Game Changer | Petalz 🌸🍃

Chapter XI

"What about Kazuha?"

Her dad's lips twist into a smirk. "He hasn't decided about her yet."

Sakura frowns. Does that mean Kazuha still has a chance to get in the team? While she herself has been pretty much written off completely by the coach?

Let's win the World Cup together.

Her teeth clench as something akin to betrayal squeezes painfully her chest. Because Kazuha hasn't even played that well! And she doesn't even care! She doesn't deser—

No. Stop it. That's not fair.

"I've warned you, Sakura," her dad's harsh words interject her thoughts as though he's reading her mind.

She doesn't look away from his mocking gaze; she won't give him the satisfaction of the ' I told you so ' moment. There hasn't been a final decision yet. And she still remembers that he's partially to blame for her recent awful performance as well.

They have this peculiar stare down for a moment longer, before she finally stalks off and leaves the stadium.

🌸🍃

Sakura considers not going to the training with her dad but realizes that by doing so, she would only further prove to him how much his news has affected her and that would be another sign of her weakness. Besides, it can help her blow off some steam from all the frustration the news brought on.

She doesn't want to go back home in her current state, knowing she may say something to Kazuha which she'll later regret. The girl hasn't done anything wrong; it's irrational to be upset with her. Yet it's one of these easier said than done types of situations. And as much as she prides herself on keeping her emotions in check most of the time, that's not always the case when it comes to soccer.

When her dad sees her enter the soccer court, he gives her a look as if he's surprised she actually came, and it only adds to her vexation. He probably assumed she went back home to cry in her room, but she's not 16 anymore. She no longer runs away when things get tough.

The training is harsh and unforgiving as usual, but at least her dad spares her all the preaching. Perhaps he thinks that she has finally learned her lesson, which makes it seem as if he secretly didn't want her to be chosen for the team just to prove his theories correct. And she doesn't want to admit it, but that thought may just hurt even more than the fact that she won't play in Japan's next qualifying match.

Why can't things just be like they used to? Why everything has to be so fucked up? She keeps asking herself, but the only answers she receives are the hollow thuds of the ball striking the wall with each kick, each one more forceful than the previous

She repeats the action until she has no strength left in her legs and she falls to the floor, onto her knees and hands. Drops of sweat trickle down her temples, staining the green court while she tries to get her labored breathing under control.

"That's enough for today. Go home," her dad says, and she listens to the uneven staccato of his steps as he leaves the court.

When she arrives at home, the lights are on in the living room and she can hear Kazuha playing there with their new furry friend. Despite how sore and exhausted she feels, despite how awful this whole day has been so far, the quiet meows along with Kazuha's enthusiastic giggles put a smile on her face.

She abandons her bag in the corridor and shuffles to the kitchen to grab something to eat. As she passes by the living room, Kazuha acknowledges her presence with a smile before returning her attention to the kitten.