Chapter 4

Rowie opened the door slightly and observed the atmosphere. They were playing blissfully. It was obvious, though. They just won the trophy. A slight smile formed on her face as she watched the whole team training.

She entered the gym without anyone noticing her. Disturbing the team would be the last thing she would do. 

She really loved the sound of the basketball court; the sound of the ball dribbling, the friction from the court and their shoes, and most especially, the waves of laughter and shouts that the players do. They were really having fun despite the cruel drills. 

Kazu jumped to dunk the ball and it was as if his feet were made up of spring. How come he could do that when he didn't even have that much muscle in his legs?

As Rowie glanced at every player, he saw a specific guy dribbling so professionally. He was not as fast as Kazu but he was like dancing in the air. She couldn't believe it that she just stared at him the whole play.

She was a shooting guard and she could do three-pointers as well, but not as smooth as that guy. The guy could shot the ball in the middle of the court! What's with that angle? It was too high. The anticipation was killing her. 

Her mouth was slightly open when Patricia chuckled beside her. "I know that you like Kazu but not to the point that you won't even notice me come in." 

Rowie wanted to say that it was not Kazu that she was looking at but she chose to close her mouth. Think about whatever she wanted to think.

"Aren't we going to have a meeting? Lunch is almost over," Rowie said.

Patricia smirked. "Changing the topic, huh? Okay, then." She called out to Marcus. 

Almost all of the players turned their gazes at them. Rowie scratched her nose and tried to smile at the men's captain. They both went over Marcus who was smiling wildly at them.

"You're here! Can we have the meeting with my team?" asked Marcus as he motioned his teammates. 

They already stopped playing and went to where their captain was. Rowie couldn't keep up with the stares, that's why she looked down at her feet instead.

"Sure! It's fine. I'll handle my team later after school to inform them."

They all gathered in the bleachers while the captains of the basketball boys and girls were in front of them. Rowie sat beside the player, whom if she remembered it clearly, was Thompson.

She smiled at him a little before facing Patricia. She was giving Rowie an odd look then glanced at her back but she didn't know what she meant by that. She chose to ignore it.

"So, the two of us had a little talk for, like, two weeks ago," Marcus started. "We had this conversation about the basketball girls aiming for the trophy next year."

"And as you all know," Patricia continued. "The basketball girls were formed only recently. We, honestly, are having a hard time training with just the two of us in charge," she said while glancing at Rowie's direction.

"What we are trying to say is that we planned on having the training together," he announced.

The guys from behind Rowie started to whisper. A hint of confusion was masked at Rowie's face. Before she could even ask, a guy behind him spoke.

"You're saying is that starting next year, the basketball boys and girls are going to train together?" Rowie could not be mistaken. She knew who the guy from behind her was. She held her breathe unconsciously.

"That was what I'm trying to say, Shin," Marcus replied.

"That's nice, isn't it, Shin-chan?" Kazu teased him while poking his best friend's cheek that was now turning to pink.

"Stop being a kid, Kazu," he complained, a little annoyed at his childish friend.

"Okay, okay! You don't have to hide your smile, idiot."

"So!" Marcus interrupted everyone and continued talking. "The basketball boys are having camping this Christmas vacation, right?"

The guys cheered without even finishing their captain's sentences. It was like they were going to a party, not camping.

"Chill down, guys. I know you're excited but not because we had this meeting about camping, the girls are already allowed."

Some guys groaned in disapproval. Some made a fake cry which caused the two captains to laugh. Rowie couldn't hide her disappointment as well. She wanted to attend camping because she knew that her Christmas vacation would be boring. Add the fact that they would be going with the basketball boys made her jumped in joy inside.

The meeting finished after half an hour. They were mostly interrupting Marcus from saying anything more. The Christmas camping already clouded their minds.

Marcus shook his head and called it a day. Tomorrow was the last day before the break and they planned on celebrating tomorrow instead of training. Players needed a rest, too.

Rowie frowned at Patricia every time she teased her. She couldn't help but feel conscious of how she looked around them. Patricia thought it was Kazu, but she knew better. It was not him this time.

Ever since she noticed Shin, she knew that something had changed. Kazu was out of the picture now. It was Shin that was filling her mind right now. And she knew to herself that she would be thinking about him.

She just wished that she wouldn't bump into Shin after this.

This story is unedited. Hope you understand. I'll appreciate it if you can comment down below your insights and advice for improvement. Thank you!