The Boy I Forgot to Hate

The Bench and Bitter Choice

~(JULIAN’S POV)~

"You have to come to the stadium this afternoon, El. You absolutely have to," I said, holding the door to Room 305 open, looking at Elena who had just finished tying her canvas shoes across the corridor.

Elena looked up, pushing her thick-rimmed glasses up with a suspicious expression. "Ugh, what for? Why are you being so pushy? I have a lot of assignments, Vega," Elena declined.

Her answer disappointed me, but of course, I wasn't going to give up.

I replied with a chuckle, trying to hide my nervousness. "Well, I want to show you my best performance as quarterback. If I score later, it's a dedication to you. Think of it as my way of thanking you for not throwing that rock at my face back then."

Elena snorted, but the corner of her lips twitched as she held back a smile. "Aren't you a show-off? Alright, we'll see. As long as I don't fall asleep in the library."

‘Yes!’ I cheered internally.

That brief exchange was enough to make me walk toward the stadium with a light step and a grin plastered on my face. I even wanted to do a little skip, if only I didn't remember people would think I was crazy. I felt completely full of energy.

A familiar voice caught my ears as I walked past the quiet path behind the locker room. From behind the shadow of a large palm tree, that spoiled whisper was heard once again.

I turned my head. Valeria Montes was wrapping her arms around the neck of a guy wearing our team's practice jersey—Kenzo. Right in front of my eyes, Valeria was hugging and kissing the guy passionately.

I shrugged, not caring.

Unfortunately, I had to swallow a bitter pill the moment I stepped into the locker room. I instantly felt that the day I thought would be beautiful was going to end in disaster.

My teammates fell silent the second I walked in. They wouldn't even look at me; it was glaringly obvious. They opened and closed their locker doors awkwardly, fully intending to ignore me. Brandon, the team captain, was sitting in the corner of the room, spinning a football in his hands.

"Coach, is it time to head out to the field?" I asked the coach as he walked past me.

The middle-aged man only gave a brief nod, completely ignoring my gaze as if I were invisible, and simply walked right past me.

‘s**t,’ I cursed in my head, but I had to hold it in.

Suppressing my frustration, I grabbed my number 10 jersey and put it on, my head filled with questions and my jaw clenched.

As we walked out onto the field for the open practice session, my eyes reflexively scanned the stands. There, in the middle row, Elena was sitting with a thick textbook in her lap.

My heart leaped, but at the same time, it ached. I knew something was wrong, but I didn't know what or why.

‘Whatever, the important thing is that I still give it my best like always. Elena is what matters most; everyone else is just an NPC,’ I resolved.

The coach blew his whistle, gathering the team at the sideline. "Tactical training today, we're simulating a new offensive strategy. Everyone, take your positions."

I stepped forward, preparing to take the starting position as the offensive quarterback like usual. However, as I passed Brandon, a large hand stopped me by my chest.

"Hold on, Vega," Brandon said in a flat voice. "Today, the starting position isn't yours."

I furrowed my brows, staring at Brandon's hand still pressed against my chest. "What do you mean? I've never missed practice, and I'm one hundred percent fit," I countered, frowning.

I glanced at the coach, but the man just crossed his arms over his chest, turning his face toward the strategy board as if he couldn't care less about our argument. Brandon smirked, then pointed at a bench player standing behind him.

"Today, the starting position goes to Kenzo. You'll sit on the bench until further notice," Brandon continued casually.

“B—but why?!” I protested, refusing to accept it.

“No hard feelings, but we agreed your ‘playing style’ doesn't suit us anymore,” Brandon replied.

“Bullshit! You were the one who told me yesterday that the play flowed perfectly because of me!” I spat, pointing directly at Brandon’s face.

“Well guess what, I only said that to make you feel good!” he snapped back, pointing his finger at me arrogantly.

His words made my anger boil over completely, and I charged straight at him. Three teammates instantly grabbed me and pinned my body to the ground, leaving me unable to move.

I was utterly humiliated, discarded like a broken toy.

The sound of the coach's whistle broke their hold on me. Feeling like I finally had the coach’s attention, I got up to protest, but the coach only glared at me angrily.

“Bench, Vega. You're benched for the rest of this season for insubordination.”

My mouth practically hung open, unable to form any words.

Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to walk from the middle of the field to the bench, keeping my head hung low. I couldn't bear to look at Elena, knowing her expectations of me were shattered.

With pure hatred, I stared at Kenzo, who now took over my position with a smug grin. The guy blew a kiss toward Valeria sitting in the stands.

At that exact moment, the random dots in my head connected perfectly. The sudden isolation from my teammates, the coach's cold shoulder, and the abrupt decision to bench me—it was all Valeria’s doing.

The kiss behind the palm tree earlier was definitely no coincidence; Valeria was deliberately using Kenzo and his connections to destroy me on the field as revenge for last night.

Honestly, I didn't care much about the starting position. But the moment I turned to the stands and saw Elena watching me, her forehead creased in confusion, an overwhelming sense of shame hit my chest.

For the entire two hours of practice, I could only sit silently on the bench as if I were being paraded on a walk of shame.

I just watched Kenzo execute the passes that should have been my job. Every time the whistle blew, it felt like a hard slap to my face.

I no longer had the courage to look toward the stands. The man who had proudly promised her a score this morning was now nothing more than a useless fixture on the sidelines.

The moment practice ended, I was the first to walk back to the locker room, intending to change quickly and disappear before Elena could find me and hold me to my empty promise.

The locker room was already empty by the time I finished drying my hair. As I was buttoning my shirt in front of the locker, the heavy thud of cleats approached.

"Nice game on the bench today, Vega," a mocking voice sneered from behind.

I turned around to find Kenzo leaning against a metal locker, still wearing his dirty practice jersey with a proud smirk. I didn't entertain his mockery.

With a hard slam, I shut my locker door, preparing to leave.

"You think you can keep acting like you're the best on this campus?" Kenzo stepped forward, blocking my path. "Let’s see if you still feel like you're on top of the world once I 'whisper' to the board to pull the scholarship from your girl—what's her name? Elena Castillo? Hahaha."