Fever Dream ~ Neymar Jr

Chapter 78

2018

When the call disconnected, I put the phone down and returned to the living room, where Neymar and his dad were sitting. Neymar opened his arms and I crawled in.

"What did Coto say?" Neymar asked me.

"What we already suspected. He was the only one who had the access code, along with Emery. And the only other people that actually handled 3P were me, coach Harris and Ian, two weeks ago."

"Could Ian have done something to it then?"

I shook my head. "No, because he couldn't configure it and they called me down from the stands. I set it up for them and it was working well. Whatever happened to it, it was after that."

"That brings us back to square one." Neymar Sr said. "We have to wait for the forensic report."

"Meanwhile, the rumors keep spreading. I wonder if we should address them." I said. Another article had come out today that singled me out and painted me as an evil mastermind, that came up with 3P in order to influence big games, starting with a test drive on PSG v Troyes.

"And say what?" Neymar asked. "Prove that we are not elephants? The people who believe we would deliberately endanger the championship for our team, they have no idea what football is all about. I don't care about those people."

I nodded. He was right of course.

"This too shall pass." Neymar Sr said and got up from the couch, gently touching his son's neck, where he had his Tudo Passa tattoo. "Now, you have to focus on your game on Saturday." He told me. "And you have to go back to the gym where your physical therapist is waiting for the last 10 minutes." He scolded Neymar.

"We forgot about that. Let's go!" I told Neymar, helping him up. "I'll hang out, if you want me. Maybe do some conditioning too. Practice was a waste today with Ian."

"Kylian said so too." Neymar said as we went to his gym. "I can't believe they suspended Coto. Taking it out on the new guy. Scolari allowed them to take him on a loan to help us and this how they treat him?"

"They're losing their shit over this thing. No one thought we'd lose to Troyes. They need a scape goat."

"And I'm afraid it's either us or Coto." Neymar added.

"I'd rather it be us than him." I told him. "Cause, if we're together, they can throw rocks at us for all I care."

Neymar smiled. "I'm not gonna let it be him or us. The truth will come out. It could be an accident, or something more sinister. But the truth will come out."

~*~

Neymar's POV

Seeing Liv walk out to the pitch with everyone on both sides booing her had been awful. This was their last away game for the season and I had really wanted to go but both her and my dad told me it was best not to, not only because it was an away game and it would raise questions about why I traveled there but also because in the middle of all that was happening with 3P, it was best that we laid as low as possible. That was, I guessed, the one good thing about my injury, that I could lay low.

Liv and to a lesser extend David, were not afforded the same luxury. It was Liv once again that had to bear the consequences for this, being the CEO of 3P and basically, its creator she was the one they blamed the most. The one they thought sabotaged the team. To most of them, either David and I were just oblivious investors or in my case, they thought it was possible she did it for me.

Either way, they went from loving her to hating her and it was heartbreaking to watch as they booed her every time she made contact with the ball. I wanted to break through the screen and go to her, shield her from the unfairness of the world. I wished I could. David, my dad, Thiago and Kylian were equally bummed at seeing this unfold. They all had experience with a whole stadium booing them unfortunately, but it was always more awful to see it happen to someone you loved.