Baracks POV:

I don't like the word hate, its a cruel and unnecessarily strong word to describe fragile emotions. However I do hate one person, Eddie Sheeran. Eddie has always one upped me at everything, he always got top marks in every class, he was always liked more than everyone else, he always did better in sports, and he always had to be the best. Not today though, today I am going to beat him. Football tryouts are in two hours and I intend on becoming the captain, and nothing less.

"Barack, you good man? You've kind of been talking to yourself for a while now dude and its starting to get creepy." Said my brother next to me by the bench.

"Sorry, sometimes when i do cardio I talk to try and make it pass by faster."

"Whatever helps you bro, also just letting you know that i'm having some guys over later. Hope you dont mind."

"Nah im good, I'll probably be tired anyways."

"Whatever man, just don't be mad when they come if you don't get captain." He said turning back to his notebook and logging his last set.

There is physically no way that I dont get captain, I've been training for months, every day running drills and hitting the gym for hours on end on top of practice. I'm the strongest, fastest, and best at plays on the team. i also slept with the coach which should help my chances.

I am going to be captain.

TIMESKIP

"Barack run the rout again!" I heard coach Jamal yell from the sidelines while coach Mark wrote something down on his clipboard. It's like a fever dream, I've done good on every drill, every line, every rout, but somehow he does it better. Its like he is some sort of superhuman freak. Eddie is winning, i have to do good in the scrimmage or else im done for. We are playing till first score, weather that be field goal or touchdown.

I walked down the field to my end, I was playing QB my recievers were Jake and Andrew, my running back was Usan. We can win this. We are on offense first so we got in position and lined up, HIKE thats my que. I grabbed the ball and faked the throw, then I took off. My legs were numb, my heart was racing, I have to keep going. Ten yards, twenty, thirty, fourty, almost there..... BAM

I woke up on the bench, my helmet cracked and my teammates around me.

"what happened?" I said shakily

"Eddie sacked you, sorry man he's gonna be the new captain." Said Andrew.

"No, no that cant be right" How could this happen, I didn't even see him coming?

I got up from the bench and grabbed my water, everything is spinning and I feel so out of control right now. Its like nothing is left for me. this was my goal, my dream, my last hope. All gone. I have to get out of here.

I ran to my car, I don't care If I missed the rest of tryouts, Ill just say that I started feeling worse and went to get tested for a concussion. I sat in my car and stared at my phone, youtube shorts is the only thing that can make me feel happy now, the only thing that can make me feel whole. I saw a video of skibidy toilet playing roblox and decided to sit and watch to try and take my mind off things. I'm so lost, it feels like there is nothing left, im nothing if i cant be the best.

My dad was the first one to get me into football, he had played in college and always said that I would get to some day, he always believed in me no matter how bad at sports i was growing up or how scrawny I was compared to the other kids. I only started taking football more seriously this past year after he got diagnosed with cancer, I wanted to make him proud and become the football captain for him before things got worse. But that dream is over. Forever gone.

i put my head back, I want to scream, shout, anything to take my mind off the current situation. I'll just go home. I started the car and drove home, the drive short and quiet as i looked around the neighborhood. All the little suburban houses lined up neatly, mine was the one with the cherry blossom in the front and the green shutters.

"Mom I'm home!" I yelled as I stepped in and took off my shoes. Silence, maybe she's not here. oh well, ill just go upstairs and try to rest. After all i'm pretty sure that I injured my head and don't want to be dealing with that on top of all this. I frolicked up the stairs and into my room, The grey walls with vinyls and posters on them always welcomed me when my parents weren't around. I grabbed my phone again and started to read, wattpad had always been my favorite site, I loved the possibilitys on there, I could read about my two favorite characters getting together or I could write about me finally becoming the football captain and rubbing it in Eddies stupid face.

I decided its best to get some rest, after all i need to be well energized for my calculus test tomorrow, so i dozed off while listening to some nice calming yuno miles....

All of a sudden I woke up to what sounded liek loud music coming from outside my bedroom. i got up and put on some pants (Forgot to mention that barack sleeps naked) And went downstairs to see that the few friends my brother had over turned out to be a rager.

"Sam!" I called out, i can't find him anywhere. Dammit, i started walking back upstairs when to my dismay all of a sudden I ran into someone.

"Sorry", i said before turning to see that the person I had run into was Eddie.