Black & White

Chapter sixteen

"Are you ready for this, Alexei?" my teammate Eve asks me, tying her shoelaces.

"Yes, how about you? Nervous?"

She stands up, smiling awkwardly at me. "Yes, kind of... But we'll make it against the other team, won't we?"

"Yes, don't worry", I try reassuring her with confidence, so she can feel a little bit more relaxed. She smiles at me with her metallic braces showing. "I believe in our team."

To put you in context, tonight is the big night. Thursday, March 31st, is a very important tournament for my soccer team. Our school is playing against Collège de Lévis and it's a must for us to win.

We are all doing some warm-ups and François is cheering at us, positively. I like the way he coaches us. He never yells at us but cheers at us all the time, and tolerates mistakes.

We are all looking at each other, being ready and my coach is putting his thumbs up to me, saying something I could read from his lips "I know you can do it". I smile and he uses the whistle for the game to start. I am on the attack side and run with some of my teammates to get the soccer ball. I look up and there's my mom, sister and best friend together encouraging me. I feel even more determined until I see Vicky smirking at me, separated further away from my family. They don't know who she is yet...

I stare at her, for her beauty and the love I feel for her and my teammate yells at me "Alexei, are you with us?" I directly wake up from my beautiful distraction and run to make goals. I am missing them. I feel anger going through my blood and some of my teammates are complaining. Eve gets next to me, giving me some help.

It's weird, it doesn't feel as exciting as before, tournaments. I'm less good than before, and I see the disappointment upon people's faces. My dad would be so mad too. He was the one who introduced me to football. He doesn't sugarcoat things, even if I participated it wouldn't matter to him. I have to win every time. And I need to. Participating is not enough for me.

I get the ball and I have so many people from the opposite team around me, and I lose it. I grunt subtly of madness and I squeeze my fists, making a kick on the ground.

Messing the first shot was okay, but now I am losing almost all of them. Thankfully, my teammates are helping me. When it's time for me to take a break and sit on the bench, I lay my head on my hands and try to focus. Thinking of how I could possibly be better tonight. I have my team with me, and it's really important to win. They are trusting me. I want to win for my coach too, that takes our team seriously. Also my best friend, who is happy every time I win.

The giants, that's us, against the velociraptors.
"We are losing because of you, Alexei", a teammate tells me. We are not really friends, but I appreciated him a lot.

"I know Jules... I don't know what is going on. I promise I tried my best."

"We are putting all of our trust in you. Why would you crush it?" He seems frustrated.

Eve is coming next to me on the bench, really close and I move a little bit. "He's doing his best, Jules. Why don't you focus on the game instead of blaming everything on him? He's not the only player on this team."

My teammate takes a moment to cross his arms and lean toward her. "I don't think you are any better, Eve."

"Okay Jules, you don't need to talk back like this. Eve is a good player", I defend my friend.

She looks away, with a smile forming. One of her dark brown braids touches my shoulder. " I know I am disappointing the whole team, but I promise we'll win. That's a promise I want to keep", I tell him, being sincere word by word.

"It better be true", Jules still has his arms crossed. "We can't lose this tournament."

I keep promising him and we get interrupted by the other players taking a break with us. Eve is being silent next to me and I fear that Vicky thinks I am flirting with her. I look up at her, and she waves at me, kissing the air. My mom, sister and best friend are smiling at me and my sister pulls out her tongue at me. Minutes pass, and I look at the game, feeling nervous.

I got to prove that I keep my promises. Even if soccer is not as interesting as before, I have to at least win this game with my team. Eve is talking to me but I am not able to listen to what she says.

After the long minutes of waiting on the bench and silently praying while holding my necklace, we all go back to play against the velociraptors and I run nervously, doing my best. The more the game goes, the more it feels boring. I still lose the soccer ball but my teammates finds some strategies to make some goals.

They often succeed, but it doesn't seem enough to beat our opposite team. Jules and other teammates yell at me and I run with the soccer ball to make a successful goal, which doesn't end successfully. I look up at my best friend, disappointed in me. "Don't give up my man! You can do it! I know you can!" he yells out loud and stands up on the stage.