The Twelth Player

Chapter 3

So, Wednesday night, I was at my parents' place for dinner. My brother Erik showed up too, with his wife Monika and their daughter Katie. My parents live in a two-generation house, and Erik's family lives upstairs.

"Matti! Matti! Are you coming to see me tomorrow?" Katie stared at me with those big, pleading eyes. I knew she wouldn't let it go until I gave her an answer.

"Sorry, Katie, not tomorrow," I said. Thursdays are always tough for me. After work and practice, I feel like I could sleep straight through Friday if I had the chance.

"Pleeease! I'll buy you ice cream!" she begged, turning up the charm. I couldn't help but laugh. Ice cream as a bribe—really? But then I saw the hopeful look on her face, and I realized I didn't have the heart to say no.

"Fine. Tomorrow at five," I sighed.

Katie started jumping up and down with excitement, and I realized I'd just added another thing to an already long day.

The next day, before practice even started, the coach caught me. "Matti. I've got an important job for you."

I smirked to myself. What now?

"We've been struggling in the middle of the pitch in the last few matches. We need someone to break up their plays further from our goal. I'm putting you on as a defensive midfielder. A number six. We need a physical player, and you're the biggest bulldozer on the team," he explained, giving me a pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry, you won't be alone. Taro will be covering you, playing a bit further up since he's more creative. Your job is to clear the space and send the ball forward. No need to push up to attack, just stop them."

A six. Defensive mid. I hadn't played it much before, but... maybe he had a point. I've got the strength and resilience for it. Still... I could barely keep up with regular training as it was, and now I had a new role to learn. Anxiety crept in—what if I couldn't handle it? I wasn't in great form, always frustrated and on edge, and now I had to figure out something completely new?

"Don't worry, Matti, you'll nail it," the coach smiled, like he could read my mind, and gave me another pat on the back. "Let's get to work."

As we started training, I tried to focus, but playing as a six was tougher than I expected. It wasn't just about being physically strong—I had to read the game, figure out when to intercept, and know where to send the ball next. The first hour, I felt completely lost, but then I started to get the hang of it. The coach was right—working alongside Taro made it easier. His creativity allowed me to concentrate on winning tackles and clearing the ball.

By the end of practice, my legs were about to give out. As soon as the whistle blew, I dragged myself off the field, completely wiped. All I could think about was collapsing into bed. Then I remembered—I'd promised Katie I'd pick her up from Kids Center. Great. Hyperactive niece after a killer practice—just what I needed.

When I got there, Katie was running around the playground with the other kids, waving wildly at me. "Matti!" she shouted as soon as she spotted me. I waved back, but my attention quickly shifted elsewhere—to Elina, the girl who looked after Katie and the other kids.

While Katie ran off to grab her stuff, I noticed Elina sitting on a bench with a small group of kids, teaching them how to draw. She was smiling at them and answering their questions in this calm, friendly way. At her feet was a pile of open books. Watching her, I remembered how she'd had books with her that day I accidentally knocked her down the stairs. I've never been into reading, so I couldn't understand what she found so fascinating about them.

"What're you reading?" I asked as I walked over to her.

Elina looked up, clearly surprised I was talking to her at all. "Studying for finals," she said softly, glancing down at her textbook.

"Finals? Respect," I said, nodding. "I barely scraped through school, and that was without lugging around books like that." I gestured to the pile at her feet. "You must be some kind of geek—bet you'll ace it no problem."

"Geek?" she repeated, smiling nervously. "Well... I do study, but it's hard. I'll be happy if I can just manage to scrape through school."

"Oh, come on, you don't mean that. When you're lugging books to work, you're definitely going to make it."

She fell silent for a moment, as if debating whether to say something. "I... I don't know. When it's time for a test, I suddenly feel like I don't know anything. And oral exams? That's even worse. I'm completely lost," she admitted, nervously fiddling with the edge of one of her textbooks.

I stayed quiet for a moment. This girl, with her books and glasses, looked like the perfect student. How could she not believe in herself? It was odd... me, who barely cared about school, somehow managed to scrape through. And here she was, trying her hardest, and still afraid she wouldn't make it.

"Then tell me, what kind of questions do you get?" I asked, sitting down next to her on the bench. "If you're studying this hard, you must understand it."

She hesitated for a moment but then began quietly explaining something about literature. At first, she seemed unsure, but the more she talked, the clearer it became that she really knew her stuff. Even I found myself interested, and that's saying something.

"See? You know this," I encouraged her. "If you can explain it to me, you can definitely handle a teacher."

Elina stared at me as if she couldn't believe I'd said that. For a brief moment, I saw a glimmer of confidence in her eyes, but it quickly faded away.

Meanwhile, Katie had finished getting ready and started tugging at my hand. "Matti, ice cream!" she squealed excitedly.

I laughed and stood up, but as we left, I couldn't stop thinking about Elina. She had her own struggles—constantly tired, lacking confidence—and yet she managed to keep smiling and patiently help everyone around her. She was kind to everyone, even when she had every reason to complain. And me? Anytime something went wrong, I acted like the whole world owed me. Why was that? If she could handle it, why couldn't I?