Elismar's sleep was a fortress.After the battle against the Concrete Dogs, his body and mind had completely shut down. He was in a deep dream, where he was a giant goalkeeper defending cannon shots, when a soft voice pulled him back to reality.
"Son… Elismar, wake up."
He mumbled, turning over in bed. "Just five more minutes, Mom… the second half's about to start…"
"What second half, boy? The game was yesterday," Dona Valdi laughed. "There's a girl calling for you outside. A very pretty young lady with blue eyes. Said her name's Clara."
Elismar's eyes snapped open. Clara? Here?He looked at the clock. It was already past two in the afternoon. He had slept for hours on end.
"She said she came to see if the team's hero was still alive," his mom continued, a proud smile spreading across her face. "I'm so happy you're making friends with girls, my son. It's good to have female friends. Now get up, go talk to her. Don't keep her waiting!"
Friends.The word echoed in Elismar's head. If only his mother knew the half of it…
He jumped out of bed, threw on the first T-shirt and shorts he could find, and raced to the living room, zooming past his mom."Mom, it's not really— ah, never mind!" he shouted, already opening the door.
Clara was sitting on the low wall in front of his house, swinging her legs and kicking the air absently. She wore a light, floral dress, and her hair was tied in a ponytail. When she saw him, she smiled — a smile with the power to cure any sore muscle.
"I thought you'd gone into hibernation," she teased.
"Almost. My body decided to take a vacation," he said, walking closer.He glanced at the door, then back at her, and whispered conspiratorially, "My mom doesn't know. About us. She thinks we're just 'friends.'"
Clara laughed — a delightful, carefree laugh. "Aren't we? Best friends who kiss sometimes?"
"That's a fair point," he admitted, grinning. "What are you doing here?"
"Came to rescue you. A day off from the school tournament isn't for sleeping — it's for celebrating. And training, of course. I brought the ball."She pointed to the worn-out futsal ball at her feet.
They headed to The Oven, the nickname for their neighborhood court, which was surprisingly empty at that Saturday afternoon hour. The sun had mellowed, and a soft breeze made the weather perfect.
It wasn't serious training — it was just play.They tried dribbling past each other, laughed at their mistakes, and celebrated the small victories. Elismar taught her how to position her body for a proper tackle, and she tried to teach him how to add a bit of curve to his shots, which ended with the ball landing on the neighbor's roof — sparking laughter and a ridiculous plan to retrieve it later.
Sitting in the middle of the court, sweaty and out of breath, the conversation turned more serious.
"You know, I've been thinking…" Clara began, drawing circles on the concrete with her finger. "How long are we going to be a secret? At school, you're the captain of the Tigers and I'm the new girl… and to your mom, we're just 'friends.'"
Elismar looked at her. The late afternoon light made her blue eyes glow.He felt a tightening in his chest — a desire to shout to the world that this incredible girl was his girlfriend.
"I think about that too," he admitted. "All the time. But it's just… everything's happening so fast. The team, the games… I don't want people to think I only got better because of you."
"But didn't you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I did," he said with a smile. "But I want them to see that it's real. That we're real. I have a plan."
"Oh yeah? And what's the grand plan, captain?" she asked, leaning closer.
"When we win the school tournament…" he began, voice full of conviction."No — after we win the school tournament, in front of everyone, with the trophy in hand, I'm going to call you out to the middle of the court. And I'm going to tell everyone. That we're a couple. And that the trophy is as much yours as it is mine."
Clara's eyes sparkled. She didn't say a word.She just leaned in and kissed him — a slow, deep kiss that said everything words couldn't.
"Then we better win," she whispered against his lips.
They left the ball behind and walked out of the court holding hands.The afternoon was theirs.They went to the ice cream shop on the corner and shared a cookies-and-cream cone, fighting over the last spoonful.They stopped at Mr. Zé's snack stand and ate greasy cheese pastries, wiping crumbs from each other's lips.They sat in the main square of Feira do Bairro and watched the world go by, talking about everything and nothing — dreams, fears, the most boring school subjects, what superpower they'd like to have.
For Elismar, that afternoon was more important than any victory.He realized that the joy of being with Clara, of holding her hand, of hearing her laugh, was a prize far greater than any trophy.She wasn't just his motivation — she was his peace.
When night began to fall and the city lights came on, he walked her to her door.
"That was the best afternoon of my life," he said sincerely.
"Mine too," she agreed. "Now go home and rest. Tomorrow, we go back to battle."
They said goodbye with one last kiss, and he floated all the way home.
Dona Valdi was in the living room, watching her soap opera."So, my son? Did you have fun with your friend?"
Elismar smiled, heart light. "A lot, Mom. We… we played ball."
He knew it was a half-truth — but the most important part was real.That afternoon, he and Clara played on the same team — their team — and the score had been infinite happiness to zero.And that was a result he would carry forever.