Aurora Borealis

Chapter 31 - Fall Prey II

>> • LAUREN • <<

Jumpball has never been this intense. The simple thought of letting other hands took grip of the ball and not let go of it as long as the favor is in favor of them is nervewracking.

I'm hoping that the faint warmth that melds inside me won't let me down. I admire some of my teammates that could manage to keep it cool despite the pressure bearing on us like hydraulic press.

You ought to keep your eyes on the ball, Lauren. You wouldn't want to exchange glimpses with the eyes glued around you and still have the right to be shocked if the ball vanished into thin air.

Nagsimula nang pumito ang referee kasabay ng paglipad ng bola sa ere. I'm about to spring my feet from the floor but in the end, I was left hanging with my mouth gaped open.

The same plastered reaction goes to our opponents' faces. That's because Kara jumped at the same momentum with the timing of the ball, giving us the advantage to score first.

"Lauren!" ihinagis niya sa 'kin ang bola at nakipagpalit ng puwesto sa 'kin. Dumiretso naman ako patungo sa lowpost at kinuha ang una naming puntos sa pamamagitan ang layup.

"Thanks for that one." wika ko sa kaniya nang nakipag-apir ito sa 'kin.

"Keep the rhythm!" Collin, our upperclassman, replied as we took our positions to guard the opposing team.

The ball's currently on their captain's hand, and right now, I'm guarding Ines.

"We meet again. I never expected our paths to cross again while speculating that you may have transferred to a prestigious university out of the province." she told me in a condescending tone, facing the direction of their captain while it's struggling against our center's defense.

"Same here." ang naisagot ko na lamang at inalerto ang aking sarili nang lumipad sa direksyon namin ang bola. Nilingon kong muli si Ines ngunit wala na ito sa posisyon niya.

What is she, a flash of lightning?

Like a cut scene transitioning to the following scene, my eyes found her again in the sight of busting the gravity and flying towards the ring as if they're answering us with a dunk.

"You should've." she picked up on the conversation that we left off, "That way, you might at least learn something from a rough experience. Although I doubt that you'll be able to get back on your track immediately. And oh, please don't take that as an offense."

"Nice one, Ines!"

"Forget observation!" ang isinagot lamang niya at sumenyas sa kanila sa pamamagitan ng isang palakpak.

"Collin!" agad namang nakuha ni Annie ang bola mula sa bantay-saradong si Collin. Her height is handy on these types of situations.

Annie aimed a three-point shot at the ring. Unfortunately, nasupalpal ito ng mga nasa kabilang koponan at agad na inagaw ang bola.

Nauna nitong ibalibag ang bola bago ang paglingon kaya hindi napansin ng blocker na sa 'kin niya ipinasa ang bola. I took that opportunity for a rebound and threw another three-point shot. It hit the backboard before it fell right through the ring.

"Laureeenn!" my other teammates ran to me as the first quarter ended with 25-23, on our lead.

"All of you did a good job keeping the momentum. You're off to a good start. We need to put more pressure to them as more as possible." There's no hint of impression on the face of our coach. I understand her, it's still too early to decide the pending conclusion of the game.