Free Web NovelChapter 17: Bottom Of The Pecking Order
The wet grass made a squelching sound as Diego’s boots crunched into it. He sprinted from the sideline onto the big field where the other boys were standing.
He looked back over his shoulder while running. The assistant manager who had pushed him to go out there was already walking away toward the uniform building, while at a bench, Matilde was sitting up straight, her legs swinging. She waved at him enthusiastically and also urged Aunt Chickie to do the same.
They weren’t Diego’s real family, but right then, it felt like they were the only people he had.
Diego looked back at the field and slowed down as he got closer to the other boys. All the talking stopped almost right away. Every single player and the two coaches all turned at the same time to stare at the new kid. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
"Everyone, listen up! This is Diego Montoya," Coach Nick declared. Nick was short for Nicholas, and he was the head team coach that all the boys looked up to. "He’s our new number 66. He’s a left-footed specialist who played for his school, San Gregorio. He had a really solid run in the past Copa Escolar, just like a lot of you guys did."
The other boys didn’t say much, but they were pretty welcoming. All of them lined up, giving Diego handshakes, fistbumps, and little pats on the back to make him feel part of the group. To top it off, the team captain, a 14-year-old named Adan, walked over and put his heavy arm around Diego’s shoulder during the whole introduction. It made Diego feel a bit better since Adan was taller and looked more experienced.
Standing there, the moments afterwards were anxious ones, but Diego stood like a statue while the coach told everyone he was a "technical asset" for the wing. Even though the other boys were quiet, you could tell they were checking him out to see if he was actually good.
Since it was getting late, the practice for the day was already winding down, and everyone was getting ready to pack up and head home. Diego made a frustrated face because the registration process had taken the whole day. Now, he was all geared up and ready to go, but he would only get to be on the field for maybe an hour at most before having to leave again.
After Coach Nick finished the introductions, he did some more team talk about what drills they were going to work on tomorrow. Once they were dismissed, Diego finally spotted a lone ball near the sideline. He really wanted to get some touches in to make his legs feel better, but nobody was really free to play. Most of the guys were busy grabbing their water bottles or talking about what they were doing after practice.
He kicked the ball around a bit, and at one point, it went out of play toward another kid. The guy just lobbed it back to him without saying anything and kept walking toward the benches.
Diego picked up the ball and tucked it under his arm.
He looked around the big field, and it finally hit him—he probably wasn’t going to be a superstar here like he was now at his school.
In this place, he was basically at the bottom of the list for importance. He felt like the reserve of the reserves. It was a sobering thought, but it made the "technical asset" label the coach gave him feel like something he could hold on to.
"Just my luck," Diego muttered as he bounced the ball really hard on the grass. He watched it fly up before he volleyed it into the empty goalpost. The sound of the ball hitting the net was the only thing he really got to do today.
Turning around, he started jogging back toward Maltide and Aunt Chickie. They both had worried looks on their faces, probably because they could tell he was disappointed.
’Maybe when Damian and the rest come, I’ll start to get some real traction,’ Diego thought to himself.
A week later, it turned out that Diego was right. When Damian, Ruben, and Kebehi finally started showing up for training, everything became much better. Since they were his friends, they always looked out for him in the team’s gatherings, which helped other people notice him a little more, making him less of a stranger.
But there was still a big problem. Since Damian and the others were brand new to the club, too, they all got stuck in the rookie zone together. So, even though Diego was getting more social points, he was still stuck at the very bottom of the list. In the big picture of the main U14 team, he and his friends were still considered unimportant compared to the guys who had been there for years.
Still, it was a huge relief for Diego. When it came time for drills, he actually had people to juggle the ball with and practice his ball control and coordination. Training started to be really fun instead of just stressful. Since they only practiced two or three days a week, Diego started looking forward to those days more than anything else. He just wanted to be on the grass with his friends, even if the coaches weren’t treating them like stars yet.
Diego often kept his eyes open for the actual stars of the team. He hadn’t forgotten about his system and his newly upgraded innate skill that let him bond to two players now. When he’s going to choose, he has to choose wisely because his current subject, Damian, isn’t the standard anymore compared to these bigger boys.
Spending some time looking at the official team list and the starting eleven, Diego counted all twenty-five players but himself, noted their rankings, and their placements on the pitch. Also, from peer chatter and coaches’ references, Diego already had a hint of who the best players were. But he thought it’d be wise to give it more time before making a final choice. He didn’t want to bond with someone who just looked good but could actually give him negative growth.
In the meantime, he ought not rely on the system for everything. He decided to dedicate his time in training to working hard and developing like an actual footballer. He knew that if he wanted to get noticed and finally be put into a real match in this dense division, he had to prove he was good with his own feet first.
He ran every lap and did every drill like it was a final, hoping the coaches would see that their number 66 was more than just a backup player filling a space.
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A/N: Thanks for reading!
