chasing dreams requires sacrifices. great sacrifices

Time passed in a blink of an eye. Kai felt the whole encounter was nothing more than a surreal experience. Nkunku, Hernandez, Zagadou, Cornet. All football stars that Kai could only dream of meeting person to person. Kai had a silly smile on his face as he ingrained this moment in his head.

He told himself one thing; he would never forget this special moment he shared.

Kai eyed his sports shirt that long accumulated sweat and was dirty after his long day of training and intense futsal match. There were 5 signatures on his shirt.

This was priceless pressure. A treasure that must be protected at all costs.

However, this sweet moment was cut short as Kai checked the time with his half-broken Nokia phone. The Asian youth was immediately alarmed as he sped up his movement. He had spent far too long outside, and his parents should have arrived home by now. Kai's worse fears started appearing. They might be worried sick about him, his parents might even call the police about a potential kidnapping!

Imaging police showing up at the home, Kai worried and shook his head as he mustered any strength within him. With how protective his parents are, these events aren't impossible!

~~~

Home sweet home. Kai barged his way as he crashed into the front door. Ruffling his shorts pocket, he pulled all his pockets inside out before realizing he had forgotten his keys at home. He forgot the keys to the house!

Crossing his fingers, Kai knocked on the wooden door three times. "MOM. DAD… I'M HOME."

There were light shuffles of sounds in the house. The foot door creaked slowly and steadily as the entrance was opened. Kai was relieved, grateful that his parents were home to unlock the door for him.

"Dad! I'm so––"

The youth stopped his words as he realized something was wrong. His dad was always an enthusiastic presence, he was always cheerful and never showed his dark side. He rarely emitted any negative emotions at all.

Today was different.

Dad only shook his head as he gazed at the person he called son. There were no words exchanged, only a piercing gaze that sent shivers down Kai's spine. It was a gaze that turned his heart into ice.

Kai's eyes darted into his father's face, trying to see if anything was off. Yet his father shielded his inner thoughts behind his expressionless face. He stepped aside as he gestured for his son to enter.

"Kai-kun." Mom's voice snapped Kai out of his daze. "Come in. Take a seat."

Kai blinked as his expression changed from uneasy to agitation. "Ye. Yes, Mom!"

The hair stood on all ends as Kai slowly inched his way into the living room. His mother turned around and rolled her eyes as she turned to face her son. She rested her chin on her hand and levelled an irate look at her son. "What were you doing out so long?"

Kai lowered his head. "I…. I went to hang out with my friends. And I forgot my keys at home."

Towards his mother, Kai had no problem lying. It wasn't because he was good at deceiving his parents, but a necessary survival instinct. The truth mustn't be told, no matter the cost.

Mom crossed her arms and shook her head. "Aaah… I wish you could introduce us to your friends. I do wish that."

Kai nodded with a bashful smile. The air between him and his mother had never been this strained. It looked like they were fighting. It looked like they were done fighting.

Kai couldn't figure out what could have caused her to look so cold. She was always so warm. Well, she was warm before they moved here, in this unforgiving country.

Her gaze wander away from her son's perfect face as she coldheartedly addressed his attire. Trainer shorts, sweat-resistant running shirt, long knee-length socks, and old worn-out sneakers that she knew it was his son's preferred football shoes.

Merely setting her eyes on that filthy footwear, she could feel her blood pressure rising and her hands clenched into tight fists under the table. "Gone out with your... friends... and played football?"

Her voice was cold, too cold. No warmth or love in it, but Kai still attempted to quell the rising anger that brewed in the air between them.

"Mom, don't get mad."

But her stare was indignant and cold, too cold to see the reason behind it. Kai watched his mother's face burn as she slowly lowered her gaze towards her hands. Her lips pressed tightly together as she clenched her fists.

"Kai, you're supposed to be home at 3. Just…"

Mom continued, her voice low and demanding. She was not going to let her son get away with this again. "Just stay home until then!"

Kai shook his head in protest, his jaw tensing with each word. He was stubborn. He couldn't let her look at him the way she did now. He'd have to be extra convincing, extra persuasive.

"Mom. I can explain, it was just––"

"Kai-kun." Dad interrupted. "I understand what you were doing. We'll talk while we eat. I'll set dinner up right now. You and your mother will sit down, and we'll start discussing this... obsession."

The hair stood on end again as Kai looked between his father and his mother, both looking at him as if he was crazy. The ice that hung in the air between them soon shattered and frost began to grow. It made it hard to breathe as the weight of their judgement fell upon him.

She had always been a proud woman. He'd never seen her act this way.

It was new and strange to him.

No, Mom's demeanour was not new. It was him.

He was not the boy he had always been.

Not the boy who'd never seemed to care what others thought of him.

He was the boy who did now.

When did he become such a child?

He was in trouble. He knew it. But more important was the fact that he was in trouble and couldn't get out of it. He had to make it up to them somehow, no matter what it took. No matter the cost.

Dad got up from the table to walk to the refrigerator. "If you want, Kai, we can head over to the City Mall, and we can get you some proper shoes. Leather shoes." He paused for a second. "There are conditions you must follow if you want them."

The silence was heavy in the room as they all watched Kai, waiting for him to comply. The boy's silence lingered. He could feel his father's gaze upon him and didn't want to look at him, afraid that he would see a mix of approval, contempt, or anger.

"These old sneakers are perfect, Dad. What I'm wearing is perfect."

He shut the door to the refrigerator.

"Are you sure about these?"

Kai turned to his dad in his room.

"Yes."

There was silence in the room. It was quiet, but deafening at the same time. No one dared to speak. They only look at one another, eye to eye. Something unsaid hung in the air.

Mom's disapproval was too apparent, and Kai could feel her hatred in the air. It burned his skin like it was acid.

He wanted to get away from them.

He wanted to make them stop this insanity.

It wasn't just the cost. It was the fact that they were only acting like this because they didn't know how to handle him. They didn't understand him. His dad had lived with a kind of fear that he couldn't understand. The fear of the unknown. How to feel, how to act, how to communicate with someone he couldn't understand? He, Kai, had been the one to figure out a way to do that. Not them.

He'd tried. But they still didn't know him.

His father was never afraid of the boy, though. His mother was just afraid of what would happen if he did leave the house. And what he would do if he chased dreams that would never materialise. She didn't know if she should be scared or excited about what lay ahead. But she didn't care. She turned a blind eye to her heart.

Kai wanted to live, and that was all he wanted.

Rising to his feet, Kai began walking to the door. He paused. He could feel Mom's burning glare at his back as she watched him go. "You'll make your bed, and I'll do the rest, alright? Kai-kun," Mom continued. "It's still rude to eat in your room, you know."

Kai refused to turn around to face her. He opened the door to leave the room. She slammed her fists against the table in front of her. She then looked up to meet the direction her son headed, her eyes with pure scorn in them.

"All right, Kai-kun." She stared with her cold eyes that were darker than coal. "If that's how you want to play, so be it."