▎. . . In which seven boys meet in the school counsellor's office every week and are given a group project to work on for the year.
UNDERGOING REWRITING
sidemen...
𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑. triggers: cursing, graphic descriptions of a panicattack, scoptophobia, perfectionism.
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𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐒 Tobi's downfall, seeping into his crescent moon eyes and hiding the rest of the world. One week before JJ's fight, one lifetime before Tobi's unmatched willpower would end. The only sight for him was a holy glow, piping hot and steaming golden specks onto his face. The Earth complimented Tobi Brown, as most things did, because he was one of Her finest.
Between his feet spun a ball, venturing along the astroturf at speeds you couldn't imagine, leaving trails of blazing grass in its wake. Tobi dribbled the football eagerly, skipping around opponents' scuffed shoes and letting the autopilot consume him as his consciousness drifted to the sun.
Tobi lived and breathed football, if he was honest: this game was his ticket out of here. When the time came, Tobi would waltz onto a jet and say goodbye to his homeland, crusading into Spain or Portugal to pursue his career in professional football. He dedicated hours, days, weeks, practically his entire life, to the sport.
It wasn't like he could change his mind anymore, anyways, because everyone was rooting for him now. His entire life was painted already. Our very own Ronaldo, Tobit. He's going overseas to be a pro, did you know?
A stumble. Stop thinking, he begged himself, because thinking only took him down. Into a dark and inviting abyss where he'd lie for hours, collapsed onto his bed or floating his way through class, dreaming about any and all possibilities in the world. What if he didn't live up to his family's expectations?
What if he didn't live up to his own?
Things were much easier when he didn't think.
Suddenly, a shadow. Out of the corner of his vision, Tobi found demons lurking on the bleachers. Bleak against the colourful benches, winding their limbs around the metal and warping gritted teeth into a dastardly, frightening grin. And their eyes, blood red, stabbing far into Tobi's wilting soul.
They were ashamed of him. They were all ashamed. He wasn't doing enough. He wasn't working hard enough. He wasn't running fast enough. He had tripped once, who was to say he wouldn't again? What an idiot. A waste of space. An overachiever.
The demons laughed and heckled, accumulating in a threatening crowd. Hundreds of the beasts, no matter which way Tobi turned, all staring him down with hungry gazes. This was too much attention. Too much pressure. The world was tilted off its axis.
An indescribable coldness struck his heart, chilling him to the very core of his being. Everyone was watching him, all the fucking time. Panicked, embarrassed, bruised, Tobi huffed all the toxic air out of his lungs. He just couldn't breathe fast enough, anxious exhales overlapping one another in a hyperventilating manner.
