2: Off the Pitch

Chapter 2

Andreas sat crossed legged on his grey coloured sofa tapping away furiously on the gamepad he was holding. Besides him was a tray of snacks and wrappers of empty ones littered all across his exquisitely furnished living room.

His sharp brown eyes were focused solely on the TV screen as his athletic shoulder moved up and down inside the blue tank top he was wearing.

Shouting loud curses at the screen when he missed an important pass. “Andreas. How stupid. You did it again, didn't you?” He muttered sadly to himself. The raw pain was evident in his voice.

Then, he ended the game. Reaching for the remote control, he switched to a news channel and the voice of the reporter filled his spacious living room.

‘And on sports news,” the reporter began. “Andreas Martinez, the 24 year old striker for the Super Championship football club, was seen getting physical with another young man at the club yesterday. According to an eyewitness report…’

Andreas rolled his eyes as he groaned in frustration. “Come on. He attacked me first. I defended myself and I am the bad guy?” He asked rhetorically as he threw back against the couch. He shut up his eyes, taking everything in.

Last season had been unfavourable for him. After the costly mistake of missing a game defining penalty at the Champion World cup finals, he had been tagged the most hated player of all time. Despite his efforts in trying to rectify the situation by becoming more social, it always backfired.

Like what happened at the club last week. Of course the news tabloids didn't know the whole story but no one really wanted to know. It wasn't his fault that he punched the other guy.

That night, he'd been in the club minding his business at the bar area, when he spotted his ex girlfriend,Tania, among the sea of fun seeker at the club. She was alone and moping on a bottle of beer which was unusual. Tania always has men flocking around her. She's always been like that since highschool.

Seeing her reminded him of all the hurt and pain she'd caused him but it also reminded him of the good times. Andreas was determined not to let his feelings ruin the night so he decided to drown himself in alcohol.

By the time he was drunk, he noticed Tania walking towards him. “Hey, handsome”. She cooed seductively, walking over the stand between his parted legs. “Long time no see.” She added.

“So what's the soccer superstar, Andreas doing drinking alone in a club?” Tania asked, running her perfectly manicured hands over his face.

Andreas looked up at her through blurry eyes. As his eyes met Tania’s all he could see was the bouncy haired, innocent school girl he'd fell in love with. But then he remembered how she betrayed him and his countenance changed.

“What do you want Tania?” He asked, swatting away her hand from his chest and ignoring her questions. But instead of going away, she leaned in further, planting a soft kiss behind his ear lobe before whispering, “You!”.

Before he could reply, her lips already landed on his. She kissed him forcefully, and he tried to push her away but his emotions got the better of him as he finds himself leaning into her and kissing her back while pulling her closer to himself.

Andreas was lost in the moment and totally forgot where he was until he felt someone roughly pulled them apart. Before he could make sense of what was happening, a heavy blow landed on his cheek, forcing him to topple over from the bar stool he was sitting on.

There were surprised gasp across the room as the music came to an abrupt end. As he tried to gather back his thoughts, he heard a guy yelling at him. “Don't ever touch me or my girl. You get that?”

The guy grabbed Tania's arm as he led her away. But something wasn't right. As they were leaving, he noticed Tania triumphant smile, the guy also had a satisfied smirk playing on his lips. He signaled some other guys placed in strategic position who recorded everything that happened on their phone, as they made their way towards the clubs exit.

That's when it dawned on him that the whole incident was orchestrated to ridicule him. Anger burned through his veins, dissipating every trace of alcohol in his system. With haste, he hurried after the guy, tearing his hand away from Tania's as he pushed him to the ground. He began to punch the guy repeatedly, ignoring the shouting and screams from every corner of the club.

Andreas didn't care anymore. They wanted a scandal, he'd give them one. He felt Tania's arm on his shoulder tying to stop him, “Andreas, enough. you'll kill him”. But he was far beyond reason as he continued to deal brutal blows to the already bruised face of his victim. Until he felt strong arm pulled him away.

“That's enough, Andreas. We need to leave now.” He heard the familiar voice. It was Martin his personal bodyguard. Andreas didn't remember bringing him along to the club. But if he knew Martin very well is that he did his job well.

As Martin created a part for him in the crowd as they exited, Andreas felt shame and regret wash over him. He'll be all over the news again. It's really the end for him.

Remembering the incident now, shame washed over him anew. He could have held himself back, now look at what happened. The news was everywhere. Which means his Coach had seen it too. And that ultimately meant he wouldn't be part of the line up for this next game that would be ushering them into the new football season.

Andreas closed his eyes tighter, wincing as pain seered through his bruised eyes. as regret took over

Just then, the doorbell rang, but he was reluctant to answer so he remained there, but the sound persisted. He was going to ignore again when a familiar voice filtered through the doorbells intercom.

“Hey man! Are you in there? Come on, the party's already started. We're running late.” He heard Dante's voice over the intercom and from the background voice he heard, Dante wasn't alone.

“Shit. Was that today?” He muttered under his breath as it dawned on him that he had totally forgotten the appointment he had with his new found companion Dante and his group of friends. They'd met a few weeks ago at a private bar across town.

Dante and his friends were rich kids who had a lot of money to throw away and of course Andreas was popular, so he had no problem getting them to hang out with him. The only problem is, they're beginning to have a bad influence on him. Ever since he started rolling with them, he'd been on the news more often.

Andreas knew that he disappointed all his fans and even his teammates. But that was the reason he was doing these things to get his mind off his failure. In his pursuit, he found Dante who was more than willing to offer him the companion he so desperately needed. But, in all the wrong ways.

Jumping up from his couch, he walked towards the door as he pushed a button beside the wall and the door slid open revealing four guys holding up bottles of different drinks. Mostly alcohol.

“Yo! Man. What's up? Why aren't you dressed up yet?” Dante asked, genuinely surprised.

Andreas managed to snap out of his daze as he cleared his throat slightly. “Uh. So sorry guys. I got carried away with…you know, the game.” Andreas replied apologizing for his absent mindedness.

Dante looked at him suspiciously for a moment before he finally gave up asking. “Alright, go change and let's go.” He said as he pushed past Andreas with the other boys following suit but not without exchanging pleasantries with Andreas.

The guys already made themselves comfortable as Andreas got ready quickly and joined them. And they were on their way to the party.

They arrived at the venue.The Night was alive with vibrant energy as the luxurious house transformed into a tropical oasis, hosting the most exquisite pool party of the summer. Youngsters in their teens and early twenties gathered around the crystal-clear waters, eager to let loose and make unforgettable memories.

The girls stunned in their stylish swimwear, showcasing the latest trends. Bikinis in bold colors and playful patterns, high-waisted beach shorts and monokinis, glittery, neon-colored sunglasses and oversized hats also adorned their outfits.

The guys kept it cool and casual. Some wore board shorts in vibrant hues, some with graphic t-shirts and tank tops, adorned with sunglasses, baseball caps and trucker hats.

Andreas sported a black and neon-green board shorts combo. While Dante rocked a classic Hawaiian shirt, unbuttoned to reveal his swim trunks.

There was a poolside bar offering an array of refreshing drinks and delicious eats.

As the party unfolded, friends laughed, chatted, and splashed around in the pool. Few couples snuggled up on lounge chairs and there was also a spontaneous dance challenge across the party.

The soundtrack was a dynamic mix of for the party was a mixture of Upbeat pop and electronic dance music, hip-hop and R&B classics and some tropical house and beachy vibes.

The luxurious house's pool party was the epitome of summer bliss, filled with carefree joy, stunning style, and unforgettable memories. Yet Andreas felt left out.

Ignoring the few whispers here and there, he decided to enjoy himself and put everything behind him. But that dream was short-lived when the party host showed up.

“Hey! What's up Dante.” Nico's voice rang out and Andreas immediately turned, recognizing his voice.

Dante smiled widely as he hugged Nico tightly. “Hello, brother.” He greeted him, patting his back.

‘Brother?’. Andrea's thought to himself. Dante was the brother to his teammate Nico?

“Shit!” He cursed under his breath. He knew he shouldn't be here. If he knew he'd have steered clear of this party.

As if on cue, Nico turned around and his eyes caught Andrea's. Nico's face immediately turned red with seething rage.

“What the hell, Dante. What's he doing here?” He asked glaring dangerously at Andreas.

Dante's look from Nico to Andreas was genuinely confused. “What do you mean, Nico? Are you guys not okay? I thought you guys were best buds.”

“I can't be friends with a snitch!” Nico barked.

Andreas had no choice but to respond. “Alright. That's enough. Dante thanks for inviting me, but I have to leave now. Enjoy your evening”. With that he turned to leave, ignoring Nico's jabs.

“Yeah leave. You're not welcomed here.” Nico shouted after him as he stormed towards his car.

As soon as he entered his car, shutting the door, he slammed his hands multiple times against his steering wheel in anger. “Damn it! Damn it!! Damn it!!!” He cursed out loudly.

Everything was a mess. He thought. Nico had been his best friend on the team. But ever since their last catastrophic match, they'd become enemies. Somehow Nico believed he'd missed the penalty on purpose. Maybe so do the others and even the coach.

This simply means he wouldn't be playing this season. After all, his contract with the club was going to expire soon and with the recent event, it will only take a miracle for the club to renew his contract. But he knew that would be impossible. It was time to face reality. His career in football is coming to an abrupt end.

As he was about to start his car, his phone beeped. Thinking it was a message from his mom asking him where he was again, he picked up his phone to read the text when he saw that it was from his coach.

The text read:

“Training is at 10am tomorrow. It's important you show up. Don't be late.”

Great! Andreas thought to himself. The video from this evening as he was being kicked out of Nico's party must have gone viral again. And coach Hernandez must have seen it.

“Great! Just great!” Andreas muttered quietly as he backed off his car from the driveway.