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Noah
Sunday morning has a cloudless sky with a scorching blaze of the sun. The wind is not quite too much of a storm or a normal breeze, just enough to let the grass of the field wave. If you just stop and listen, the rustling of the grass seems like music and peace.
Total fucking bullshit.
I kneel down, cursing at the headache I have gotten myself, as I tie the laces of my cleats.
Yesternight, I had planned to stay overnight at Bella's place for reasons I do not want to remember but I didn't when I let Bella sleep on my shoulder. I looked at her sleepingâagain for the third time, after putting her on her bed and before sneaking out of the room. I know this is a drug addiction more than a habit of mine. I know it needs to stopâit has to stop.
The headaches should not turn into heartaches.
I distract myself from any further thoughts as Benjamin sits down next to me. He leans back on the bench and looks at me.
"What?" He asks when I look at him, raising my eyebrows. "I am not invading your personal space, am I?"
"You are."
He gives me a sly smile. "We don't talk to our teammates like that, here, you know."
Straightening up to my height, I look down at him. I say, "Go fuck yourself, Russo, and do not waste my time."
He stands up and says to me, staring right at me, "I am not wasting any time."
I push back my hair, frustrated. "What do you want?"
"For you to back off from this team," he states, crossing his arms over his chest.
I tilt my head and say, "I do not think that's your decision to make."
"As a vice-captain, I think it is."
I smirk when I correct him, "Ex-vice." His expression drops. "Yes, Russo, I know Nick took you off as the vice yesterday."
"It was just a disagreement."
"Disagreement that led to you taken off your position? Doesn't seem much like a disagreement."
He steps closer and says, sternly, "What about you getting in this team? Surely, this wasn't anything to do with your fatherâ"
"Do not even try to pick a fight with me, Russo." I look at him, calmly, even though the atmosphere is turning red, slowly.
He leans forward. "Then, do not try to get in my way."
"Or what?" I move closer, looking at him.
I have fought beforeâa lot of times, actually. Whether drunk or not, I have been put behind the bars for some nights for fighting. I am not proud of it but I am not going to deny the fact that I know I give one good fight.
Benjamin Russo, desperately, is asking for a fight with me. I, as fuck, do not know what is his problem with me but I will not hesitate to break his fucking jaw, some rib bones, and of course, that bloody nose. Thirty seconds max.
Give him a black eye too, Stupidâno, make them two.
Her soft yet stern voice in my mind pulls me out of all of my murderous thoughts. I know, certainly, she is at home and probably getting dressed up for the party later but it feels so real that I turn to look.
This is all short-lived.
Benjamin laughs. "What? Need some backup?"
"You bloody piece ofâ" I step forward but stop when Colt and Nick come and make space between us.
"No fights. Rule number three of soccer practices!" Nick reminds us, sternly.
Benjamin still stares at me as ready to fight me. Trust me, I can but I let Colt pull me away.
"What was that?" He asks me when I break free from him. "What the fuck does he want?"
"He wants me to stay out of his wayâwhatever fuck that means."
"Ah, of course," Colt replies, rolling his eyes. "You are his competition."
I say, "I do not have low standards to pronounce him as my competitor."
Colt laughs. "Geez, Noah. I think hanging out with Iris is making you sassy."
Nick says, coming to us, "One Iris is enough for all of us."
"Mix that with Adi and Alyssa." Colt shakes his head. "A whole lot of otherworldly drama will go on."
"You good?" Nick asks me. "Ben is being Ben as usual."
"He wanted a fight," I tell him, leaving out the part where I wanted to fight him too.
"Look, no matterâ" Nick holds me by my shoulder and starts to say but stops, looking at my arms. "Dude, how many times do you work out? These guns are something to diâ"
"Nick," Colt and I say, together, and I pull away from him, feeling uncomfortable with him fanning over my arms.
Nick rubs his neck and says, "Oh, sorry. Geez, you are just a reminder that I need to go to the gym more often."
Colt says back, "I almost thought you were feeling up his arms."
Nick gives him a look but turns to look at my arms. "His arms are the type to feel up but I am not in the moodâlike ever, remember?"
I pinch the bridge of my nose. "Appreciate the talk of my arms but can you both just not?"
Both of them laugh and I turn just to notice Caleb passing us. He turns and gives me a glare, before moving away. Every practice, he glares at me as if my existence is a problem for him but I know better than he is just looking out for Iris.
"Caleb will come around, don't worry," Nick says, sighing.
"I doubt that," I reply.
"Agreeing with Noah, here." Colt scoffs. "When it comes to Iris, he becomes her over-protective bodyguard."
Nick sighs. "Well, he needs to know that Noah and Iris are just friends." He turns to me. "Right?"
"Right," I answer.
I am not lying.
Being friends is important to me as someone who doesn't have a lot of them in their lives. Iris is fresh air to my polluted life. So, there is no chance that I will risk that.
Iris and I are just friends and will remain that until and unless she says otherwise.
Colt stares intensely at me as if he wants to say something but stops when Coach calls out, "Team! Gather up, practice starts."
***
Colt and I are in different teams.
Caleb and I are on the same team.
Life is so funny that it hurts to laugh.
"Holy fuck, Radcliffeâget soâwell, finally, you get that ball!" Caleb shouts at me as I take it from the opposite team's midfielder.
I clench my jaw, trying to suppress his voice in my mind.
Caleb, being the defender (no pun included), is enlightening me on how to do my job as a striker every moment he gets. He is the guy who will take every opportunity to criticize. Even if I want to tell him to shut the fuck up, I cannot lose my focus from the ball.
When I slide the ball between my feet, I hear Nick yelling at his team, "Full defense on Radcliffe."
Is this how it is going to be?
I smirk, internally.
Quickly, I look up at the two center midfielders coming at me. When the first one reaches me, I touch the ball slightly ahead with the inside of my foot then quickly do a scissor with the same foot. Using my opposite foot, I cut, move forward, and pass the second one by making a fake and take.
Next are the defenders and I know there is no escape as they are coming at me, from both sides. Taking a deep breath, I rainbow over the first and kick the ball in the air. I turn and do a bicycle.
Falling on the ground on my back, I cannot see if the ball makes the goal but it confirms when my team hoots and the other team groans. I close my eyes, relieved at the fact.
Football has been in my life for a long time and every time I play it, the darkness changes into brightness. I feel new all over again, even it is for a very short time.
I pull myself to stand on my feet when Colt comes, clapping at me. He says, "You need to teach me a rainbow and the bicycle kickâwithout actually hurting myself."
"It just takes practice, Dias," I reply, pushing back my hair.
"Nice one," Caleb says to Colt, giving him a brotherly hug. "You sucked," He tells me.
I let out a breath and say, "Thank you, Caleb."
He ignores my reply and says, "Some new change will be happening."
"Dios mÃo," Colt says, sighing loudly. "Nick resigned as the captain and then he removed Russo from vice. What more do he and Coach want?"
I state, "A new captain and a new vice."
"Well, yeah but..." Colt trails away and looks at Caleb with an excited expression. "Ah, yes."
"Finally, someone got it," Caleb murmurs.
They both look at me yet I still feel clueless. Caleb wants to comment more but Coach calls us all to his office, after packing up our bags.
His office smells so much of deodorant that I am okay with being at the back of the team. Fortunately, and finally, I am alone but that is going to change just as soon as I enter my place.
My phone starts buzzing in my pocket while Coach is trying to stop everyone from talking. I take it out and see the messages are from the family group.
Rina
12:39 pm
Gawd, Noah.
You skipped breakfast and now the party?
I swear if you even dare to skip the party, I will kill you.
Chris
12:40 pm
Where are you? The house is full of chaotic energy.
Rina is being a control bitch. AGAIN.
Charles
12:40 pm
Uh oh.
Beth
12:40 pm
Chris, you messaged in the group.
Rina
12:40 pm
Chris I told you if you do not do my work, I will throw away your idiotic phone!
Chris
12:41 pm
Do it. I need a new phone one anyway.
Percy
12:41 pm
No one is throwing any phone and Chris you ain't getting a new phone.
This is your third in two months.
and if you break this, you have to live without any electronics for a year.
Sam
12:41 pm
Whazzz up?
Oh right, Percy doing an eldest brother again.
Noah, my man, come back!
I do not how only a few of us turned out to be sane with these over-dramatic younger siblings and an elder one. I know the preparations for the house are going on and, definitely, from the texts, it is chaos. The more I think about the party, I am starting to have a bad feeling about it.
Coach says, loudly, "If anyone utters another word, that person will do my personal favorite: death conditioning."
Death conditioning is not death but definitely, makes people close to that. Since the whole team knows and has done it, they shut up.
"Good." He huffs out and now, looks at all of us. "So, you all know that Nick resigned from the captain position because he thinks he cannot do the captaincy anything."
Nick rolls his eyes. "I am just not that interested in soccer, Coach, and the team needs someone who is."
"Do not break me more than you have," He tells him. "But someone else can mend the broken parts. Certain qualities have to be there in a captainâhigh work rate, leadership, composure, confidence, and most importantly, communication. I have ticked them all in two of you."
He looks between me and Caleb.
Oh, fuck.
"I appoint Radcliffe as the new captain and Wallace as the vice-captain."
***
I knock on the door once and then, twice together. I untie the fucking bow-tie around my collar. Even though the weather has turned cloudy, after I reached the house, it still feels hot.
Rina opens the door and gives me a sarcastic smile. "Oh, look, who's here?"
"Rina," I say, rolling my eyes. "Stop attacking me. I already had long practice."
And an announcement I rather not think about now.
"Uh, dearest brother," She starts. "You missed the breakfast which I can forgive you for but you missed the party preparations which I am not willing to forgive you untilâ"
"I do not care."
She frowns. "What kind of a brotherâ?"
"Brother like me," I say to her. I am about to enter the room when Beth comes and stops me. Letting out a calm breath, I look at her and she looks at me as if she is unaware of the glitter on her eyelids.
I start to ask, "What did you do with your eyes?"
She blinks and then replies, "None of your business." "What's in the basket?" She asks back, looking at the ridiculously pink basket.
"None of your business."
Rina and Beth look at her, before looking at me. "We know."
"You both cannot mind your own business." I sigh. I hold the basket properly in my hands so that it doesn't fall.
"Is that Noah?" Tiffany runs towards me in her (no surprise) pink princess dress. "You are late."
I say, entering the room, "What is up with you all women telling me that?" I turn to Tiffany and smile. "Principessa"
She giggles. Behind me, Beth scowls while Rina just laughs. "Say something in Italian and you are in her heart," Rina says.
"No," Tiffany says, firmly. "The one who will be in my heart will be my boyfriend."
I do not hesitate to say, "You are not getting a boyfriend."
She pouts. "Yes, I will."
"No, you woâ"
"Hey, the alpha male gene is in all Radcliffe men," Beth says.
Rina gasps. "Couldn't have said it any better."
I ignore the gossip girls behind me and bend down to Tiffany's height. "Got a gift for you."
"It is big." She takes the basket, carefully, and looks at me. "What is it?"
"Check it."
Chris opens the door and comes in. "You." He points at me. "You left me alone with Percy."
"Did you get any brain?" Beth asks, hopefully.
Chris narrows his eyes, looking at Beth. "I do not like you, smartass."
"The feeling is very mutual, jackass."
"You got me a key?" Everyone looks at the key Tiffany is holding after she sets the basket. She turns to look at me, conflicted. "A huge basket and you got me a key?"
"He got a key?" Rina says.
"I bet he is going to say a key for opening new doors to opportunities," Chris says.
"I bet not. Deal?" Beth says and Chris and she shake hands.
I chuckle and whisper about it in Tiffany's ear. Pulling away from her, she looks at me, gaping, and then grins.
"Nommy!" She hugs me and dashes out of the room in her soft steps.
"The one who reaches last is a sore loser," Beth says to Chris and runs away.
"Not fair!"
Rina still is standing and looking at me. I stand up and go towards her. "What's wrong?" I ask her.
"You okay?" She asks, smiling sadly. "I know why you missed the breakfast and preparations."
I know what she is talking about but I pretend I do not know. Whatever it is, it is none of anyone's concern and I know I do not care anymore.
"I am...me," I reply after some time.
"Noahâ" Rina tries to stop me but I pull away, looking at her teary eyes.
"Not now, Rina. Not now."
I go out of the room and even steps away, I can hear her sniffling.
ââââââââââââââââââââââââ
- a u t h o r ' s n o t e -
heyyyyyyyyy! i know, i know i am days late but i just realized what a scam online semester is. first, i have hopesâhopes from my college life and this is one big speed breaker. second, um hello can someone please tell my teachers not to drown us in assignments and testsânevermind, they will not listen.
just wanna cry and laugh at how hopeless my life is. after high school and those dramas, everything will be better, they said. i should know better not to trust they.
until the next chapter (...and my rant?),
Selamat tinggal!
Inerys