June 26th, 2017
The morning after the triple announcement was quiet. Too quiet. I walked into the lecture hall at St. George's Park and the usual low hum of conversation died away.
It did not stop abruptly. It just faded out, like someone had slowly turned down the volume on the room. I grabbed my coffee, found my seat, and opened my notebook. I did not look at anyone. I did not have to. I could feel their eyes on me.
My phone was face down on the desk, on silent. It had not stopped vibrating since five o'clock the previous evening. The world had an opinion. A lot of opinions.
I had not read any of them. I had seen the headlines on the hotel television that morning while I was getting ready. *Palace's Retirement Home.* *Walsh's Circus.* *The Boy Manager Loses the Plot.* The usual stuff. Predictable. Lazy. Easy headlines for easy clicks. It did not matter. The noise was just noise. What mattered was the work.
