"Yo commander! What are you thinking?" BTS again slapped him on his back.
"I will try" Messi answered.
"Try Try but not cry " BTS joyfully comforted him. "But I have a request for you" He pleaded.
"What?" Messi wondered.
"Please don't score 5 goals against them" BTS pleaded to him with his puppy eyes.
"Why?" Messi still doesn't understand what is wrong with BTS!
"I'm very sensitive. I can't see tears in the girls' eyes. They cheered for them so excitedly and then at the end they will cry... No no, it's not looking good. We should maintain our chivalry." BTS shared his worries.
Messi laughed. BTS will never grow up. After some time their life will be entirely changed and he is still joking around.
"Okay okay. Let's go now. We have exams also. Kavir and latai didn't come today. Let's go."
Messi prepares to leave. They started walking over the bridge with their bicycle.
The place is getting darker now, one by one the street lamps are ignited.
A black silhouette is approaching them. The figures are getting clearer with every step he takes. It's Uncle James. He is an anglo Indian. He has a grocery shop. He is a neighbour of BTS and loves him wholeheartedly like his own son. Uncle James is well-known for his love for drinks. He actually enjoys the drink and even tried to make something on his own.
"Hey BTS! why didn't you inform your mother that you will be late? Do you have any idea how much she is worried?" Uncle James scolded.
BTS is the only child of his parents. His father works as a radio officer on ships and comes to them only for two months a year. He lives with his mom. Most of the time anyone will see BTS with wounds. His mom always worried for him.
"Cazzz uncle" BTS laughed awkwardly.
"Oh, Messi...all the best for the match. I will cheer for you." uncle James encouraged him and left with BTS.
Messi took a deep breath. Everyone is counting on him. He needs to win this match. With all his thoughts he started paddling. It's getting late now. His mom may be waiting for him. He needs to buy her medicines also. A conch sound comes from afar. There is a Shiva temple on the way. The priest maybe already came. He can hear the ringing sounds of the temple bell. "Mom, please get well soon" he prayed." Messi stopped near the temple. Whenever he feel disturbed he came here. He feels a different kind of peace from here. He looked up at the sky. Few stars are twinkling there. He has no idea how to deal with such pressure. His exams are also approaching. After graduating from middle school, he chose commerce. He knew that the science stream would be hard for him. But the accountancy is enough to take away his peaceful nights of sleep. He looked at his watch again and prepared to leave.
After a few minutes, he saw students of Dawki public school returning from practice. Messi tried to ignore them but their captain Akash hold him back.
"Messi...wait...I have something to discuss with you.".
Messi crossed the break again. He has to face him. Akash is the captain of the Dawki Public school football team. Akash is tall, handsome, well-built, a brilliant student and he is quite famous among girls. His father is a bank manager at a foreign bank, and his mom is a lawyer. Akash is good at accountancy. He and Messi go to the same coaching centre.
"I have a little talk with you. Let's go somewhere " Akash suggested.
"Ummm Akash, can we talk any other day, I have to go home now. I need to study...especially accountancy." Messi hesitated.
"Don't worry about the studies. I will help you with that." Akash suggested.
Although he didn't want to talk with Akash, Messi nods in yes weakly and went to the near cafeteria. The cafeteria just newly opened here.
It is beautifully decorated with art, show pieces and it's very expensive. Every time Messi comes here, he suffers from an identity complex. This place is not like for him, it's not for a middle-class ordinary Bengali family.
Akash ordered two chicken sandwiches and two coffee. Messi still doesn't understand what is going on inside Akash.
"I have a proposal for you" Akash took a sip of water and starts first.
"You can think of it as a business deal also. Give and Take" He added.
"Sorry? I didn't understand" Messi showed his wonder.
"No need to understand much. First, say what do you think about Diya?" Akash asked casually while he took a bite of the sandwich.
Messi's whole world stopped for a moment. How can Akash know about his feelings for Diya? No one knows about it.
"Why are so quiet? Say na!" Akash asked again.
"umm. She is our batch mate. Normal." Messi tried to hide his weakness.
"Just batch mate? Normal? Do you think I'm that stupid and never noticed how you look at her secretly?" Akash mocked.
"If you want I can find a way..." He smirked and winked at him.
Messi choked on his food. He felt like the chicken from the sandwiches became alive again inside his stomach. Akash spells the truth. Messi couldn't focus on coaching because of Diya. Every time he sees her, he can't think normally. He never gathers his courage to talk to her properly. He wants to express how he feels for her, how the middle-class ordinary boy Mrinmoy feels for her.
" Say, baby! Do you like her?" Akash asked again.
"So what if I like her? If she is the Princess, I'm the clown of the town." Messi hesitates.
"I can help you" Akash proposed.
"Really?" Messi's hope ignited. Yeah, only Akash can help him. He and Diya go to the same school and even they are neighbours.
"Yup. But I have a request for you". Akash darkened his eyes.
"What?" worries are clear in Messi's eyes.
"You have to betray your team" Akash ordered without a blink.
Messi's head started to spin. What the f**k he is talking about!
"Look I'm not joking around here. Betray your time. I'm not telling you to not show up on the day of the match. Just don't score a goal. And if you see that we are not scoring a goal then score a goal on the same side. Okay? " Akash continued.
"What if I don't?" Messi turns red, he clenches his jaw and says firmly.
"Then forget about Diya. I will tell her you have bad intentions about her. Be aware of you or you can do anything any day....simple" Akash laughed.
Messi was speechless. Akash continued. "Think over it Messi. It's only about 90 minutes. No one will remember it forever. Just say yes and the Princess will be yours."