"HEYYY SAMMMY, PASS THE FUCKING BALL!"
I yelled at my teammate Sam as we both surged toward the opponent's goal.
Sam completely ignored my call. He dribbled past two defenders and was now one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
As he went to shoot, I noticed a slight hesitation in his movement. He got his foot under the ball, launching it just above the goalie — and it smashed off the goal frame.
"SAMMMMMMMYYYYYYY, THE FUC-- ARE YOU DOING?!"
Our coach started hurling insults, but then—
BANG
(Ball-kicking sound)
"WHAAA! LET'S GOOOOOOOO, C'MON!"
Long whistle noise
The referee blew his whistle to signal the end of play. The ball was in the opponent's net.
The rival players dropped to their knees, some collapsing flat on the pitch. It had been a grueling, hard-fought game.
I looked up at the scoreboard.
FULL TIME SCORE
JELLING YOUNG BOYS (JYB) 2 - 1 DANTONA UNITED (DTU)
GOALSCORERS:
Harry Clarkson (JYB) – 29'
Richard May (DTU) – 89'
Noah Charles (JYB) – 90+5'
We had won with the last kick of the game.
"I completely forgot you were behind Sammy," one of my teammates said with a huge smile. Everyone was dripping with sweat.
"Luckily I was at the right place." I had a gut feeling Sam would mess it up, somehow.
"Tch—fluke goal, bozo," Sam chuckled, throwing an arm around my shoulder.
"Shameless motherfucker. Bro, you were one-on-one—how did you miss that?" Harry, our first goal-scorer, asked.
"Bro, it happens. It's just a game, c'mon."
Sam threw his hands behind his head, sheepish.
"You better practice shooting more, Sammy boy, before the next game."
Coach Jamerry walked over, lugging a huge bag filled with vests and soccer balls.
"Onto it, sir. Right after I get a good burger," Sam said shamelessly.
"No. You're going home today. You're tired. I can see that. Rest now, come practice tomorrow at 7 a.m. Is that clear?"
"Such a bore. Fine. I'll be here at 6."
"Do what you want, you shameless twig. See you later, boys."
Coach was the first to leave. We stuck around a bit longer, teasing Sam, then split off to head home.
As I walked home, I decided to call my girlfriend.
"Hey babe, where are you?... Oh... again? Nina's place? Huh... must be fun over there. Hahaha... I get it. See you tomorrow then. Let's hit that ice cream joint... Yeah, the pista one. You really like that? Alright, alright, I'll hang up. Love you."
I ended the call, still smiling.
Man, having a girlfriend is a wild experience. It's like having this anchor—someone to talk to, someone to keep you sane. I hate being alone the most.
Tomorrow was going to be a good day.
As I turned the next street, I saw Sammy walking the opposite way—toward the main street where the shops and restaurants were.
Odd. His house is in the other direction.
Maybe he forgot something? Or maybe it's none of my business. Either way, I could use a cold apple juice, so I decided to follow Sammy.
The streets were busy, packed with families, couples, and locals shopping or just enjoying the evening. Noise filled the air—kids yelling, vendors calling, music playing.
Sam slowed down and suddenly turned into a women's jewellery store.
I stopped for a second. Huh.
"Sammy's got secrets, huh?" I smirked. "Better snap a pic for the group chat."
I pulled out my phone and entered the store.
It was packed. The layout was like a big square with jewelers lining each wall—three on each side. Bright lights bounced off the glass cases, filled with dazzling, overpriced jewellery.
I spotted the usual: women going feral over bangles, earrings, and the poor men standing behind them, hollow-eyed and defeated.
"Welp," I thought. "Gotta be ready for this phase of life too."
I scanned the store and found Sam near the far-left counter. He was talking to a girl.
A few seconds later, my smile froze.
No.
No fucking way.
My heart stopped. My breath caught.
Sam wasn't just chatting with some girl.
He was talking to my girlfriend.
The same one who said she was at Nina's.
What the hell were they doing here?
My legs suddenly felt heavy. The noise around me faded. My heart pounded like it wanted to break out of my chest. I stared, frozen in place, unable to believe what I was seeing.