When Gabriel first glanced up at the clock, only fifteen minutes had passed since the lesson began. But what felt like the same amount of time between his glances was anything but—because when he looked up again, half an hour had flown by. Now, there were only fifteen minutes left of the lesson.
Gabriel started to panic. His throat tightened, his heart thumped out of control, and sweat dripped from his brow onto his table. His nerves spiraled rapidly. As he turned to check if anyone was watching him unravel at the seams, he glanced left, then right, then looked back—but no matter which direction he looked in, everything blurred. The voices became muffled mumbles, and the people around him seemed like ghosts moving in slow motion.
He took another desperate glance at the clock—ten minutes left. His collar felt tighter, and his breathing became deeper, sharper. It was like he was underwater—alone, distant, and drowning, with no escape plan and no way to calm his thoughts long enough to think clearly.
Then came the dreaded sound of the school bell.
It tore through the fog in his mind, dragging him back from whatever dimension held his mind prisoner.
David was still sitting there, staring at him—like his eyes had decided to lay down roots and weren't going anywhere.
Gabriel could still feel his presence from the corner of his eye. Refusing to meet his gaze, he stood up, grabbed his bag, and power-walked out of the classroom with Jai-Lee in tow.
"That was a close call, Jai. This whole football trial thing has been giving me anxiety all day," said Gabriel, brushing the sweat from his brow. "Imagine if I actually had to do it—what a nightmare that would've been."
But Gabriel had spoken too soon.
Just as he and Jai-Lee were heading toward the exit, David and his classmates turned the corner and spotted them.
"Told you I'd get you out of this," Jai-Lee said as her hand gripped the exit handle.
"Arghhh… I guess you were right," Gabriel laughed, but his relief didn't last long.
"Oi!" shouted David as he quickly weaved through the crowd of students in his way.
Gabriel froze.
"Come on, Gabe, let's go. Quick!" Jai-Lee urged, but Gabriel didn't move. His mind screamed at him to run—to get out before David caught up—but his body refused to cooperate.
"Well, well, well… trying to run, were we?" David said as he stepped in front of Gabriel.
Gabriel stayed frozen, silent, staring blankly into David's face.
"What's wrong with him?" David asked, turning to Jai-Lee.
That's when Gabriel snapped out of his trance—at the worst possible moment.
"My dog!" he blurted out.
At the same time, Jai-Lee said, "His brother!"
David burst out laughing. "Which one is it—his brother or the dog? Because the two of you can't seem to get your story straight."
Gabriel exhaled sharply. "What she was trying to say is... there's a problem with my brother's dog."
"Your brother's dog?" David repeated, raising an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.
"Yeah. My brother's dog—Max. It requires my urgent attention. He's really ill, so I need to get back home right away. Parents' orders," Gabriel said quickly.
"Oh really?" David replied, skeptical.
"Yeah. It's a shame, because I was really looking forward to the trial, man. Next time."
Gabriel turned around and placed his hand on the exit handle. Just as he was about to push the door open, David called out.
"Wait there."
Gabriel froze mid-push and gulped hard.
"Nice try, Gabriel, but you of all people should know Daniel's allergic to dogs. So you're lying."
Gabriel's hand slowly let go of the exit handle as his eyes widened in panic. How could I forget my own brother's allergic to dogs? he thought as his mind scrambled for another excuse.
He turned around slowly, eyes cast down at the floor. "You're right, David… the truth is much more—"
But before he could finish, the football team swarmed him, throwing their arms around his shoulders and walking him toward the locker room. As they made their way down the hall, his eyes darted back to Jai-Lee, whose expression showed uncertainty and helplessness.
"Bu—ahh, forget it," he muttered, lowering his head and following without protest.
As David walked past Harry to join the others, Harry suddenly grabbed his arm tightly.
"Remember your job. Because if you ever think about crossing me… just ask around what happened to the last guy who thought he was brave enough to double-cross me," Harry said coldly, his wicked stare drilling a hole through David's eyes.
David swallowed hard. "Got it. Take out Gabriel."
"Good boy. Now go get changed," Harry replied with a smile.
David nodded silently and headed toward the changing rooms.
Gabriel and David got ready for the trial in opposing locker rooms. They were two very different people—opposite sides of the same coin—but in that shared moment, they felt exactly the same. Fear. Anxiety. The pressure of being under the lights.
As they stepped onto the field, they took it all in: the bright lights above, the school logo painted across the grass, and the rows of students sitting in the stands, watching the trial unfold.
"Alright boys, bring it in!" the coach shouted. The team ran over, revealing David and Gabriel standing not too far from one another. Gabriel felt the urge to run and never look back. But just as he turned slightly, he heard his name shouted.
"Gabriel! David! We haven't got all day!" barked Coach Kirk.
There was no running from the fire now—only through it.
"Alright boys," Coach Kirk continued. "We've got two new trialists today: Gabriel and David. So please give them a warm welcome and treat them like any other member of this team."
"Gabriel, you're on the blue team. David, you're on the red team. Marcus, you'll captain the blue team, and Harry will lead the red team. And boys…"
He paused, looking at them all.
"…have fun out there."