The next morning, the sun had barely risen over the horizon when Lucas woke up to the sound of the alarm clock, which seed more strident than usual. He reached out to turn it off, feeling his muscles still a little tense from the previous day's ga.
Stretching, he stared at the bedroom ceiling for a few seconds, processing the events of the previous day. Eddie's half-ti speech, the victory and also the conversation with Willian in the hallway.
"Partners..." he muttered to himself, still finding Willian's unexpectedly genuine tone curious.
He got up and went straight to the bathroom, where he washed his face and brushed his teeth. The cold water helped him wake up completely. Back in his room, he put on a simple T-shirt and jeans, grabbing his backpack before heading out to the Seyek Institute cafeteria.
When he arrived, Raphael was already there, sitting at a table near the window. He waved to Lucas, who joined him with a tray containing bread, eggs, an apple, and orange juice.
"Did you sleep well?" asked Raphael, chewing on a piece of bread.
"More or less." replied Lucas, taking a sip of juice. "I'm still thinking about yesterday's ga. And... what Willian told ."
Raphael arched an eyebrow, curious. "Did he say anything worthwhile? That's news."
Lucas laughed weakly. "Actually, he did. He said he wants to put the fights aside and play like a real team. I think he ant it."
Raphael leaned back in his chair, taking in his friend's words. "Hm. Interesting. Maybe the Christmas miracle ca early this year."
Lucas shook his head, laughing. "Let's see at the next training session if he's really changed."
As they finished their coffee, the cafeteria filled up with other students, so still sleepy, others excited.
The institute's atmosphere was a mix of competition and teamwork. But, that morning, Lucas noticed sothing different. A few glances in his direction seed to linger longer than usual. He tried to ignore it, thinking that maybe it was just his impression.
"Ready?" asked Raphael, standing up and adjusting his backpack.
"Ready." replied Lucas, getting up.
They walked down the corridors together, chatting about the day's activities. Raphael was telling a story about a girl from the institute he was talking to. Then, a skinny boy with glasses, ssy hair, and a crumpled uniform appeared in front of Lucas.
"Excuse ," said the boy, his voice hesitant and almost trembling.
Lucas stopped, a little surprised. "Hello? Is sothing wrong?"
The boy shook his head quickly and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small blue notebook. He held it in front of Lucas with both hands, as if he were offering sothing sacred.
"I... wanted to ask for an autograph!" said the boy, his eyes shining with anticipation.
Lucas remained static for a mont, blinking as if he hadn't quite understood. "An autograph? Mine?"
The boy nodded vigorously. "Yes! You played very well yesterday. I saw the broadcast online. So say you could play for Brighton in a couple of years. I want to keep doing that. One day, it'll be worth a lot!"
Raphael, who was watching the scene, tried to hold back his laughter, but ended up letting out a low chuckle.
Lucas scratched the back of his head, not knowing exactly what to do. "Right... uh... how do you want to sign it?" asked Lucas, picking up the notebook. Enjoy exclusive content from empire
"Whichever way you think is best!" replied the boy, grinning.
Lucas looked down at the notebook and pen he was now holding. He had never thought about what his autograph would look like. As a child, he'd scribbled a few things on the last page of his notebook, trying out combinations. Even in adulthood, he never tried having one. The docunts always just bore an office stamp and then his boss's signature. Finally, he decided on sothing simple: just his first na, but with a stylized curve on the "L" and a striking stroke across the end of the "s". He signed it carefully, trying to look confident.
"There you go," said Lucas, handing the notebook back to the boy.
"Thanks!" said the boy, almost jumping for joy. "One day, everyone will want this. I'll keep it until it's worth a lot."
Before Lucas could reply, the boy was already walking down the corridor, looking at the notebook as if it were a trophy. Raphael leaned against the wall of cupboards, laughing even louder.
"Looks like we've got a star here!" joked Raphael, giving Lucas a gentle push on the shoulder.
Lucas laughed, but his embarrassnt was evident. "Oh, stop it. He was just excited about yesterday's ga."
"That's how it starts, my friend. Today it's an autograph, tomorrow it's a queue of fans," teased Raphael, winking.
Lucas rolled his eyes, but couldn't help smiling.
As they walked back, Lucas couldn't help thinking about what had just happened. Being recognized like this, even inside the institute, was sothing new for him. Was it just because of yesterday's match? Well, Brighton's Ct was literally across the street, and surely many people knew the players studied at the Seyek Institute, so it was only natural that a few curious people would watch the ga and get excited sohow... right?
For the rest of the day, Lucas noticed the stares persisted. In the corridors, in the classroom, even when he went to the bathroom. So smiled at him, others just looked at him curiously.
At lunchti, Raphael didn't miss the chance to make more jokes. "Have you thought about hiring a personal security guard? Or maybe an agent?"
"Have you noticed that too? Those looks?" asked Lucas as he cut a piece of at on his plate.
"Of course I noticed," replied Raphael, leaning closer, as if to confide sothing. "But you know what else I realized? Marcelli hasn't answered since yesterday." He threw his hands in the air theatrically. "Nothing. Not even an emoji. Zero."
"And surely it has sothing to do with yesterday's ga?" He put down his fork, staring at the cafeteria window. "She saw the ga, you know? I think she was disappointed because I didn't play that well. I an, I tried! But, I don't know, I missed a few passes, nothing serious... but maybe... is she mad at ?"
Lucas held back his laughter at his friend's exaggerated desperation. "If she's mad at you because of a soccer match, then she's an idiot."
Raphael opened his mouth, as if to retort, but ended up laughing and nodding. "You're right. She is a bit of an idiot, isn't she? But I think I like her, you know? She's pretty, smart, tall and... well, you know, pretty." He said and sighed dramatically, leaning back in his chair. "Ah, but who understands won?"
Lucas shrugged, still a little skeptical. Raphael was always falling in love. First, it had been Lucy's friend, and now it was soone else.
Raphael, however, recovered his spirits in record ti. He suddenly pointed to the side and exclaid:
"Hey, that's her over there! Ow, Marcelli, I'm here!"
Lucas looked where he was pointing and saw a girl standing in line at the cafeteria, accompanied by two other friends.
Marcelli was indeed pretty and had a striking presence. Her hair was a golden brown and fell in neat waves to just below her shoulders, with a few golden locks. She wore her uniform like any other girl, but her slender body, well-grood hair and neat make-up made her look very different from the rest. On her face was a confident smile with lively brown eyes.
The friends next to her, although also well-grood, had a more discreet posture, as if they were orbiting around Marcelli. One of them was blonde and bespectacled, with a shy laugh; the other, with darker skin, had curly hair tied up in a high bun and a friendly expression.
Marcelli stopped when she heard Raphael's call. Her eyes took a second to focus on him, and when they finally did, she raised her eyebrows in recognition, but her confident smile didn't change. She whispered sothing to her friends, who laughed. When they picked up their trays, they ca over to our table.
"Hi, Raphael," said Marcelli, stopping in front of the two boys' table. She crossed her arms, looking first at Raphael and then at Lucas.
Her gaze was appraising, as if she was trying to read who he was in a few seconds.
"Lucas, huh? The team's number seven."
Lucas felt a twinge of discomfort at her casual tone, but forced a polite smile. "Yeah, I guess so."
"You played very well yesterday." She smiled at him, but the gesture seed more like a formality than a genuine complint. Then she turned her attention to Raphael. "And you... disappeared, huh?"
"Gone?" Raphael blinked, confused. "I texted you last night! You didn't answer."
Marcelli gave a short laugh and fiddled with her hair, tossing it to one side with a movent that seed rehearsed.
"Oh, sorry." Marcelli finally replied, but with little concern. "I was busy with so things. Can I sit down?"
"Of course, please." Raphael said with a silly grin.
Lucas looked at Raphael and frowned. He wasn't feeling good about this relationship.
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