"Mom, you're not going to believe this!"
His mother stared at him, blinking with mild confusion. Then, a warm smile illuminated the features of her face as she stood. "You were accepted at the trials!?"
Jesse paused and looked away, scratching his cheek with slight abashment, then said, "Well... no, not exactly."
Her shoulders slumped. "Oh..."
"But!" Jesse exclaimed, grinning wildly, "I met a scout today, here at the community field. A real one! He wants to get me into an academy abroad!"
His mother's breath hitched. "A scout? From where?"
"England!" Jesse replied. "He said he's a scout for Manchester United — he thinks I have something special!"
Jesse pulled out the foreign currency from his pocket, and showed his mother the £100 notes. "He gave me this just for completing a crossbar challenge too!"
His mother's eyes flickered between the money and her son's beaming face. She was clearly happy and proud, too. But this... it almost seemed too good to be true.
