Chapter 4: The Choice

  We're finally here, I'm so excited to meet the team! I wonder what everyone’ll be like. Oh yeah, now that I’m thinking about it, I wonder who the coach will be.

  A week or so passed and I was ready to start my career with open arms, accepting anything that comes my way. My mother turned down the music in the car.

  “Here we are, Chi-Chi!” She said as we pulled into the parking lot. The practice arena is usually in Georgia, but it’s being held in California this time for some reason. Kinda weird if you ask me.

  “Finally . . . My big debut. My future is determined – I will go down as the greatest soccer legend of all time.” I say while brimming with confidence.

  Yeah, definitely a legend all right.

  “Come on Chi-Chi don’t get all big about yourself.” she said, “I don’t want you to get your hopes up. You know, just in case.”

  “Don’t worry mom, I’m just so excited. Getting to do what I love as a profession. I mean it can’t get any better than this!” My voice was full of passion and love for the craft.

  “Okay, okay. I’m proud of you.”

  “Just so you know, I won’t be able to walk you in the building.” my mother told me, “You’ll have to man up and go in there by yourself.” Her tone was quite bittersweet.

  “That’s fine.” I responded.

  My mother parked the car, and I was more than ready to meet the team. Though I’m kind of nervous, that doesn’t matter right now – what matters is that this is my first step into being a real adult.

  “I believe in you, my Chi-Chi. Get out there and show them what you’re made of!” Was the st thing my mom said before I unbuckled my seatbelt and got out of the car. I swiftly made my way up the sidewalk. No one else was outside the building so I was pretty nervous. Just the thought of me being the youngest one here and the fact that every single person at this facility is a professional soccer pyer – the people I’ve always looked up to ever since I was a child–

  I’m finally inside. Here we are . . . time to say hi to everyone. Wait, first I should find the coach.

  I walked around the inside of the building for a little bit trying to locate the coach. A few of the janitors and custodians gave me a weird look, but I didn’t pay them any mind. When I eventually found him, I gave him a greeting and asked what was on my list of to-do things. Should I Practice first? Eat? Introduce myself to the others?

  “Hello – Umm . . . Are you the coach?” I asked nervously.

  “Yes . . . And you are?” He was undoubtedly confused. A teenager walking into the World Cup soccer practice arena facility is not something you see every day.

  To be honest, this pce’s security is garbage. They should really get an upgrade or else some sketchy good for nothing will be the first invader. Though, I doubt they haven’t had an invader before.

  “My name is Hai-Chi Sakka. I’m the 17-year-old that got selected to py on the team.” I’m shivering in my boots right now. Never did I think I would formally meet a for real World Cup coach.

  “Okay boy, we’ve been waiting for you. But first, you got any identification?” the coach asked, “I can’t just let someone in for saying their someone they're not. I’m sure you understand.”

  “Uh well . . . no.” His question got me even more nervous.

  Oh crap . . .

  “It’s fine, don’t sweat it.” he said reassuringly, “Just go on the field and show me what you’re made of. That should be proof enough.” He pointed to one of the pyers.

  “Over there, you see that man training by himself. Short hair, kind of skinny . . . looks like he’s on a cut. Go practice with him.”

  That guy? Really? He looks like he’s on a generational cut – he should really start thinking about bulking up real soon, cuz damn . . . he could probably get snapped like a twig if he messes with the wrong guy.

  “O- Okay . . . sir–” I didn’t even have my soccer gear on, but I still made my way to the person the coach was talking about. The pyer he was referring to was pyer sixteen, Eren Nelson, one of the best on the team apparently. My nerves weren’t prepared for this moment, but to be fair, I have only pyed with my school teammates and my neighborhood friends so that’s the most likely reason why.

  “Uh . . . hello. I’m here to p- practice.” I said tensely while in a stiff stance.

  “Who are you? I’ve never seen you here before.” he said confrontationally, “You seem a bit young to be on the team. Wait, how did you even get in here?!”

  Yo why is he pressing me? What did I do wrong? I’m pretty scared right now if I had to be honest, but I don’t know what to do. Should I get the coach?

  The coach sees Nelson confronting me and he ran over to deescate the situation. He told him everything. Who I am, why I’m here. All that kind of stuff.

  “Ohh, you’re that new kid joining us! Why didn’t you say so sooner?” Now he’s acting all buddy-buddy with me? Just a second ago he was all high and mighty. This guy doesn’t know a single thing about a good first impression.

  “Wait yo, what happened to your hair dude? You got into an accident or something?” He murmured under his breath.

  “Umm . . .” I couldn’t think of anything to say to his previous question.

  Wait did he say something just now or am I imagining things–

  The coach gestures his hands to introduce us, “Nelson, meet Sakka – Sakka, meet Nelson. You two are getting paired up for practice starting today, so make sure to not cause any trouble, okay.” It looked like he was thinking about saying something else but decided to not vocalize it. “Also, before you start questioning why, it’s because you two are the youngest on the team, hence my decision.” he said, “I’ll let y’all boys be for now. Come talk to me if there are any issues.” After our introduction, the coach walked away.

  “That’s coach Vance! He’s a great coach; he taught me everything I needed to know to be the best soccer pyer in the world!” At first gnce you could tell Nelson’s ego was big, and that his pride was bigger. I could tell he’s all bark and no bite. If he was cssified as a dog, he’d no doubt be a chihuahua.

  Well, Eren Nelson clearly seems to have a big ego. I should try and defte that for him – you know . . . for his own sake.

  “Oh really?” A bit of sarcasm leaves my lips. Actually, more like a ton of sarcasm.

  “Yes really!” He assured me.

  “Anyways, everyone has been dying to meet you! It’s not every day that some random 17-year-old Chinese dude gets to py on our team.”

  He seems very excited to meet me. I wonder, is everyone here like that? I sure hope not. Also, I think it’s pretty clear I'm not Chinese.

  As Nelson shot his soccer ball I said, “Yup, a pretty rare occurrence if I do say so myself.” He missed the goal the moment I said this. My nervousness was almost all gone due to his ignorance, but there was still some that lingered. Can never be too cautious am I right. Something about this guy seems off, but I can’t really expin what.

  “So, tell me, are you a real samurai?” He says in a thrilled yet questionable manner.

  I guess the goal isn’t the only thing this guy missed – his education is heavily cking as well. One conversation with a twelfth grader and that’ll be enough of a reality check for him. For him to even assume that I'm a samurai just because I'm Japanese is the stupidest thing I’ve heard, probably in my whole life. And he said I was Chinese just a second ago.

  “No?” I had to burst his bubble quick, or this would probably drag out way longer than any of us would expect.

  “Oh, okay then.” He was clearly bummed out by my response.

  I took the soccer ball from him and shot it in the goal.

  “Woah you’re pretty good, dude!” he said, “But still not as good as me though.” Confidence brimming and all. This guy has the mental intellect of a literal six-year-old. A minute ter, my mom called me and wanted me to check up on my wellbeing. I told her I was fine and that I was going to have to stay over at the arena for a few days to a week. Though, she was already prepared for that.

  Me and Nelson practiced for a few hours shooting the ball, doing drills, and whatnot. After, I met five other members of the team. 19-year-old Asher Beckett was the goalkeeper. Also, a 19-year-old, Eren Nelson was a midfielder. 20-year-old Jasper Caldwell was left wing. 24-year-old Jude Everett was the center forward and our striker. 26-year-old Theo Miles and 27-year-old Caleb Alvarez were our wing backs. And of course, 36-year-old Dante Vance was the coach. Oh, and there’s me, Hai-Chi Sakka, right wing. Obviously, there are more members but me and those six were the only ones here at practice today. Overall, a pretty young team. Coach Vance told me that my jersey would be arriving soon, and I was so excited–

  Speaking of Coach Vance, he walked up to me and told me something I would never forget. “Hai-Chi Sakka . . . You are now officially apart of the professional American World Cup team. Good work out there today.” he said, “Your name will now be cemented into history for a lifetime. I hope to see more of what you can do very soon. Now come on – go get washed up, kid.” I followed Coach Vance into the locker room with everyone else. Me as well as the other team members got changed and walked to our rooms.

  Eren Nelson walked up to me and put his arm around me.

  “Let’s go to our rooms, Hai-Chi, my dude!” He said fondly.

  Were on first names already? We barely know each other–

  Addressing people you aren’t familiar with by their first name was sometimes seen as rude in Japanese culture, so I was quite taken aback. But because we’re in America, I made the decision to not make a big deal about it.

  “Y- Yeah – Eren . . .” Since I was oblivious to where our rooms were, I just followed Eren’s lead. We didn’t talk much on the way up and eventually got to our rooms and parted ways. The moment I opened the door I was greeted with an amazing view of the street. Don’t get me wrong, it was a nice room, but my expectations were a bit higher. The bed on the right, a desk on the left, and a closet. There were cool posters on the wall, but it was nothing I would ever keep up.

  “I’m probably going to tear these ugly posters down someday.” I muttered under my breath. From all the training today with Eren, I was worn out and jumped on my bed in exhaustion and decided to hit the hay–

  The next day I woke up with a clear mind and a fresh start as well as my phone being bombarded with messages from my mom. I got up from my bed and changed to get ready for another day of training. My phone was on the desk beside my bed and when I grabbed it, I immediately remembered Laura. Since she was on my mind I decided to shoot her a text. At this point, even though we’ve only talked once, I was starting to get fond of her. We talked back and forth for a while, and I even invited her to come watch me py in the World Cup. Of course, I told her I would be the one paying for the ticket and that it was fine with me. By a little bit of back and forth, working my magic, and using a little bit of persuasion, she agreed.

  For some reason she was on the edge of saying no because apparently, she said she would feel bad if I had to spend my money on her. I assured Laura that it wasn’t a waste of money because it was for a good cause. Because I knew I didn’t have enough money myself, I had to plea with my mother to help pitch in. Obviously, she was against the idea because of what transpired the st time me and Laura had an interaction. Also, in addition to her accepting my invitation to the World Cup, I asked her if she was free and had any pns this week. Laura confirmed she had no pns and that she wasn’t doing anything the whole week, so I asked her out on a date.

  If she says yes, it would be my first date. If she says no, it would be my first rejection. And if you are able to fit the pieces together you would soon figure out that I had absolutely no game. Luckily, Laura said yes. Her reason was because she still owed me back from the ‘haircut incident’. Though she still feels bad, I hope she’s not agreeing just out of pity because that would be very . . . very sad. And unfortunate. Eventually, I had to end the conversation because we were already talking for over thirty minutes, and I had to get to practice with my teammates.

  Ugh, I really hope Eren won’t be as racist today as he was yesterday. That truly was one unique spectacle. Yet I have a feeling it’ll happen again.

  I exited my room with my bag in hand and heard a distant yell, “Hey, Wassup samurai guy!” Eren’s long hair got all in my face as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. Just looking at his long hair made me jealous of what I once had, but hey, at least I got a cute girl out of my new horrendous hair dew. Or should I say ‘style’. At this point I’m completely liable to punch anyone in the face if they ask what happened to me. I can’t deal with it any longer.

  “N– Nothing much . . . Haha.”

  “What about you?” I said forcibly while putting on a smile. I don’t want to be with this guy. I mean when did we even formally become ‘friends’ anyway? The moment we met he was straight up harassing me and now he’s acting like he’s not a racist criminal. Okay, that may be going a bit far, but you get the idea. Eren was never one of the pyers I’ve seen on the field before so that probably contributes to my disliking of him. I’ve never seen him before, so I wasn’t able to have a good first impression of him. I’m sure if we met on better circumstances, things would’ve turned out differently.

  “Oh nothing. I was just about to practice. Wanna join me dude?”

  “S– Sure . . .”

  Not like I have a choice to practice with anyone else. At least I don’t think so. I’ll just stick with Eren for now.

  “Well, let’s get going dude.” He says happily.

  “Wait, I’m getting pretty hungry. I could go for some breakfast just about now.” My stomach started to growl at me the moment I excimed.

  “Alright, let’s go then. Hurry up!” We switched directions and started walking to the lounge. When me and Eren arrived, there were only a few options for us to pick from because I'd assume everyone else swiped the food before us.

  “Dang, not a lot of things today.” Eren procims glumly.

  “Is there usually way more?” I question.

  “Yeah . . .” He lets out a loud sigh.

  “They even took the waffles–” Eren turned his head to where I suppose the waffles would’ve been. Really, the only thing we could grab were room temperature bagels and lukewarm water as well as the little pinch of apple juice that was left. Though, not enough for the both of us.

  “Bagels it is. It’s either that or nothing.”

  “I suppose. Better luck next time I guess.” Eren replied.

  He must really like his waffles. What kind of special ingredient would be in them to change someone's mood so quickly. Hmm . . . I wonder.

  I reached my hand over the counter to open the container the bagels were held in; Eren followed my lead and did the same. We both grabbed a paper pte, pced our bagels down, and ate as we walked to the practice field.

  “So, this is a pretty nice pce now that I think about it.” I said.

  “Yeah . . . I don’t know how they do it.” Eren replied, “They must be some magicians.”

  Once we got out on the field, I put my half-eaten bagel down on the table and got my cleats out from my bag as well as my ball.

  “Heads up!” Someone was already out practicing, and his ball was barreling towards my head at the speed of light.

  “GAHH!” The ball barely missed my head by an inch.

  “Yo you good? Jude Everett asked me, “I’m sorry, that was my bad.”

  So this is Jude Everett . . . He almost killed me.

  “Y-yeah, I’m cool.” I reply, still in shock, “haha–” An awkward ugh left my breath.

  Jude said “Alright, sorry again.” and went back to practicing.

  “No problem.” I responded, “Eren you ready to practice?”

  “You wanna ask Jude if he wants to practice with us?” Eren asked me.

  “No, I’m alright.”

  “Wait, why don't you wanna invite Jude to py with us?” Eren said.

  Stop pushing bro. I have a bad feeling.

  “Come on dude.” Eren said.

  If asking him means Eren’ll stop bugging me then fine.

  “Umm, fine . . . sure I guess. We can ask him” I said reluctantly, because with that strong of a kick I knew Jude was definitely going to get me hurt.

  “Okay go ask him” Eren said with a bit of a wary tone.

  “WHAT WHY ME?!” I yelled.

  “Because Jude is scary?” Eren responded nervously.

  “wha–” I uttered under my breath.

  “Good luck” Eren patted my shoulder and wiped his tears before giving me a motivational speech. He said things like “Fear is only on the inside” and “Don’t worry, if things start to get out of hand I’ll be there to help” and “You can’t let one obstacle stop your goals” and things of that nature.

  If he has the intellect to say those things, he should have the resolve to face problems head on. It was his idea anyway . . .

  If he can scare Eren, the guy with no social cues, then everyone fears him.

  Whatever. No point in scaring myself about it, he’s just a normal guy, I thought as I gulped down my saliva and walked towards him to ask the question. My palms started to sweat, but I had to lock in. If I couldn’t talk to Jude, I know for a fact I could never face Laura.

  “H-hey . . .” Jude looked at me and paused, before replying, “Yo, what’s up?” He responded to me kindly. Way different than the way I thought he would.

  “Umm . . .”

  “You need something?” He asked curiously.

  Lock in Hai-Chi, Lock in. He’s just a normal person, nothing to be afraid of.

  “Hey, umm, yeah,” I wasn’t able to get the correct words out of my mouth.

  “w-why don’t you come join me and Eren for practice.” I asked, “I see that you have a good left kick.” I said.

  “Umm . . .” Jude pondered.

  I wonder what he’s thinking, I thought to myself nervously.

  “Yeah, sure. I could practice with yall.” Jude looked up to the task but was he only saying that just cause? I don’t know.

  “Let's go, Hai-Chi. You're moving forward with your journey in America and closer to your goals of becoming a legend, right?”

  “Y-yeah, how’d you know?” I said, “Did I tell you?”

  “No, no. I could tell by your face.” he said, “I can tell by your face that you have the resolve to become the best.”

  “Thank you.” My nervousness was almost completely washed away by his words. It was like we were on the same wavelength for a moment. He must’ve came here for the same goal as me. To rise above the rest and stand out in the crowd.

  “You may have to polish yourself a little bit but that’s something that shouldn’t be too hard.” Jude said, “If I get to train with you, that is.” He looked confident in his words. He’s not just spouting nonsense. He’s telling the truth. If I want to make my goals come true, I can’t just stand around and put half the effort in. I realize that now. My high school season was like the prologue to a main mission.

  “Actually . . . It would be better if I trained you personally one on one.” He said.

  “Okay, lemme go get Eren.” As I was about to make an exit, Jude grabbed my shoulder.

  “Tsk, tsk, tsk . . .”

  What does that mean? Why’d he just click his tongue at me?

  “If you want to get better, you’re gonna need my help.” He said.

  “Yeah, I know.” I looked dead center in his eyes. But in contrast to mine, his eyes were determined. It’s like they spoke to me. In both a literal and figurative sense.

  “But wait, Hai-Chi . . .” Jude stated, “You’re going to have to get rid of discrepancies . . . Dead weight, you could say.”

  “Huh? What does that mean.” I questioned.

  “Eren . . . He has to go.” he said, “I’m your partner from now on. Eren is nothing more than an obstacle that’ll just slow you down. Trust me, I know . . . just look at him.” Jude told me this with pride and ego. Too much pride and ego. But I was too absorbed in his words to really care. His words were enveloping me somehow. Jude scoffed and said, “Pitiful.”

  I looked at Eren. And back at Jude.

  I said, “I understand.” and walked over to Eren.

  Jude smirked at me proudly, knowing what he was doing. I was oblivious and was completely near sighted to understand the future consequences of my actions.

  Eren and I made eye contact, and he asked how it went. It was abrupt but I made my choice.

  “Eren . . . I’m sorry . . . but we’re done.” I said, “I can’t train with you anymore.”

  Contrary to how I thought he would respond, Eren acted completely calm and understanding, but he had a shocked expression. I could tell he was wrecked. He stood completely still, not uttering a single word. In the moment, it felt like I made a huge mistake, but I was too far gone. Eren walked away without protest, and I was left feeling empty.

  Jude walked up to me after watching me and Eren cut our ties. It seemed like he didn’t care about Eren’s feelings. But I would do anything to be the greatest.

  I did what needed to be done.