Crossbar | c.h

Chapter 5

Calum's POV

Focus. I had to keep focused. The wind bitterly gnawed at my exposed lower legs, but I couldn't feel it. Through my sweat everything was just warm and sticky.

I let my whole body tense then relax. Feeling the rush of air move around my body as I swung up my leg to shoot was honestly the best feeling ever, feeling completely weightless and familiar.

I cocked my head slightly and caught someone pressed against the fence.

Cariad.

She watched carefully as I stretched my body to shoot.

Turning around, I called out to her. "Cariad! You decided to come after all,"

She jumped at my words and began to stutter. "I-uh, i was just going to get my brother from school,"

I watched her cheeks heat up, adding to her already rosy complexion.

"Really? You seemed quite into the game," I laughed as I leaned on the fence next to her.

"I- I guess I was just daydreaming," she stuttered, darting her eyes to the floor.

I looked down at her through the criss cross metal woven fence.

"Aw about me?" I smirked, trying to get a reaction out of her.

She flushed a deeper crimson. I felt a jab of power as I watched her work herself up.

"N-no! I was ju-"

"Relax I was joking," I said in a cool voice. "Anyway, you should get back to picking your brother up,"

"Y-yeah," she mumbled, walking away as quickly as her tiny feet could carry her.

I didn't know why she was so flustered, I was only messing with he. She seemed so awkward and short, maybe she wasn't the right person to befriend, she didn't seem like the type of person I'd be friends with.

She was quite hot to be honest, but I assumed that guy she was with all the time was her boyfriend.

I sighed as I resumed my training.

Time passed uneasily slowly and training was slipping to the bottom of my list of priorities.

Sighing, I pulled a jumper on over my head and cradled my ball.

I began to make my way towards the back gate, bouncing my ball as I walked.

A serration of giggles were shot at me.

I met eyes with two younger girls who were staring right at me.

"Um hi?" I asked, making my way towards them.

"Hi are you new here?" The taller one asked.

"Yeah, why?" I asked, raising both of my eyebrows.

"Just wondering," she shrugged, catching a strand of curly hair between her fingers.

"Okay then, I'm going to-"

"Do you play football for a team?" The other one cut in.

"Yeah. Look girls you're cute but I think you're a little too young," I laughed awkwardly.

"We were just making conversation," one said, her tone a lot less perky.

I could vaguely make out my name being called, I turned slightly and rested my eyes upon Cariad and her brother walking away.

"It was nice meeting you two," I smiled as I brushed past them.

I pulled my phone from my pocket and pulled up Cariad's number.

me: why didn't you stay?:(

I hovered my hand over the send button for a moment, should I? I didn't want to seem needy.

I shrugged to myself and pressed down on the screen.

cariad: oh sorry i needed to get my brother home

me: oh okay, uh see you soon

I held my finger down on the power button until it shut down, just so I wasn't tempted to annoy her any more

I made my way to my small apartment, or loft.

Basically I lived in a room above a Chinese takeaway.

I took the back staircase up, not to disturb business, not that they had very much, just a few drunks stumbling in every now and again and a few home deliveries.

As soon as I got in I went straight to the shower.

I had been training all day and I was sweaty, tense and exhausted.

I turned the water on and stepped in.

The water pressure was quite frankly poor, the warmth wasn't any better.

I was hoping to step into a piping hot fast down pour of water to relax my muscles but no. After a lukewarm shower I made my way into the kitchen to make myself some, uh, dinner.

I boiled some water and made some instant noodles. Nutritious, I know.

I sat on the ratted, musky settee, watching re-runs of the same tv, eating the flavourless noodles. What a wonderful life.

I sat motionless in front of the tv for what felt like days. I was lonely. It was the first time in about a month of living here that I felt the absence of a friend.

I guessed Cariad was a friend. Maybe not a strong a word as friend. More like acquaintance.

I groaned and flung my arms back.

It was the type of day that you question everything you do. The type of day that makes you so fucking cautious. Anxiety flooded my systems.

Football was fun. It's all I knew, I left school to play. Moved away for this assistant coaching job, in the hopes that my boss would forward me to a talent scout. But all the best known football players were scouted at a young age of maybe 14 to 16, I was 19 going on 20 and no one had given me the time of day, and I was slowly running out of money (and, quite frankly, aspiration).

I was feeling less and less confident about my skills as a footballer and my risky career choice.

I dwelled in the uncomfortable state of not knowing what I was doing with my life for hours. These days it seemed like on existential crisis after another, and I felt like it was talking a toll on my mental health.

I was sat thinking, as the tv turned to static. I drifted in and out of sleep, unable to settle my mind.

-

hiya ik it's been a while but idk i didn't have any inspiration. tbh i don't think this chapter makes sense but calum is basically re-thinking his whole life choices lmao. okay well bye ily-caiti

p.s

cariad in english (it's a welsh word/name) means love and i think it's cute. (btw it's pronounced ca-ree-add in case you didn't know)