Chapter 15: The Call
It came on a Thursday afternoon, just after practice.
Sheik's phone buzzed once in his pocket. He was still pulling his cleats off, dirt clinging to the soles. The locker room was half-empty, filled with the low hum of conversation, the scent of sweat, and the hollow sound of lockers clanging shut.
He almost didn't check it right away.
Then he saw the caller ID:Unknown Number.Pasig City, NCR.
His chest tightened.
He stepped outside, past the chain-link fence, into the quiet side of the field where the shadows stretched long in the late afternoon sun.
"Hello?"
"Sheik Jin?" a woman's voice asked.
"Yes, this is he."
"This is Coach Amado from West Bay's youth development program. We watched your last match, and we've reviewed your tapes. We'd like to invite you to our trial camp next month. It'll be a two-week intensive for scholarship consideration."
Sheik swallowed. "Really?"
"Yes. You'll receive the full invitation and details via email tonight. Please confirm by Monday if you plan to attend."
He didn't know what to say.
"Yes," he finally managed. "I—thank you."
"See you soon, Sheik," she said, and the line went dead.
Just like that.
The air felt thinner. His heart raced, but his limbs were heavy. This was what he wanted, wasn't it?
He stared at the horizon for a long time before heading to the bench where he knew Andrea would be waiting. She always waited after practice, earbuds in, sketching in her pad until he showed up.
But today she looked up the second she saw his face.
"What happened?" she asked, eyes scanning his.
"They called," he said simply.
She nodded slowly. "West Bay."
"Yeah. Trial camp. Two weeks. Full scholarship consideration."
Andrea closed her sketchbook and stood, brushing dust from her skirt. "That's… huge."
"I know."
"You're going, right?"
He hesitated. "I haven't said yes yet."
"Sheik—"
"I want to," he said quickly. "I just… I didn't think it would actually happen, you know?"
Andrea was quiet for a beat. Then: "Do you want me to say, 'Go chase your dream,' or do you want me to be honest?"
"Both," he said. "Just… be you."
Andrea looked down, then back at him, and her voice came out softer than she expected.
"I'm proud of you," she said. "But yeah—it scares me. Not because I don't want this for you. I do. I really, really do. But I also know how things change. And I don't want to lose what we have while you're off trying to find something else."
Sheik stepped closer, gently took her hand.
"Then help me hold onto it," he said. "I don't want to do this without you in the picture."
She nodded, eyes glossy.
"Okay," she whispered.
It wasn't a promise that everything would stay the same.
But it was a promise to try.