.
Leo bit his lip and sat down on the chair beside her bed before telling her what happened. "The guys and I were walking home when Gonzalo heard you screaming. He ran over to us and told us. I heard you calling for me and I found you and that…bastard. Kun called the police and the rest of the guys made sure that your attacker couldn't escape and here you are now." Lionel muttered. "And what about…Matthew?" she asked. Lionel felt himself tense up at the name of the person who attacked his girlfriend. "Arrested."
Thalia looked down at her hands, shaking her head sadly when she realised that she had most probably ruined Leo's time in Brazil. "I'm sorry." Thalia choked out. Lionel raised his eyebrows, "For?" he asked. "Ruining your time at Brazil…you were supposed to have fun here and I just messed it up." she sighed.
Lionel shook his head and pressed his lips to Thalia's temple, "Neña, this isn't your fault. Don't ever blame yourself for this, okay?" Leo whispered as he held a shaking Thalia in his arms, whispering comforting words into her ear to calm her down.
Lionel thanked her, giving her a small side-hug. "Listen, the guys are going out and-" he started, but Thalia cut him off, knowing exactly what he wanted. "It's okay, Leo. You deserve it! Go have fun. I'll see you later, okay?" Thalia smiled, pressing a small kiss to Leo's cheek before fishing the car keys out of her bag. "Be careful, don't get too carried away." Thalia reminded him with a small smile. Leo nodded, still not believing how lucky he was to have Thalia with him. Most of his teammates had really clingy wives and girlfriends who didn't even allow them to go out, even after they've won a game.
Thalia gave Lionel another wave before driving off back to the hotel. She got there in a few short minutes and parked the car in the hotel parking lot before going back up to her room. She ran a hand through her hair and played with the hem of her Argentina jersey. It was Leo's and he had given it to her even though she had brought her own. The jersey was a bit too big for her, but she wore it anyway to show her support. The jersey smelled like Leo did, and it put a smile on her face.
After sitting around in her room for a while, she decided to go out and get some food. It was around 6:30 in Brazil and the sun was just setting, casting a beautiful natural light on the place. Thalia sighed in awe and decided to go to a nearby café. She ordered water and a light salad. She sat down and started eating, her eyes flickering to the TV that was showing the match highlights from the previous game. She felt there corners of her mouth tug upwards when she saw Lionel celebrating with his teammates after his goal.
After she finished her salad, she decided to walk around the area and buy some souvenirs for Olivia, Theo and her parents. Before she knew it, it was already half past 8 and she knew she had to get back soon before Lionel worried about her. She finished paying for the Brazuca replica ball with 'ARGENTINA VS IRAN' written on it, knowing Theo would love it. She hummed a soft tune to herself as she walked back to the hotel. It was surprisingly quiet in Sao Paulo that night, even though Brazil was usually noisy and full of life.
She was about to turn a corner when she felt someone pulling the back of her shirt and pulling her into a dark alley. She yelped and tried screaming for help but felt someone clamp their hand over her mouth. "Not the wisest decision, hermosa." a familiar voice hissed. The gears in her head turned, trying to put the pieces together to figure out who was torturing her when she realised that it was Matthew.
She clawed against his grip, kicking and punching. Suddenly, she felt something hitting the side of her cheek. A palm. Matthew had just slapped her. "Let me go!" Thalia yelped. Matthew chuckled sinisterly and pulled Thalia's body back before slamming it back on the brick wall. Thalia's head and her shoulders hit the wall really hard, sending her into a frenzy of pain. Matthew's hands started roaming Thalia's body disgustingly. She felt the tears slip out of her eyes as she tried to fight against his grip.
"LEO!" she yelled, "LEO, HELP ME!" she screamed in desperation. Matthew slapped her once more before pulling at her shirt. He growled and pulled out a pocket knife out of his pocket, making Thalia cry harder. He shook his head and started ripping up Leo's jersey, scratching parts of Thalia's skin. Scars started forming on her stomach and she started to give up hope, feeling herself lose control of her own body. She sobbed out Leo's name one more time before feeling herself lose consciousness.
The last thing she saw was her boyfriend's familiar silhouette rushing towards her and pushing Matthew off her.
-
It felt like days when only it's just been a couple of hours. Lionel stayed by her side, holding her hand in his. He hadn't left her side, not even when his teammates tried to get him to come out for a short team meeting. Leo felt his eyes droop down when he felt Thalia's hand squeezing his own. Lionel's head quickly snapped upwards as she stared at Thalia who was starting to open her chocolate brown eyes. The eyes he had gotten to know so well, the eyes he had fallen in love with.
"Thalia?" he whispered. "Leo…" Thalia replied groggily, her voice hoarse. "What happened?" she added. Her eyes roamed around the unfamiliar room until she realised that she was in the hospital. She was changed out of the ripped Argentina NT jersey and into a plain hospital gown. Her head was pounding and her whole body was sore. She pressed her hand to her stomach and felt a sharp pain stabbing her. She winced and shut her eyes tightly. Leo let go of her hand and handed her a glass of water. She took a large swig and handed the glass back to Leo.
Leo ignored the question and pressed a soft kiss to Thalia's lips. "You're okay, amor. You're okay." he whispered silently. He was picturing worst case scenarios and it had shaken him up even more. Thalia shut her eyes tightly and tried to shake the images out of her head. Lionel softly pulled away and popped his head out of the door to call the nurse. A few short moments later, a polite lady padded into the room. She gave Thalia a warm smile and pulled out Thalia's clipboard. "Hola, señora. ¿Cómo te sientes?" she asked. Thalia was a bit surprised to find that the nurse spoke Spanish instead of Portuguese, but replied anyway. "Estoy bien."
"Are you in any pain?" the nurse asked. Thalia shook her head and the nurse nodded, jotting down a few things on the clipboard. "Okay, señora. You're allowed to leave whenever you're ready, just make sure to pick up your medication at the front desk." the nurse told her with a sympathetic smile. "Gracias." Leo and Thalia said at the same time. The nurse nodded and exited the hospital room. Thalia sighed, "Leo? What happened?" she asked.
Leo bit his lip and sat down on the chair beside her bed before telling her what happened. "The guys and I were walking home when Gonzalo heard you screaming. He ran over to us and told us. I heard you calling for me and I found you and that…bastard. Kun called the police and the rest of the guys made sure that your attacker couldn't escape and here you are now." Lionel muttered. "And what about…Matthew?" she asked. Lionel felt himself tense up at the name of the person who attacked his girlfriend. "Arrested."
Thalia looked down at her hands, shaking her head sadly when she realised that she had most probably ruined Leo's time in Brazil. "I'm sorry." Thalia choked out. Lionel raised his eyebrows, "For?" he asked. "Ruining your time at Brazil…you were supposed to have fun here and I just messed it up." she sighed.
Lionel shook his head and pressed his lips to Thalia's temple, "Neña, this isn't your fault. Don't ever blame yourself for this, okay?" Leo whispered as he held a shaking Thalia in his arms, whispering comforting words into her ear to calm her down.
♠ ♠ ♠
huge plot twist x