The Gray Case

thirty-one

The lion roars and all that's on and beneath the ground shatters.

"Touch fucking down!" Alexander exclaims, taking his helmet off.

Sweat drips from his skin while he is trying to catch his breath. He has been running furiously on the field for hours, but he never gets tired of what he does.

Instead, he grins, finally moving towards the sidelines. Almost the whole team and the coach give him a round of applause and this only makes him smile more.

The adrenaline that pumps in his veins when he plays is like no other—he has the glare of one that is in search of the one and only thing he knows can feast his hunger.

"Hold up, hold up. Alexander almost broke my arm!"

One of his teammates complains. He is sitting on the grass, holding his left arm tightly as his gaze shifts from the coach, to the other members of the team and lastly, to Alexander.

Alexander grabs his water bottle from the ground and he sits on the bench, legs slightly spread open. "Oh, come on, you know it wasn't intentional. I'm sorry, but that's just the game," he says, before drinking the water he so desperately needs.

He then dumps the bottle back on the bench as he leans on it.

"Plus, if I really intended to hurt you, you know damn well I could've done worse."

Although he has never been and surely never will be one to fight, everybody knows what Alexander could be capable of. He isn't the team captain for no reason—he has a strength that is not just limited to the body.

The guy that earlier was sprawled below Alexander decides to stand up, tiredly heading to where the other players are standing, an annoyed expression imprinted on his face.

"Yeah, worse than almost piecing my arm in a million particles?"

To this question Alexander replies with a shameless smirk. "I mean... do you want me to try harder so you can see for yourself?"

He doesn't really mean it—he just likes the effect his words have, he just enjoys twisting people's thoughts with just the sound of mere words.

His teammate grunts in exhaustion. "Just piss off, Gray!"

Alexander is now chuckling. "That's what I thought."

Although he roars and is aggressive on the field, he realizes that outside of it, he is okay. He is fine.

For now, he is not running away from anything behind him that could bite him on the way up. The world itself is never really as wonderful as bliss is, but there is peace in him.

"Jacob, stop being a crybaby, this is how we win games. And this is how I want all of you to be tomorrow. Tomorrow is a big day so I want you all at your best," the coach says, talking to everybody there.

Everyone is now gathered around him, listening to what he has to say. It's always like this when game time is close, especially when they're battling against Thompson High, one of the state's best high school team.

They can feel the adrenaline, the tension and all the excitement that comes with it—all of that is clear in their eyes.

"You can all go change. Be sure to rest, but not too much. See you tomorrow," the coach says, dismissing them.

The boys then make it quick to head towards the locker room.

"So, Maya, huh?" Kevin says, un-tieing his shoe laces.

He is taking his shirt off when he hears her name. He then stops, giving Kevin a questioning look by raising his eyebrow and furrowing his brow.

"What about her?"