Chapter 91 — The Line Between Chosen and Forgotten
Morning arrived without ceremony.
No announcement.
No whistle to gather them.
Just a notice pinned to the board outside the locker room.
EVALUATION DAY — SELECTED PLAYERS ONLY
Names followed.
Jota scanned the list once.
Then again.
His name was there.
Not at the top.
Not at the bottom.
Right in the middle—where decisions were hardest.
---
The evaluation pitch was different from the others.
Shorter grass. Sharper lines. Cameras mounted quietly on poles at the corners. No parents. No siblings. No noise.
This wasn't football for love.
This was football for survival.
A coach none of them recognized stepped forward. Grey hair. Narrow eyes. Voice calm enough to be dangerous.
"Today isn't about talent," he said. "Everyone here has that."
He let the silence stretch.
"Today is about reliability."
The word landed heavier than any insult.
