Chapter 29 – Paper Numbers
"March already."
Caio said it casually, flipping through a folded sheet of paper while Thiago sat across from him on the café’s cracked plastic chair.
Thiago looked up. "It’s March?"
Caio didn’t glance away from the page. "March 4th. Year’s flying. You’ve played what—four matches now?"
"Three and a half," Thiago muttered.
"Right. But on paper, four." Caio tapped the sheet. "And you’ve started showing up in match reports consistently."
Thiago raised an eyebrow. "That’s worth printing?"
"You scored a 7.8 in your last match," Caio said, eyes still on the paper. "That’s not nothing."
"It’s just numbers."
"It’s exactly numbers," Caio said, folding the sheet and sliding it into a thin binder at his side. "Clubs love numbers. Scouts love numbers. And guess what? You don’t have anyone keeping track of yours but me."
Thiago sipped his juice. He wasn’t used to thinking about his name being printed next to ratings and pass counts.