"I'll be fine Snake don't worry Eagle will be with me too" Cub said for the fiftieth time as he exited the Rolls.
"I am not worried about you, I am worried about Eagle" Snake said pointedly at the dark-suited man practically bouncing behind Cub.
"I am just so excited to be going to back to school. I had some of my best times in high school" Eagle could barely contain his enthusiasm.
"Eagle, you are not going to school, Cub is going to school and you are going solely as his bodyguard." An exasperated Snake continued "Let me repeat… you are going as Cub's BODYGUARD! Not a student. Am I clear?"
"Who died and made you Wolf?" A chastened Eagle muttered.
Snake threw up his hands and told the driver to leave. Eagle turned to Cub "let's go mate, I cant wait!"
Cub just sighed, K-Unit fearful that MI6 would take the opportunity to kidnap Cub decided that they could not leave him unguarded. The role had fallen to Eagle. Not that Eagle was complaining.
Cub and Eagle entered the Headmaster's office. "Can I help you deary?" A gentle older lady asked.
"Yes, I am here to get my schedule. I was enrolled last week."
"Of course, What is your name?"
"Alejandro James ma'am"
"Such a polite young man, you have there Mr. James" The woman said to Eagle as she leafed through a file.
"He's not my father ma'am he's my bodyguard." Cub answered
"Oh my! Will he be attending classes with you?" The lady asked worried.
"Yes."
"Well I have to make sure that it is ok with the headmaster. If you can just have a seat." Cub sat on the indicated bench while Eagle stood imposingly next to arm rest. He was really putting his imposing frame to work. The lady stood up hesitant to walk by Eagle as if he had somehow become dangerous.
A few minutes later a rather fat man followed the anxious secretary. "Ah Mr. James, a pleasure to have you here at our school. I have reassured Mrs. Clearly that it is quite all right for your bodyguard to accompany you at all times. And I would like to reassure you that all of our security is state of the art." The last sentence was directed towards Eagle.
"Thank you Sir, I am glad there was no misunderstanding." Cub had somehow adopted Wolf's look that promised severe retribution if there was a misunderstanding.
"Right, um Yes, Mrs. Clearly hand me his schedule" The sweaty headmaster looked down at the schedule "Right, yes, um it says that your first class is Maths, I would be happy to take you there myself. If you would follow me?"
Cub went through his classes with stoic endurance. He ignored the whispers, stares and in some cases glares. The only time he spoke was when he first entered his class. He was thankful that the teachers only asked him to state his name. He didn't know what he would do if one of them had asked him to tell the class something about himself. He couldn't tell them well I am really 18 not 16 and I've completed my A-Levels and the rest of my exams while in prison, and he wasn't so comfortable in his cover story to be able to make something up on the spot. He needed to work on that… maybe over lunch he'd kick some ideas around with Eagle.
Lunch time found Cub sitting alone at a table with Eagle, amid a sea of whispers and rumors that all centered on him.
"Does this remind you of the prison food at all?" Eagle asked looking at his lunch tray.
"No it reminds me of Brookland." When Eagle looked puzzled Cub elaborated. "My old high school. I was gone so often and I often came back with weird bruises and cuts that no one believed the MI6 fabricated excuse that I was ill."
Eagle looked at Cub. "Cub, no one is going to take you out of school unless you really are sick. Look at this" Eagle gestured wildly towards the kids sitting around the cafeteria. "you can remake yourself any way you like!"
"Yeah, I guess your right—I just… "Cub trailed off as he watched Eagle go completely professional. The early grin was replaced by a grim line of determination. "Eagle?" Cub questioned.
The tensed Eagle merely growled "Did you know?"
"Know what?" Cub questioned twisting in his seat to see what had set Eagle off.
"Oh" Cub easily located the cause of Eagle's ire. "Yeah, but we thought James Jr. would pull him out when the funds dried up" Cub and Eagle both watched a tall, good looking boy, Burton James III, waltz through the lunch line surrounded by three other boys. They were completely unaware of Eagle's angry stare and Cub's passive interest. They were chattering and one was dribbling a football, while carrying his lunch tray. James III, to the laughter of his posse, mimed faking a defender before sitting down at a lunch table.
James III's sat with his back towards Cub and Eagle, but it wasn't long before a mate nudged him and with a head tilt drew his attention to Cub and Eagle. Cub was too far away and the lunch room to loud for him to hear what was being said. But it caused James' to turn and look. Cub watched with some malicious delight as recognition dawned. Shock than anger quickly took shape on the boy's face.
Leaving his lunch tray, he stood up. Waving his mates back down he stalked over to Cub. Cub waited patiently not at all concerned or threatened, he had survived prison after all.
"What are you doing here?" Hissed James III.
Cub took a large bite out of an apple. Leaning back causally, Cub responded "the same thing you are… I'm going to school."
James looked suitably upset… "Why are you in my school?"
Cub smiled "Our Grandfather suggested it. He thought I might like it here." James face had taken on an unhealthy shade of red.
"This is my school!" James walked away cutting his losses.
"So Eagle, how do you feel about football?"
"Why?" Eagle asked hesitant knowing now that a question from Cub was never just a question.
"I'm thinking I want to go out for the team."
"Really?" Eagle questioned. "You think you'll make the team. I here this team is always a top contender"
Cub didn't dignify Eagle's question with verbal response, he just glared. Eagle threw up his hands and followed cub out.
Cub floated disinterested through the rest of his classes. He was wondering how James III could still afford the tuition costs. His mission was to ruin Jr. did that include his son too. Or was Cub supposed to leave the kid alone. Burton had left his grandson a hefty trust fund.
Cub wished Burt was here to tell him. Cub promised Burton the perfect revenge and he didn't want to do anything that would have been against Burton's wishes.
Cub and Eagle snuck out of study period and went to a football store. The man at the counter looked at Cub in his school uniform and looked at the pile of items. "Are you sure you can afford all of this stuff son?" The man asked gently.
"Yeah, it's no problem. My dad wants me to have the best stuff." Cub replied off handily.
"Well you sure no how to pick the best. It's quite a kit you've arranged. I just got these shoes in yesterday. Top of the line, so light you don't even know you have them on there, but they are best for hard ground you're going to need soft ground cleats too. Especially around here. You're going to be playing more in the rain than in anything else. I have a good all around cleat. It's a little heavier but that way you only need one shoe rather than two?" The man started around the counter in order to go grab the talked about spikes.
"You're right I completely forgot about soft ground cleats. I'll take the all arounders and the puma soft ground cleats too," Cub interrupted.
The man looked surprised. "It's an awful lot of money Son, usually only the pros have that many pairs."
"Well, I better get them before I go pro, might give me a leg up on the competition huh?" Cub said smiling.
The man just shook his head and retrieved the shoes. As he was ringing up the purchases, Cub busied himself by neatly packing up the gear. A pair of shin guards, four practice jerseys, four matching shorts and 6 pairs of soccer socks all found their way into the black Adidas sports bag that Cub also purchased.
The man totaled up the purchase, and Cub easily handed over the money. It felt good not to be concerned about costs. His uncle had always purchased the best gear he could saying it was important to gain any edge possible but after he had died Cub had become extremely careful with funds knowing that his trust fund would not sustain him forever.
With the shopping completed Cub and Eagle snuck back to school, and Cub joined the large group of boys heading towards the pitch.
Cub immediately picked out the coach. He was short and rail thin, but he stood with his shoulders back and his presence exuded authority, not unlike Wolf's. "Sir, I am here to try out for the football team. "
The Coach looked Cub up and down. "Boy I held tryouts three weeks ago. I have my team set. But you might want to go check out the ruggers—you certainly have the build they're looking for."
"Sir, I just transferred to this school, I didn't know about tryouts" Cub trying to will the Coach to give him a chance without pleading or resorting to begging.
"I am sorry boy, there's just no room for yah" The Coach began to walk away. Cub looked frustrated. He knew he didn't have the lean look of a footballer anymore, but he was faster than he had ever been—his football skills had improved over the years and he was sure he could compete.
Eagle walked over. "What's wrong?"
"The coach's saying I'm too late to try out." Cub said frustrated.
Eagle looked at Cub. "Cub this is one of the best teams in the country are you positive you can play with them?"
Cub turned and looked out at the field where the first team was warming up running a practice eye over the players he turned back to Eagle "I can't just play with them I'm better than they are."
Eagle looked at Cub and said "Ok go get your gear on I'll handle this" and walked off towards the Coach.
Cub wasn't sure what Eagle said or did but Eagle was soon waving him over. "Ok boy, I'll give you a shot but your man here promised me that if I didn't like what I saw I could kick your butt out of here no questions, no complaints…Understand?"
"Yes, Sir" Cub replied solemnly.
"Ok let's see what you've got, get out there" Cub jogged off towards the field, to warm up with the other boys.
Eagle stood next to the Coach as the boys lined up to scrimmage. "What position does the boy play?"
Eagle had no idea what position Cub played so he merely said "Whatever position you want him too, he's an all-a-rounder" hoping that it was true.
"Fine," the Coach spat, "New boy, move to striker." Cub obeyed. The teams faced off and as luck would have it Burton James III was on the opposing team offense. Cub quickly stabbed at the ball stealing it with ease from a hapless James. Deking the defense, Cub lined himself up to set up a cross but seeing that none of his teammates had made the break with him, bore down and struck. The ball sailed with power hitting the top left corner of the net.
Although Cub managed to act as if this was an everyday occurrence, Eagle was not as able to keep his cool, and let out a loud war yell. A dirty glance from Cub silenced the jubilant Eagle.
The coach merely huffed not yet impressed. "Ok boys line up and go at it again." It only took seconds for Cub to gain control of the ball, he tore down the field heading straight towards the goalie. He wasn't waiting around for his team this time. The goalie braced himself for a top right shot but found the ball rolling on the ground past him on the left. Cub had faked him out and scored again another goal in the first three minutes of play.
Eagle watched as the Coach just frowned. "I don't need a one person wonder. I need a team."
Eagle was worried Cub was just playing the best he knew how and that meant doing whatever it took to win, including hogging the ball.
Cub looked over at Eagle smiling at his latest goal. Eagle shook his head upset; using their hand signals he mimed teamwork. Cub frowned and nodded.
Eagle betting that he got the message across sidled up to the coach. "Don't worry Cub's a team player too."
"Well I haven't seen anything yet." And in a move erringly reminiscent of the two previous break-a-ways, Cub stole the ball. Eagle groaned but, Cub surprised him he quickly threaded the ball through a middie's legs before passing cross field to a teammate. The teammate dribbled the ball and passed square to another and the two attackers and Cub worked their way down field in a perfect execution of the three man weave. It was as if the other team didn't even exist. The far fielder down near the goal sent a cross towards Cub. It was a little high and a too far forward for easy control, so Cub didn't even bother with controlling it he leveled himself out into a diving header, connected with the ball and sent it spiraling past the goalie for an impressive hat trick.
The coach set his jaw, gritting his teeth in anger, he now had no reason to cut the boy from the squad. In fact the boy was good enough to start and probably good enough to play professional despite his age.
He hadn't liked the boy from the moment he saw him. He was a strange contradiction at first glance he looked like a pretty-boy, but his muscles were too well developed he had the bulk of a rugger or a bully-boy, if it wasn't for his pretty-boy face, despite his height he just didn't have the successful soccer build. There was more too it to something about his eyes, set the coach off. They were just off, it wasn't something that the Coach could place a finger on, but there was just something wrong with the boy, it was if he had seen too much. Coach wondered if that wasn't it, maybe he had seen too much, but really what was going to happen to an extremely wealthy boy who walked around with a bodyguard that was even bigger than he was. That bodyguard, really set him off too.
He had introduced himself as Eagleton, and he had argued for his charge so logically that the Coach would have seemed foolish for not giving the boy a chance. The boy he could probably blame his dislike on his appearance, he just seemed to have everything, an easy target for jealousy from a man who had risen from the ranks of being a below average footballer to an extremely successful coach. That boy had everything he had wanted when he was younger, money, the Coach had seen that boy's kit brand new upwards of 750 pounds and he attended this school instead of the local school, and talent, the boy had it in spades, he was probably a natural athlete never having to work at it.
He thought he had found the perfect excuse to cut the boy despite the two beautiful goals, he had told Eagleton that he didn't want individuals he wanted a team, and not once had the boy passed on his scoring run. Granted he had looked to pass the first time but that was semantics the fact was he hadn't. But no sooner was his complaint voiced than the boy executed perfect teamwork. It was such a successful coordinated effort that it had looked like the boys had been playing as a team their entire lives.
The Coach turned to Eagle "He's first squad, but any lip any problems and you tell him he's gone—I don't coach prima donnas—hear me?"
That Eagleton was grinning like an idiot. "Yeah, I'll tell him, but you won't have any problems with him" Eagleton grew scarily serious "as long as you treat him fair—do you hear me?"
Eagleton was standing closer than the Coach though and his bulk dwarfed the Coach. Never had he felt so small. Gathering his courage the Coach nodded. And back came the smiling idiot Eagleton.
"Good, Cub could make or break your career, it's up to you."
The Coach called practice. He watched as man almost as muscular stepped out of the front passenger door of a Rolls. He took the boy's gear and opened the back door. Coach wondered what he had gotten himself involved in.