*Whoosh!* The ball slips through my fingers yet again as the goal keeper. I'm not having much of a good day at all... First I get mocked by my classmates for some small stupid mistake, and now in soccer I'm screwing everything up. Today so far has felt strange to me, it's not like I'm some sort of conspiracy theorist who gets thrown off by the weather being slightly different from what the news said, no, I'm pretty average. In school I try my best, studying every day only to barely scrape by, getting B's mostly except for English class that I bombed after getting sick during fall landing me with a D+. My friend notices my down mood fast, or at least I think he does.
"What's wrong Mar?" My best friend Aaron asked worrying, they always seem to notice whenever I wasn't at my best and want support. He's the kind of person to always notice his friends' problems.
"Hello? Anyone home?" He repeats again knocking me out of my nostalgia and reminding me of the question.
"I've just been having a bad day... nothing to worry about!" I hurriedly responded not wanting to make much of a fuss, we ARE still in the field after all.
"Alright, if you say so. If you need any help, don't be afraid to ask!" Aaron grin supporting his comforting words, though not like my pride would let me talk about how depressed I am by school.
I look up to the scoreboard and see the big 0-2. The enemy team had already made 2 goals and we were almost done with the 2nd half, there is no coming back this match. The match quickly played out like I thought it would, but with one last desperate push we manage to turn the score to 1-2 before it ended.
We all say our good games to each other because of the coaches, and despite being bitter it was a ton of fun. Everyone started packing their water bottles and taking off their cleats, including me. I quickly put on my normal shoes as I stuffed everything in my backpack and had a snack to eat. This match has me exhausted just the same as this day had. I hear footsteps coming from behind me as I turned my head over to look at my best friend Aaron.
"Wanna go to the arcade today, Mar?" Aaron asked, any other day and I would already be there. But today feels different somehow, I wanted to get home quickly.
"Sorry man, just not feeling like it today..." I told him sullenly.
"It's okay! We can go tomorrow anyway." He looked a bit sad that we couldn't hang out, but still positive for tomorrow.
"Yeah! Let's go tomorrow, I'll even buy you lunch." I said hoping to get him excited for tomorrow, and he was already looking hyper.
"You better keep that promise!" My best friend smirks as his imagination wanders throughout all the different food he could ask for, only for me to put a damper on it.
"Nothing too expensive though! I don't have endless pockets." Though he still looks quite hyper about it.
"Well, see you tomorrow Aaron!" A bit of cheerfulness coming out of me as I smiled.
"I'll be waiting for that lunch!" He says already salivating over the juicy burgers and crunchy fries I knew he is thinking of.
So, we wave each other goodbye and separate from each other, I'm all alone now. There isn't any Aaron to metaphorically lean on as I try to keep myself together, as I try my hardest to cage the bad thoughts. Now they were free, and they were ready to stab into me, painfully. 'Why does Aaron even care for me anyway' I took a step. 'I don't deserve his friendship' I took another few steps. 'I'm a failure approved by even our school. School had me recorded a D, and the plus doesn't make it any better, it's still a D.' My feet seemed to move faster and faster, almost running. 'My classmates are right, I don't belong, and I never have...' and with that final distracting thought I realized I was running on to a street. A street that I didn't check if there were any cars.
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*Squeeeeeeeeeeeel!!* I hear breaks slammed as a truck swerved to avoid me only for their trailer to get thrown towards me hitting me even harder. The last thing I heard was a sickening crunch, I can only see red, only feel pain, my nose and mouth filled with blood, it tasted strangely sweet, and had a bit of a metallic taste, my nose overwhelmed with the smell of blood. And then, and then... I simply didn't feel anything, nor did I remember how I ended up in this abyss, only in the next instant for me to have the exact same thought until one day. Something changed.
Somehow I was able to remember memories of my old life, of home, and of my best friend. I guess I wouldn't be treating Aaron to lunch anymore... Memories started playing out, for me it was kinda of like the saying your life flashes before you when you realize you're about to die, only for me it was after death instead of before. I remembered my parents, my mom loving but always strict and my dad, my dad taught me my own virtues and values I abide by, the meaning as to why be a good person... Then the it started speeding up, I saw myself going through the motions, alone. Until one day my dad managed to convince me into joining the soccer club. He had said, "It'll be good for you Marrok! You'll get some fresh air and make new friends!"
Although I wasn't very convinced but decided I may as well try it out. I was already just going through the motions only. So there I was grumpily responding to dad, "Fine..." it's rather funny now that I think of it, why exactly had I complained so much about just going outside for once in my life? After that I went to school the next day and sent a submission to the soccer club so I could join, though I didn't know anyone in the soccer club, all the meets ended up pretty fun.
Now the story of how I met Aaron, I had been told that the soccer meet was going to be on Saturday and that everyone was meeting up in the mall, one problem though. I didn't know exactly WHERE the meet up was and I had already asked countless other people for help but they simply ignored me or told me to ask someone else. So there I was sitting on the bench resting before I continue asking for help. That's when I heard someone.
"Hey, do you need any help?" A kid around my age asked me quietly. They had light brown hair, but I wasn't sure what kind of style, some kind a short cut. Some casual jeans and a shirt saying 'Have some fun!' But, I didn't know how to respond at all.
"What?" I had said confused to why someone would walk up to a stranger on a random bench.
"I noticed our soccer team uniform! I'm heading to the soccer meet right now, want to come with?" Surprised by a person helping me all I knew I could say was thank you.
"Thank you so much! What's your name?" I asked in the heat of the moment.
"Aaron! Yours?" He said with a smile.
"My name is Marrok. Not the best of names but-"
"That's so cool! I wish I had a name like that" Aaron swiftly interupted me.
"Thank you!" I awkwardly said not knowing how to deal with the situation at all...
"Well then, wanna be friends?" He casually asked.
"Sure." I said excitedly in my own way. Time started to speed up again as we hung out every weekend laughing off into the night, only to be yelled at to quiet down by our parents. I remember one time we went to the movies with a few of his other friends and it was a ton of fun. We watched this movie called The Last Wolf, an animated story about the almost extinction of wolves, I LOVED it. After that first time we all continued hanging out whether it be going to the arcade or out on a road trip, Aaron brought color whereever he went.
As my life continued to flash before my eyes I felt a pull, something trying to pull me away from my memories! I wouldn't dare let it touch them I snarled at the fact it thought it could take my memories, No-one was allowed to do that. No one. At first I tried my best to resist, and even pull back! I wouldn't submit to such a small thing! Only... Slowly but surely the pull became stronger and greater. I felt that I wouldn't be able to resist forever, so instead I tried my best to keep my memories, the parts of me which kept me bound me to earth, only to have them thrown out of my desperate hands. I reached for one before I gave up on resisting, hopefully I could keep that one memory, the memory of Aaron. Slowly but surely the pull started to disappear just as it had appeared, I knew I'd arrived, wonder where I am, it's still as dark as can be, but somehow I tell it's not the Abyss, not the Void, but rather something more physical. I struggle to get out of this space only to feel someone rubbing my back through what felt like a blanket. I soon fell asleep to the repeated rubbing.