Chapter 26: Finding Our Way Out
The referee’s whistle cut through the noise. Game time.
Carlos touched the ball and everything changed. He moved like the field belonged to him. Quick touches, smart runs, always one step ahead of defenders. The crowd noticed immediately.
"Carlos! Carlos!" The chant started small but grew louder.
Tommy’s fingers dug into Javier’s arm. "Watch this. He’s about to do something crazy."
But Carlos surprised them. Instead of trying flashy moves, he played smart. The patient passes. Setting up teammates. Making everyone around him better.
Twenty minutes in, he threaded a perfect ball between two defenders. His teammate buried the shot in the bottom corner.
"Carlos got the assist!" Kevin screamed from three seats down.
The opposing team answered five minutes later. A lucky deflection that caught their keeper off guard. 1-1 at halftime.
During the break, Vicente appeared in the empty space beside Javier. The ghost watched the crowd with curious eyes.
"Look at all these people," Vicente said quietly. "Their whole day depends on what happens down there."
"That’s a lot of pressure."
"Different kinds of pressure than what we know. In boxing, you fail alone. Here, you let down your teammates."