Mervins's POV
The campus was bigger than I had ever imagined.
Buildings stretched endlessly, towers of glass and brick rising over perfectly manicured lawns.
The stadium alone could have swallowed my entire hometown twice over.
Everything here felt polished.
Intimidating.
Intentionally overwhelming.
I should have been thrilled. This was the life I trained for.
The scholarship. The prestige. The recognition.
Everything Dad worked for, everything I had worked for.
But as we walked toward the training facility, the weight on felt heavier than ever.
"Eyes up," Dad muttered, walking beside me. "This is where boys become legends."
Boys. Not men. Not people. Just future trophies.
I forced a nod and tried to match his confident stride.
But inside a quiet rebellion begun to stir.
Not loud. Not visible.
Just awareness. Awareness that everything I was stepping into might cost me the one thing I actually cared about.
Orientation had barely ended when we were summoned to the field for an opening round of training.
The drills were brutal. Faster pace. Harder tackles. No room for hesitation.
"You hesitate; you lose the ball!" One instructor barked. "Out there, nobody cares about your small-town reputation!"
Small-town. The word stung.
My muscles were screaming by the time the session ended. My chest ached.
Nothing I wasn't used to, but none of it compared to the tightness in my heart.
I checked my phone once I got to the locker room. Three messages from Emma.
Did you eat?
How was your first day?
Miss you already.
I smiled despite everything. I typed:
I miss you so much.
Then deleted it.
Then:
It's been intense but I keep thinking about you.
Deleted again.
Someone I recognized from the field dropped onto the bench next to me. "Girlfriend?" he smirked.
"Yeah."
"Better cut that loose fast. Relationships don't last here, they're just distractions."
The word hit harder than a tackle.
"I'm not distracted," I muttered.
The guy just laughed. "Sure, you're not."
Dad knocked before entering the dorm.
I don't know what this man told the instructors to gain access to the hostel all the time.
I'm sure he'd made some friends around campus, just so he can keep an eye on me and constantly breathe down my neck about staying focused.
His gaze swept across the room. Clean, Organized, just like he taught me to be.
"I heard you hesitated twice during drills."
"It's the first day, besides it was very impromptu."
"There's no first days at this level," Dad said sharply. "I asked Coach D. to keep tabs on you. Make sure you're not disappointing me. We've wanted this so bad, no messing up. Got it?"
You mean you've wanted this so bad.
Ever since mom left us, he'd been this way.
Controlling, Overprotective. Living his best life through his son.
Going along with everything he said was the only way to avoid conflict.
But how much more could I take before…
"You've been talking to her?" He said as his gaze shifted to the phone on the desk.
"Yes," I admitted quietly.
"For how long?"
"A few minutes"
He took a deep breath and leaned closer. "You understand what's at stake here?"
"Yes," I said… your reputation
"You think the boys around here don't have girlfriends?"
"I'm sure they do."
"And you think they're serious about them?"
Silence.
His expression darkened. "You don't get to be great by dividing your focus."
I tried to counter, but no words came out.
"You better forget her." He said flat but firmly.
With that he left the dorm. Murmuring about coming to see me again during the weekend.
But my brain wasn't processing any of the things he was saying.
I told her I might not call as much because of the tight schedules.
But with Dad hanging over my shoulder. I might as well resort to writing letters instead.
Coward.
I hated how small I sounded.
I could almost hear her disappointment, even though the phone.
"I won't distract you," she'd said.
The words pierced me.
"You're not…" I whispered back, but even to my own ears, it sounded hollow.
Because in this world, to Dad and everyone else, she was.
The weekend drew out slowly.
I was sitting face to face with dad at the café.
"Give me your phone."
It wasn't a question.
Slowly I handed it over.
He scrolled and stopped. Eyebrows raised.
He placed the phone on the table between them. "You want to make it in there, start making sacrifices."
Sacrifices.
The word echoed long after he'd left.
He'd deleted her number.
I felt numb.
Retaliating there and then would create an ugly scene.
Rage raved inside of me. So much that I hadn't realized the migraine forming from clenching teeth so hard.
Obedience could only last so long…because the heart doesn't obey.
One day, I'll fight for my own life and for the girl I love.