Everyone on the court and in the stands was watching. Half the crowd held their breath, praying it would go in. The other half silently begged for it to miss.
The ball reached the rim… collided against it and…
Everyone's eyes were fixed only on the basketball.
The ball hit the rim, bounced once, and then dropped straight into the hoop.
As soon as it went in, many people started cheering and praising Niko for his amazing shot — but Luxe's face was something worth seeing. She looked shocked… almost frozen.
"What the hell?!" Luxe said angrily.
"Luxe, chill! Jack's still winning and he still has way more points. Don't stress."
The girls standing next to Luxe tried to calm her down.
"Yeah, you're right… It's only 5 points," Luxe replied.
But it didn't sound like she was convincing them — she was more like trying to convince herself.
On the other side, Mia and Jasmine could clearly see the fire in Niko's eyes after scoring those 5 points so fast.
Mia, deep inside, felt a bit happy seeing Luxe's face fall, but Jasmine remained silent, her expression calm yet thoughtful.
Team J looked a little shocked, but they knew this was just part of the game — things like this happen.
Besides, they still had a 38-point lead.
Team J quickly passed the ball to Jack, and this time Jack charged toward Team N's side with incredible speed.
Only, unlike before, Jack wasn't alone — his teammates were right there with him, moving in sync.
But today, Niko and his team had a whole different energy. They stopped Team J right at half-court, stealing the ball from Jack again.
The game kept going like this, intense and fierce — it was as if Niko was treating this match like it was the last game of his life.
Jack, from Team J, was also putting in an amazing performance, trading point for point.
Some people were simply enjoying the match, but from Luxe's face… it seemed like every ounce of happiness had been drained out of her.
The game stayed extremely tight until the whistle blew for the end of the third quarter.
And if you looked at Luxe's face at that moment — you'd understand the score without even checking the scoreboard.
She looked like a deflated basketball — like all the air had been sucked out of her.
The score had changed. Drastically.
Team J — 72
Team N — 65
Just a 7-point gap now.
The same Team J that had been leading by 40 points at halftime could now barely maintain a small lead.
And out of Team N's 65 points — Niko had scored 50. Yes, fifty points.
On the other side, Jack had also scored 50 of Team J's 72 points.
So the two stars of the game had identical scores — but Niko had made a huge leap forward, while Jack's momentum seemed… slower.
The match had gotten so intense that almost the entire college had gathered to watch — even some teachers were now in the crowd.
"Jasmine! Look at this — it's like the whole college is here now!" Mia said.
"Yeah… and honestly, this is our fault," Jasmine replied.
"What? Our fault? How?" Mia asked.
"Because we shouldn't have told Niko that Luxe insulted me. Look at him now — his anger's through the roof. And poor Jack… even though it's not his fault at all, he's taking all these hits defending against Niko."
Jack had taken quite a few injuries during the match.
Defending against Niko was dangerous today — because Niko, driven by his rage, was playing extremely aggressively.
Anyone in his way was practically slamming into a wall of pure force and walking away with nothing but pain.
And it wasn't just Jack. Even some of Team N's own players had gotten bruised, caught in the crossfire.
But still, there were no fouls — Niko wasn't intentionally hurting anyone… he was just playing his game with pure intensity.
"Mia, this is just a game. A few injuries are normal in sports," Mia reminded her friend.
"Yeah, but look at Jack's hand — there's blood coming out of it," Jasmine said seriously.
"Jasmine, come on. A little cut will bleed a bit — but look at Luxe's face! She looks like she's on the verge of tears," Mia replied with a smirk.
"Mia… maybe Luxe deserved a response from us, but not like this. Jack doesn't deserve this," Jasmine said firmly.
"Yeah, it's not his fault. But Jasmine, this match is important for Niko. He's not just playing for us — he's playing for himself," Mia replied.
"You're right… so this isn't really our fault, is it?" Jasmine asked hesitantly.
"Of course not. This is between Jack and Niko. So stop stressing and just enjoy the game. Oh, and remember the bet?" Mia said with a knowing smile.
"Oh, I remember," Jasmine said, her lips curling into a small grin.
The game was paused — the third quarter was over.
Only one last quarter remained. Ten minutes.
With Team J at 72 and Team N at 65 — just a 7-point difference — everyone knew the final quarter was going to be wild.
And now, something had shifted. The fire that had been burning in Niko's eyes earlier… was now burning in Jack's, too.
Jack usually stayed quiet and calm, barely talking to anyone — but now, during the short break, he sat alone on the bench, head down, telling everyone (including Luxe) to leave him alone.
It was as if he was gathering every drop of his focus and power.
Meanwhile, Niko stood across the court with that same fire of vengeance still raging in his eyes, staring down Team J and Luxe like they were his prey.
Jack was like water — calm and controlled.
Niko was like fire — hot, furious, unstoppable.
But both water and fire become dangerous when they cross their limits.
No one knew what would happen in the last 10 minutes — but everyone knew this wasn't just Team J vs. Team N anymore.
This was Jack vs. Niko.
Spectators in the stands were calling their friends, telling them to come watch. The crowd was swelling by the second.
The whistle for the final quarter blew. Both teams began walking back onto the court.
Jack quietly stood up, took a sip of water, and stepped onto the court.
Niko also drank water — but then jumped high into the air, landing with a roar:
"This is MY game!" Niko shouted, pumping himself up.
"Raaaaaaah!" he screamed.
Both teams were now on the court. The ball was in Team N's possession.
The referee's whistle blew…
The game began.
But—