Coach Roman was a lean, no-nonsense woman with a clipboard and a bionic glare. She looked me over, expression unreadable. "Midfield?"
"Yes, ma'am."
She nodded. "Prove it."
We started with conditioning. Cones, ladders, suicides. Some of the Lululemon girls were already winded. I wasn’t.
My legs remembered.
So did my heart.
When we moved into ball work, I settled into the pocket, directing traffic, sending clean passes and calling plays like I’d never stopped. A junior named Elise tried to body-check me during a scrimmage—I spun off her like she was made of tissue and sent the ball soaring into the back of the net.
The crowd gasped.
Somewhere near the bleachers, I spotted them. Leo. Tristan. Xavier.
Sitting behind three-thousand-dollar aviator shades like they were royalty on a throne, watching with veiled interest.
Leo’s elbow rested on his knee, one hand lazily draped over his thigh, but I could feel the tension from yards away. He tracked me with his eyes, unreadable and intense.
When I intercepted a pass and sprinted down the line, I felt it again. That pulse. That ache. That thing I didn’t want to name.
Shani was in the stands too, shouting like a proud parent.
The girls on the team weren't clapping. They were sizing me up. And I didn’t care.
I wasn't here to win hearts.
I was here to take backme.
After the last whistle blew, Coach Roman called us into a huddle. Her eyes landed on me last. "Tryouts continue tomorrow. Be on time. Bring the same energy."
As I slung my duffel over my shoulder and headed toward the gym, I passed the boys.
Tristan gave me a slow clap. "Damn, Bryan. Didn't think you had that dog in you."
Xavier whistled. "Midfield menace. Respect."
Leo didn’t say a word.
Just watched.
And that—somehow—said everything.
I walked past without looking back. But my pulse wouldn’t stop drumming.
Not this time.
But the win came with a cost.
The next morning, both my bike tires were slashed.
I stared at them, breath fogging in the cool air, and told myself not to cry.
It wasn’t just a prank. It was a message. A warning.
So I walked.
