Scars and Secrets

Chapter 2: Camp Announcement

Coach Hale gathered the entire football team together right after practice ended, standing on the raised platform near the main entrance of the training field. The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky in shades of orange, red, and dark blue, and the air was getting cooler as the day came to an end. Every player was there, standing in lines, talking loudly, laughing, stretching, or drinking water, but as soon as Coach Hale raised his hand to get everyone’s attention, the noise died down immediately.

“Listen up, everyone!” Coach called out, his voice deep and commanding, cutting through the silence. “I’ve got some news for you all, and I want you to listen carefully because this is going to change our schedule for the next few weeks.”

We all stood there, waiting, and I saw Jaxon standing a few feet away from me, leaning against the metal railing with his arms crossed over his chest, looking bored and annoyed like he already knew whatever Coach was going to say wasn’t going to be good enough for him. I narrowed my eyes at him, and he looked back at me, his lips twisting into that familiar mocking smirk.

“Go ahead, Vance,” I muttered under my breath so only he could hear. “Tell me how this is going to be too easy for you, or how you’re going to dominate everything. I’m waiting.”

Jaxon leaned in slightly, his voice low and sharp, matching my tone perfectly. “Don’t get your hopes up, Kairos. Whatever it is, I’ll still be better than you at it. You can count on that.”

I rolled my eyes, turning my head away so I wouldn’t have to look at his stupid face. “Keep dreaming, Jaxon. You’re going to be the one struggling. Just you wait.”

Coach Miller cleared his throat loudly, drawing our attention back to him. “As you all know, we’ve been invited to attend an official joint training camp this summer. It’s being held at Green Valley Farm Camp, out in the countryside, about four hours away from here. It’s a big facility, it has excellent training grounds, accommodation, and facilities for everyone. And here’s the best part, it’s not just our school going. We’ve been grouped together with four other top academies and universities from across the region. Central University, Northern State, Western Tech, and South Coast College. All of them are our rivals, all of them are strong teams, and all of them are going to be there to compete and train alongside us.”

The noise exploded instantly, cheers, shouts, questions, excited comments, and complaints all mixed together. Everyone was talking at once, asking about what it meant, how long it would last, what we had to do, and who we would be playing against. I felt a rush of excitement and competition hit me immediately, more teams, more competition, more chances to prove that Westfield Academy was the best. But beside me, I heard Jaxon scoff loudly, loud enough for me to hear clearly.

“Great,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Just what we need. Spending a whole month stuck in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of overconfident losers who think they’re better than us. Wonderful. I’m sure it’s going to be the highlight of my summer.”

I turned to him, my expression turning dark and angry. “You sound like a child who got told he has to go to school. Stop acting like everything is beneath you. This is a chance to show everyone what we’re made of, to play against the best teams in the area, and to prove once again that we are the number one team around here. And if you’re so worried about being around other teams, maybe you’re just scared they’ll beat you.”

Jaxon looked at me, his eyes flashing with rage. “Scared? Me? Please, Kairos, you think I’m scared of some other school’s players? I’m not scared of anything or anyone. I’m just saying that being stuck in a farm for thirty days with a bunch of arrogant strangers and having to do chores and training every single day sounds like a nightmare. And the only thing worse than that is having to deal with you for the whole time.”

“Good,” I shot back, stepping closer to him so we were standing face to face again, ignoring the stares of our teammates. “That’s exactly how I feel. I’d rather be anywhere else than stuck in the same place as you, breathing the same air, sharing the same space, let alone playing football against you. But since we have no choice, I’m going to make sure you regret every single second of it. I’m going to work harder than I ever have before, I’m going to beat every team we play against, and I’m going to make you look small and insignificant the whole time we’re there. You won’t even know what hit you.”

Jaxon laughed, a cold, sharp sound that made my blood boil. “You talk a big game for someone who usually ends up on the losing side. You think you’re going to beat me? You think you’re going to be better than me at everything? You’re delusional, Kairos. You’ve always been delusional. You keep thinking you’re my equal, you keep thinking you can keep up with me, but you’re not. You’ll never be. And you’re definitely not going to change just because we’re going to some stupid camp in the middle of nowhere.”

“And you’re just a spoiled brat who thinks he’s better than everyone just because his daddy has money,” I snapped back, not caring how harsh my words were. “You have no idea what real effort is, you have no idea what it’s like to fight for everything you have. You just get everything handed to you on a silver platter, and you still act like it’s not enough. You’re empty, Vance. You have nothing inside you but pride and arrogance. And that’s going to be your downfall.”

“At least I have something to be proud of,” he shot back instantly, his voice rising with anger. “At least I’m good enough to be the captain, good enough to lead this team to victory, good enough to be the best player in this school. What do you have? You have your strength, you have your anger, and you have this stupid need to prove yourself to everyone because deep down, you know you’re not as good as you pretend to be. You’re just trying to convince yourself, Kairos. And it’s pathetic.”

“Pathetic? You’re the one who’s pathetic! You act like you’re the king of the world but you’re just a little boy who needs everyone to tell him how great he is! You can’t win on your own, you need your family’s name, you need money, you need connections. Without all that, you’d be nothing! I don’t need any of that garbage to be who I am! I am what I am because I worked for it! I earned it! And you will never understand that because you’ve never had to earn anything in your entire life!”

We were standing so close now, our faces only inches apart, our eyes locked together with pure hatred and frustration. The noise around us had died down completely, everyone had stopped talking, everyone was watching us, waiting for us to explode into a fight right there on the field. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, my hands shaking with anger, and I knew that if we stayed there any longer, we would end up shoving each other, yelling until our throats were raw, or even throwing punches.

Jaxon’s chest was heaving with anger too, his jaw tight, his fists clenched at his sides. He looked at me like he wanted to say something even worse, something that would cut me deeper than anything we had said so far, but then Coach Miller’s voice cut through the tension like a knife.

“ENOUGH!”

Coach Miller’s voice cut through the tension like a sharp blade, loud, firm, and unyielding. He stepped right between us, placing one hand on my chest and the other on Jaxon’s shoulder, pushing us back just enough to break the dangerous standoff we had created. His face was serious, his eyes hard, and I could see that he was not happy at all, not with me, not with Jaxon, but with the fact that we were acting like children in front of the whole team.

“Is this how you two are going to behave for the rest of the year?” Coach Hale asked, his voice low but heavy with authority. “Arguing, shouting, acting like you can’t stand to be in the same room as each other? You are the two best players on this team. You are supposed to be the leaders, the examples, the ones who hold this team together. But right now, all you’re doing is tearing it apart.”

He looked from me to Jaxon, his gaze sharp enough to make me feel like I was being examined under a microscope.

“I don’t care if you hate each other,” Coach continued. “I don’t care if you think the other one is the worst person walking this earth. That is your problem, and you can sort it out on your own time. But while you are on this team, while you are representing Westfield Academy, you will act like professionals. You will respect each other, you will work together, and you will stop acting like a pair of spoiled brats who can’t get along. Do I make myself clear?”

We both stood there, our chests still heaving from anger, our faces still tight with frustration. I wanted to yell back, I wanted to say that he didn’t understand, that Jaxon was the worst person I had ever met, that I would rather quit the team than spend one more minute being near him. But I also knew that Coach was right, and more than that, I knew that if I kept arguing, I would only make things worse, and I would only give Jaxon another reason to talk down to me.

I turned my head away, crossing my arms over my chest and staring at the ground, not wanting to look at him, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing that I was still angry.

“Clear,” I muttered, my voice cold and flat.

Jaxon didn’t say anything at first. He stood there for a moment longer, his eyes burning with the same anger, and then he let out a sharp, bitter breath and turned his back on Coach as well, walking a few steps away and staring out across the field like he was looking at something that had personally offended him.

“Good,” Coach said, sounding relieved but still firm. “Now, let me finish what I was saying. The camp is for one full month, starting three weeks from today. We will leave early in the morning, we will travel there, and we will stay until the end of the month. We will be doing intensive training, playing matches against all the other schools, and we will also be doing farm chores and daily tasks, cleaning, feeding animals, harvesting crops, and maintaining the grounds. Everyone has responsibilities, no exceptions. And because this is a joint camp, we will be paired up with students from other schools as well as our own. The pairings will be posted tomorrow morning, and you will work with your partners for all activities.

“One more thing,” Coach added, his voice becoming even more serious. “This camp is not just about football. It is about building character, teamwork, and discipline. I expect every single one of you to behave properly, to work hard, and to represent Westfield Academy with pride. And I don’t want to hear any more arguments or fighting while we are there. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Coach!” Everyone shouted back, though I could hear the lack of enthusiasm in some voices, and I knew that most of us were already dreading the idea of being stuck in a camp for a whole month, let alone being stuck with people we didn’t like.

Coach Hale dismissed us then, telling everyone to get their things ready and to be prepared for the trip. As soon as he turned around and walked back toward the main building, the noise started up again, but I didn’t join in. I stood there for a moment longer, still feeling the anger and frustration building up inside me, and then I turned to walk toward the locker rooms.

“Hey, Thorne!”

I stopped walking, not bothering to turn around. I already knew who it was, and I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing that I was still affected by him. But of course, Jaxon wasn’t going to let me get away with ignoring him.

“I’m talking to you!” he called out, and I could hear the amusement in his voice, that annoying, mocking amusement that made me want to punch him.

I turned around slowly, my face set in a hard, angry expression. “What do you want, Jaxon? You got what you wanted. You got to yell at me, you got to call me names, you got to make me look bad in front of everyone. Are you happy now?”

Jaxon walked toward me, that stupid smirk back on his face, and he stopped just close enough that I could feel the heat coming off him, just close enough that I had to tilt my head back to look him in the eye.

“Happy?” he repeated, laughing softly. “Oh, I’m more than happy. I love seeing you all worked up like this. It’s entertaining, really. You get so angry so easily, Kairos. It’s almost funny. But don’t worry, this camp is going to give me even more chances to see you get upset. And I promise you, I’m going to take full advantage of every single one of them.”

“Go to hell,” I snapped, taking a step forward so we were even closer. “You think this is funny? You think this is a game? Let me tell you something, I don’t care how much you talk, I don’t care how much you try to provoke me. Nothing you say is going to change anything. And nothing you say is going to make me think you’re anything other than the most arrogant, selfish person I have ever met. You can act like you’re better than everyone else all you want, but at the end of the day, you’re still just a spoiled rich kid who doesn’t know what real life is like.”

“And you’re just a poor little orphan boy who has to work his way through life just to feel important,” Jaxon shot back instantly, his voice sharp and cutting, hitting me right where it hurt, right where he knew it would hurt the most. “You try so hard to act tough, you try so hard to act like you don’t need anyone, like you’re better than everyone else, but deep down, you know you’re just desperate for attention. You’re desperate to prove that you’re worth something because you think your life is so terrible and unfair. News flash, Kairos, everyone has problems. Everyone has struggles. But you wear yours like a badge of honor, and you use it as an excuse to be angry and rude to everyone around you. It’s pathetic.”

I felt my face burn with anger and shame, but I wasn’t going to let him see that. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing he had gotten to me.

“At least I don’t have to buy my respect,” I said, my voice steady even though my hands were clenched into fists at my sides. “At least I don’t have to throw money at people just so they’ll like me. You can buy everything else, Jaxon, you can buy clothes, you can buy cars, you can buy houses, you can buy people’s attention. But you can’t buy respect. And you will never have mine. Not now, not ever.”

Jaxon’s expression turned cold, the smirk disappearing completely, replaced by a look of pure hatred. “Respect? I don’t want your respect. I don’t need it. I don’t care what you think of me, as long as I’m the best. And I will always be the best. I will always be better than you. You can yell, you can argue, you can try to prove me wrong, but it won’t change anything. You will always be the second best. You will always be the one who has to follow behind me. And you will always be the one who loses.”

“We’ll see about that,” I said, taking a deep breath to calm myself down, because I knew that if I stayed here any longer, we would end up fighting. “We’ll see when we get to that stupid camp. We’ll see who does better, who works harder, who wins more games, who is actually worth something. And I promise you this, I am going to make you regret every single word you just said. I am going to show you that I am not the person you think I am. And I am going to beat you. Every single time. No matter where we are, no matter what we’re doing, no matter who is watching. I am going to beat you.”

Jaxon stared at me for a long moment, his eyes dark and intense, like he was trying to read every thought in my mind, like he was trying to find a way to break me down even more. Then he smiled, not that mocking, fake smile he usually used, but a cold, dangerous smile that made my skin crawl.

“Good,” he said quietly, so only I could hear. “Because I’m going to do the exact same thing to you. And when I’m done, you’re going to know exactly who you’re dealing with. You think you’re tough? You think you’re strong? Wait until we get to Green Valley. Wait until we’re stuck together for thirty days. I’m going to make your life a living nightmare, Kairos. And you’re going to thank me for it.”

He turned around then, walking away without another word, joining his group of friends and laughing like our argument had been nothing more than a little joke. I stood there for a long time, watching him go, feeling the anger and frustration building up inside me so much that I thought I might explode. I knew he was trying to get to me, I knew he was trying to make me lose my temper, but it was working. It always worked. Because no matter how much I told myself I didn’t care, no matter how much I told myself he was nothing but a spoiled brat who didn’t know real life, he still got under my skin. He still made me angry. He still made me want to prove him wrong more than anything else in the world.

I turned and walked toward the locker rooms, my mind racing with thoughts of the camp, of the things Jaxon had said, of all the ways I was going to make him regret ever crossing me. I knew that being stuck with him for a whole month was going to be the worst experience of my life. I knew that he was going to do everything he could to make things difficult for me, to provoke me, to make me look bad. And I knew that I was going to do everything I could to make his life just as miserable.

But no matter how bad it was going to be, no matter how much we argued, no matter how much we hated each other, I knew one thing for sure, I was going to win. I was going to work harder than I ever had before. I was going to prove that I was better than him. And I was going to make him pay for every single insult, every single joke, every single time he had made me feel small or worthless.

Green Valley Farm Camp couldn’t come soon enough.