"Morning, Professor!" the guard called out, beaming. "My son saw you at Anfield! He said you were the best player on the pitch!"
Alex felt his face go hot. "Oh. I was not. I was just... stable."
"You were a rock, son! A tiny, smart rock!"
Alex just smiled and hurried to the locker room.
His new life was... fast. The win at Anfield had changed everything. The newspapers were not calling him a "mystery kid" anymore. They were calling him "The Professor."
He walked into the locker room. It was loud. The players were laughing, energized from their big win.
"Ah! The Professor is here!" Harry, the captain, yelled. "He has come to teach us! What are we learning today, Alex? Maths? History?"
"Defending," Bastian grunted from his corner. He was juggling a ball with his huge boots. "He is still a duck. A very famous, very lucky duck. But still a duck."
Alex just laughed. This was his new family. He was the kid brother. The mascot. The Professor.
