End Game | Jude Bellingham

Prologue

With each step he took across the pitch, Jude Bellingham felt the weight of expectation settling across his shoulders. Years of hard work and dedication had all led him to this precise moment, and after weeks of rumours and speculation swirling around the footballing world, he was glad to finally be here at The Bernabéu.

The fans around the stadium erupted into a symphony of cheers, excitement and anticipation hanging in the air. The new football season was about to kick off, and Jude was about to play his first game for Real Madrid. This was his opportunity to write his own chapter in the history of a club that had seen great success and had been a symbol of excellence for many years. Jude knew that although it was a great honour to play for a club like Real Madrid, he still had a lot to prove. The hard work needed to continue, and he intended to impress.

He was still young - twenty years old to be exact - and yet he knew of the hype surrounding his name. Whilst he appreciated the adoration that many seemed to have for him, Jude sometimes felt weighed down by his own reputation and the pressure he felt to prove himself to the world.

Jude tried his best to ignore this pressure, but beneath the surface, he would sometimes grapple with the fear of failure, the worry he wasn't going to be good enough and that he'd let down those who believed in him. These thoughts didn't occupy his mind often, but when they did, sleep wouldn't come easy and the doubt would gnaw away at his insides and leave him feeling terrible.

Today wasn't the time for dwelling on negative thoughts, though. Determination and excitement coursed through Jude's veins, and he reminded himself that it was more important that he enjoyed his football than let himself get weighed down by the expectations of irrelevant people, something his father had always told him. He looked to his left and saw the reassuring smiles of his new teammates, immediately feeling a burst of confidence.

Before he knew it, the referee blew his whistle, and the ball rolled into play.

Somewhere amongst the excited crowd of Madridistas, Leah Moore found herself sitting comfortably beside her best friend Talia. They had both journeyed to The Bernabéu to support Talia's brother Jamie who had joined Real Madrid in the summer. They were going to be staying in the city for the next few months to help Jamie settle into life in Madrid, and if Leah was being completely honest, this was the break she needed.

After discovering he'd cheated on her, Leah had broken up with her boyfriend of three years, and now here she was, desperate to escape her home town for a little while. Everywhere she went she was reminded of her ex and their shared past, the memories of their relationship and his betrayal starting to suffocate her. Even now, Leah had to blink away the tears when she thought of him which irritated her. She desperately wanted to just be over the guy, he wasn't worth her tears, and yet there was still a part of her that missed him.

As the match unfolded, Leah found herself drawn to one particular figure on the pitch, her eyes never straying far from the young man. "Who is that?" Leah couldn't help but ask.

Talia followed her gaze. "That's Jude Bellingham," she replied. "He moved here not long ago, actually. He's a newbie like Jamie."

"Oh..."

Jude Bellingham. There was something about his presence that drew Leah in like a moth to a flame. Determination was etched into every line on his face and he moved with a fluidity that hinted towards years of dedication and practice.

Little did the girl know that their paths were destined to cross and that her life would never be the same again...