Early in the morning, Jaden came down the stairs and found his family gathered at the table, eating breakfast.
"Ahhh… morning," Jaden said, exchanging greetings with them.
"Morning, Champ. Sit down and have some breakfast. Heck of a game yesterday," said his father, unable to hide his joy.
"Sit down, my sweet boy. I was so proud to see you on TV yesterday, though I was nervous during the first half," his mother added warmly.
"It was a miracle," his sister chimed in.
"Thanks, everyone, but I'm not hungry. I actually came to take Dad's newspaper. You all know I like reading while I'm in the bathroom," Jaden replied as he approached the table.
"Here it is," his father said, handing him the newspaper.
"Seems overly suspicious, going to the bathroom with a newspaper, hah," teased Kamo.
"Aren't you supposed to be in school?" Jaden asked.
"Still early, genius," his sister shot back.
Jaden made his way to the bathroom, sat on the toilet seat, and opened the newspaper. The first thing he saw was the headline on the front cover:
"The wonder kid Max Zwide comes in and wins it for Jaden Senzo."
Barely amused, Jaden scratched the back of his head with his left hand. "Huh… leave it to the press not to give credit where it's due. They never mention my heroics. So this is the manager's life, huh? Wait until they perform badly, then they'll come after my head," he muttered.
Moments later, Jaden was waiting for Mr. Tau near the local sports ground, dressed in a Nobles FC tracksuit. Mr. Tau's car pulled up, and Jaden climbed into the back seat, closing the door as the car took off.
"Hey, Mr. Tau…" Jaden began, turning his head to the right. But his words stalled. Sitting beside him was a girl in a Nobles FC tracksuit, her ponytail swaying, her light-skinned brown face catching the morning sunrise. Jaden blinked, caught between greeting and silence.
The girl raised an eyebrow at him.
"Hey, Jaden, I'm over here," Mr. Tau called from the passenger seat up front. "By the way, I want you to meet my daughter, Anna. She'll be joining your staff as an analyst. She's a second-year in sports analytics, an intern. She was working with the youth squad, but I've promoted her to the senior team."
"Wow, someone has it easy," Jaden thought.
"I know what you're thinking. Please refrain from that. It's not my fault I have connections," Anna said sharply.
"Right," Jaden replied with a smile.
"You should stop with the fake smile," Anna added.
"Bossy much? Mr. Tau, well done, now my life at work will be miserable," Jaden thought.
Mr. Tau couldn't help but laugh all the way to the Nobles FC facilities.
At the training facility parking lot, Max and his father were talking inside their car.
"We're here. Have a good day, son," said Max's dad.
"You too, Pops. I'm out," Max replied, stepping out. He paused, looking up at the sky. "Hmm, the wind is nice today… so is the sky."
Moments later, Jaden and Anna stood side by side at the sideline of the pitch, watching the team train. Assistant coach Anderson was nowhere to be seen.
"This is awkward. What am I supposed to say? If Coach Anderson were here, it would make things less awkward. How dare you call in sick, Anderson!" Jaden thought.
"You sure like to dwell in that head of yours. It's like you're crazy or something," Anna remarked.
"For God's sake, woman, I'm your boss," Jaden thought, glaring at her with an agitated look.
"Anyway, I didn't expect the morale to be so professional. I thought it would be the opposite. Seems like they respect your abilities," Anna said, watching the team train.
"Yeah, they do seem different. No more attitude, hah," Jaden muttered.
Ramsey showed up, fully geared for training, and walked past Jaden and Anna without greeting them. He headed straight to the pitch, where the team was playing a 6v6.
Team A had Willies, Max, Martinez, Sarr, and two reserve players.
Team B had Jacob, Jeremy, Bob, Happy, Matlala, and one reserve player.
Ramsey told Jacob Ramothwala to get out, he was subbing in. Jacob didn't protest, but glanced at Jaden before leaving the pitch.
"Wow, his mood has changed. He looks pissed, it's like he's a different person," Anna thought, glancing at Jaden before looking away, intimidated by his expression.
"Am I being tested?" Jaden wondered.
The game continued. Max was on the opposite team from Ramsey. Each time Max had the ball, Ramsey was on him, trying to take it away. But Max dribbled past him every time.
"This kid makes me sick! You think you can replace me?!" Ramsey shouted.
"Calm down, he's just a kid," Jeremy Bolt said.
Play went on. When Max had the ball again, Ramsey lunged in with a strong tackle. Max went down, clutching his knee. The medical team rushed in.
"What's wrong with you!" Jeremy snapped, shoving Ramsey to the ground.
Jaden approached, leaving Anna behind.
"Now you've done it. Get the hell out of here! You just ruined your career over what? That useless ego of yours. I'll make sure you don't play another match for as long as you're contracted to this team," Jaden snapped.
Ramsey stood up and left. After treatment, Max got back on his feet, luckily, it was only a bruise. Jaden ended the training session, assuring the team that Ramsey would be dealt with, but for now they had to focus on the upcoming game.
Later, in Mr. Tau's car, the ride home was quiet until Jaden spoke up. He explained what had happened and the punishment he intended to give. Mr. Tau listened carefully, then nodded. "I'll support you," he said firmly.
When they reached Jaden's stop, he prepared to get out. Anna, seated beside him in the back with a tablet, leaned closer. "Check the data I'll send you," she said.
Jaden smirked. "You don't have my tens though."
"Heh, I guess we should exchange then," Anna replied.
Jaden pulled out his phone, and in a quick moment they swapped numbers. With that done, he stepped out of the car and made his way home.