Jae held his breath.
Underneath a scowl, a pair of mustard eyes stared back at him. Time moved in slow motion. He had his legs apart and his knees bent. Sweat dripped down the back of his neck. The only sound he could hear was his heartbeat.
Then, the ball was tossed upwards.
He jumped…
… and so did the other team captain.
Time sped back up.
Both of their fingers touched the rubber skin simultaneously. Jae gritted his teeth and slammed the ball to the outer lines of court.
Logan distracted the opponents by shuffling side to side—only to jump up and slap the ball back to the ground. Light on his feet, he dribbled it to enemy territory. Jae followed him from the other side. They passed the ball to each other whenever an opponent got too close.
One meter away from the 3-point line, the red foxes caught on their powerplay. Logan broke their predictions when he passed the ball to their number 01.
Max faked a right and spun on his heel, turning counterclockwise. The red fox player thought he’d move in that direction and stepped to block his route. Max jumped on the same spot. With the opponents out of the way, he had a clear straight path towards the backboard.
The ball bounced on the ring, landing inside the basket.
“Woohoo!” Max fistpumped, “First shot of the game by Chipmunks’ Number One!”
“Yow!” Felix exclaimed, “That was one smooth shot by Woodlands. They’re coming out strong. They came here to take home that victory.”
The corner of Henley’s lip perked up, “I’m sure North Valley feels the same. The Chipmunks just raised the bar for them and ignited their competitive spirit.”
A red fox player brought the ball back into play. It was received by his teammate but stolen by Woodlands. Logan kept to the side lines since he excelled in long distance runs. Max and Jae mainly took up the center. The players moved to their part of the court. Jae jumped to block the shot but the opponent hadn’t let the ball go.
It went in after Jae landed on the floor.
“Score is 3-2 with Woodlands in the lead,” Henley narrated for the audience, “It had just begun but the game is tight. Any comments, Devin?”
“It’s too early to talk about the results.”
“That is right! Everyone is probably just warming up” Felix cut in, “Okay, ball is in Max’s hands. He’s dashing through the center and dodging any blockers. He is quick on his feet. He passes it and…! Ooo…! Taken by North Valley’s number 4. He shoots from the center line and…! It went in!”
“Wow… Score is now 3-5,” he breathed out, shaking his head, “Is it just me or is this game really fast-paced?”
“It’s probably just you,” the student council secretary muttered.
Henley chuckled in response, “Both teams just brought their A-game. There is Jae now with the ball. He passes it to Max, Max goes for the basket…! And it falls!”
“And Logan tosses it back up! Two points for the Chipmunks! Yes!” Felix cheered along with their supporters. He had to drink from his water bottle since his voice had become hoarse, “We’re in the game’s first tie. If things keep up this way, we definitely have an exciting time ahead of us folks!”
Alex followed the ball through her camera lens. She couldn’t afford to miss any opportunity. The task turned out to be harder than she thought. Players constantly blocked each other, making it difficult to capture the perfect moment. It was hard to predict their movements. She was more used to volleyball games.
No wonder they wanted more cameras, she mused to herself.
Still, her shutter continued to take photos. She pressed it down whenever they ran in her direction. They had her positioned at the same row as their team’s free throw line. The others also surrounded the court from different angles. She wondered how many pictures would turn out decent.
By the looks of it, the probability seemed to be 1:10.
She groaned when another player ran by just when Max was about to take a shot.
Biting her inner cheek, Alex knew the best way to take a good photo was to be a step ahead.
She pulled the DSLR off her face and watched the bigger picture. Her eyes squinted at the path Jae was taking. There were about four players ahead of him. If they wanted to keep the ball, he would need to pass it at the nick of time.
But to who?
Her gray eyes scanned their other players. Out of everyone, Logan had the widest clearance. He was almost alone at the side lines since the ball was at the center. Jae would have a narrow window for the opportunity but it was the best move. She peeked through the viewfinder, confident about her deduction. Her finger hovered over the shutter button and—
—Jae didn’t pass it.
Her back went rigid.
While Alex froze in her place, the game continued on. A player from the other team had swiped the ball from Jae’s possession. He and his watchers made a bee-line for the basket. Blue players weakly tried to reach for it, missing by inches. The ones that jumped didn’t use enough leg power.
The ball went into the basket without a hitch.
What…
… Just…
…Happened?
She snapped her head towards Logan. Then, she glanced at Jae. Both of them seemed awfully relaxed from that missed chance. She could have sworn that Logan had been waving his arms as if signaling Jae to pass the ball.
Shouldn’t he frown or something?
When they made eye contact, she waited. Maybe she concluded too soon. They wouldn’t have an open argument or it would disrupt their team. They’d communicate silently instead.
The brothers merely exchanged nods, both wearing pleasant expressions.
The gears in her head began to turn. She checked on Max. Surely, he would have something to say. He had a skip in his step as he headed below the backboard. He dribbled the ball a bit, watching the other players with amusement. He faked a pass to the right and tossed the ball to the outer corner.
Logan caught it beautifully.
It earned him a lot of loud cheers.
This time, he went for the center. Red foxes flocked him like a herd. They hadn’t expected a sudden switch in positions. They tailed him just as they did with Jae minutes earlier.
Alex felt a sense of deja vu.
Logan was about to crash into more enemy players. It seemed as if the same equation before repeated itself—except with different letters. The gap closed before her eyes. Logan would be caught inside a circle of opponents. He wouldn’t have a place to turn.
Then, his hand hit the ball diagonally. It slammed under the awaiting arms of red foxes. It bounced back up and successfully landed in Jae’s reach.
“What the hell was that?” Alex cursed. Frown lines appeared between her eyebrows as she watched their team captain score 3 points.She blinked several times and replayed both scenarios.
They looked exactly the same, from the positions to the speed to the number of players. The only difference was the one dribbling the ball. That meant they had known to pass it whenever that trap happened.
Were they just fooling their rivals for fun or did they have a reason for this strategy? Alex asked herself. She scowled at the floor, unable to concentrate on her task.
That was when her eyes landed on the scoreboard.
The blood drained off her face.
As if he heard her theory, Felix spoke into the microphone.
“Wow! Another tie!” He shouted, slamming a hand on the table, “That has to be some talent—even a phenomenon! I haven’t seen this many ties in one game. It also doesn’t take long before the other team catches up. This must be a sign that both teams are at the same level of prowess.”
Alex’s thoughts objected to his words. Heightening her senses, she observed the next few minutes. She kept her eyes keen on any opening for their team. She forgot about the ball and watched the hands that touched it. She noted down the hesitations, the slip ups and the odd behavior—mainly Max passing on a chance for fame.
Her grip on the camera tightened. Whenever North Valley caught on a powerplay, Jae and the others would pull out something from their sleeve. The chipmunks moved as if they led a predator through a maze, giving it a puzzle. Once they solved it, there would be a new one in the way. It made it harder for the red foxes to predict when the changes appeared and how they would happen.
Logan did a double take. His eyebrows arched from the expression Alex wore. She seemed invested in the game. She probably didn’t even notice that her lips were parted open. He had seen that look before. He could almost imagine Math equations floating around her head.
Her head turned in his direction. Their gazes connected, resembling two magnets that clicked. The noise died down as if it was muffled by a stopper. Anyone that passed in between them had become a blur. Even from afar, they could see each other’s eyes clearly and vividly.
…
…
…
…
…
As time went by, it stopped.
As the world spun, it stood still.
As moments continued to pass, only this one existed.
As they stared at each other more, the rest faded away.
…
…
…
…
…
Then, Logan grinned wickedly.
That was enough to break the temporary bubble. Seeing the smug look on his face, Alex flared her nostrils. She could hardly believe it! She simply speculated before but she knew the truth now. That sneaky bastard had actually gone and done it!
THEY WERE BLOODY DOING IT ON PURPOSE!
AND LOGAN WAS LEADING THEM!
