A year ago...
Lucas's eagle-like eyes accidentally stared at a young man of his generation at a freshman admission party while in the toilet of a fast-food restaurant. Lucas was the type of young man who didn't talk much. He just continued washing his hands but occasionally glanced at the young man beside him. When the young man realized that Lucas was stealing a glance at him, he straightened his body and turned to him.
"Hello, do you want to say something? You know, someone will feel uneasy if others see them like that," said the young man, protesting Lucas' silent action.
Lucas straightened his body and found his body much taller and bigger than him, which made the young man a bit stunned for a moment because he was afraid of provoking trouble with someone who had a big body. "I'm sorry, I just feel familiar with you," Lucas replied and explained in a tone that the young man beside him misinterpreted.
Lucas' way of speaking is indeed a bit stiff; people who have just met him will be surprised because they think that he is not friendly. "Hm, then you don't need to apologize, we're at the same club and you were behind me when I took the football form." The young man explained while drying his hands.
"That's right, the guy who was going to bump me when he was about to leave," Lucas added.
"My name is Jean Keane." The young man introduced himself while approaching Lucas again.
"I'm Christian Lucas Skye," Lucas said also in reply to the introduction of the young man named Jean.
"Wow, are you some kind of government official's kid, huh?" asked Jean jokingly.
"No, I'm not," said Lucas, and Jean chuckled.
"Well, I'll call you Lucas, see you at the club, Lucas," Jean said goodbye.
The meeting for the new members of the football club had started thirty minutes ago, and Jean was left behind to compete with the other members, which would determine their position later. Jean ran to his school's football field and found some of the new members on the field and ran for the dribble.
"Oh shit..." He grumbled when he felt a bad feeling.
And sure enough, Jean was ignored even by the club's guidance teacher for the next thirty minutes until they finally took a break. Someone approached Jean, who was sitting alone as if isolated, sitting bent over his knees while staring at the ground with his pursed lips in annoyance.
"Hi," Lucas greeted.
Jean flinched slightly, then lowered his legs and straightened his body. "Hey, did I miss an important thing?" he asked in a panic instead of replying to Lucas' greeting, and Lucas shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't know," Lucas said.
"Hey! You still have the energy to chit-chat, huh? Would you do that during a real match on the field?" a man sneered, flinching them with his loud voice like a scream.
"No, sir!" replied Lucas, then ran back, but before he left, he turned to Jean, who looked pale after hearing the loud voice.
"And you, come here!" Jean flinched in shock when the man shouted to call out to him.
"Y-yes, sir!" Jean said, then immediately approached the man with the bald head and fierce face.
After a conversation session with the bald man, who turned out to be their coach in this club, Jean was immediately assigned to the front and became Lucas' opponent. Jean didn't know the young man that about fight with him, so maybe he could show off his abilities a little bit in junior high school, and eventually he had the opportunity to duel with the young man who made him a bit discouraged because of his size at the first time, but the small body was advantageous because he was light so he could show how agile he is.
But unfortunately Jean failed to defend the ball he dribbled, and it happened up to three times, making Jean end up bring his emotions into this match, and it made his game unstable.
"Enough!" their coach shouted over the megaphone, and instantly the game stopped.
"We'll meet again next week. Do physical to build up your suck stamina," said their coach then his sharp eyes glanced at Jean as if intimidating and the adult man left without a word for him.
Jean instantly lay his body on the field grass after the man left. "Damn it..." He swore while his heavily breathing after the match.
"The world of sports is tough." He covered his face with both of his arms and then removed them when someone talk to him, and he found a face that seemed to have only one expression staring at him.
"I know it," Jean responded a bit curtly because he got into trouble on his first day at the club. "But I like this sport even though it doesn't seem to suit me," he muttered later, and it suddenly got Lucas interested.
"What do you mean?" Lucas asked, and he took a seat next to Jean.
Jean got up from his position and turned his head to Lucas and he gasped as the young man he had met by accident on the day of the club's selection leaned over and stared at him intently. Moments later Lucas realized he was too close to Jean. He kept his face away, and Jean cleared his throat before answering him.
"Don't you think my face is too soft for this sport? That's what they told me," Jean replied, then sighed heavily.
"Yes, your face is so beautiful indeed," Lucas said, and suddenly making Jean choke on his own saliva and then reflexively turned his head. "But for me it doesn't matter, if football is you, then that's good. Doesn't that mean you are being yourself and ignoring what others say?" he continued, and it made Jean gasp again because he was stunned by what the young man he had just met less than a week said.
"W-wow, thank you, you bring back my spirit," Jean said, then smiled at him, and this time Lucas was stunned because the smile of Jean.
That was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen.
Lucas felt something familiar tickling his heart when he was with this young man from the Keane family, and that was why he became quite close friends with Jean at the club and they only met during club activities, it was very rare for them to meet outside of club activities.
A few months passed, and Jean was disappointed with their coach and mentor because he did not qualify for the School team. He began to skip club activities often and that made him even more difficult to be considered in the team. Jean spends more time with the kids outside of the sports club. He also occasionally goes to see the new school's basketball team this year, and he meets two of his new friends while peeking into the basketball team. Jean meets Dion and Jimmy there.
In addition, Jean also met Louis in science class and became quite familiar because he talked about basketball. And finally the four of them met more often and had lunch together, Jean forgot about the football club because he was too enjoy with exciting things outside of sports, hanging out and talking about topics around school and outside turned out to be very interesting to know.
Since Jean was rarely present at the club, a club member looked for him in the cafeteria and found him having fun there. "Hi, I'm looking for Jean Keane," said the young man who had been sent to look for Jean.
Jean turned his head and found the young man, who was quite tall but thin figure; he knew the boy. "I am," said Jean.
"I knew you were Jean Keane." The young man said in a slight sneer and then took a seat next to Louis.
"Yes, and I also know who you are, Mr. W," Jean replied with a light laugh.
"That's close enough," the young man muttered, whom Jean referred to as Mr. W, casually without the slightest offense.
"I came here to check on you. Coach Dan is starting to get fed up with the kids who don't come to practice," he said.
"Wait, some of us don't know you. W what?" Jimmy asked.
"W for Warren Weistle," replied the young man named Warren.
Dion whistled. "It turns out that you are indeed Mr. W," he said later.
"Yes, whatever, now you know what W is, did you?" asked Warren to Jimmy, Dion, and Louis nodded.
"Okay Warren, how is the situation there?" Jean asked, and he became curious about the situation there because the last time he was there, he was disappointed and quite horrified by the coach and the guidance teacher at the club.
Warren shrugged his shoulders before answering Jean. "Not much has changed; it's just that Lucas and Daniel are strong candidates for team captains," he replied and explained later.
Jean gasped slightly after hearing that Lucas was one of the team captain candidates. "W-wow," he said at a loss for words.
Actually, Jean is a little jealous of Lucas because the young man is quite close to him at the club, and now he is on the team and becomes a captain candidate while he is still a nobody because he is too late in his disappointment. Jean sighed and it was misinterpreted by his other friends. Jean sometimes hated himself for being too sensitive and as a result of being too sensitive it inhibited him from growing up.
"Oh, and my purpose here is not just to look for you because Coach Dan asked me. Since you are our member, you have the right to cast your vote for the future captain." Warren added.
Jean frowned. "Can I even give my vote?" asked Jean hesitantly.
Warren laughed. "Of course, you're a member even though you rarely attend," he replied, somewhat sneering at Jean.
Well, at least Jean is quite happy if Lucas is the captain of the team; maybe one day he will have a chance there with Lucas as his captain.