It's a hot Wednesday morning in the town of Stonfilia. The students of Stonfilia High are all wearing their summer uniform, which is worn during hot summer days, such as today.
On the left side of the school is the soccer field surrounded by wooden bleachers and a few flagpoles; the two goalposts are painted in white with rust showing over the paint. Students in soccer uniforms run around the field dribbling or stealing the ball.
"Goal!" yelled a man around his mid-30s; he was wearing a white t-shirt with 'Coach' in big letters printed on his back.
The team has been training since six in the morning; they have a friendly competition against a team from another school around noon.
"Okay guys, let's take a break," the coach yells, smiling at his players.
Shaine dropped her body to the grassy ground, cooling down her body from the heat; her cousin sat down beside her, panting and dripping with sweat.
Shaine put her soft towel over her eyes and took a deep breath. "I so don't like this at all." Her voice is stained with annoyance, not just because she had to wake up early but also because of the heat this early in the morning.
"You and I, both," Elly agreed with a laugh.
Alex and June sit along with them on that grassy ground. Alex got forced to sit beside Shaine, which she didn't mind at all, but it's a different story from Elly's and June's perspective. June is as silly as he can get, having an idea that can make Alex piss off.
With a smirk, June stands up and stretches his arms in the air. "Hey Elly, let's get something to drink." Elly didn't have enough time to respond as June pulled him along.
Alex knows what his friend is up to, and he doesn't like it one bit. He and Shaine have known each other for like three years or so; it's not because he felt awkward being left alone with her; it's the thought that those two are probably laughing their ass off because of him being flustered.
"Let's go for the win, Alex," Shaine happily said, showing off her smile that reveals her perfect white teeth and the deep dimples on her cheek.
Alex replied with a small nod and a smile. He admires Shaine's positivity about almost everything; that's one of the things that made him fall for her. Shaine isn't the type of girl that gets that much attention from boys, but once someone devotes their attention to her, they will fall for her like how he did.
Alex wants to tell her how much he admires her positivity, but when he was about to speak up, his most hated voice interrupted them.
"Hey guys, I got you both energy drinks."
Shaine looks back and stands up from the ground. June sits right beside him and gives him the drink he bought.
June elbowed Alex on the side. "So what did you guys talk about?" he asked teasingly.
Alex's glare darts at him, and in one swift motion of his hand, he uses the bottle to hit June on his forehead.
"Ow! Hey, ungrateful much?" June yelped, rubbing the growing red mark on his forehead while Elly stood a few feet back, trying, and failing to hide his snickering behind a Gatorade bottle.
"We were talking about the game, June. You should try focusing on it sometime," Alex muttered, his face heating up to a shade that nearly matched his red glasses. He popped the tab on his drink with a little more force than necessary, the hiss of carbonation punctuating his annoyance.
Shaine, blissfully unaware of the silent war of glares happening between the boys, took a long swig of her drink and wiped her brow with the back of her hand. "Actually, I was just telling him we're going to crush the opponent in our next game. Right, Alex?"
Alex felt his throat tighten. He looked at her, really looked at her, and for a second, the bustling noise of the other players and the distant whistle of the coach faded into a dull hum. The afternoon sun caught the golden highlights in her dark hair, and her dimples were so deep he felt like he could fall right into them.
"Yeah," Alex said, his voice softer than intended. "With you on the wing, they won't even see the ball coming."
June let out a dramatic, high-pitched cough. "Oh, wow. Is it getting hot out here? I think I'm melting from the sincerity."
Before Alex could land a second strike with the bottle, a loud, ear-piercing whistle came from the coach's yellow whistle, which meant that it was time to get back to practice. They all went back to their original place and began where they left off.
In the end, with Elly and Shaine on one team, they won with one point ahead. It's already almost lunchtime, and their competitors are going to arrive soon.
Students began to fill up the bleachers one by one; it's only a fun game, but they want to show at least a bit of support for that and also to see some of their favorite players.
"I'm just going to freshen up," Shaine said, offering a quick smile before jogging toward the gymnasium. The gym sat directly across from the field, its exterior lined with a row of industrial faucets. The water was cold—refreshing against her skin, though far from potable.
She leaned over, splashing her face to wash away the midday heat and the lingering fog in her mind. But as she straightened up, a sharp, condescending voice cut through the sound of the running water.
"I didn't realize this school was so desperate they started hiring girls to slow down their already lousy team."
Without a towel to dry her face, Shaine was forced to turn around with water still dripping from her chin and soaking into her collar. Standing before her were five boys in away-team jerseys, their expressions thick with arrogance. Shaine felt a flash of heat in her chest that had nothing to do with the sun, but she swallowed her pride and forced a mask of polite hospitality.
"On behalf of the university," she said, her voice steady despite the forced edge to her smile, "welcome to our grounds. We look forward to showing you exactly how 'slow' we are on the pitch."
The leader of the group was a boy with jagged, spiky black hair and an aura that screamed trouble. His eyes were sharp, cutting into her with a predatory glare that Shaine met with a forced, trembling calm.
Suddenly, his expression shifted, his lips curling into a dark, knowing smirk. "You know, after taking a closer look..." He stepped into her personal space, the distance vanishing until he slammed both hands onto the sink behind her, effectively pinning her against the cold porcelain.
He hooked a finger under her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. "You're actually pretty cute," he murmured, his voice thick with a mocking, teasing edge.
Shaine wasn't used to this. While being one of the few girls on the team earned her a certain level of respect from her teammates, she had never been targeted like this. It wasn't just uncomfortable—it was terrifying. She could feel a traitorous tremor in her knees, her breath hitching in her throat.
"And you look even better soaking wet," he added, prompting a chorus of snickers from his friends behind him. The line was so cliché it almost made her gag, but the proximity was too overwhelming for a witty comeback. As he slowly began to pull her face toward his, the world seemed to narrow down to his arrogant grin. Terrified of what was coming next, Shaine squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the nightmare to end.
"Hey!"
Both Shaine and the rude boys snap their heads toward the voice; it was the whole team with Elly leading them. Usually, Elly was the picture of a shy, reserved student, but seeing a stranger's hands on his cousin transformed him. His gaze turned murderous, the kind of look that promised a very dark end for anyone who crossed his family.
Beside him, Alex was a portrait of cold fury. "Get your hands off her. Now," he commanded, his voice dropping to a dangerous, low register as he pointed at the boy's grip on Shaine's chin.
Outnumbered and cornered, the rival leader's arrogance flickered, but his pride was too stubborn to let him retreat quietly. With one last, aggressive yank, he shoved Shaine toward the pavement in front of her teammates.
"See you on the pitch," he sneered, flashing a sharp smirk before swaggering off with his followers.
The other two girls on the squad rushed to Shaine's side, hauling her up and checking for scrapes with hushed, worried questions. As the group marched back to the field, the silence was heavy with a shared, boiling rage. Having three talented girls on the roster had been the team's "jackpot"; they weren't just players; they were the heart and the backbone of the squad. And someone had just insulted the heart.
They all huddle up with their hands on each other's shoulders.
"Let's show those guys that girls can do better than they can," said the team captain with his eyes on the three girls smiling at them.
The whistle blew, and the game was on. Shaine tore across the field, a blur of motion as she traded quick, one-touch passes with the other girls on the wing. They moved like a single machine, closing in on the box until the final barrier stepped into her path: the spiky-haired boy from the gym.
Memories of the cold sink and his rough grip flashed through her mind, lighting a rage in her chest. The fear that had paralyzed her earlier was gone, replaced by a courage so sharp it felt like a blade. The roar of the crowd became a muffled hum as she squeezed her eyes shut for a heartbeat. When she snapped them open, she didn't just see the net; she saw the target. With every ounce of her rage boiling and burning into her leg, she struck the ball. It didn't just fly; it ignited, a streak of white-hot light that blurred past the defenders before they could even blink.
The whole field became silent for a second until the whistle was blown and the referee loudly announced. "Goal!"
The whole team shouts Shaine's name, celebrating their first goal within the first minute. However, Shaine doesn't feel like celebrating yet; her head started throbbing, making her vision blurry by the minute, and she's starting to feel a little lightheaded.
"Shaine!"
The sound of her name was like a physical tug, snapping her back from a place that felt leagues away from the grass and the sweat of the pitch. The heavy hand on her shoulder grounded her, but as she blinked, the world felt too bright, too loud.
Elly pulled his hand back as if he'd been burned. As Shaine turned to face him, his breath hitched in his throat. Her pupils were blown wide, like black voids that had swallowed the warm chocolate brown of her irises until only a thin, shimmering ring of color remained.
He shook his head violently, forcing the image to fade, desperate to believe it was just a trick of the afternoon sun. Once he looked back at her, she was back to normal, with her dark brown eyes glimmering with that familiar adrenaline.
"Ni-nice shot there," Elly stammered, his voice cracking. He tried to force a grin, but his lips felt stiff, his heart hammering a frantic rhythm against his ribs.
Shaine offered a slow, lingering nod. The fog in her mind was thick, smelling of thick grass and distant rain, but she fought to drag her consciousness back to the reality of the game. She wiped a smudge of dirt from her cheek, her movements unnaturally smooth, almost feline.
"I'm just warming up," she murmured.
Her voice had a new resonance to it, a low hum that made the air around them vibrate. She didn't wait for his reply. She turned back toward the center line, her gaze locking onto the spiky-haired boy who was still staring at the back of the net in stunned silence.