SWNOVELXO Chapter 25: Between Lines and People
---
Chapter 25 – Between Lines and People
The next day, João sat alone at the end of the cafeteria table.
Fork in hand. Rice on a plate. Headphones in.
Not because he wanted to be rude. It was just easier sometimes to block out the noise.
Around him, the Sporting U16 boys cracked jokes like they'd never heard of personal space.
Rafael Leão, all swagger and energy, leaned back in his chair like he was trying to break the laws of physics.
"Bro, I'm telling you, if I were a coach, I'd play myself as striker and left wing at the same time."
Bruno Paz, always cool-headed, rolled his eyes. "Rafa, you can't even tie your boots properly half the time."
Rafa laughed, loud and unbothered. "That's why I wear slip-ons."
The whole table erupted. João forced a smile but kept his earbuds in. His playlist shuffled to Arctic Monkeys—the same five songs on repeat.
---
Tiago Rodrigues nudged him. "João, you good?"
João pulled out one earbud, halfway.
"Yeah."
"You coming to FIFA tonight? Room 302?"
João's stomach twisted. He liked FIFA. He just didn't like being in crowded dorm rooms with everyone screaming at the screen.
"I've got recovery. Ice bath."
Tiago gave him a look. "We're 15, man. What recovery?"
João smirked. "I'm proactive."
Tiago shook his head, but he didn't push. That's why João liked him.
---
After lunch, João drifted to the far end of the training complex. The old benches near the futsal courts were his usual hideout.
He pulled out his ball and started juggling, zoning out, isolating. Touch after touch. Right foot, left foot, outside, inside. One of the groundskeepers gave him a nod on the way past.
"You know there's more to life than football, right?"
João smiled politely but kept juggling.
He'd heard that line before. From teachers. From his mum. Even from Hugo, his little brother, who once told him, "You're not gonna marry the ball, are you?"
At the time, João had answered, "Depends if she says yes."
---
Later that night, João lay in bed staring at the ceiling.
In the next room, Rafa and the others blasted reggaeton. Tiago was probably still losing at FIFA. Bruno Paz was reading—he was always reading something. João respected that.
He scrolled through his phone.
One missed call from his mum.
One message from Hugo:
"Did you score?"
João texted back:
"Nah. Just passed."
Hugo replied with a thumbs-up emoji and a goat. Classic.
---
Downstairs, the lights in the hall flickered. João wandered out, hoodie up, socks sliding against the cold floor.
In the common room, he found Miguel Luís—another teammate—alone with his laptop, watching back their last match.
Miguel looked up. "Yo, Félix."
"Hey."
"You see this press? We're too slow in transition."
João nodded, sitting down next to him.
They watched in silence for a bit. Miguel rewound a clip, pointed at the screen.
"You were in the pocket here. Could've dropped in quicker."
João leaned forward. "I thought I was giving Rafa space."
Miguel shrugged. "Maybe. But you disappear sometimes, bro. Off the pitch too."
João let the words sink in.
He wasn't offended. Miguel wasn't being a jerk. He was being real.
"Yeah," João said quietly. "I know."
---
Back in his room, João finally texted Tiago.
"I'm in for FIFA tomorrow."
---