ʏᴏᴜʀꜱ ᴛʀᴜʟʏ ‣ ᵇᵃᶜʰⁱʳᵃ ᵐᵉᵍᵘʳᵘ ˣ ᶠᵉᵐ!ʳᵉᵃᵈᵉʳ

ʏᴏᴜ... ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ᴍᴏɴꜱᴛᴇʀ?

NOT PROOFREAD OR EDITED

For as long as you knew, soccer had never once piqued your interest before. Sure you've watched a few matches on the screen with your parents but you just couldn't understand a single thing that was happening on the field.

This was the first time you had ever sat through the entire ninety minutes without complaint. All because Bachira Meguru asked you to.

Your school was in the lead with two goals— if you read the scoreboard correctly. Bachira's dribbling was more than impressive, he was quick, leaving the opponents with little time to think.

The only thing you felt was off about his play was when he passed to his 'teammates'. Someone who could play soccer as well as Bachira surely must know how to pass a ball, right?

If so then why are his passes so... weird? His passes were always too tall or too fast, as if he was aiming for an imaginary person that no one else could see but him.

You were just a little worried about what Bachira could be seeing. Only a little bit, yeah.

Despite the strange passes and dribbles that Bachira made, your school still won in the end, going through to nationals. You pushed past the crowds of students, mumbling apologies here and there.

The locker room was a good distance away from where you were seated. Despite Bachira's unique style of playing, your school still won in the end so of course you're going to go congratulate him.

Leaning your back against the wall, you patiently waited for the players to come out so you could find your friend. But even when most of the team had already left, you still couldn't find Bachira.

Frowning in thought, you decided to go take a peek. Just as you were about to open the door, someone else opened it.

"!!"

"O-oh! Haha uh good morning! Do you know where Bachira is?" Taking a few steps back, you awkwardly greeted the coach.

"Yeah, he's the last one in there."

"I see, thank you!" Giving him a polite bow, you waited until he left before going into the changing room.

The first thing you noticed was the stench of sweat. Yeah, it smelled really gross in there.

"Bachira!" You smiled, approaching the boy who was seated with a towel draped across his shoulder.

Taking a seat next to him, you remained silent, waiting for him to speak first.

"l/n... do you think I play weird?" You weren't expecting that question, nor the timid tone that came with his usually upbeat personality.

You took some time to think your answer over. If you were being brutally honest, yes. It was weird. But all things considered, you knew you should sugar coat your words this time.

"Why would it be weird? I think you play beautifully." You offered with a smile.

It wasn't a complete a lie. Seeing him dribble past opponents so smoothly was definitely amazing.

"Yeah but, I keep passing to my monster and not my teammates... That's weird, right?"

"..."

Huh.

"...monster?" You whispered to yourself frowning at the boy. "you have a monster?" Under different circumstances you would have bursted out laughing.

"mhm, he comes out when I play soccer." You kept quiet, trying to understand what he was saying.

"Go on," You encouraged as Bachira then proceeded to tell you everything about his monster.

"Everyone says that if I play normally I could go pro but how am I supposed to? They're always so slow and not in the right position to accept my passes! The monster is the only one who can keep up with me!"

Bachira was frustrated. He was frustrated that no one understood him. That no one was good enough to understand the way he played.

"...let's skip the rest of the school day, want to get some ice cream?" You suggested.

"Hm? But you never skip, it would ruin your reputation, right?" Bachira finally looked up at you, eyes slightly watery and a sad look.

Smiling, you laughed it off claiming that it wasn't that important. After all, how could school ever compare when one of your friends need some company?

You insisted on paying for the ice cream as Bachira could only pout at you from a distance. Giving him his weird combination of caramel and honeyed pineapple with exactly four and a half strawberries, the two of you walked towards the park nearby.

It was silent between the two of you, both waiting for the other to speak first.

"...Bachira," The silence was soon broken by you who was unable to stand the awkwardness any longer.

Through your peripheral vision, you could see him perk up and look towards you.

"what you said— about having a monster... are you um, do you have... ah forget it, I don't even know how to ask." You sighed, not knowing how to approach the question without potentially offending him.

"It's real, if that's what you're asking. And when I play soccer, it appears at the exact spot I want it to. When i'm lonely, it comes out to keep me company." Bachira confirmed.

"lonely, huh..." You pondered to yourself. "You don't have to be lonely. Even if i'm with my friends, you could always join us. I'm sure they'll love you!"

Bachira kept quiet. He wanted to say that he wouldn't fit in, your friends were all popular and cool. He was just weird. And besides, what if he ruins your reputation? You had good grades, a great personality and above all beautiful. Now what would everyone say if they see you hanging out with a loser like him?

"I could introduce you if you want, don't worry, they're all super friendly!" You reassured him.

"...It's alright, you're more than enough." Bachira finally answered.