The alarm went off at 6:30.
Ethan opened his eyes immediately.
No groan. No snooze.
That alone told him something had changed.
He lay still for a moment, staring at the ceiling, listening to the faint hum of the city outside. His body felt fine—not sore, not heavy—but his mind was already moving. Training. Recovery. Media. Match prep. He reached for his phone without thinking. Fixtures. Messages. Notes from Jordan. Hydration reminder. Sleep targets.
Football didn't fit around his life anymore.
It was his life.
The system flickered faintly.
Expectation Load: Increased
He exhaled and got up.
The training ground felt different as soon as he arrived. Not louder. Not busier. Just watched. There were unfamiliar faces near the far pitch. Smart coats. Clipboards. Quiet conversations with staff. Nothing obvious, nothing accidental either.
Jordan caught his eye as Ethan pulled on his boots.
"Morning," Jordan said casually. "Couple of England lads around today. Don't overthink it."
Ethan nodded. Immediately overthought it.
System:
National Pathway: Observed
Status: Inactive
Inactive still felt like something.
Warm-up started sharp. Rondos tight. One touch only. No room for laziness. Alex Neil's voice cut through the air.
"Tempo. Again."
Ethan misplaced a pass by half a yard. Not enough to stop the drill. Enough to be noticed.
"Cole," Alex said, calm. "Body angle. You're better than that."
It wasn't anger.
It was precision.
A teammate jogged past and muttered, "Congrats, mate. You're officially taken seriously."
Ethan snorted, but his focus narrowed. Taken seriously meant fewer free passes.
Halfway through the session, he noticed her. Not because she was loud. Because she wasn't. She stood near the touchline with a media badge clipped to her jacket, scribbling notes, barely looking up. When she did glance at the pitch, her eyes were analytical, not impressed.
They passed briefly.
She didn't acknowledge him at all.
That annoyed him more than any criticism.
The system stayed silent.
After training, Ethan checked his phone in the car. A message from his agent.
Appearances now £3k–£5k depending on minutes. Momentum's good. Stay consistent.
He read it twice. Five grand still didn't feel like what people imagined. Not when rent, food, travel, and everything else ate into it. Still, it mattered. He stopped at a sports shop on the way home. Stared at a pair of trainers longer than necessary. Bought them. Five minutes later, he checked the receipt and wondered if returning them would make him look ridiculous.
He kept them.
The system chimed.
Financial Awareness: Enabled
Matchday came quickly. Midweek. Under lights. Nothing glamorous. But the tone had shifted. The programme listed him as a key player. The commentator mentioned him during warm-up. The crowd reacted louder when he touched the ball.
Expectation wasn't loud.
It was heavy.
System:
Pressure Modifier: Active
He stretched, bounced lightly on his toes, told himself it was just another game. It wasn't.
In the thirty-fourth minute, the moment came. He received the ball wide. Defender squared up. Ethan shifted his weight, dropped a shoulder, and burst inside. Clean. Space opened. He struck it early.
The ball smashed against the post and flew across the face of goal.
For half a second, the stadium went quiet.
Then a collective groan.
No applause.
No appreciation.
System:
Outcome Variance Logged
Ethan jogged back into position, jaw tight. Alex Neil caught his eye from the touchline.
"Next one goes in," Alex said.
Not comfort.
Expectation.
The rest of the match blurred together. Ethan worked. Pressed. Kept it simple. Did his job. He came off to polite applause. Nothing more.
In the tunnel, he spotted one of the unfamiliar staff watching him carefully, expression unreadable. They made brief eye contact. Then the man looked away. Jordan clapped Ethan on the shoulder.
"Keep playing like that."
That was it.
Later, the team piled into a takeaway spot near the stadium. Laughter returned. Jokes. Complaints about referees. Ethan paid without checking the price. Someone whistled.
"Careful," a teammate said. "England'll see that."
Ethan rolled his eyes. "England ain't paying for guac."
They laughed. It felt normal.
At home, Ethan lay on his bed scrolling through his phone. Highlights. Comments. Fewer memes this time. Less noise. He locked the screen and set the phone aside deliberately.
The system appeared again.
No stats.
No numbers.
System:
Development Phase Approaching
External Variables Detected
Adaptation Required
Ethan stared at the ceiling, breathing steady.
Being good wasn't enough anymore.
Now, he was expected to be.
And whatever came next wasn't going to ask if he was ready.
END OF CHAPTER 28
Author's Comment
This is the shift from promise to expectation.
Quick question for readers:
Do you prefer Ethan chasing recognition—or dealing with it once it's already on him?
Let me know 👊