For the next two days the only thing we had to do was get ready for the arrival of the players. That practically meant we would get acquainted with each player's style and position. We also had to have daily meetings with some of the coaches to get acquainted with the strategies. I already knew quite a lot about strategies in football so I couldn't wait for those meetings. Other than that we had a lot of free time.

So after our first meeting we decided to walk around the compound and explore. We had a briefing with Mr. Jones early in the afternoon and the meeting with the coaches right after that, so we had the rest of the morning and lunch time free.

"This place is amazing." Marina exclaimed. "Do you think we can go the pool?" she asked as we walked around. We were in the football fields.

"I can't see why not." Peter said and turned to look at me and Alex.

Alex lifted his shoulders indifferently.

"C'mon Oli! Let's go!" Marina said.

"Okay fine!" I said. "But I'll join you in a few minutes. I want to circle the compound and look around a bit."

"I can come with you if you want." Alex proposed.

"No need." I answered. "I will meet you soon!"

"Okay boys to the dorms! Unless you already have bathing suits on!" Marina said.

"We need those?" Peter teased her. I shared a smiling look with Alex before we went our ways.

Neymar's POV

"No. No, I'm sorry. No." I said before hanging up the phone. I then proceeded to switch it off completely. The reason I came to Granja Comary before everyone else was to get some peace of mind before the frenzy of the Mundial. But it seemed like my troubles followed me everywhere I went. If anything they were consistent.

I had come here straight from Bruna's house without stopping anywhere else. My pai was here with me, until everyone else arrived and then he'd go settle in his hotel. He'd pop by, he told me, but I wasn't sure whether I liked that or not. The compound was peaceful, quiet, like it had never been before in all the time that I had spent here.

I knew that the moment I opened my phone I'd see missed calls and messages and aside from a couple of friends that would only call me to check on me, everyone else called with demands or favors. Even her. Even Bruna. She had to know where we stood. Why was she so adamant on this all of a sudden? When we hadn't talked at all in a couple of months? I kicked my dresser, cursing myself. I had started to suspect the worse of people.

Our reunion, if you could call it that, was mostly awkward. She missed me and I missed her, but it felt like the worse time to delve into this. I had to stay focused now.

 My head was a mess. So instead of kicking the dresser I decided to do what I did best. Play.

Olivia's POV

The sun was shining brightly and the grass looked greener. It smelled great too. When I reached the end of the football fields I turned around to look at the compound. It was big - too big. I sat with my back on the fence; sure the guys wouldn't mind me being a bit late. I knew that I should have gone back with them. We didn't know each other well and this was bonding time but I really wanted to walk around the place.

Suddenly a ball appeared out of nowhere. I turned around to see where it came from and saw a guy two fields away. He had purposefully sent the ball flying here. And it was a very accurate throw.

I stood up and run after the ball. I controlled it with my foot. "Great pass!" I yelled for him to hear me. I was about to try to send it back to him; I was sure that I couldn't throw it that far away but then he started running towards me.

As he approached I started to distinguish his features. Slim and slender, brown skin and hair. He wore black shorts, a lime t-shirt, cleats and a baseball hat. When he came close enough I saw that he was a little taller than me and had hazel brown eyes and facial hair. He was really good looking.

"Olá! Como é que você entrou aqui?" He asked.

"Olá! Sorry I don't speak Portuguese!" I said.

"I see." He said. "Hello then. How did you get in here?"

"What do you mean?" I asked. Whoever this guy was, he thought I was an intruder. "Through the front gate."

He chuckled. "Sorry, I didn't mean anything. We have a lot of intruders here!"

"Really? Groupies for the players?" I little laugh escaped my lips.

He smiled too. "Yeah, you'd be surprised."

"And what are you doing here?" I asked. Why shouldn't I ask questions too?

He looked startled for a second. I hoped I hadn't offended someone really important. But he couldn't be a coach because he was too young and I hadn't seen him in the meeting in the morning. And players weren't here yet.

"Just playing." He said taking the ball from under my feet. "While the fields are still empty."

"I mean generally. Are you an assistant coach?" I asked.

"More like a ball boy. Errand boy, whatever you want to call it really." He said.

"Oh." Not knowing what else to say I decided to introduce myself. "I am Olivia."

"Nice to meet you, Olivia. I am Juninho." He said extending his hand. I shook it.

"You too. And to answer you previous question, I am from the Chromnia University team."

"That doesn't ring a bell." He said so I quickly told him why we were in Brazil.

"Oh, that sounds cool. I hope you can help us. Our team is shit." He said.

I was surprised to hear that and the fact that he couldn't contain his smile made me think he was trolling me. Our whole conversation he seemed to be laughing at his own inside joke and it felt like it had to do with me. I was getting really annoyed.

"That's not what I heard." I answered.

"No really. Especially our attack. Complete shit!" he continued.

"Anyway I have to go back." I said and I started walking towards the compound.

"Wait!" he caught up with me in two steps while kicking the ball. "Do you want to play with me?" he asked showing me the ball.

"Are you any good?" I asked.

He kicked the ball high and then stabilized it in his back. He turned to look at me and winked.

"That's just a trick." I said.

Without saying anything he let the ball fall but before it hit the ground he kicked it right up. He continued kicking it up, looking at me.

I knew very well that everyone in Brazil was breathing football and it was very important for them and they took pride in it but he seemed a bit cocky. After all we were in the Brazilian team compound!

I nodded in agreement and with a new smile he kicked the ball towards me. I caught it in the air and stabilized in between my calf and foot without it falling down. I quickly circled my leg around the ball – the around the world trick- keeping it in place still. I hadn't done that trick in years.

"Oh, little girl knows tricks too." He said.

"Don't call me little girl. But yeah." I winked too. I had no problem mirroring his behavior. I wanted to annoy him too.

"Olivia. Will we play?" he asked.

Instead of answering I lobbed the ball above him and run quickly to recover it. It worked and I controlled it with my foot. "Are you sure?" I asked.

"Oh I am." He answered confidently.

Truth was that I was out of tricks now so when he lunged towards me I dribbled to my left to try to pass him. We kicked the ball at the same time from different angles almost immobilizing it. The force of the kicks was big so we collided too. I lost my balance and fell to my left and Juninho fell next to me.

"Ouch!" he exclaimed. "You will injure me!"

"Relax big guy. You will be okay." I said rubbing my elbow. It was the first body part to hit the ground and it suffered the biggest blow. Why was he whining so much? It wasn't that big a fall.

He got up before me and extended his hand, but as I was about to take it he withdrew it and run after the ball. I fell flat on my ass again!

"Hey jackass!" I yelled at him.

He turned around to look at me and his face was red from laughing. He run back quickly and helped me up.

I heard someone yelling in Portuguese and I turned towards the compound. From what I could see it was a man, but he was too far away.

"That's for me." Juninho said, the smile never leaving his face. I still wasn't sure if he was making fun of me or just was a very happy smiling person but my anger evaporated. "See you around." He said and brushed my arm with his palm.

"Umm, bye." I murmured as he run towards the compound. That was weird. I shrugged not sure if I liked him or not. Mostly he was annoying. I looked at the ground and realized he had left the ball. I looked up towards the compound to tell him but I only saw a figure turning in the corner of the building. How the hell did he run so fast? I started walking towards the compound too. I looked at my phone and I saw that more than half an hour had passed. The guys would be wondering where I was.

Neymar's POV

As I ran towards the compound I turned to look behind me. Olivia was looking at something on her phone. I couldn't believe I had just gotten away with that. Or at least so far. My secret would be out though; the charade wouldn't last much longer. I hoped she wouldn't be mad.

She truly didn't know who I was. It was refreshing, because she talked to me like I was a real person. Most people freak out and they put a wall between me and them, thinking that I am nothing like them. At some point they realize we are not that different. But by then it's too late to break the wall down.

But right now, between me and that girl there was no wall. Except for the possible one concerning my identity. This would be a case of mistaken identity for so long. Then it'd be a plain lie.

I decided to tell her, the next time I saw her. Soon, I hoped.

Olivia's POV

When I reached the compound I saw them hanging in the living room, fully clothed.

"Why aren't you in the pool?" I asked.

"Closed. They are cleaning it up. Should be ready in a couple of days." Alex said.

"All for the players, nothing for the poor physics students." Peter said.

"That's how it works." I said sitting next to him in the couch.

"What happened to you?" Marina asked gesturing at my shorts. I looked at them realizing they turned green from the fall.

"I was playing football actually. With a ball boy." I said.

"Ball boy?" Peter asked.

"Umm, errand boy?" I asked remembering how Juninho called it. "That's what he said."

Peter looked at me like I was crazy.

"Anyway, when is lunch?" Marina asked.

"I think we can go now." Alex said.

Everyone nodded. I was starving.

"Oh, I should go change though." I said looking at my dirty clothes. "Will meet you in the restaurant in 5 minutes."

Neymar's POV

I found my father in the restaurant, talking with coach Coto and Scolari. I had asked him a hundred times, when it comes to the NT, just stay out of it. He wouldn't listen. He kept saying that he knew better. Because of his past as a football player. Bruna believed she knew better, she knew what I wanted and needed. Ribeiro, my agent also believed that he knew better. And he made me do all those stupid commercials, because my face had to be everywhere. Well, apparently he was doing a very poor job. Because Olivia had no idea who I was. I made a mental note to tell him, the next time I saw him, which I hoped wouldn't be soon.

I got my lunch tray from Meerene who was always so excited to see me. I liked that woman. She was like a second mother to me. She always worried about me, if I ate enough, if I was tired. Which was a very motherly thing to do.

I walked past my father who shot me a confused look before returning to his conversation with the coaches. I sat on the back, towards the window and began eating.

A few minutes later I heard giggling and looked up. Two guys and a petite girl had just walked into the restaurant and were getting trays. I realized they must be Olivia's friends.

When they saw me, they stopped talking. I focus on my tray, trying to act as if I was oblivious to what was happening. Unfortunately people stopping on their heels when they saw me and staring at me wasn't strange. The black haired guy snapped out of it first and pushed them forward. They passed by me and sat two tables away. I knew that the polite thing to do would be to introduce myself but I wasn't feeling like playing nice right now. I saw the coaches and my father stand up and him turning towards me. I got up quickly despite not having finished my lunch and took my tray back.

"Neymar." My father said catching up to me. "Temos de falar."

Olivia's POV

When I entered the restaurant I saw my three friends talking excitedly. It was only them and two of the coaches in the room. The coaches greeted me as I passed.

"What happened?" I asked. Alex's cheeks were flushed from the excitement.

"Should we have asked for an autograph?" Marina wondered.

"No, no! I mean we will see him and talk to him every day." Peter said.

"Yeah we can probably take selfies once we get to know each other!" Marina answered dreamily.

"Guys, what happened?" I asked again.

"You won't believe who was just here, eating lunch, two tables away!" Alex exclaimed.

"Who?" I asked.

"Neymar!" Marina almost yelled.

 "Who?" I repeated.