🎶 Make New Friends 🎶
Hamza Gold had been feeling out of sorts lately.. Despite the Yuletide season and the cheerful attitude of those around him he couldn't help but feel depressed like his life was missing something crucial. he still participated in practices and scrimmages with his teammates in the Golden Army but even is Captain noticed something was wrong and despite everyone doing their best to try and cheer him up nothing seemed to work. it was one day after one of these scrimmages that you decided to go to a local bar and try to drink away his troubles.. "Tough day?" Said a random guy sitting a few seats down from him at the bar.
"More like a tough year honestly.. I wish I could feel proud of myself for my accomplishments but I just... can't seem to care." he responded dejectedly. "It's not that I don't want to feel good about it, and it's not like I haven't done plenty to be proud of, I just look around me and everyone on the team is either slowly being turned into some mindless black polo shirt wearing drone who think of themselves is nothing but a number in a crowd, or just a soccer player slave for their coach. When I joined the GA, I thought it was more of a brotherhood, people working to bring out the best in each other and win like a team, ya know? But now? It's like the team is just a cover for some kind of sick cult.. I love my golden brothers and my captain, but I just feel so uneasy being part of something that thinks eating someone's identity to bend them to the erotic desires of its Captain is... not me..." Hamza said as he took another several chugs of his beer setting down the empty glass on the counter before demanding another before finishing that one off too.
"Hey I know that feeling all too well, I just got out of a rather toxic relationship myself recently and to be bent over and have your identity rewritten down to it's very foundation doesn't exactly feel good. because once you realize just how toxic the relationship is shared the question who you are in relation to that.. started question if the person that your captain made you is the person you really want to be or what he thinks is the right path for you. You're lost and don't know which way is up you don't know who you are or where you want to be or why you even started to follow the captain in the first place am I right?
Hamza lifted his head and looked at the stranger getting the first real look at the guy giving him the first real truthful conversation he's had in months, rather than the endless "support" and platitudes promise teammates. Did he really want to be Gold or was that just another suggestion planted into his head by Captain Gold...
Etched on the handsome man's face was a look of genuine concern like this complete stranger actually cared about him. But why should he, Hamza wondered, he didn't even know the guy, so why does he care so much?
"You're probably wondering why I care so much? How could I care about a complete stranger I've never met before? Fact is, I used to be like you a while back, until a very wise man gave me a piece of advice that I'll never forget and never be able to repay him for." the guy said setting down his drink and extending a handshake to him. "I'm Roxas, Roxas Silver, I'm judging by your kid you must be Hamza gold. what if I told you that I am part of a similar group to your own?"
Another group.... like mine? What do you mean? Hamza asked as the curious man in soccer got to his feet and gestured for him to follow as he headed for the men's room in the back of the bar, weaving his way through the crowded sports bar. He has trouble keeping up with Roxas but eventually made out through the throng into the strangely silent bathroom. He put his ear to the door and despite the rowdiness of the crowd outside you couldn't hear a single sound through the doorway. As if that wasn't weird enough he turned around and looked through the now empty bathroom for a sign of the man that led him there, to no avail.
"Roxas, are you here? Hello?"
Hamza Gold leaned against the cool tiles of the sports bar bathroom, staring blankly at his reflection in the smudged mirror. The golden soccer jersey he wore—a remnant of his childhood dreams—felt heavier than ever. Just a few years ago, he was celebrated on the field, dribbling past defenders with ease and scoring goals that left the crowd in awe. Now, life had dealt him a hand of disappointment, burying him beneath layers of self-doubt and depression.
With a deep breath, he splashed water on his face as laughter and cheers from the main bar seeped in through the door. A local match was on, drawing in a lively crowd that seemed to thrive on the excitement he had lost. The intense camaraderie among the players often made him feel like an outsider, as if the team was more of a cult than a group of friends. They shared secrets, rituals, and insider jokes that Hamza struggled to understand, deepening his sense of isolation. Every time he stepped onto the field, the pressure to perform overshadowed his love for the game. He battled not only the expectations of his teammates but also his own inner critic, which whispered relentless messages of inadequacy. During practice, he would watch as the other players seemed to effortlessly execute complex plays, while he felt as if he were lagging behind. Moments of success were fleeting, overshadowed by the voice in his head that questioned his worth and ability. Despite their outward support, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he didn’t belong, fueling his anxiety and spiraling him deeper into despair.
He splashed some more water on his face and pulled himself out of this funk as he searched the bathroom again. Strangely, though he looked in every stall, there was nobody but him there, and yet, in the last stall there was a familiar silver soccer jersey hung up on the back of the door. "Wait this is the jersey Roxas was wearing, but why is it here and where did he go? There's no windows for him to crawl out of, its almost like he just.... disappeared..."
He quickly peeled off his beer stained, sweaty golden top and put on the silver jersey, discovering it fit him perfectly, almost like it was made for him, the warmth radiating from it felt like a tender hug. Feelings of tenderness, love, trust and brotherhood washed over him wave after wave as he wondered if this is what it felt to truly belong...