Favorite Crime // Kobe Paras

5

"How's the cookies?" Ricci asked kobe who was busy tying his shoe laces. They haven't seen arisu since yesteday, baka busy ito. Kahit naman nanliligaw ito kay kobe, her top priority is study, and Ricci really admire her for that.

"cookies?" kobe asked confuse. He's thinking what cookies Ricci was talking about.

Ricci smirked "the one that arisu gave you"

"oh that" kobe laugh out loud because he remember the letter inside.

'That girl is really something' kobe thought.

"gago pare, I read the letter, the paragraph were familiar, I think I heard it somewhere eh" kobe can't deny na kahit the letter was corny, he thinks its cute because some words inside the letter or poem were repeated a lot of times and since the poem has no title, he thinks that the title was the repeated words 'Nasa yo na ang lahat'.

Ricci laughed 'of course its familiar, its from a song eh' Ricci thought. He's not gonna say that to kobe, arisu might kill him if he told kobe that the 'poem' was originally a song.

"but the cookies were good tho, i might asked arisu to make me some cookies again" kobe joked, but they both know that he can't ask arisu because of something...or maybe someone?

"as if you can ask her, mangingisay yon when you ask her" kobe smirked, he knows the effect that he has on arisu kaya di na din sya magtataka kung mangisay nga ito sa harap nya kapag pinuri nya ang cookies na dala nito.

The two came earlier since they were dismissed earlier than the others. They have some classmates na teammates din nila but since they are not as 'masipag' as these two, naiwan sila to finish the activity that they forgot to answer. While the other players are probably in the class still or taking their time to go in the epsilon.

The two started warming up until ricci spoke.

"what do you think of arisu?" Ricci asked kobe whose beside him. He watched kobe stop for a second.

"what about you? what do you think of her?" kobe asked back.

Ricci shrugged "she's a friend" ricci waited for kobe to speak again.

When ricci sensed that kobe won't speak na, he spoke "madali lang naman sya mahalin kobs, why dont you try?"

Kobe is sure that he doesn't like arisu, he just like her being around kahit na maingay ito at nagpapansin sa kanya at kahit hindi nya ito pinapansin madalas, he's always listening and sometimes looking at her when she's not busy gawking at him.

"sa sobrang dali ba, nadali ka na?" kobe joked, but ricci stopped and looked at kobe who's still warming up.

Ricci knows that kobe was joking but why did he suddenly has second thoughts when hes sure that he doesnt like her. He can't like arisu. He just...can't.

"gago, may saying nga sya na 'arisu is for kobe, and kobe is for arisu' he said drifiting the topic and he continue warming up beside kobe.

"but you didn't answer my question rivero, sa sobrang dali ba, imbis na ako yung magkagusto, ikaw yung nadali?" or maybe, kobe wasn't joking, baka hinuhuli nya si ricci.

He can't deny the fact that madaling mahalin si arisu and he can't shrugged off Ricci's stare at arisu whenever arisu is around. And the closeness between them too. Kobe knew damn well that arisu is inlove with him and he doesn't want competition between his friend and teammate. Kasi gusto nya, sya lang. Si kobe lang.

He sounded selfish, because he is. Only for arisu's attention. Pero kobe swear that he doesnt and will never like arisu, sinabi na nya iyon sa kanya.

"and you didn't answer my question earlier too Paras, what do you think of arisu?" Ricci made a good comeback. Ricci was curious as hell kung ano ba talaga ang tingin nya kay arisu.

He knew that Kobe will never like arisu dahil naikwento na nga ni arisu sa kanya yung sinabi ni kobe nung gabing yon. Or maybe, nagpapakipot lang talaga si kobe kay arisu dahil alam nitong babalik at babalik si arisu sa kanya.

"I dont consider her as a friend" Ricci frowned "and i dont consider her as a lover too, so that explains us what?" kobe asked, motioning his hands, a sign that he is asking a question but in a mocking way.

"maybe... a stranger?" Ricci asked confused. But he suggested it anyway.

"she's more than a stranger rivero"  this made ricci more confuse. Ricci doesn't understand kobe sometimes, dito ba nainlove si arisu? since nawiweirduhan si ricci sa dalawa, baka nga totoo yung sinabi ni arisu na bagay talaga sila sa isat isa.

Pareho silang natahimik ng matapos silang mag warm up. They started shooting and dribbling balls.

"pero there's still a chance right?" Ricci asked kobe.

"rivero, you're not arisu to ask this type of question" oo nga naman, and ricci is not arisu para sagutin ni kobe yung tanong.

They were silent for a while until kobe spoke "pero kung meron ba, will you back off?" that sentence made ricci froze.

What kobe was saying is far from the real kobe. Kobe wont talk like this pag tungkol kay arisu, maybe, just maybe may nararamdaman na ito kay arisu, and ricci can't confirm it since wala naman syang napapansin na pagbabago sa pakikitungo niya sa babae.

'what's happening to you kobe?' ricci asked himself.

They heard laughs na papalapit kaya naptingin sila pareho sa pintuan. Alam na nila agad na mga teammates nila ito.

Humarap ulit si kobe sa kanya kaya kusa siyang napatingin dito "pag wala ako, substitute ka lang rivero" kumunot ang noo ni ricci sa sinabi nito.

"kobe!" narinig nila ang maligayang sigaw ni arisu mula sa entrance.

He saw arisu running towards him, all smiley as if kobe is the only person that she sees and that made kobe smirked. Umiikot lang ang mundo ni arisu sa kanya at panatag sya doon.

"substitute rivero, substitute" paalala ni kobe atsaka bumalik sa pagsshoot ng bola, at bumalik din sya sa pagiging cold nito sa babae.