“Wo-wo-woah!” Felix spoke to the microphone, “Exciting atmosphere we have here in the gym! Is everyone ready for the last basketball game of the seasons?!”
Cheers went up on cue as his voice blasted out of the speakers. The booth was located at the left side, hovering below the top bench. They faced the scoreboard directly and had a good view of the court. The three commentators wore headphones that muffled most of the outside noise. Each of them had a desktop microphone with mute buttons.
“Before anything else, we’d like to thank everyone who participated in the school festival” Henley said, imitating a Radio DJ, “The success had raised funds for next year’s group of scholarship students. We’d also like to shout out our sponsors.”
He took out a sheet of paper from his clipboard and read the script, “First up, we have our lovely Theater Play earlier. Congratulations to Erick Kendall and Amber Keene for winning the unlimited buffet at the Stitz Diner. As for the runner up, Colin Hale and Lauren Williams, enjoy your unlimited rides at the Phantom Ship! The rest would enjoy free desserts from Woodlands Academy’s very own cafeteria.”
“Devin, do you have any words?” Henley turned to his left.
Arms crossed over his chest, the student council secretary leaned on the chair’s backrest. His black eyes stared at nothing. He seemed bored despite the merry atmosphere. It could be heard from this tone of voice as well.
“I am just appreciating Felix for making it on time.”
Felix scratched the back of his head, “Yeah, funny you should mention that. I was busy breaking off a marriage.”
“A marriage?” Henley raised his eyebrows. The gym lights glistened on his ginger hair, “That’s right! You were in the Marriage Booth! What disaster did you come up with this time?”
Devin rolled his eyes, “Oh, boy. Another one.”
“Yeah, you could say that…” Felix coughed, blush appearing on his cheeks, “I had one couple for the entire day except I lost the key so they were stuck together until a few minutes ago.”
“And pray do tell who they were? Alex and Logan?”
He scowled in Devin’s direction, “No, it was Jae Parker and this lovely girl named Emily.”
Those names seemed awfully specific. Although the pair were part of the school’s hottest gossip, they weren’t the only ones in it. He spared the student council president a glance. Henley had clenched the top of his clipboard. His face remained impassive.
Felix gulped.
Maybe he and Max should have trapped these two instead.
“Does this mean you almost cost us the championship, Felix?” Henley joked. Felix admired him for it. If anyone could handle the devil, it would be this guy.
“I surely didn’t mean to.”
“Well, look at the bright side. Jae must be pumped after that wedding” Henley nudged Felix with his elbow, “He’d give everything in that court if his lady is watching.”
Alex squeezed her eyes shut. She stood on the same spot as she did during the Pep Rally. Her cousin wasn’t near her but she could almost imagine Emily’s face. Her shoulders shook violently from holding in her laughter. The DSLR camera almost slipped off her fingers.
For the rest of the game, she’d be the one behind the camera since the commentators already did most of the talking.
Selene patted her back, “You’re surely in high spirits. Don’t you have that bet with Logan to worry about?”
Snorting, Alex took a deep breath, “I have nothing to worry about that. I made sure the conditions were hard to meet. I have 99% chance of winning.”
“And the other 1%?”
She shrugged, “Balance of probability. The chance of losing can’t be totally eliminated.”
For Logan to make the winning shot, that had been their terms, Alex recalled. He had offered to do her homework just for her to agree. A part of her was still astonished that he pushed through despite the difficulty of her condition. For a ‘shot’ to count as a ‘winning shot,’ the scores should either be a tie or in the foxes’ favor by one point.
The ‘winning shot’ would be the last shot of the game, turning the tide at the last second.
It was ridiculously specific.
There would be no way to achieve it unless their team would do it on purpose.
…
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…
…
…
“Can I really not try to take the last shot?” Max whined outside of the locker room. The rest of his teammates filed out after him.
“No” Jae and Logan answered simultaneously. Their temples throbbed from hearing the same question over and over again.
“Please?”
“Absolutely not” Jae smacked the back of his best friend’s head, “We agreed to help Logan with his bet. Aren’t you supposed to be our group’s matchmaker? How could you take that glory and betray your friend?”
“Alright, alright!” Max relented, his hands up in surrender. He huffed, “I am agreeing to this now but next year, I will not have this happen a second time.”
Logan patted his shoulder, “How about we help you get the first shot of the game? I may just have an idea how you could get it.”
Leaning in, he whispered the strategy in Max’s ear. It was simple but he knew that it would look good. The audience would surely love it if they succeed.
He made sure to emphasize the last part.
Max clapped his hands. The sound cracked through the air, “Now, that’s what I’m talking about! I’m definitely not throwing away my shot!”
Jae stepped between the two and pushed their backs towards their entrance to the gym, “Come on, game is about to start. Stop delaying.”
The three of them led the team out of the hallways. The soles of their shoes squeaked against the floor. Their blue jersey uniforms had a sheen even among dim lights. The tiny gold glitters on the school logo shimmered like a blanket of stars. The oak tree stood tall and proud as the laurel wreath of acorns surrounded it.
The closer they got to the gym, the dimmer the lights in the corridors became. The main source came from the end of the tunnel. The brightness from the gym beckoned them to glory. The cheers and screams gradually grew louder. Hearts thundered inside their chests.
The court emerged in their vision. They could compare the feeling to opening a treasure chest where the yellow floorboards and gold lights would be the coins and jewels inside. Even without the trophy, the crowd made this moment special for them.
One by one, they stepped out.
“Ladies and gentlemen! Let’s welcome the Chipmunks’ Basketball Team…!” Felix yelled. His voice reverberated at all four corners of the compound. The chorus of support did not disappoint him, “In the lead, we have none other than this year’s team captain, Jae Parker, with the number 11 on his back. It’s his first year as captain and he has achieved far by getting his team here.”
“Isn’t it Jae’s twin is also in the team? Wouldn’t they have the same number since they have the same birth date?” Henley asked, knowing what the answer was.
“That actually can’t happen. One of them would need to pick another number,” Felix caught on, “Oh, here is the next man of the hour, Logan Parker, with the number 23. From a recent interview, it has been revealed to be his mother’s birth date so that he has her with him during his games.”
“Quite a mother’s boy is he then?” Devin remarked offhandedly.
“Surely means that he knows how to treat ladies properly” Felix laughed. His eyes moved on to the next player, “Of course, there’s my buddy, Max Peyton, at number 01. It was the only number he wished to have and snatched it right away.”
“Wow, his flying kisses sure are a crowd favorite.” Henley chuckled.
“I surely would want one. Hey, Max! Why not send one to the sound booth?”
A camera shutter went off.
Logan whirled away from the court and searched for the source. He found a mop of honey brown hair behind a DSLR. She stood near their team’s bench. He jogged towards her direction, sporting a big smile on his lips.
“Ready to lose?”
Alex pulled the camera off her face. She smirked at his face, “You should be asking that question to yourself.”
“Don’t I get a kiss for good luck?”
“I think Max is giving them for free.”
“Giving what for free?”
Max came over when the next person had been introduced. He threw a towel on his chair at the bench. His violet eyes landed on the DSLR. Wiping his hands together, he raised his eyebrows.
“No, if you want to take my photo for another promotion, you need to start paying me.”
“That’s not we were talking about” Alex rolled her eyes, “Logan wants a kiss. Mind giving him one?”
Turning to the younger Parker twin, Max opened his arms, “Aw, bud. If you wanted one, you could just ask. Pucker up because I am coming in.”
He caught Logan around the back of his neck and pulled him down. He aimed for Logan’s lips.
It wasn’t successful.
The two boys struggled to keep upright as Logan shuffled away from Max’s grip. He grabbed for the arms around him and pried it off. He leaned his face back, avoiding any lip to lip contact. It was the only thing he could do to stall and ultimately peel Max off him.
In the background, the commentators moved on to North Valley High’s Red Foxes. The line up was the same. The captain had been introduced first. Their supporters screamed louder, attempting to outcheer Woodlands Academy.
Blow horns and drums boomed along, shaking the roof.
Jae broke his teammates apart, “Enough of that, it’s time for the ball toss. Get into the positions.”
“Break a leg, guys!” Colin said behind his Chipmunk costume. He jumped on his heels with his sign boars raised. Lauren waved her pom poms beside him.
Meanwhile, Carla gave them a salute before turning back to her squad. They continuously interacted with the audience and led the cheers.
Logan gave Alex one last look.
“Don’t forget to capture my winning shot” he winked.
