The day after the charity event, reality returned.
The alarm clock returned.
The early mornings returned.
Most importantly...
Training returned.
Rio arrived at the training ground just before eight in the morning.
The parking lot was already busy.
Players were arriving one after another.
Some looked awake.
Others clearly weren't.
Ronaldinho somehow looked energetic.
Nobody understood how.
Nobody ever would.
As Rio entered the dressing room, he was immediately greeted by laughter.
A bad sign.
A very bad sign.
Messi was holding a phone.
Ronaldinho was laughing.
Iniesta was trying and failing not to laugh.
Rio immediately knew.
The video.
The one where he got hit in the face.
It had reached the dressing room.
Of course it had.
"Morning."
Ronaldinho grinned.
"Careful around footballs today."
The room erupted.
Rio sat down.
Accepting his fate.
Some battles couldn't be won.
Training began shortly afterward.
The coaching staff had no interest in charity events.
No interest in funny videos.
No interest in excuses.
The season continued.
That meant work.
The session started with possession drills.
Then passing exercises.
Then tactical work.
The intensity quickly increased.
Barcelona's coaches demanded concentration.
Every pass mattered.
Every movement mattered.
Every detail mattered.
Rio enjoyed it.
He always had.
There was something satisfying about training well.
About feeling yourself improve.
About mastering small details.
As the session continued, the quality remained high.
Messi looked sharp.
Ronaldinho looked impossible to dispossess.
Xavi controlled everything.
The usual.
At one point Rio and Messi found themselves on opposite sides during a small-sided game.
The result was immediate competition.
Neither wanted to lose.
Neither accepted losing.
The match became surprisingly intense.
The coaches watched with amusement.
So did the other players.
Because everyone knew what was happening.
Pride.
Pure footballing pride.
Eventually Rio's team won.
Barely.
Messi immediately demanded another match.
Naturally.
The training session ended close to midday.
The players headed toward recovery.
Some remained at the facility.
Others left for lunch.
Rio checked his phone.
A message from Sofia.
Finished classes.
Want to meet?
A smile appeared immediately.
He typed back.
Sure. Same place?
The reply arrived seconds later.
Same place.
An hour later, Rio found himself sitting at a small café near the city center.
One they had visited often recently.
Not because it was famous.
Not because it was special.
Simply because they liked it.
Sofia arrived a few minutes later.
Carrying books.
Looking tired.
"Long day?"
She dropped into the chair opposite him.
"Very."
Rio laughed.
"School?"
"School."
The answer carried enough frustration to tell the entire story.
They ordered food.
Talked.
Relaxed.
For a while football disappeared completely.
Sofia spoke about teachers.
Friends.
Upcoming exams.
Rio listened.
Occasionally offering advice.
Usually unhelpful advice.
Which Sofia pointed out immediately.
At one point she asked about training.
Rio sighed dramatically.
"The face video reached the dressing room."
Sofia nearly choked laughing.
"Already?"
"Already."
The laughter continued.
Rio regretted bringing it up.
As usual.
The afternoon passed comfortably.
No big moments.
No dramatic conversations.
Just time together.
The kind of simple afternoons that had quietly become important to both of them.
Eventually they left the café and walked through the city.
The weather was pleasant.
People filled the streets.
Life moved around them.
For a while neither said much.
The silence felt natural.
Comfortable.
Then Sofia glanced sideways at him.
"You seem happy."
The same observation she had made before.
Rio thought about it.
She wasn't wrong.
Barcelona were winning.
His family was doing well.
Training felt good.
Life felt balanced.
A rare thing.
Especially in football.
"Yeah."
A small smile appeared.
"I think I am."
Sofia smiled too.
"Good."
Simple.
Honest.
Exactly the answer she always gave.
As the afternoon sun slowly began descending over Barcelona, Rio realized something.
The season would get harder.
The pressure would increase.
The expectations would grow.
Everyone knew that.
But right now?
For this moment?
Things were good.
And sometimes it was okay to simply enjoy that.
The peaceful afternoon with Sofia ended far too quickly.
As they usually did.
Rio walked her home.
They talked about nothing important.
And somehow enjoyed every minute of it.
Eventually they reached her street.
The familiar moment arrived.
The point where one of them should say goodbye.
Neither seemed particularly eager to.
Which had become a pattern.
"You have training tomorrow."
Sofia pointed out.
Rio nodded.
"You have school."
She sighed dramatically.
"A tragedy."
"A terrible one."
The two laughed.
Eventually Sofia shook her head.
"We should probably stop standing here."
"Probably."
Neither moved.
A few seconds passed.
Then a few more.
Finally Sofia rolled her eyes.
"You're impossible."
"So I've been told."
Mostly by Bella.
Frequently by Bella.
Almost exclusively by Bella.
Sofia laughed.
Then leaned forward and kissed his cheek.
Quick.
Simple.
Enough to leave Rio standing there looking slightly surprised.
A result Sofia seemed quite pleased with.
"See you tomorrow."
Then she walked away.
Leaving Rio staring after her.
A mistake.
Because someone happened to be watching from a nearby window.
And unfortunately...
That someone was Bella.
Rio discovered this approximately ten minutes later.
The moment he entered the house.
Bella was waiting.
Sitting on the couch.
Smiling.
A truly horrifying sight.
"How long have you been here?"
"Long enough."
Rio immediately considered leaving.
Possibly forever.
Bella pointed dramatically.
"Oh."
"No."
"Oh yes."
"No."
The conversation continued like that for several minutes.
Neither side made meaningful progress.
Eventually Bella stood.
"I've decided something."
That sentence never led anywhere good.
Ever.
"What?"
She smiled.
"I'm going to help."
The smile somehow became worse.
"Help what?"
"You."
The answer explained absolutely nothing.
And somehow worried him anyway.
The following morning, Rio headed to training.
Unaware that Bella had already begun her mission.
Unfortunately for him, the mission involved talking.
To everyone.
Absolutely everyone.
Rio arrived at the training ground and immediately sensed something strange.
Several teammates looked amused.
Far too amused.
Ronaldinho looked especially amused.
Which was never a positive sign.
The Brazilian approached the moment Rio entered the dressing room.
"Good morning."
Rio narrowed his eyes.
"Why are you smiling?"
Ronaldinho's smile widened.
A catastrophic development.
"No reason."
A lie.
A terrible lie.
Messi looked away suspiciously.
Trying not to laugh.
Iniesta failed completely.
Rio immediately knew.
Bella.
Somehow.
Some way.
Bella.
"What did she do?"
The dressing room exploded.
Which answered the question.
Apparently Bella had met several players after training the previous evening.
Apparently she had decided to share stories.
Apparently those stories involved Rio.
Extensively.
Very extensively.
By the time training began, half the squad seemed entertained.
The coaches remained blissfully unaware.
Thankfully.
The session itself was intense.
Barcelona had another important league match approaching.
That meant focus.
Concentration.
Preparation.
The players responded well.
The quality was excellent.
The pace high.
The energy strong.
For ninety minutes, football became the only thing that mattered.
Exactly as it should.
After training ended, however, the teasing immediately resumed.
Ronaldinho was especially committed.
A little too committed.
The Brazilian clearly viewed this as a personal project.
Rio blamed Bella entirely.
Which felt fair.
Very fair.
Later that afternoon, he met Sofia again.
This time in a small park near the city center.
The moment she arrived, she noticed something.
"What happened?"
Rio sighed.
"Bella happened."
Sofia immediately started laughing.
Which was unhelpful.
Extremely unhelpful.
Apparently Bella had also spoken to her.
Naturally.
Because chaos wasn't complete unless everyone participated.
The conversation quickly shifted elsewhere.
Thankfully.
School.
Football.
Family.
Normal things.
The things they always talked about.
As the afternoon continued, Rio found himself appreciating these moments more and more.
Not because they were exciting.
Because they weren't.
Because they were normal.
Stable.
Comfortable.
The season often felt unpredictable.
Matches changed everything.
One injury could alter months of planning.
One result could change the mood of an entire club.
Life outside football was different.
Calmer.
Grounding.
Necessary.
And sitting there beside Sofia beneath the warm Barcelona sun, Rio realized how important that balance had become.
Football remained his dream.
His passion.
His career.
But it wasn't everything.
Not anymore.
And perhaps that was one reason he was playing better than ever.
The next few days passed quickly.
Training.
Recovery.
Preparation.
The familiar rhythm of a football season.
Barcelona's next league match was approaching.
Another important game.
Another difficult opponent.
Another opportunity to continue building momentum.
As always, Rijkaard prepared meticulously.
Every detail mattered.
Every movement mattered.
Every decision mattered.
The coach spent hours studying footage.
Searching for weaknesses.
Searching for advantages.
Searching for ways to improve.
The players expected intense preparation.
They got exactly that.
One morning, the squad gathered around the tactical board before training.
Rijkaard stood at the front.
Calm.
Focused.
The room became quiet.
Immediately.
When the coach spoke about tactics, everyone listened.
"This team defends aggressively."
He pointed toward the board.
"They press high."
Another point.
"They force mistakes."
Another.
"But that creates space."
Now the players looked interested.
Very interested.
Because every strength created a weakness.
Every weakness created an opportunity.
The coach continued explaining.
Players nodded.
Questions were asked.
Adjustments discussed.
Then Rijkaard looked directly at Rio.
"For this match, you'll have more freedom."
The midfielder immediately focused.
More freedom usually meant more responsibility.
And responsibility usually meant opportunity.
The coach pointed toward several areas on the board.
"If they press here..."
Tap.
"You move here."
Another tap.
"Find the space."
Simple instructions.
Not necessarily simple execution.
The training session that followed focused heavily on those movements.
Rio spent much of the morning working through different scenarios.
Different passing angles.
Different positions.
Different decisions.
The coaches constantly adjusted details.
A few meters here.
A different run there.
Tiny changes.
Important changes.
By the end of the session, Rio understood the plan.
If everything worked, he would become one of Barcelona's main outlets against the press.
A significant responsibility.
One he welcomed.
After training ended, several players stayed behind.
Extra work.
A common sight.
Rio remained with Xavi and Iniesta.
The trio worked on passing drills.
Simple.
Repetitive.
Effective.
At one point Xavi stopped the exercise.
"Again."
Nobody complained.
They repeated it.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The pursuit of perfection never really ended.
Eventually, even Xavi seemed satisfied.
A rare achievement.
The players finally headed toward the dressing room.
Tired.
Hungry.
Ready to leave.
Unfortunately, Bella had other plans.
Again.
Somehow.
Nobody knew how she managed it.
Not even Rio.
But when he exited the training facility, he immediately spotted a familiar scene.
Bella.
Sofia.
And several Barcelona players.
Together.
Rio froze.
Not because anything terrible was happening.
Because Bella looked entirely too happy.
A dangerous warning sign.
Ronaldinho was laughing.
Also a dangerous warning sign.
Sofia appeared slightly embarrassed.
An even bigger warning sign.
Rio approached carefully.
Like someone approaching a wild animal.
Or a trap.
Possibly both.
"What happened?"
Bella smiled.
The kind of smile villains probably practiced.
"Nothing."
A lie.
An obvious lie.
Ronaldinho immediately betrayed her.
"She introduced us."
Rio closed his eyes.
Of course she had.
Apparently Bella and Sofia had arrived near the training ground together.
Apparently they encountered several players leaving.
Apparently Bella decided introductions were necessary.
Very necessary.
Extremely necessary.
The result had been twenty minutes of conversation.
Most of which involved Bella talking.
A shocking development.
Not shocking at all.
Messi had joined briefly.
Iniesta too.
Everyone seemed perfectly comfortable.
Except Rio.
Which only made Bella happier.
The worst part?
Sofia seemed to be getting along with everyone.
Very well.
Ronaldinho liked her.
Iniesta liked her.
Even Messi seemed comfortable speaking with her.
The situation was developing against Rio's interests.
Rapidly.
Eventually the group separated.
Players headed home.
Bella finally left as well.
After reminding everyone she existed.
Several times.
Leaving Rio and Sofia alone.
At last.
For a moment neither spoke.
Then Sofia started laughing.
Rio already knew why.
"Your teammates are nice."
He sighed.
"They're impossible."
"Maybe."
A pause.
"Still nice."
Fair.
Annoyingly fair.
The two began walking through the city.
The afternoon felt peaceful.
The earlier chaos fading behind them.
As they walked, Rio found himself thinking about the coming match.
The new responsibilities.
The tactical adjustments.
The growing expectations.
The season wasn't slowing down.
If anything, it was accelerating.
Yet somehow he felt ready.
Ready for the challenge.
Ready for the pressure.
Ready for whatever came next.
Because he wasn't facing it alone.
Not anymore.