Growth doesn't always look impressive.
Sometimes—
it looks like failure.
Very public failure.
"Today," Jay said, dropping his bag onto the desk, "you're not escaping."
Loid didn't even look up. "…I wasn't planning to."
"Good," Jay smirked. "Because I already told people you'd join us."
Loid froze.
"…What?"
Jay pointed across the classroom.
Noah. Ethan. A few others.
Talking. Laughing.
A group Loid had never been part of.
"You're going there," Jay said casually.
Loid stared at him.
"That's not how this works."
"It is now."
Loid exhaled slowly.
This wasn't like yesterday.
Yesterday was one question. One sentence.
This—
was a group.
A space he didn't belong in.
"Relax," Jay added. "Worst case? You embarrass yourself."
"That's not comforting."
Jay grinned. "It's realistic."
Before Loid could respond—
Jay had already started walking.
And somehow—
Loid followed.
Each step felt heavier.
Louder.
More noticeable.
They reached the group.
"Yo," Jay said, sliding into the conversation naturally. "What are you guys talking about?"
"Match yesterday," Ethan replied. "You missed it."
"No way," Jay laughed. "That last goal—"
The conversation flowed instantly.
Fast.
Effortless.
And Loid—
stood there.
Again.
At the edge.
Jay glanced at him briefly.
A silent signal.
Speak.
Loid swallowed.
Then—
"…It was offside."
The words came out quieter than he intended.
The group paused.
Just for a second.
Ethan looked at him.
"…What?"
Loid forced himself to continue.
"The goal," he said, a bit clearer this time. "It looked offside."
Silence.
Then—
Noah laughed lightly.
"Bro, no way. That was clean."
"Yeah," Ethan added. "Ref checked it too."
Loid nodded slowly.
"…Right."
Conversation shifted.
Moved on.
Left him behind again.
He felt it.
That familiar feeling.
Being slightly out of place.
Slightly behind.
Jay didn't interrupt this time.
He let it happen.
And that—
was worse.
Minutes passed.
Loid tried again.
"…The defense was slow though."
This time—
Noah responded quicker.
"Yeah, that part was true."
Small.
But something.
Ethan nodded. "Could've been better."
The conversation didn't stop.
But it didn't ignore him either.
It adjusted.
Slightly.
Loid noticed.
Of course he did.
Across the room—
Charlotte glanced in their direction again.
Noticing the group.
The conversation.
And him—
standing in it.
Not leading.
Not dominating.
But there.
Present.
It didn't last long.
She looked away again.
But this time—
it was different.
Loid didn't think about it much.
Because right now—
he was focused on something harder.
Staying.
Not leaving.
Not retreating.
Even when it felt awkward.
Even when it wasn't smooth.
Even when he wasn't good at it.
"Alright, I'm out," Ethan said after a while.
"Same," Noah added.
The group slowly broke apart.
Jay turned to Loid.
"…Well?"
Loid exhaled.
"…That was bad."
Jay laughed.
"Yeah. It was."
Loid frowned slightly.
"You didn't help."
"I wasn't supposed to," Jay said. "If I carried you, you wouldn't learn."
Loid stayed silent.
Then—
"…It wasn't as bad at the end."
Jay smirked.
"There you go."
Loid thought about it.
The first attempt—
awkward.
The second—
slightly better.
Not good.
But better.
And better—
was progress.
Jay slung an arm over his shoulder.
"Same thing tomorrow."
Loid sighed.
"…Of course it is."
Jay grinned.
"Welcome to growth."
Loid didn't smile.
But he didn't refuse either.
Because he understood something now.
This wasn't about looking good.
Not yet.
It was about not running away.
And maybe—
just maybe—
that was the hardest part.
As they walked back to their seats—
Loid didn't feel confident.
He didn't feel impressive.
He didn't feel different.
But he felt…
active.
Like he was finally doing something.
And for now—
that was enough.