The System Makes Me a Player

Rodrigo threw the water bottle at me, laughing out loud.

"Not ridiculous at all, kid. You shined today. Accept it"

I pushed the bottle back at him, awkwardly. It felt strange. Part of me wanted to scream, jump, celebrate just like them. But another part only wanted to keep that moment inside my chest, as if it were too fragile to waste on jokes.

The coach walked into the locker room right after. His gaze swept over the entire group, analyzing each one of us as if we were still on the field. Silence spread quickly, even though everyone had been laughing just seconds before.

"Good win", he said, not dragging it out, his firm voice echoing in the muffled room.

"But this is just the beginning. You know the tournament is short and every point counts. The victory against Zeltin was important, but now it's already behind us. Tomorrow we face Uchi, and I don't want anyone thinking the job is done"

Rodrigo made a face but stayed quiet. Dante raised his eyebrows, as if he wanted to complain, but swallowed the words when the coach looked straight at him.

"You rest today. No nonsense. Tomorrow I want everyone with a clear head and a ready body. Understood?"

A unison "yes" echoed, some more enthusiastic, others just muttering. The coach nodded and left, the weight of responsibility lingering in the air.

As soon as the door closed, Ian blurted:

"Alright, lecture's over. Now we can really celebrate"

And the locker room burst into laughter again.

I went to the corner, slowly packing my bag. The noise from the others felt distant, like I was on a different frequency. That shiver still hadn't left me. My eyes drifted to the floor, but my mind was back on the field, on the moment I dribbled past Elias, when I kicked without thinking and the ball went in.

"Kelvin", I heard Kazana's voice beside me. I looked up. He was staring at me with that serious expression that never revealed what he was really feeling. "Good game"

I swallowed hard. For him to say that, it wasn't a small thing.

"Thanks… you too"

He just nodded and went back to putting his stuff away. Simple, direct, without dragging it out. But somehow, it gave me even more confidence than all the applause.

***

Leaving the stadium was almost as intense as the match itself. The fans were still there, many shouting our names, asking for photos, trying to touch our hands. Some parents waved proudly from afar.

I searched through the crowd until I spotted my parents. They were smiling like never before. My mom made a heart with her hands, and my dad raised his fist, celebrating like he was still in the game.

And then I saw Júlia. She was a little farther back, still holding her phone, the camera aimed at me. When our eyes met, she smiled and waved, like a greeting meant only for us. My stomach twisted.

Ian, beside me, whispered softly:

"You're done for, man"

I pretended I didn't hear and kept walking.

***

On the bus back to school, the mood was pure celebration. Rodrigo started singing, Felipe drummed on the seat in front, and even Dante, who swore he was dead, clapped along to the rhythm. Kazana stayed serious, sitting at the back, staring out the window. Oliveira, on the other side, almost motionless, looked like a statue.

I, in the middle of all that, tried to relax. But my phone buzzed. I pulled it from my pocket and saw a notification from Instagram: Júlia had posted a story.

My heart raced. I opened it quickly. It was a picture of me on the field, arms raised after the goal. The perfect angle, the exact moment. The caption was simple: "Let's go Sanu!" with a fire emoji.

Immediately, comments started pouring into her story.

— This kid is too good!

— Kelvin is a beast!

— Sanu is taking this tournament

Ian leaned over my shoulder, trying to peek at the screen.

"Ahhh, I knew it!"

I shoved him to the side, hiding my phone.

"Cut it out, Ian"

But it was too late. Rodrigo, curious, had already seen too.

"Hey, Júlia posted a picture of our star!"

And in seconds the whole bus erupted into teasing. Laughter, whistles, jokes. I tried to bury my face in my bag, but it didn't work.

Kazana looked back, just for a second. Long enough for the noise to die down. Without saying a word, he turned back to the window. The silence that followed his gaze always felt like an order.

Even so, I couldn't stop smiling, no matter how much I tried to hide it.

***

Night fell quickly once we got back to Sanu. Everyone went to their rooms in the dorm next to the school, still talking about the match. I lay on my bed, exhausted but wide awake.

I grabbed my phone again. The picture was still there, with more and more comments, likes, and shares. I took a deep breath. Tapped the text box, my fingers trembling. I typed something simple: "That guy in the photo any good?" with a cleat and ball emoji.

I stared at it for a few seconds, then deleted it and wrote again. I didn't want to look dumb. I erased it once more and left it blank.

In the end, I just turned off the phone and closed my eyes. The crowd's chants still echoed inside me. Júlia's smile too.

I turned to the side in bed, forcing myself to fall asleep. But my mind wouldn't stop. The crowd's noise, the shouts, Kazana's voice praising me… it all replayed like a film.

For a moment, I thought about turning the phone back on, just to see if Júlia had posted something else. But I took a deep breath and left it on the table.

"Focus, Kelvin", I murmured quietly to myself.

Outside, the wind swayed the trees in the schoolyard. Tomorrow would already be another day, another match, another challenge.

And I knew I couldn't slip.

And behind it all, one certainty beat stronger and stronger: tomorrow, against Uchi, I needed to be even better.