Code Smashers

III.

How high he must have flew, that his heart and body fell down to the depths to the ravine, prickling with stones and a career-ending reality.

This poor boy now needed to walk with the crutches. Eyes were piercing him, as he walked into the school corridor.

In what he feels to be his walk of shame, Prince Charles Kaschak, a deemed royalty in the Rey de la Salvacion court, walks with his chin up regardless.

...

Sometime in the middle of a basketball match, he felt his knee twist on a sprain, which later own proved to be something more sinister. Apparently he already accumulated damage on both his ankle and knee in the off-season. Many more talks later with the doctor, prompting him to hide his basketball for good, along with putting up gloves and bandages for his weakly body parts.

Usually surrounded with admiring female students, and fellow teammates on that seat, he spent a time on his school table, alone.

He would be putting his pastor uncle's faith into shame. Several unanswered whys and unexplained injuries even when he took care of himself immensely, his eyes, glaring glued to the screen, displaying memory verses like-

"I can do all this through him who gives me strength. - Philippians 4:13 (NIV)"

That's like, every Christian athletes' mantra. He was one of those passionate Christians: actively attending church despite some exhausting practice sessions in the weekend. He was a huge burst of energy; he would volunteer to lift even the church chairs after a typical mass.

"So how did I end up in here?" Prince ironically questions himself, and the One he's supposed to talk with.

His loneliness eating him up in a time where he's supposed to fill himself with good nutrition, he decides to sleep in the middle of this chaotic cafeteria.

...

"Prince?"

Prince jolted up to see three people surrounding him.

"Can we sit with you?" This youthful guy inquired. A nod from Prince had them initiating to sit around his table.

"I know, you're not okay," Nica finally started to talk. "Apparently you can walk after two weeks. Jade said he hasn't seen you in the church for a long time."

The silence, and a skeptical, faraway gaze was enough for the rest to see the whole picture.

"Literally the only thing that would make me happy while serving Him," Prince replied, "and He takes it away as if I did nothing." - in a reprimanding manner.

"Prince is your name, right?" Setta opened up, "I was told you... had a Philippians 4:13 in your biography in Imagen."

"It's a very shameful thing to put in the biography, I know," Prince chuckled bitterly.

"But I realized, Paul wrote that verse while he was in the prison."

Prince resigned as he opened his ears to these audacious classmates, one of them he didn't know much aside from eavesdropping how she has pissed teachers off for three days straight.

"He was thanking people who believed and supported him during those trying times, but, he told them his side of the story, of how God helped him. He endured the seasons he was lacking, and endured the seasons he was winning. Thus, Paul can do anything, through the Lord who strengthens him."

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. - Philippians 4:12, the precedent verse of a well known one."

"Prince. You can complain," Nica started wrapping up her words along with the food they finished with him. "But this is just a redirection for you. I hope you won't be harsh towards yourself. Even we don't know what future holds for us, I hope we get to see the full picture as to why would God even allow all this to happen to you."

"Also," Sam continued, "We're here for you."

"I don't know what your intentions are," Prince looked at them suspiciously, "but if you're going to make me join a cult, I will do everything in my power to avoid all of you."

They just chuckled.

"We need to protect this loud-mouth person beside me," Nica nudged Setta, who gagged while drinking water. "And we get to study the Word of God more."

"I don't feel like Christianity is for me anymore."

"Oh, but you don't need to be a Christian. Just be a book-nerd, and nothing will go wrong!"

"Now that you mentioned it," Prince scratches his head, "I haven't read some books for a long time. The practices were longer and harsher than usual."

"Look buddy, I haven't even studied the Bible, and she still made an alliance with me." Setta shrugged her shoulder.

"Aren't you gonna be in trouble with your fellow nerds, Nica?" Prince asked, only for them to point at Sam- someone already on Nica's circle due to their academic excellence.

"She blackmailed me," Sam rolled his eyes before everyone else in that table exploded into a fit of laughter.

"Okay, I will join -"

"Code Smashers."

A pause happened.

"That's the ugliest group name I have ever heard, get away from me," Prince's eyes twitched and his smile twisted downwards in disgust.

"You can change it sometime later though. Suggestions are open."

"Yeah I'll think about that too later."

They stood up in unison. Sam offered to help Prince walk only for Prince to decline, "I can still walk, you idiot, I need to do physical therapy."

For a while, Prince's finally evaded loneliness for the first time. His supposed walk of shame was cancelled for the rest of the day.

There were still judgmental stares, as they had been known for the ruckus they caused in classroom discussions for the next few days.