"Watch where you're going, nerd," shouted David, snapping Gabriel out of his trance. Gabriel's eyes locked onto David's, his mind racing with annoyance. "What did you say?" he replied, his voice calm but firm. "You heard me, nerd," David sneered. "Harry told me you're trying out for the team. That place is mine. Why would Coach give a spot to an unathletic nerd like you?"
Gabriel raised an eyebrow, his expression unimpressed. "Well David, I'm not the coach, so you'd have to ask him," he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Now, I'd like to get to my next class before I'm late." David's face reddened with anger, but he reluctantly moved out of Gabriel's way.
"Thank you," Gabriel said, his voice polite but detached. David's eyes narrowed, his smile twisted. "Don't thank me, because I'm going to smash your little head in out there… nerd." Gabriel ignored him, his focus on getting to his next class.
As he got close to the gym, he could already hear the squeaking of shoes across the floor. The sound was familiar, and Gabriel's stomach twisted with anxiety. When he opened the door, he was hit with the familiar odor of the gym class – a mix of sweat and worn-out equipment. "Gabriel, great to see you back to full health," said Mr. Kemp, his voice booming across the room.
Gabriel paused for a moment, almost forgetting the letter he forged with his dad's signature. "Yeah… There was a bug going around. Brutal. I was lucky to survive," he said, trying to sound convincing. Mr. Kemp raised an eyebrow, his expression skeptical. "Okay, okay, enough of the dramatics, Gabriel. Get ready and line up," he said.
As Gabriel made his way to the changing room, he took his time getting ready, trying to miss as much of gym class as possible. He didn't want to draw attention to himself, especially not after what had happened in the hallway. But Mr. Kemp was not having it. "Where is Gabriel?" he shouted across the gym.
"He's still in the changing room," Joseph replied, his voice hesitant. "Go and get him out here. Now," Mr. Kemp ordered. Joseph groaned, his face falling. "Why me, sir?" he asked, his voice whiny. "Can't somebody else do it?"
Mr. Kemp's expression turned stern. "No," he said abruptly. "The quicker you do it, the sooner you'll be back." Joseph reluctantly ran into the changing room, his feet pounding the floor.
As he turned the corner to where Gabriel was, he let out a mighty scream. Gabriel jumped out of his skin, his heart racing with surprise. Joseph's eyes were wide with fear, his face pale. "An alien! Please don't hurt me! If you're looking for a human, I'm not your guy. My family's middle class and I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed!" he exclaimed.
Gabriel's eyes locked onto the mirror, and his heart sank. His worst nightmare had come true – an uncontrolled transformation at school. His body was changing, his skin itching and burning as his muscles shifted and contorted. Gabriel's eyes widened in horror as he realized he was losing control.
Gabriel sat in the changing room, his face in his hands, trying to calm himself down. He had just transformed into something else, and he wasn't sure what was happening to him. Joseph had burst into the room so suddenly, Gabriel didn't know what to do. So he tried to do the next best thing; calm Joseph down with his voice.
"Calm down, Joseph. I'm not going to hurt you," said Gabriel, trying to reassure him. But Joseph was beyond reason.
"Oh gosh, it knows my name. Please, I am not food," Joseph said, slowly creeping backward. Gabriel was confused by Joseph's reaction.
"Food?" said Gabriel, confused. Joseph didn't seem to hear him, and instead, exclaimed, "Oh gosh!" and dropped to the floor before quickly getting to his feet and sprinting out of the changing room. Gabriel watched slack-jawed as he exited the room, he had never seen Joseph run that fast before.
Gabriel's heart started to race as he heard Joseph's footsteps getting closer to the door, a tear escaping the corner of his eye as Joseph burst out. Joseph ran over to Coach Kemp, out of breath and clearly in shock.
"Where's Gabriel?" Coach Kemp asked, his voice firm but concerned. Joseph's response was immediate.
"I don't know, but there's an alien in the changing room. An alien boy!" Joseph exclaimed, his eyes wide with fear. Coach Kemp raised an eyebrow, his expression skeptical.
"Joseph, I haven't got time for your games," he said. But Joseph was insistent.
"I'm not joking, Coach!" he shouted for everyone to hear. "There's an alien in the changing room!" The gym fell silent, and then erupted into laughter.
"Next you'll be saying The Rock is your cousin," Harry said, chuckling. Joseph's response was serious.
"Well, don't say I didn't warn you. When they take over, just remember, you all could've done something to help prevent the takeover," he said. Coach Kemp's expression turned stern.
"That's enough. Follow me," he said. As Coach Kemp and Joseph headed to the changing rooms, Harry followed close behind.
"Guys, follow me," he said to the football team. "I have a feeling this is one you don't want to miss." The football team trailed behind Harry, their faces curious.
When they entered the changing room, all they saw was Gabriel sitting there, his face in his hands, the sound of quiet sobbing filling the space. Joseph immediately pointed to the spot where Gabriel had been sitting.
"I swear the alien was in here, Coach. He was right there!" Joseph exclaimed. Gabriel quickly wiped his tears, got to his feet, and looked in the mirror, he was himself again.
"Come on, Gabriel, you must've seen it. There's no way you could've missed it!" Joseph said, his voice rising in frustration. Gabriel looked at everyone, confused.
"Saw what?" he asked, trying to play dumb. Joseph's response was immediate.
"You know, the alien!" Joseph said, his eyes wide with excitement. Coach Kemp sighed, his expression unimpressed.
"Come on, Joseph. You know aliens don't exist," he said. "You've had your fun. Now, Joseph, detention after school." Joseph's face fell, but he refused to give up.
"But Coach-" he started to protest. Coach Kemp cut him off.
"But Coach nothing," he replied firmly. As they were all making their way out of the changing room, Joseph tugged on Gabriel's arm. Gabriel turned back, his eyes curious.
"I know you know something. There's no way you didn't see that thing. But I'm going to get to the bottom of this. I know what I saw. And I know you saw it too," Joseph said, his voice low and determined. Gabriel looked at him, trying to appear innocent.
"I don't know what to tell you, Joseph. I can't say I saw something I didn't," he said, trying to sound convincing. But Joseph's eyes narrowed, his expression suspicious. He knew Gabriel was hiding something, and he was determined to find out what.
"Alright, alright, everyone calm down," Coach Kemp called out, his voice booming across the gym. The students slowly quieted down, their eyes fixed on the coach. "Since none of you bothered listening to anything I said, I'll pick who's up first." He scanned the room, his eyes lingering on each student before finally announcing the selected participants.
"Harry, Jake, Joseph, you're up. You caused all that unnecessary noise, so you're first, and last but not least, Gabriel."
Gabriel, who had been lost in his thoughts with his head down, snapped out of his trance. "Huh? Who, me?" he asked, confused, looking around to see if there was someone else behind him. Coach Kemp chuckled, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Well, unless you know another Gabriel I don't, then yes, you," he responded with a smile. "Line up at the start line."
As the selected students made their way to the start line, Gabriel asked, "What are we doing?" Harry, already positioned at the start line, turned around with a confident smirk on his face.
"It doesn't matter what we're doing because whatever it is, I'm crushing everyone," he said, his voice dripping with arrogance.
Coach Kemp clarified, "We're doing 60-meter sprints. Now, get into your start positions and wait for my whistle." The runners lined up, the tension palpable in the air. Gabriel's nerves started to rise as he looked at the others. Harry's arrogance was evident in his expression, making Gabriel feel the pressure. He tried to calm his racing heart but couldn't.
The whistle blew, and they were off. The sound of pounding feet and heavy breathing filled the gym. As Gabriel started running, everything seemed to slow down. He looked at the others, their faces filled with intensity, while Harry's expression screamed overconfidence. Realizing he had to focus, Gabriel tried to pace himself, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't. His legs seemed to move on their own, propelling him forward with a speed and agility he never knew he possessed.
Before he knew it, he had crossed the finish line far ahead of Harry, causing a stunned silence in the gym. Coach Kemp ran over, clapping him on the back. "Who would've thought you had it in you? That was impressive," he said, a wide grin spreading across his face.
Harry's anger was evident as he stormed over to David. "David," Harry said, his voice sharp and menacing.
"Yeah?" David replied, looking up from his phone.
"You want a spot on the team, right?" Harry asked, his eyes narrowing.
"More than anything," David answered, his eyes lighting up with excitement.
"Well, take out Gabriel during the trial, and the spot's yours," Harry instructed, his voice low and sinister. David smirked, "Don't worry. I'll make sure he never wants to play football again."
"You better... for your sake," Harry warned, walking away, leaving David to contemplate the task ahead. David's eyes gleamed with anticipation as he watched Gabriel, a plan already forming in his mind.
"Alright, alright, everyone calm down," Coach Kemp called out, his voice booming across the gym like a thunderclap. The students slowly quieted down, their eyes fixed on the coach like hawks on their prey. "Since none of you bothered listening to anything I said, I'll pick who's up first." He scanned the room, his eyes lingering on each student before finally announcing the selected participants.
"Harry, Jake, Joseph, you're up. You caused all that unnecessary noise, so you're first, and last but not least, Gabriel." Gabriel, who had been lost in his thoughts with his head down, snapped out of his trance like a rubber band.
"Huh? Who, me?" he asked, confused, looking around to see if there was someone else behind him.
Coach Kemp chuckled, a hint of amusement in his voice like a warm breeze on a summer day. "Well, unless you know another Gabriel I don't, then yes, you," he responded with a smile that could light up a room. "Line up at the start line."
As the selected students made their way to the start line, Gabriel asked, "What are we doing?" Harry, already positioned at the start line, turned around with a confident smirk on his face like a lion ready to pounce.
"It doesn't matter what we're doing because whatever it is, I'm crushing everyone," he said, his voice dripping with arrogance like honey from a hive.
Coach Kemp clarified, "We're doing 60-meter sprints. Now, get into your starting positions and wait for my whistle." The runners lined up, the tension palpable in the air like a thick fog that refused to lift. Gabriel's nerves started to rise as he looked at the others. Harry's arrogance was evident in his expression, making Gabriel feel the pressure like a weight on his shoulders.
He tried to calm his racing heart but couldn't. The whistle blew, and they were off. The sound of pounding feet and heavy breathing filled the gym like a cacophony of drums and trumpets. As Gabriel started running, everything seemed to slow down like a movie in slow motion.
He looked at the others, their faces filled with intensity like actors in a dramatic play. Harry's expression screamed overconfidence, like a warrior charging into battle without armor. Realizing he had to focus, Gabriel tried to pace himself, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't.
His legs seemed to move on their own, propelling him forward with a speed and agility he never knew he possessed. Before he knew it, he had crossed the finish line far ahead of Harry, causing a stunned silence in the gym like a pause button had been pressed.
Coach Kemp ran over, clapping him on the back like a proud father. "Who would've thought you had it in you? That was impressive," he said, a wide grin spreading across his face like a sunrise. Harry's anger was evident as he stormed over to David, his face red with rage like a fire engine.
"David," Harry said, his voice sharp and menacing like a knife's edge.
"Yeah?" David replied, looking up from his phone with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.
"You want a spot on the team, right?" Harry asked, his eyes narrowing like a snake's gaze.
"More than anything," David answered, his eyes lighting up with excitement like fireworks on a festive night.
"Well, take out Gabriel during the trial, and the spot's yours," Harry instructed, his voice low and sinister like a whispered secret in a dark alley.
David smirked, "Don't worry. I'll make sure he never wants to play football again." "You better... for your sake," Harry warned, walking away, leaving David to contemplate the task ahead. David's eyes gleamed with anticipation as he watched Gabriel, a plan already forming in his mind like a puzzle coming together.
As David watched Gabriel, he couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. He had always been jealous of Gabriel's natural talent, and now he had the perfect opportunity to take him down. David's mind was already racing with ways to sabotage Gabriel's chances, from subtle mind games to more drastic measures.
Meanwhile, Gabriel was oblivious to the danger lurking in the shadows. He was still basking in the glory of his impressive sprint, feeling like he was on top of the world. Little did he know, his journey was just beginning, and the road ahead would be filled with challenges and obstacles that would test his resolve and determination.
The trial was just the starting point, and Gabriel would soon find himself facing off against opponents who would stop at nothing to win. But for now, he was content to bask in the praise of his coach and teammates, his heart still racing from the thrill of competition.