Lost souls | Mason Mount

two

Mason was back in training today again, despite being told he should have a rest and get his focus back, but right now football was the only thing that made him get out of bed, even if it didn't feel like fun to play anymore.

Everyone could see on his face how mentally drained he looked. He would cry at night in secret sometimes, and this night he couldn't sleep at all. He had zero focus during training.

Potter could tell that he needed healing and a break from football right now, and he wasn't going to let Mason be stubborn and ignore it.

"Mase, come here one second," Potter pointed at him, signaling for him to come over.

He let go of the ball in his feet and walked over to his coach, knowing he was about to be told off and possibly forced to leave.

"How's everything going?" Potter asked, wanting to hear from Mason himself before saying anything.

"Everything's fine," he shrugged.

"You're not helping your teammates here," Potter said in a sincere tone.

"I don't always have to pass; I can take my chances and score." Mason sounded a bit rude, even though he didn't mean to.

"I know you're old enough to make your own decision, but right now, as much as I hate to say it, you're holding your teammates back," he said, placing a hand on Mason's shoulder. "You're making it difficult for them, and I know you don't mean to," he added.

"Want me to leave?" Mason asked as he looked at his coach in the eye.

"I want you to take a break, a proper one, and I want you to talk to someone; we have Charlie who's ready to help you."

"I don't need to talk to anyone; I'll just go home," Mason sighed.

"Don't beat yourself up too much, Mason; we still need you here whenever you're ready to come back," Potter assured him with a pat on the back.

Mason nodded before leaving the training ground. He was angry and fuming; his blood was boiling. Why did this have to happen to him? What did he do to deserve to go through this much pain?

He didn't get changed; he just grabbed his stuff and headed back to his car, deciding to go to the cemetery again, ready to scold his grandfather who had caused him to hurt this much.

Like every day Mason had been there, the cemetery was empty. The silence would fill it most days, and nothing could be heard but birdsongs and bees buzzing.

He took a seat in front of his grandfathers headstone. He didn't know what to say even though he had so much to say. He let minutes pass, letting himself cool down, until he finally was ready to let it all out.

"Did you have to die?" He asked out loud.

"Out of all the days that exists... you chose to leave during the time when everything was going so well for me," a tear slipped from his eye.

"We told you to go to the doctors, but you were too stubborn," he sniffled, wiping away the tears that had flooded down his cheeks in a matter of seconds.

"Sometimes I wish it was me...it just hurts so much" his voice broke.

He sat there for a while, letting his feelings out and letting his heart ache from the pain. There were not enough tears left for him to cry in the end, at least
for today.

As moments passed by, the silence was taking over again, like it always did when no one was there or talking, and once again, Mason's thoughts were interrupted by a sound; this time it was the sound of footsteps. Mason looked up, seeing the same girl he had seen yesterday, only this time, they both caught each other's eyes.

She was holding a bouquet of white flowers, wearing a black hoodie and black sweatpants this time, making her ginger hair stand out even more and shine even brighter than yesterday, and her face exhibited some type of beauty Mason never thought could exist.

He automatically smiled at her, causing her to return a friendly smile before taking a turn to walk to the grave she was here to visit.

Mason found himself in the same position as yesterday again. His eyes were glued to her back. He could see her putting the new flowers on the grave and even lighting up a few of the old candles that was still usable.

He looked at his grandfather's grave, soon realizing that he should've brought something too. The old flowers were almost dying out, and it looked boring grey. He took a mental note not to remember it for next time.

He returned his gaze to her again, overthinking things. Deep down, he just wanted to walk up to her and see her up close and take in her beauty, but the more he thought about that, the creepier it sounded, and he had to admit that he didn't have enough courage to walk up to a pretty girl like her. What would he even say to her?

He wouldn't deny it; he is the type of person to fall for someone very easily, and right now, he couldn't deny that there was something very intriguing about this girl, and it annoyed him how much of an affect she already had on him.

The fact that he got to see her face properly and even receive a friendly smile from her was enough to make him feel better after the pain he had felt earlier.