Peter Soccer

--- *"The mail’s here!"* Peter yelled to his mother in the kitchen. Almost immediately, loud, thundering steps pounded down the stairs. *"Where is it? Where is it!"* another boy yelled, a little bigger than Peter. *"Keep it down, boys. I’m coming,"* their mom said frantically as she swept into the living room. She and the boys began rummaging through the envelopes like there was hidden treasure inside. *"Found it!"* Peter screamed excitedly. *"There’s four of them,"* his brother said. *"Well, that’s wonderful, Peter. Let’s check them out,"* she said, taking all four letters from her son and opening each one. She opened the first... *BISTON STARS ACADEMY* *LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE* This is to inform Mr. Peter Adams of his acceptance into our highly prestigious academy. We would be honored to have you with us next summer. Please reply before July 31st for admission and other processes. Signed, Management *"Wow,"* Peter said, smiling at his brother. *"I got accepted. Well, let’s check the others."* The next letter read... *WILSHERE RISING STARS* *LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE* This is to inform Mr. Peter Adams of his acceptance to our academy. We await a reply before July 31st. Signed, Management *"Let’s get to the next one, please,"* his mom said before the two boys started bickering. *BELVERT ACADEMY* *LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE* This is to inform Mr. Peter Adams of his acceptance to our hallowed academy. We expect a reply before the 31st of July. Signed, Management *"Well, that makes it three choices already,"* Peter said, beaming at this point. *"Let’s see what Lawrence said,"* Dudley replied, his tone thick with pessimism. *LAWRENCE RISING STARS* *LETTER OF REJECTION* This is to inform Mr. Peter Adams that we will not be considering him for admission into the academy. Wishing you the best. Signed, Management *"Well, well, well. Guess you’re not good enough,"* Dudley teased. *"Shut up,"* his mom snapped before Peter could reply. *"Peter, this is great. Now it’s up to you to make a decision, but don’t worry — take all the time you need."* *"I will,"* he replied, looking a little discontent. *"Can’t wait for Dad to come back,"* Dudley said as he danced back upstairs. *"Yeah, me too,"* Peter replied. *"Dudley, breakfast is almost ready!"* his mom yelled after him. *"Be back down in a sec!"* --- Peter was tall — almost six feet — nearly the same as his twin. They looked almost identical. The most striking difference was their eyes. Peter had his mom’s eyes: blue, watery. She called them “ocean eyes.” A far contrast to Dudley, who had their father’s — amber, otherwise honey brown. Peter’s nose wasn’t as pointed as Dudley’s, but it didn’t matter most of the time. Last year, both boys had trials with Lawrence Academy, but only Dudley got in. So this time, Peter made sure to apply to different academies. He had more positive results, but not getting into Lawrence was something he couldn’t come to terms with. Mr. Adams was a retired technical assistant for one of the most prominent teams in the country. So it wasn’t a surprise when his two boys turned their attention to soccer at just fifteen. Since retirement, he’d joined a sports brand, touring the world for investments. Three days after the letters arrived, he came back. Over dinner, he finally spoke. *"Well, Peter, congratulations on your acceptance to all those academies. But the problem now is obviously which one you’ll accept."* Peter nearly choked at the statement but quickly replied, *"I’m working on it, Dad."* *"Well, that’s what I expect from you. But I would prefer Biston. I hear they’re producing the best talents lately."* *"No, no, that’s Lawrence,"* Dudley interrupted abruptly. *"If you say so."* *"I’d rather you go to Wilshere,"* his mom added. *"I mean, it’s closer to home, and that’s what I’d prefer for you, son."* Peter just stared at them and continued his dinner quietly. Slowly, the night ended, and Peter lay in bed thinking about the choice he had to make. _Maybe my mom’s right. I should go to Wilshere. I mean, it is close to home. But they have poor training facilities, and I just don’t like it there. Or Biston — it has five-star training facilities! But it’s too competitive, and I’ll probably just be another rookie on the books... Belvert sounds great, though. Decent training, and I could really make an impact there. Maybe I can make everyone see that I’m better than Dudley after all..._ The next morning at breakfast, Peter announced his decision. He was going to Belvert, in Oklahoma. *"It is a bit far from home,"* his mom remarked. *"You picked the worst of them all,"* Dudley groaned. *"It’s your choice, son,"* were the last words from his dad at the airport. He was leaving on another trip for about a month. Peter was happy with his decision. Within a few weeks, he’d been enrolled into the U18s age grade, even though he was barely sixteen. He was always built for something special. ---