Chapter 6: What Are The Odds?

The players were all in the locker room now and that included Axel who just wanted to go through his phone in peace but he had a lot more of his teammates talking to him than usual.

Usually, it was just him and Peterson and it wasn't like the others didn't like talking to him or shunned him, they just never went out of their way to show him the ropes of being a professional footballer but maybe that was because Peterson was already doing that.

He received quite a lot of hugs, pats, and punches all to congratulate him for being the man of the match on his debut.

Most of them didn't stick around that but some of them did, some of them wanted to know a couple more things about him and that made him really happy even though he was dying to pick up his phone which was just sitting beside him.

It took a while before they finally gave him back his personal space, and after letting out a deep sigh, he picked up his phone and went straight to Sofascore.

'Hmmm, so I got an eight-point zero rating, I wonder how that happened. Peterson got a seven point two and Tacky stuck to six point nine.' He said inwardly. 'That makes sense, he didn't really play like the Tacky I know today.'

"Good job everyone." Gregory clapped as he slowly walked into the room.

He sounded quite ecstatic and his face wasn't telling a different story.

"Things got a bit tough in the second half but you guys pulled it off, we're three points behind Aston Villa now, let's just hope they lose that match against Chelsea." The coach remarked in utmost optimism as he made his way to one of the seats and sat down there.

'That game's probably going to end in a draw.' Axel said inwardly.

"You all did well today, especially you, Axel," Gregory said before turning to the youngster with a smile.

"Oh, thank you, coach." He was caught off guard there and had to quickly put his phone down.

"But don't you go slacking off, we have Juventus to deal with in the Champions League next, I know we beat them last season but there's no telling what they might have up their sleeves this season." The coach articulated. "It's a shame you won't be able to join us in that game, Axel."

"Yeah, but I'll be available next season, and after you guys win it this season, I'll help you defend it." The youngster declared.

"That's the spirit." The coach smiled. "You have a bright future ahead of you, Axel, I can see that."

The midfielder's response to that was a nod.

'I know that, I have everything set to make sure my future is as bright as bright can be.'

________ _______

The players had to start heading home soon because it was getting late and Axel was one of the first players to leave the stadium.

The sky had already gone dark a long time ago with stars and the moon now out but the street lights were on now to make sure the streets were as bright as possible.

Axel had his gaze on his phone as he walked down the street.

He was scrolling through social media where he had already seen a couple of posts with the picture taken of him with his Man of the Match award.

'Axel David's perfect debut.' He read one of the titles of the post with a smile on his face before clicking the comments.

There were a lot of good comments but he was looking specifically for the negative comments.

'Great performance from Axel, but who's to say he's not going to become another overhyped English player?'

'Let the boy play more matches before you all start with your glazing, please.'

'Meh.'

'It was just wolves, come on, let's see how he performs against the top clubs.'

"Well, these don't seem that bad." He muttered before returning to the homepage.

He scrolled further down to find a post unrelated to football.

"Plane crash?"

He wasn't able to finish reading the title of the post because his gaze quickly shifted to the heading of the post just below it.

'The highlights of Axel's performance against Wolverhampton Wanderers.' He read inwardly.

It was a video post and he didn't like playing videos in public without his headphones or earbuds.

"Maybe I should watch this when I get home." He muttered before slipping his phone into his pocket.

'I was expecting a barrage of calls from Mom by now but I guess she isn't in that mood today or maybe they want to surprise me unaware that I already know that they're coming back today.' He said inwardly with a bright smile on his face. 'Dad definitely watched the match, I can't wait to see his reaction when I get back.'

It didn't take long before he got to the house, and after walking to the door, he realized something.

The door was open which was the confirmation that his parents were home.

"Hello." He said with an ecstatic voice as he opened the door and walked into the house but the person he was seeing in the living room now wasn't someone he was expecting to see at least not today.

A red-haired girl with blue eyes just like his, her skin tone was a bit darker compared to his and she was smiling at him.

Compared to Axel she had a prettier face but maybe that had something to do with her being a girl.

"Hey, sis," Axel muttered with a confused expression on his face. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't you seem cheerful?"

"Yeah, I scored a goal and won the man of the match on my debut so of course I'm cheerful." He replied before slowly taking his backpack off. "But you haven't answered my question."

"Then that means you don't know yet." She muttered, still keeping that smile on her face.

Axel could read her like a book since there were little children so he could clearly tell that that was a fake smile but he was still confused.

'What is she trying to do?'

"Know what? Hey, why are you avoiding the question?"

She didn't reply to that question immediately and let out a sigh before making her way to the bookshelf opposite the couch.

"You're definitely going to find out soon so I'm just going to tell you." She replied before picking one of the thinner books in the bookshelf.

"Find out about what? You're confusing me, Ariel." He replied, a sense of impending doom overwhelming him.

"There was a plane crash." She disclosed before folding the book she was holding a little, her hands slightly trembling.

Her breathing was starting to get a bit louder than normal now.

As soon as Axel heard that, his mind quickly flashed back to the post he saw on his way back and it didn't take long before he connected all the dots.

'That's right, Mom and Dad were supposed to be here but I can't find them anywhere.'

He didn't know when it happened but his grip suddenly loosened as his bag came crashing to the floor.

"That was Mom and Dad's flight wasn't it?" His voice had suddenly gone cold, every form of excitement he had when he walked into the house was gone now.

As soon as he asked that question, Ariel slowly folded the book in his hand until her hands completely covered it before she burst into tears.

"Why did it have to happen like this, Axel?" She cried before slowly slumping to her knees. "I just got into the university this year."

Axel just walked straight to the couch like a zombie and slumped down on it, none of this felt real to him. He felt like his whole world had just come crashing down.

"What are the odds of that?" He muttered with his gaze fixated on the floor. "I come home after a perfect debut to find out my parents no longer exist."