Love can Overcome Anything

Chapter 9: Italy and Jolene

AN- first of all, I want to say thanks to all the people who have reviewed my story. you guys are the greatest! Enjoy, and Review Please!!!!
"Come on guys! Get moving! Our game is 2 hours away! We must get warmed up!" Bridget screamed at her soccer players. Her soccer players, once again, pushed their hardest as they sprinted back and forth on the soccer field. Bridget watched satisfied, then felt someone closing in on her. She turned around.

"Hey" Eric greeted

"Hi" Bridget replied. Both Eric and she have been acting awkward ever since that kiss, from yesterday. Yesterday, they both had leapt up and sprinted down to the soccer field, where Diana was coaching for each of them. Diana was mad, but they were her friends, so she let them go instead of firing the two of them.

"So…" Eric said. He had his hands in his pockets and was looking down towards the ground.

"Yes?" Bridget urged

Eric cleared his throat. "Bee, I need to um, talk to you"

"Okay, where?"

Eric pointed towards the bleachers that were out of hearing range.

"Sure, just let me tell my players" Bridget said. "Everyone, grab a partner then start doing passes to each other!" Bridget instructed her players. She then turned to Eric and followed him to the bleachers.

"Okay, you wanted to tell me something?" Bridget asked

Eric sighed. "Bridget, I need to show you someone"

"Who?"

"Come follow me" Eric said in a flat voice. He began walking towards his cabin. Bridget jogged and caught up with him. She was worried. They both were acting awkward towards each other near breakfast, but now, he was just acting plain weird.

Eric opened the door of his cabin and went inside first. Bridget was directly behind him. She was very curious of this person Eric wanted to her to meet. Once she was inside, Eric was blocking her view. Then, she heard a very sweet voice.

"Eric, honey, who's this?" Bridget heard. Eric stayed silent. Immediately, Bridget gently pushed Eric over and moved beside him. She gasped in surprise. Bridget saw a woman, she was in her twenties, and she was stunningly gorgeous. She had black layered hair and a body that every woman envied. She wore mascara and lip gloss, with a hint of blush. She looked oddly familiar. She was pointing to this picture; it was a picture of Bridget and Eric long time ago, when they were still together. This woman looked at Bridget then to the picture then back again at Bridget. She then stared at Bridget.

"Honey, who's that?" Jolene said, pointing her red and long fingernail towards Bridget.

Eric, who was silent, said "Jolene, this is Bridget. Bridget, Jolene." He gestured towards both Bridget and Jolene.

Bridget looked at Eric in surprise. "Eric, is Jolene your gir…girl…" Bridget couldn't say it. Jolene then stood up from Eric's bed and hooked her arms around Eric's.

Leaning her head on Eric's shoulder, Jolene said "yes, I'm Eric's girlfriend."

Bridget immediately felt her heart drop a few miles. At breakfast, she was sure she loved Eric once again and that they would make a good couple. Bridget hid her disappointed face and said "Oh, um, congratulations to you two, and I have to go now" Bridget muttered. Walking towards the door, Bridget felt Eric's hand grip onto her arm.

"Bee, wait, there's something else I need to say" Eric said, very quietly.

Bridget spun around on her heel. "What?" She said, sounding a lot meaner then she had intended to sound.

"The reason Jolene is here is because tomorrow, the Kickers and I are going to leave to go to Italy tomorrow, for the championship games" Eric said. Jolene's arm was still hooked onto Eric's and she was still leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Well, I guess you have to go. Good luck at the games" Bridget said flatly. This time, Eric pulled away from Jolene and pulled Bridget out of the door. He closed it shut, locking Jolene inside, then whispered to her worriedly "Bee! Why are you acting like this?" Bridget merely shrugged. She was looking at the ground.

Eric did not give up. He lifted her face up with his fore and middle finger so that she was looking directly at him. "Bee, tell me!" Eric said in a commanding, but gentle voice.

Bridget gazed into Eric's eyes. "Eric, nothing. There's nothing going on." Bridget lied. "I hope you have a fun trip to Italy with Jolene" Bridget said, emphasizing the word Jolene. Pulling away from Eric's grasp, she walked away and this time, he didn't go after her.

Bridget walked back to her team, and told them to stop practicing and to meet her at the game in half an hour. They agreed unanimously. Bridget tidied up a little bit, then went for a walk around the beach. That's it. I give up. Eric's a mean, ungrateful guy, who's probably having a laugh about our kiss with Jolene right now. How could he do this to me? I was willing to give him a third chance but, no. He brings me to meet Jolene. Why did Eric continue kissing me if he was already with Jolene? Was everything that happened yesterday a joke? Am I a joke to him? I can't let myself go all over Eric again. He doesn't deserve it. I don't even need him anyway. From now on, there's no one in my life. Not even Billy. He wasn't fair to me and now I'll be unfair to him. I'll live a single live and live until I'm an old lady who always hated boys. I hate all boys. Especially Eric. Mostly Eric. Bridget walked to Diana's office and used her phone. She decided to phone Lena.

"Hello?" Lena said, as she picked up the phone

"Hi Len, it's me Bee"

"Oh! Hi Bee! You phoned just in time! Tibby and Carmen are here too! You're on speakerphone"

"Hi" Tibby greeted

"Hi Bee" Carmen said

"So, Bee, why are you calling" Lena asked

Bridget took a deep breath; put Lena, Tibby and Carmen on speakerphone because it was easier to talk that way, then plunged into the whole story about Eric and Jolene. Once she was done, all she could hear was silence. "Uh, guys?" Bridget asked

One minute later, she heard Tibby grumble angrily "Eric, oh I hate him. I'm going to kill him."

Right at that instant, Eric walked through the door alone and said "who wants to kill me?"

Bridget looked up and gasped. All she could hear was Lena, Carmen and Tibby wondering out loud about who had said that. Bridget spoke up "Lena, Carmen, and Tibby that was Eric." Now there was a deafening pause. No one spoke a word. Eric was just leaning on the door, which he had closed. He looked extremely curious. Suddenly, Bridget heard Tibby scream "ERIC!!! YOU ARE BY FAR, THE STUPIDEST MAN IN THE WHOLE WORLD!!! HOW DARE YOU MESS WITH OUR BEST FRIEND THEN GO TO ITALY WITHOUT SOLVING IT??? YOU'RE A MEAN, UNGRATEFUL IDIOT WHO'S MESSED UP BEE'S LIFE THREE TIMES!!! DON'T YOU DARE GO NEAR HER AGAIN!!!" That was all Bridget could stand. She put the phone out of speaker mode then whispered to Lena, Tibby and Carmen, (Tibby was still screaming) "Guys, I have to go. I'll phone you back". She put the phone back then turned towards Eric. Eric was frowning slightly, and he had his arms crossed.

"Bee" Eric said quietly "What did I do to you this time?"

Bridget immediately lied "nothing Eric, nothing. Tibby was going on about…something else"

Eric looked dissatisfied. "You sure?" he asked

"Yes, I'm sure" Bridget lied again. She didn't want Eric to know that she had fallen in love with him once again.

"Well, okay" Eric said. He still looked dissatisfied. Even though he didn't believe Bridget, he didn't push her to go on. Instead, Eric walked over to Bridget, bent down and hugged her. Bridget pushed him away. She didn't want him near her again. She was about to start crying when she heard someone scream "Eric, darling, where are you?"

It was Jolene. Eric stood up and Jolene walked through the door. Bridget stood up too, dusted herself off, and nodded bye to Eric and Jolene. She walked out the door. Once she was out of ear shot, Bridget screamed at the top of her voice to get the frustration out. She hated Jolene. Jolene just came in and destroyed everything that could have happened if she wasn't there. Eric and Bridget would be a happy couple.

Bridget now hated Eric and Jolene more than ever. She despised their happy relationship. Now, Bridget was more determined than ever to beat the Kickers in their tournament today. Even though it sounded pathetic that a small un experienced soccer team could beat a professional, world winning team, Bridget still wanted to win.

30 minutes later, it was time. The tournament between the Kickers and her team were about to begin. Bridget looked at her players, who had determined looks on their face, she looked at the crowd, who was looking extremely bored, and then finally, she looked at Eric, who was talking to Jolene. Bridget was extremely disgusted.

DING! The bell that signaled that the game was about to begin rang. Her team took their spots on the soccer field. The game was beginning.

Halfway through the game, Bridget was frustrated. The score was 7-0, in the Kicker's favor. Bridget knew that she would never be able to survive if her team didn't score one goal. Determined, Bridget knew she would only have one choice to bring her team up from 0 to 1. She would have to put her best players out there, but this time, she would be joining them. Bridget signaled to the referee that she needed a time out.

Bridget's team gathered around her. "Listen up guys, I know that we are going to lose, but I'm determined to make that losing score a 7-1. Understand?" The team mumbled their agreement. Bridget pointed out her best players and told the team that she would be playing too. Her team looked surprised, but no one said anything about it.

Bridget stood on the soccer field with her star players. She had put Melissa on goal, because her reflexes were fast, along with Danna, Angela, and Nancy, who were amazing at soccer. Bridget got ready. She waited for the coach to blow the whistle. Finally, the whistle was blown. Bridget ran as fast as she could to the player with the soccer ball. She pulled the ball out between his legs and ran to the goal. Shooting with all her might, the ball was still intercepted by the goalie. Bridget, who was disappointed, threw another fast ball, aiming for the left side of the net. Once again, the ball was caught.

2 tries later, Bridget couldn't get the ball past the Kicker's goalie. He had amazing reflexes. Bridget was frustrated. She was one of the best young soccer players in the world, but she couldn't get a ball past Eric's goalie. The Kicker's haven't scored another goal yet, because Bridget put on her two strongest defense and a really good goalie. But the real reason the Kicker's haven't been able to score another goal was that Bridget kept taking away the ball from their possession. She was fast, and skilled. This time, one of the Kickers took the ball away from Bridget and ran to the soccer net. Bridget ran after him. Suddenly, she heard Jolene scream at the Kicker, "Go! Shoot the ball! Get the ball away from that loser girl!"

This fired Bridget up. She sprinted to the Kicker and stole the ball from his possession. She dodged and passed every single one of the Kickers, shot a fast ball at the Goalie, and this time, she scored. The crowd's cheering was deafening. Bridget once again, felt alive on the soccer field. She forgot everything that had kept her moody the past few days, and she forgot about Eric, Jolene and Billy. All she was thinking was to score another goal. Bridget took herself out off the game. She studied with all her might to see if the Kicker's goalie had a weakness.

Suddenly, it came to her. The goalie couldn't catch the ball if it was shot directly near is left leg. His left leg seemed uncoordinated with the rest of his body. Bridget put herself back in the game and once again stole the ball. She shot the soccer ball near the goalie's left leg. She scored. Bridget cheered. Ball after ball after ball, Bridget used her same technique. The score was now 7-7. It was a tie. By now, Eric was frowning, wondering why his goalie couldn't save Bridget's shots. The crowd had shouted their selves hoarse, and her players were jumping in their seat for joy.

At first, Bridget planned to leave the rest of the game for her team to play because she didn't want the Kickers to lose, but when she saw Jolene, she didn't want to lose. Bridget jumped back into the field and shot one last goal near the goalie's left leg. She scored, and then the buzzer rang signaling that the game was over. Bridget's team was rushing down the field, congratulating Bridget. Once most of the crowd had left, and her team was in the change rooms, only Diana, Jolene, and Eric were left out on the soccer field. Bridget bent over to pick up her stuff. Someone was behind her. Looking around, she saw Eric.

"Congratulations Bee" Eric said

Bridget turned and looked at Eric. "Thanks." Bridget then turned around again to continue gathering her stuff. Eric was still standing there. Silence was all that could be heard.

Finally, Eric blurted out "Bee, how'd you score all 8 goals? My goalie was hand picked from Brazil. He's the best goalie in the soccer league right now"

Bridget turned around slowly again to look at Eric. He looked very frustrated and confused. His arms were crossed. Bridget remained silent.

"Bee, come on. Tell me. My team's going to play for world championship tomorrow and we'll lose if I don't know what's going on with my goalie" Eric said as he ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

This time, Bridget gave in. Eric wasn't rude to her, he was just plain stupid. It wasn't all Eric's fault that he chose Jolene over Bridget. "Your goalie. He sucks when the ball is shot directly near his left leg. Usually soccer players don't aim right near his left leg because they think he would just stretch out his left leg then intercept the ball. Not me, I'm too good for your team" Bridget joked. Then she said, "And next time you ever attempt to beat me in soccer, remember, I'm as good as you are. Probably better" Bridget added as another joke.

Eric looked at her disbelievingly. "I don't believe you. My goalie is the best one anyone has ever met"

Bridget shrugged. "Okay, don't believe me. How do you think I scored all those goals in a row?"

Eric stared at Bridget for a moment. He turned and yelled "Tyler, come out here for a moment!"

The Kicker's goalie came out. Eric pointed to Bridget. "Tyler, tell me why Bee here, could score 8 goals on you when no one else could."

Tyler replied "I don't know. She scares me. Is she magical?"

Bridget laughed. Eric once again frowned at both Bridget and Tyler then said "Tyler, go to the net"

Tyler obeyed. Eric took a ball and shot it directly near Tyler's left leg. He scored. Eric took another one and shot it again, at the same spot. He scored again. He walked towards Bridget and said "you're right. I'm sorry that I doubted you"

Bridget teased back "It's not your fault. You only thought I was naturally awesome at soccer and that I could score any goal I wanted to"

Eric smiled in return. By now, Jolene and Diana were getting bored on the stands so they left. Tyler left and went to go change out of his jersey.

"So tomorrow, you're going to leave for Italy?" Bridget asked

"Yup." Eric said in return.

"Okay, I have to go" Bridget said. She began to walk away when Eric pulled her back. He looked into her eyes and said "Bee, we're still friends right?"

Bridget winced at the word friends but she hid her disappointed face and smiled back at Eric. She said "Yes." Once again, Bridget walked away and this time, Eric didn't pull her back.

On her way back into her cabin, Bridget bumped into Billy. She looked at him in surprise. "Oh hi Billy. Where were you at the game?"

Billy replied "I was there. You probably just didn't see me"

Bridget nodded and said "Where did you sit?"

Billy replied "Near the far corner. Bee, we need to talk. Now."

"Okay" Bridget replied. She followed Billy to the entrance of her cabin. She waited for him to say something.

Billy got straight to the point. "Bee, when I came to this camp, I thought you and I would had have a great time"

Bridget asked "aren't you already having a great time? I know I am…kind of"

"Bee, I meant us, as in both of us…together"

"Oh"

"So, what happened?"

"I don't know…I guess that when you broke up with me without even bothering to see the truth, I stopped loving you"

"You don't love me anymore?" Billy asked in a sad tone, his eyes were hopeful

Bridget slowly shook her head. Putting one hand on his shoulder, she said "But we can still be great friends"

Billy replied, "Yes, maybe you're right. Maybe we weren't meant to be together."

Bridget smiled in agreement then headed off to her own cabin to pack her bags. She was leaving this camp tomorrow, before sunrise. Eric, Jolene and the Kickers were going to leave before her, so she would have to say goodbye. Billy, however, will have to stay in this camp for another one week.