Part X

As the time for choosing a new captain was drawing nearer, I could feel the glares and whispers of my teammates, they were sure that I would be selected because according to their prejudice, 'Coach is partial towards her daughter', but in reality, it's quite opposite, Mom trains me strictly because she doesn't want my teammates to think that she is lenient towards me, but her method of protecting me from the other members was pretty useless because at the end of the day, humans are judgmental and their find pleasure from others sufferings. Well, their whispers never bothered me, rather their jealousy proved that I was superior to those bugs, so I choose to ignore them because they never had the guts to say anything in front of my face. The only person who is always by my side except for Maria is Hana sis, she is 18 years old, tall and slim, with long black hair and fair skin, when she smiles it makes me feel warm, she is soon joining the professional football team and will be playing at National level, her dream has always been to become a professional football player and earn trophies for the Country, she is the only one who truly recognizes my talent and encourages me to do even better.

Hana sis always tried to protect me from those members who were jealous of my talents, to the extent of scolding them. She even told me to bring my mother's attention to this matter but I always told her that there was no need for it and that I can handle the situation on my own without any help. But I was wrong, and I realized that too late. On one hand was Hana sis who loved me unconditionally while on other hand was Ayame, whose hatred was irrational, she is 15 years old, average height for her age, with a pear-shaped figure, and brownish hair similar to her small wide eyes. Her favorite hobby is to curse and belittle me in every way possible, she even gangs up with other girls to bully me and feel frustrated when ignored.

Anna: (she blows the whistle closing the practice session for that day) Alright everyone, the practice is over, meet you all next Sunday, we will be announcing the new captain, I have been monitoring you for a while now, and already have a name in my mind. So all the best, and keep practicing in the meantime. (She says smiling warmly before turning back to leave)

As soon as she went to some distance, I could hear the whispers getting louder, 'Must be her', 'bitch' their glares felt like hot shots on my back, I shook off the uneasy feeling and picked up my bag when Ayame blocked my path.

Ayame : Meet me at the back alley, if you don't, I will visit your home (she says before walking off).

Me: Do as you, please. (I sighed while murmuring to myself)

I returned home taking a shortcut that would help me avoid the back alley, Ayame may have kept waiting for me, but I was least bother to give a fuck about her threats as long as she doesn't cross her limits The next day, while I was returning from school Ayame blocked my path, along with two boys who seemed to be in their early-20s, Ayame looked down on me with a smirk on her face.

Ayame: Brother…this is the bitch I was talking about. (She looks at the tall boy who had similar facial features as Ayame), Baby (she says to the other boy) hope you will help my brother to teach her a good lesson, am counting on both of you, not only she ignores me but also she insults me, yesterday when I called her to the back alley she didn't even bother to show up.

Aoi: (he cracks his knuckles while staring at me) Don't worry sister, we will make sure that she learns her lesson.

Me : (I stepped back hesitating) Such a coward, bringing two grown-up men to beat a child who is 10 years younger than them. Ayame, are you out of your mind? (I looked at her piercing her with my glares)

Ayame: (she hesitates then hugs her boyfriend speaking in a pitiful tone) As you can see, she is a rebellious brat, how can she be chosen for leadership instead of someone like me?

Hayate: Don't worry babe, we will teach her a good lesson so that she would be able to look in your eyes ever again, forget about disrespecting. (He pats her head)

Ayame: don't beat her anywhere that can be visible to the coach or other teammates. Or else we would be in trouble. (She then smiles while creepily staring at me) I am giving you a final warning, give up on the captain's position and admit that you don't have any football talent, maybe I will think about forgiving you if you kneel down and beg me? (laughs softly)

Me: Do whatever you want, we both know that you suck ass when it comes to playing football. My mom was kind enough to keep you on the team, if it was me, I would have kicked you out long ago. (I said spitting near her shoe as a sign of disrespect)

Aoi grabs me by my collar and punches my stomach hard as my body curls up in pain, he punches again without giving me rest, I bite my lower lip hard while glaring into his eyes, I blocked my belly with my arms in a defensive manner to block his third punch. This made him even angrier, instead of hitting my stomach, he was about to hit my ribcage when Ayame stopped him.

Ayame: Brother, don't lose your temper on the first day itself, there are still 6 days before the announcement, we can break her slowly~ (she smiled like a witch while looking at me) Now go, don't ruin our mood anymore.

I was on my knees bent down hugging my stomach that hurt like a bitch, he knew where to hit, my whole body was trembling in pain, my eyes were blurry and nausea hit me, as I ended up vomiting there, Ayame and her men gave me a disgusted expression before leaving, I used a nearby public toilet to freshen up, I splashed water on my face and pulled up my turtle-neck t-shirt to check the wound, a large bruise has formed around my belly button, I signed pulling down my t-shirt, various thoughts crossed my head, as both the devil and angel were on the same side of destroying that bitch, I shook off those thoughts and started for home. I was near my house when I noticed a familiar figure, my mom was too busy arguing with her, mom look frustrated as she begged the familiar figure to leave.

Me: Linda?.... (I murmured to myself standing there petrified)

I was about to interfere when Linda gets on her Lamborgini and asked the driver to drive, she puts her window down, and her blue eyes behind the black sunglass stared right through my soul, making me shiver with an unknown fear, I ran towards my mother and hugged her tightly.

Me: W-What was she doing here? Did she try to harm you? (I asked in a cold tone ready to find and hurt Linda if she has done something to my mom)

Anna: (She pats my head to calm me) No, she didn't try anything (says in a calm voice)

Me: (I let go of her then stared into my eyes as if demanding truth) then what was she doing here? Are you hiding something from me? Don't tell me that you are scared of her.

Anna: (she avoided my eyes trying to change the question) It's nothing, how was your day?

Me: MOM! Stop hiding! I can deal with her so just tell me! (I said getting pissed off)

Anna: (she looks at me with a terrified expression then bents down and grabs my arms tightly) NO! Promise me that you would never come in front of her! Anne….please promise me….. (she hugs me tight enough to almost chock me) I don't want to lose you…so promise me…my child…. (tears roll down from her eyes as she kept on hugging not wanting to let go as if she was scared that if she lets go of me, I will disappear)

I promised, without even knowing the dark reality that is going to hit me like a hurricane at a later stage of my life, but that small promise gave my mother a huge relief even if it was for a short time, she kissed my forehead and embraced me affectionately.

To be continued...