Chapter 90 - 88 - A Familiar Face

Chapter 90: Chapter 88 - A Familiar Face

Rafael had spent most of Saturday’s match watching from the bench, but with Metz and Sochaux level at 1–1 in the second half, he’d finally been given his opportunity.

His first attempt to make something happen hadn’t gone particularly well. After receiving possession near the left corner of the penalty area, he’d tried to create room for a shot, only for the recovering defender to get across and block his effort.

The next opportunity came when Metz recovered possession in midfield and moved the ball towards him again.

Sochaux’s right-back had been drawn forward, leaving space behind him, and Rafael was already accelerating when the pass arrived. He took his first touch into the channel, reached the edge of the area and looked up as the nearest centre-back moved across to confront him.

Perrin was arriving from the opposite side.

Rather than trying to beat another defender, Rafael opened his body and drove a low pass across the area. Perrin met it in stride and finished beyond the goalkeeper, sending Saint-Symphorien into celebration.

Metz held on to win 2–1, ending their difficult run of results.

By the time Rafael finished his post-match responsibilities and came through the players’ exit that evening, most of the supporters had already left Saint-Symphorien.

Lucas and Hugo were waiting near the barriers, and Lucas spotted him approaching with his bag before he had a chance to look for them.

"Rafa! Over here!"

Rafael walked over and greeted them, laughing when Lucas immediately brought up the winning goal.

"That pass to Perrin was brilliant, mate. I thought you were going to shoot."

"Had a better option."

"Good thing you saw him," Hugo said. "That first shot of yours wasn’t going anywhere."

Rafael shook his head as they started walking. "You came all this way just to complain?"

"Not complaining. We won."

They found somewhere nearby to eat, and after spending a little longer talking about the match, the conversation moved towards what everyone had planned for the school holidays.

Lucas had been organising a bowling outing for Monday afternoon, with Maxime and several other classmates already planning to attend. Hugo wouldn’t be going because he was visiting relatives, but Lucas was determined to get as many people together as possible.

"You should come," he told Rafael while they waited for their food.

"Monday?"

"Yeah, around three."

Rafael checked his club schedule. He had commitments earlier in the day, but his afternoon was free.

"I should be able to make it. Send me the details."

Lucas agreed, and they continued eating before eventually separating to head home.

Rafael arrived at the bowling venue on Monday afternoon to find Lucas and Maxime near the counter, discussing something with the attendant.

He’d finished his work at Frescaty earlier in the day and had nothing else scheduled until the following morning. Metz were already preparing for Friday’s trip to Dunkerque, but his legs had recovered well from Saturday’s substitute appearance, leaving him free to enjoy the afternoon.

"Rafa, you’re here," Lucas called when he noticed him. "We’re nearly ready. Go and get your shoes."

Maxime greeted him before turning back to the counter, where Lucas was still sorting out the booking.

Several classmates had already gathered beside two neighbouring lanes. Some were changing their shoes while others were talking around the seating area, and Rafael recognised most of them as he walked over to join the group.

He was greeting one of the boys from his class when he noticed a girl helping another student move their belongings away from the walkway.

She looked up as he approached, and recognition was immediate.

"Hey, Rafael."

"Hi. How’ve you been?"

"Good. You?"

"Not bad."

They’d spoken occasionally at school, but Rafael remembered her particularly well from the evening of his professional debut against Guingamp, when he’d met her outside Saint-Symphorien.

He glanced towards the bags she was moving before remembering something from that conversation.

"Did your uncle ever find his car?"

She laughed. "Eventually. We were in the wrong car park."

"Seriously?"

"He kept insisting he knew where he’d left it. We must’ve walked around for twenty minutes before he finally admitted he wasn’t sure."

Rafael laughed with her, remembering how she’d been waiting for her relatives when they last spoke.

They were still talking when another girl approached with a pair of bowling shoes.

"Camille, are these yours?"

"Yeah, thanks."

Camille took them before looking back towards Rafael. "I’d better change. Lucas has been telling everyone we’re about to start for ages."

Rafael smiled and went to collect his own shoes.

By the time everyone was ready, Lucas had divided them between the two lanes, leaving Rafael in the same group as Maxime, Camille and several other classmates.

Rafael hadn’t bowled often, although the first few turns made it look straightforward enough. After watching Maxime knock down most of his pins, he selected a ball that felt comfortable and approached the line with reasonable confidence.

That confidence disappeared when the ball left his hand.

His release came slightly late, sending it across the right side of the lane before it clipped two pins and dropped into the gutter.

Lucas started laughing behind him.

"Rafa, what happened there?"

"Didn’t come out right," Rafael replied, already reaching for another ball.

His second attempt was better, although not by much, and he returned to the seating area while Maxime prepared for his next turn.

"At least you got a couple," Maxime said as they passed.

"Very encouraging. Thanks."

Maxime laughed and continued towards the lane.

Camille had a much better opening turn, knocking down seven pins before collecting another two with her second attempt. She looked pleased with herself when she returned, particularly after checking how far ahead she’d moved.

Rafael was examining the ball he’d selected when she sat down nearby.

"You’re turning your wrist when you let go," she observed.

"Think I’m gripping it too hard."

"Probably. You don’t need to force it that much."

He tried adjusting his release on the next turn and managed six pins, although his attempt at the spare went wide. It wasn’t a remarkable improvement, but the ball had travelled more comfortably.

Camille glanced at the score when he returned.

"That’s better. Still behind me, though."

Rafael checked the screen and laughed. "You’ve got quite a lead."

"Then you’d better hurry up."

The game continued, with Lucas missing an easy-looking spare and one of their classmates managing a strike that brought several people over from the neighbouring lane.

Maxime was doing better than everyone else, although Camille remained close enough to keep checking his score whenever the screen updated. Rafael gradually improved, but his opening attempts had left him too far behind to catch either of them.

When the round finished, Lucas was already suggesting another game, despite having barely finished ahead of Rafael himself.

Camille noticed his score while the others were discussing whether to continue.

"Maybe you should practise a bit before organising the next one."

Lucas looked at the screen and laughed. "All right, all right."

The group decided to take a short break before playing again, with some remaining near the lanes while others went to get drinks and snacks.

Rafael spent a while talking with Maxime and two other classmates before joining Camille, who was sitting nearby and looking through photographs on her phone.

Camille was comparing two pictures of the same street, occasionally enlarging one before returning to the other. Rafael caught sight of the stone arches in the background as he sat down.

"That’s Place Saint-Louis, isn’t it?"

She looked over. "Yeah. I took these last week."

Camille turned her phone towards him, showing him the photograph she’d been examining. It had been taken from beneath one of the arches, with sunlight falling across the buildings on the opposite side of the square.

Rafael recognised the place immediately, although he’d never seen it from quite that angle.

"That’s a good picture."

"Thanks. You should’ve seen how long I waited for it."

She showed him an earlier attempt, where a delivery van occupied much of the view.

"There were two of them. Every time one left, another turned up. I nearly gave up."

Rafael laughed as he compared the pictures. "How long were you there?"

"About half an hour, I think. And by the time they moved, the light had changed."

She preferred the earlier lighting, although Rafael thought the shadows in the finished photograph made the buildings stand out more. Camille wasn’t entirely convinced, and they spent another minute comparing the pictures before she showed him one she’d taken near the Moselle.

Temple Neuf stood beyond the river, with part of the building reflected in the water.

"I’ve been past there loads of times," Rafael said, leaning closer to look.

"Have you walked down by the water?"

"Not properly. Usually I’m going somewhere."

Camille seemed surprised by that.

"You should go when you’ve got time. There’s a path near the bridge, and it’s really nice when the weather’s good."

She showed him another photograph taken farther along the riverbank, where a bicycle was leaning against a railing with the water visible beyond it.

"I go down there sometimes after school. It’s quieter than the centre, and you can take pictures without people getting in the way."