I dribbled the ball between my legs as I scanned the court. Yu was moving nonstop. Cutting, circling, accelerating. He's fast. And yet, no matter where he went, Sora stayed glued to him.
Okay, I take it back. Prez has my respect now.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Luna shake off Remi and cut toward the three-point line on my right.
I shifted my gaze left, toward Yu. Julie followed my eyes immediately, stretching her arms to block the passing lane. With the ball in my left hand, I snapped it behind my back toward the right.
Even with those overlong nails of hers, Luna caught it cleanly midrun.
Julie's gaze flicked to Luna for a split second. In that one moment, I exploded forward, cutting behind her into the paint. Yu did the same, bringing Sora with him.
Without looking back, Luna passed the ball over her shoulder. I caught it in a stride and tossed it up toward the rim.
"It's wide! He's missing this shit!" Remi shouted.
She was right. The shot was terrible—but it wasn't a shot.
Yu soared in from the side. He caught the ball at its apex and slammed it through the net with a roar. The backboard groaned as he hung from the rim, basking in the glory before dropping down to high-five me.
Sora ran up and smacked my back in appreciation. "You play really well! You could've even joined the basketball team. I would've loved to play with you before I left."
Yu nodded enthusiastically. "Right?! I keep telling him to join, but he always says no!"
Sora gave me a questioning look. "Was something wrong? As the student council president, I'd love to know areas where I could improve approachability."
I shook my head lightly. "It isn't anything like that. I'm just a go homer. It isn't that serious."
"Is that so?" he asked, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Well, I guess I can't change that."
I gave him a small, reassuring nod. "No hard feelings."
He smiled, the disappointment fading. "Don't worry. None taken."
I picked up the ball and walked back to the top of the key. After checking the ball with Julie, I reassessed. Yu was still locked down by Sora, and Luna was bent over, hands on her knees, breathing heavily.
You gotta be kidding me. It's been only one play!
This meant that I had to take Julie one on one. She seemed to realize the same thing as she lowered her stance and stared at me intensely, her eyes sharp and focused. I slowed my rhythm, the ball thudding rhythmically against the concrete as I dribbled it between my hands.
I jabbed right. Julie pursued. In an instant, I crossed over to my left and dashed toward the rim, leaving her behind.
It should have been the easiest layup of my life. I released the ball toward the rim, and Julie launched herself from behind. Her shadow swallowed the sun as it loomed over me. A violent *clang* rang out as she pinned the ball against the backboard, sending vibrations through the entire frame.
I shuddered. Just how hard did she block it?!
Before any of us could react, she cleared the ball at the three-point line. I sprinted at her. She dribbled at a velocity I couldn't track. Then—the ball slipped between my legs, and she blew past me.
Holy–
I turned to see her charging toward the rim. She launched into the air. Yu rose to meet her, arms wide, but Julie powered through him. Her hands smashed his arms aside, and she hammered the ball through the rim.
She hung on the rim, letting out a shout that echoed through the park. I let out a sigh.
Yeah… It's over.
***
Match point. 20-20. We were supposed to win by two, but the game lasted so long that we changed it to first team to twenty-one.
For our team: Yu scored 10 points, I scored 8, and Luna scored 2.
For their team: Julie scored 13, Sora scored 7, and Remi… well, it was basically two versus three.
Everyone was exhausted, even Remi. For some reason.
Julie had possession of the ball. She tried passing to Sora, but it floated just long enough for me to snatch it out of the air.
I cleared past the three-point line and drove toward the basket. Julie tried to contest, but she was out of gas. I passed by her easily. Maybe if she were younger, she would've kept up.
"Jesus! How can you still run?!" she muttered.
Sora stepped in next. I leaned my whole body right—then snapped to the left with a spin. There was a clear lane to the basket.
I closed the distance and jumped. But as I reached for the layup, the ball—which had been covered with sweat by this point—slipped out of my hands.
It rolled across the court, coming to a stop at Remi's feet. She blinked, startled, then scrambled to grab it. I could have contested her, but I didn't.
There's no way she's making that.
She planted her feet, tucked her elbows, and… aimed. For three whole seconds.
"Shoot the damn ball already!" Julie yelled from where she was currently collapsed on the floor. "Or if you're not going to, then pass it!"
Pass it? Both you and Sora are lying on the floor.
As if leaving it up to God, Remi shut her eyes and jumped. At the peak of her jump, she released. My mouth hung open in awe as the ball flew through the air.
Wow... what an ugly arc.
The ball clipped the back of the rim and bounced straight up into the air. Remi fell to the ground in a heap of defeat, her head hanging low. A laugh rose in my chest, but before it escaped, the ball dropped straight down through the net.
*Swish*
The park went silent, save for the wind in the net. Suddenly, a loud cheer erupted.
"You actually did it, Remi! Good job!" Sora exclaimed, pushing himself off the floor.
Julie did the same thing. "Holy shit! I thought you would've missed that for sure!"
Sora and Remi lifted a bewildered Remi into the air. Seeing their reactions, a creepy, haughty smile slowly spread across her face. She crossed her arms and shrugged.
"What can I say? I told you I used to be a prodigy. Now you all know."
She wriggled herself free and strutted over to me with her head held high. "How does it feel to be a loser? What was that? 'I fell down the stairs'? Well, guess what?! I WIN! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
I smiled and held out my hand. "You're right. It was my loss. You did better than I thought you would. Good game."
Her smugness wavered. "...You aren't going to be salty about it? That ruins the fun."
I scoffed. "What? Did you want me to start crying about how it was just a lucky shot? At the end of the day, it went in. Nothing else matters."
Remi scratched the tip of her nose, looking awkward. "Geez, now you're making me feel bad for rubbing it in."
"I'd rub it in too if I fell off and made a game-winning shot. In fact, it'd be the peak of my life."
Her eye twitched. "Okay! Now I feel less bad! Screw you!"
She grabbed my hand and shook it firmly. She stared at me with contempt, while I stared at her indifferently. Eventually, both our faces cracked, and we let out a playful laugh.
For a second, the loss stung, but it's better to laugh it off and push it down than get hung up on it.
If I let every loss affect me, I'd never move on.
"Yo! Are you guys still hooping? Mind if we join?"
We all turned. A group of boys emerged from the bushes, strolling onto the court. I scanned each face until I got to the last one. My heart tensed, but at the same time, it became disconnected from my thoughts and actions.
I stepped away from the group and faced the last person with a smile on my face.
"It's been a while. I didn't know you still played... Kevin."