Chapter 96: The Decision
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Niels woke to the constant buzz of his phone, its screen lighting up the dark room. Messages poured in with texts, emails, Twitter alerts, each one adding to the storm in his mind. Barnsley's ambition, Forest's Premier League dream, Mainz's structure, Torino's passion, they all pulled at him, trying to drag him away from the one thing keeping him grounded: Crawley.
He rubbed his eyes, feeling the weight of yesterday even more now. The town's pride and hopes seemed to seep into the room like morning mist. Outside, the sky was heavy and gray just like the storm of thoughts inside him.
He put on his jacket and stepped into the cool air, hoping a walk would help clear his mind. Crawley felt different today tense, like the whole town was holding its breath, waiting to see what he would do next.