Game Changer | Petalz 🌸🍃

Chapter XX

 Kazuha...

"Hey, where are you going?"

Chaewon appears before Sakura's eyes, seemingly out of nowhere, and Sakura realizes she was following the medics until the midfielder stopped her, blocking her way.

Right... we're still playing...

Looking around the field, she notices how there's commotion taking place with the referee at its center. Players arguing and among them...

"Kaname," she spits out the name like it's venom.

The debilitating fear she felt just seconds ago morphs into burning rage, reaching its boiling point the moment she sees Kaname trying to convince the referee not to give her the red card. Her fists clench at her sides, and she ignores Chaewon calling out to her as she charges at the defender.

"The fuck is your problem?!" she snaps, shoving Kaname aside roughly. The woman stumbles a few steps back, and Sakura advances again. "Why the fuck would you do that?!" Another shove.

The referee steps in between them, and Sakura knows he's saying something, but she can't hear him over the ringing noise in her ears that only grows louder when Kaname smirks at her. Blinded by her rage, Sakura ignores the man, ready to lunge at the defender again, but someone locks their arms around her waist and pulls her away.

"Let go of me," she seethes, struggling against the iron grip, but the arms don't budge in the slightest.

"Drop it. She's not worth it." It's Yunjin. Her voice is unusually stern, and she lets go of Sakura only once they are at a safe distance from Kaname. "Keep your shit together." The goalkeeper fixes her with a pointed stare.

Sakura looks up at the dark sky and takes a few deep breaths. Then her gaze falls onto the scoreboard. The referee added five extra minutes; she got a yellow card, and there's a substitution call for Kazuha.

Kazuha...

"Hey." Yunjin takes hold of her arms, forcing her to look into her eyes. "She will be fine," she assures, as if she's reading her mind.

You don't know that is what Sakura wants to say, but instead she only shakes her head, swallowing the tears that threaten to spill.

"Yunjin." Chaewon runs up to them, a serious look on her face. "Take the free kick—"

"Haa?! Me?!"

"You're the only one who can score from that far," Chaewon says, calm and collected. With Mei off the field, she's the one wearing the captain's band on her arm. "I saw you do it during practice."

"But if they manage to counterattack, that's almost a guaranteed loss." Yunjin's forehead creases worriedly. "Is this even worth the risk?"

Kaname made sure to foul Kazuha just outside the penalty area. They could go for a cross, but Frontale's players are all taller than them. They didn't stand a chance against them when it came to header battles.

"Do it." Sakura cuts in, her eyes following Kaname as she leaves the stadium, accompanied by whistles and boos. Someone even throws a bottle at her. Sadly, she dodges it. "We're not settling for a draw."

"And they say I'm the crazy one," Yunjin mutters under her breath as she trots towards the ball while Sakura and Chaewon leave to join the rest of the team in the penalty box.

Frontale's goalkeeper shouts directions to the four players that form a wall, and once they're ready, the referee blows his whistle.

The entire stadium falls into a hush of anticipation. With a few steps back, Yunjin takes a run-up and shoots. The ball soars above the players' wall, then dips and swerves, hurtling toward the top corner of the goal. The goalkeeper can only stare helplessly as the ball strikes the net.