CHAPTER 97: APEX UNITED VS. QUANTUM FC.

The car keys felt impossibly heavy in Ethan’s hand, a solid, tangible piece of a dream he hadn’t even dared to have.

He looked from the gleaming blue hatchback to the proud, tearful faces of his family, and the feeling was so overwhelming, so purely, perfectly happy, that it almost hurt.

"Well?" his dad said, his voice booming with a joyous pride. "Are you just going to stand there? A car isn’t a toy, son. It’s meant to be driven!"

"Can I... can I really?" Ethan asked, his voice a little shaky.

"You’ve got your learner’s permit, don’t you?" his dad said with a grin. "There’s never been a better time for your first official lesson. The Couch Family Inaugural Road Trip!"

"As long as the road trip is just to the end of the street and back," his mom chimed in, a nervous but happy smile on her face. "Slowly."

What followed was a scene of beautiful, chaotic joy.

They all piled into the car. His dad took the passenger seat, his ’Driving Instructor’ face on.

His mom and Sarah sat in the back, with Gaffer happily squashed between them, his tail a frantic, thumping metronome of pure excitement.

The car smelled of clean upholstery and a faint, pine-tree-shaped air freshener. It was the best smell in the world.

"Alright, son," his dad said, his tone suddenly very serious. "The machine is on. First, adjust your mirrors. A good manager always has full awareness of his surroundings."

"He’s not managing a football team, dear, he’s trying not to hit the neighbor’s fence," his mom said from the back.

"It’s all about transferable skills!" his dad insisted. "Now, hands at ten and two. Seatbelt on. Gently... gently!... press the clutch. No, that’s the brake. The other one."

Ethan, the tactical genius who could orchestrate the movements of eleven professional athletes with the flick of a thought, felt like a clumsy toddler trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube.

His feet were a confused mess, his hands were clammy on the steering wheel.

"It’s just like the game, Ethan," Sarah teased from the back seat, as Gaffer tried to lick his ear. "Just think of the clutch as your ’defensive midfield press’ and the accelerator as your ’all-out-attack’ button."

"That’s not helping!" Ethan yelped as the car lurched forward with a sickening jolt, then stalled.

"Easy, easy!" his dad coached. "Find the biting point. Feel the engine. It’s a conversation between man and machine."

"I think the machine just called me an idiot," Ethan grumbled, turning the key again.

On the third try, he managed it.

The car rolled smoothly out of the driveway and onto the quiet suburban street. He was driving. He was actually driving his family, in their car.

He kept his speed at a crawl, his eyes wide, his knuckles white on the wheel.

"See? You’re a natural!" his dad said proudly.

"A natural at what? Driving at the speed of a gentle breeze?" Sarah quipped.

"A snail just overtook us."

"Let him concentrate!" his mom scolded, though she was laughing.

They drove around the block three times.

It was the most thrilling, terrifying, and wonderful journey of his life. He even managed to execute a three-point turn that only took seventeen points.

By the end, a wide, goofy grin was plastered on his face. He felt like he had just won another cup final.

"I think," his dad announced as they pulled back into the driveway (perfectly, this time), "this momentous occasion calls for a celebration. A feast. And I know just the place."

"The place," as it turned out, was a loud, cheerful, and slightly sticky pizza restaurant downtown. It was perfect. They found a big booth in the corner and ordered a pizza so large it barely fit on the table.

The atmosphere was light, free, and completely devoid of the quiet, unspoken stress that had been their constant companion for so long.

"To the Couch family," his dad said, raising a glass of soda. "And to our new, magnificent, certified pre-owned chariot!"

"To the chariot!" they all cheered.

They ate, they laughed, and they talked. Not about bills or jobs or worries.

They talked about silly things.

His dad told a long, rambling story about a disastrous camping trip from before Ethan was born.

Sarah told a hilarious story about a particularly crazy client from her old job, her face animated and stress-free for the first time in ages.

Ethan looked at his sister, at the genuine, easy happiness in her eyes, and felt a profound sense of peace. The wager, the game, the pressure... it was all worth it. For this.

"You know," his mom said, looking at Ethan, a proud, loving smile on her face. "Your father and I were talking. This... what you’re doing. This job. Taking on responsibility. You’ve changed, Ethan. You’ve grown up so much in the last few weeks. We’re so proud of you."

"I just did what I had to do," he said, feeling a familiar shyness.

"No," his dad said, his voice serious for a moment. "You did more than that. You reminded us what a team we are."

The words hung in the air, simple, powerful, and true.

He looked at his family, at their smiling, happy faces, bathed in the warm, cheesy glow of the pizza parlor.

The drive home was quiet and contented. The city lights twinkled outside, and his dad had put on a cheesy radio station that was playing all the hits from their "protest picnic."

This time, nobody complained. They all hummed along.

As Ethan was getting ready for bed, his mind a happy, peaceful blank, his phone buzzed.

He picked it up, expecting a message from Leo or Maya. But it was the unknown number again.

His heart gave a little jolt, the real world giving way for a moment to the high-stakes intrigue of the game.

He opened the message, a new sense of calm, steely resolve having replaced the fear he had felt before.

The Wager has been formally accepted by both parties.

Match: Apex United vs. Quantum FC.

Prize: The loser forfeits their unique Managerial Trait to the winner.

Venue: A neutral, secure server known as ’The Colosseum’.

Date: To be confirmed. Pending the result of your next EFL Trophy match.

Ethan stared at the message, a cold, thrilling wave of anticipation washing over him.

It was real. It was happening. But it was the final line, the final, chilling piece of the puzzle, that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

Your anonymous benefactor who arranged this match will be in attendance.

You know him as Liam.