Obsession

Secret: Chapter 1

Nothing truly exciting ever happened in the quaint little town of Shaw. With a population capped at just sixty thousand, its suburban appearance gave a boring feeling. It was the perfect getaway for anyone wishing to escape the hassle of city life in favour of a quiet existence.

The biggest excitement happened when school was in session. With a town full of avid soccer fans, the local recreational grounds of the sports centre were never empty of spectators. It was soccer season in Shaw and the soccer moms and dads were out in large numbers, done up with face paint, carrying home-made posters emblazoned with their child's name for everyone to witness their parental pride and support. Even the wealthy parents of Shaw had professionally done banners with their child's name and face printed.

The score was 2-1, and the Shaw Stallions were leading.

The stands were loud and alive with the cheering and rooting of parents, students, and spectators in general of the soccer game between the Shaw Stallions and the Gold Hawks. The Shaw Stallions were students – aged fourteen to eighteen – of the town's resident public high school while the students from the other team came from the big shot families who sent their children to the private preparatory high school.

The players of both teams ran out onto the field to commence the second half of the game and as they did so, a series of chants erupted from the spectating crowd, calling the name of a single student from the Shaw Stallions.

"Gabriel! Gabriel! Gabriel!"

Seventeen-year-old Gabriel Hastings shook his head as laughter bubbled up his throat. As he ran out to his position on the field, he thrust a fist into the air, laughing once again as the crowd went wild, stomping their feet, clapping, and whistling loudly.

"You're the man, Gabe!" someone from his school shouted, his voice rising above the collective noises of the other spectators.

Before the referee blew the whistle, signalling the beginning of the second half, Gabriel paused and glanced to the stands. Amongst the spectators, he spied his father, a wave of reinforced confidence washing over him and gone was any shred of lingering doubt or nervousness that this win could slip away.

It was the first game of the season for the Shaw Stallions, but they wouldn't dare lose a single game in the preliminary round. One loss was one too many. It was his senior year, and he'd prefer to graduate leaving behind a legacy.

Gabriel glanced to the team's coach next. Coach Freidman was a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair, a burly frame, and broad shoulders. There was a single, thin scar on his chin. The man was tough, had lived his entire life in Shaw, only ever traveling short distances outside of the town. In his youth, he'd been in scuffles here and there that gave him the scar as a reminder of his ruffian days before he got his act together.

The whistle blew and the second half began.

Gabriel was a local celebrity at seventeen being one of the best players on his school's soccer team. That had earned him quite the reputation throughout the town and now, when people in Shaw thought about the public high school, or even soccer, Gabriel Hastings was the name that came to mind.

He was excellent and could easily play in any of the given field positions, but he was known for pulling off some of the best goals. Not only were they sometimes crazy and unpredictable, but amongst his team members, Gabriel held the trophy for most amount of goals scored.

He was the man. He was often named the MVP of games, and he was who the team looked to in bringing home the next win.

It was in the sixtieth minute when momentum increased. The Gold Hawks had scored the first goal of the second half, bringing both teams to a tie. A silent communication exchanged between Gabriel, and the team's captain, Chris Choi, and then their eyes met the bright blues of their friend and fellow teammate, Josh Hart. The message was clear.