CHAPTER 1 - Flying Soccer Boots

I step into my usual school, where nothing changes for better or worse. 

Westwood High. 

To me, I don't need this. I don't need school. I want to concentrate on soccer. I don't know why my mom keeps insisting that I go to school after telling her I don't want to.

I walk to my locker, open it to bring out the books I would use during classes, and stuff it into my backpack, not caring. I swing my bag over my shoulder, closing the locker shut.

"Hey, Cedric". I hear someone shout my name, and I turn to look at the person. Dave.

"Hi, Dave," I greeted him and started walking to class, knowing he would fall in step with me.

"Are you ready for practice today?" he asks excitedly as if he had taken a whole bag of sugar.

"Yea. When haven't I been?" I turn to look at him with a smirk.

I go to my usual seat at the back while Dave sits before me. The teacher walks in, and everyone greets him as he places his materials on his desk. Soon enough, the lecture starts. I pulled out my MP3 and let the music drown me.

******** ******** ********

After a couple more classes, it was time for practice, and everyone went to the locker room to get changed. I walk in with my duffel bag over my shoulder and the music playing in my ears as I make my way to my locker.

I'm putting on my shin-guard when the slam of a locker makes me jump in surprise.

"Where is it?" a deeper voice asked followed.

"I don't have it," a weaker voice answered, the bullied.

I know I'm supposed to mind my own business, but I have to be the guy with a conscience. I drop my boots near my bag, put on my Pam sandals, and move to the next row.

"I swear, if you don't tell me where it is, you are...."

"Hey, what's going on?" I ask, interrupting him and his two buddies from causing any more harm.

"It's none of your business, so go back to what you were doing, or you will take his place." He gestures to the guy held against the locker, shaking with fear.

The bully turns back to him, thinking I was done with him. He moves closer to the new kid, cracking his knuckles. "Want to start talking?"

"Leave him alone."

He turned to face me, surprised that I was still there. "What did you just say?" He raises his brow in question while taking slow steps towards me.

"I said leave him alone". These guys were bigger than I was, so I needed something as a weapon to fight them.

"And what are you going do?" he asks, punching his fist into the locker close to the guy's head. "Want to take the beating for him?" he punched again, a little closer this time. "Going to take us down?" Closer. "Going to go all nerdy and take his place?" his hands were in mid-air when I moved. I just moved.

I leaped towards him, interrupting him from the punch. His buddies shove me away to the wall across. I try to make a move again, and they hold me down.

"Looks like we got ourselves a hero." The bully says, coming closer to me with a steady stance. His buddies laughed at his joke, and I'm being honest when I say that it wasn't funny at all.

He takes over, holding me against the wall with his left hand on my throat, holding me in place. "I'm going beat your ass." He assures, raising his hand in the air, and I swear I had the best idea ever.

I imagine some flying soccer boots attacking his fucking empty head. I looked over to a boot on one of the lockers, and it moved, it moved. Then, it started floating in the air. Was it levitating? What the fuck was happening?

"Hey!" a voice shouted as we all looked in the direction of the voice. It was the coach. Something hard hit the locker, making everyone look at the locker before turning back to the coach, but I knew it was the boot. "Benjamin put Cedric down," he orders.

I swallow a laugh. Benjamin is such a stupid name for a big, bad bully. I seriously try hard not to laugh. I think he noticed because he shot me a hard look before letting me go.

The coach gestured for them to move and waited for them to move. Ben looked between the coach and me as if trying to make a very tough decision. "You are on my death list, hero," he whispered into my ear before walking away.

******** ******** ********

I walk to the center of the pitch and see the ball already there. Being a striker, I walked over and stood in front of the ball.

I look up and see Dave. He smirks at me as our eyes meet when I scan my teammates. "You ready?"

"I was born ready," I reply with a smile.

Once I replied, the coach blew the whistle. I passed the ball to Dylan, one of my teammates. I keep in mind that it's only training and not an actual game. I run inside my opponent's defense, waiting for the ball to be passed to me.

I see Dylan running with the ball in my direction, dribbling our opponents on his way. He's about to shoot when Dave puts his leg, deflecting the kick and changing the direction back into our side. I run gradually inside, watching the game carefully and calculating, too. Xavier, one of our best defenders, passes it back to my direction. I controlled the ball with my chest, brought it down to my feet, and ran ahead for the net. 

A defender runs towards me, but I pass the ball between his legs and continue my journey to the post. I look to my left and see Dylan; I pass the ball to him and keep running to the box. 

I feel the adrenaline shoot through my veins as I see the ball just over my head. I jump my highest as my head touches the ball; I turn my head towards the post, giving it direction into the net. I stumble on my feet as I land; I look over to the post just in time to see the ball go into the net. A huge smile finds its way to my lips as I jump up in excitement as my other teammates come to celebrate, too.

We hear the whistle twice, signaling the end of practice. I walk over to the bench and get my bottled water when Dave joins me.

"We were great out there," he says with a full-blown smile. "Mostly you, but still, we might just have a chance at this coming tournament." He opens his bottle and takes a sip.

"Yeah, but I kicked your ass out there" I swing my bag over my shoulder, still talking.

"That's because I gave you the chance. If I had played, you would be begging me not to fuck you up", he replies with confidence as we walk back to the locker room.

"Yeah, right," I said sarcastically with a chuckle.

"I'm kicking your ass next time." He assures.

I turn to him with a grin on my lips. "Yeah, next time."