The silence between Ethan and Callum felt heavy. It settled over their corner of the changing room and followed them onto the training pitch. Mason, caught in the middle, watched both of them with a frustrated expression. His usual gruff commands had an edge of impatience.
The tension affected their performance. During a possession drill, Callum's movement became selfish. He stopped making smart runs for his teammates and instead always moved into positions where he was the only passing option, demanding the ball with an annoyed wave of his arm. When he did receive it, he would try to take on two or three players, often losing possession and ending the drill.
After one such moment, Coach Shaw's whistle pierced the air, stopping the entire session. "Reid!" he yelled, his voice echoing across the pitch. "Are you part of this team or not? That's the third time you've ruined our momentum trying to be a hero. One more time and you're running laps for the rest of the session."
Callum's cheeks turned red with anger and embarrassment. He muttered something under his breath and shot a furious glare at Ethan, as if blaming him.
That evening, Ethan knew he had to address the issue. He found Callum by his locker as he packed his bag. "Cal, we need to talk," he said quietly.
"Nothing to talk about," Callum snapped, not looking at him. "You made your choice. You passed to someone else."
"I made the winning pass," Ethan replied gently. "We won the game. Isn't that what counts?"
Callum finally faced him, his eyes blazing with a mix of anger and what looked like fear. "What matters is getting noticed! Do you think some Premier League scout writes down, 'Oh, his team won 1-0'? No! They write down, 'The striker scored a goal,' or 'The midfielder played a killer pass.' We're not kids anymore, Ethan. This isn't just about winning some U16 league. This is about our careers! My one chance to get seen, and you passed it to someone else."
"It's not just your one chance," Ethan argued. "There will be plenty of chances if we keep playing well together. We create chances for each other. That's how we've always done it."
"Yeah, well, maybe that's not enough anymore," Callum replied, his voice lowering. "Maybe I can't afford to just be a 'team player.' You've got your England caps. Mason's a rock that every coach loves. What have I got? Goals. If I'm not scoring, I'm nobody. You don't understand."
He zipped his bag with a quick, angry motion and pushed past Ethan without another word. Ethan stood there, the space between them now filled with deep, painful understanding. The pressure to succeed wasn't only affecting their choices on the pitch; it was breaking the foundation of their friendship. As they prepared for their next game against a tough Northbridge side, their team's most effective attacking partnership was in jeopardy.