the story of us 》sungtaro

33

The fabled, long-anticipated championship basketball game had finally arrived.

Donghyuck and I struggled to find a parking spot that night, cars filling every spot, even making their own. Inside was even worse.

Walking up to the school, the cheers and screams could be heard from out in the night air. Every person around came to the event, not just students. Parents, teachers, grandparents, neighbors, they all filled the seats. Hyuck and I shoved our way into the student section, the struggle to find two seats proving quite difficult.

I attempted to wave at Jaemin, who was standing in the very front row, decked out in our school's colors, but his attention was so on the game that he didn't even notice my small attempt at being social.

When we finally got to our seats, I realized why the tutor's focus was so strong. In past games, I had been watching Sungchan, entranced by his every move.

But there was a new player on the court. One who had been yearning to play for weeks, waiting to show his talent, anxious to prove something. Lee Jeno came to win, came to impress his ex-tutor.

In his mind, if he won the game for the team tonight, he'd be sticking it to all the morons in our class who had said all the nasty things about Jaemin in the past, because he was only there because of the blue haired boy.

He was on fire, tearing his way down the court, moving as if his opponents weren't even there. It was mesmerizing, the whole crowd matching his energy.

My eyes wandered to his teammate, then brushing his auburn hair out of his eyes since Jeno was doing the majority of the work. I hadn't approached Sungchan about what I'd heard days earlier in the library, I didn't see the point.

Even if Sungchan had done the things that Hyuck said, they couldn't be taken back. Plus, I knew my tan friend and his tendency to over exaggerate a story. Perhaps what Hyuck had seen was just Sungchan being his friendly self.

Still the questions and uncertainty ate at me as I watched the boy I loved run down the court, watching the cheerleaders trained on his glowing façade.

Jeno was there to play, Sungchan was there to look pretty.

Speaking of cheerleaders, Jaemin was doing a much better job on the front row. He overshadowed the girls by far, his excitement and energy could be felt radiating throughout the crowd. I had never seen him at a game before, but I knew why he was there currently. He was there to see the fruit of his efforts, he was there for Jeno, and Jeno only.

Speaking of the determined man, he passed the ball to his friend, Sungchan catching it easily. He shot, making it with a swish.

Where once he looked to me among the crowd, his ego-filled gaze now scanned the row of his fangirls in front of me, searching for their approval.

The game sped along, our points towering over the opponents. Jeno helped a lot, Sungchan did little, still taking the credit for their lead.

Finally the minutes left ticked down to seconds, and in a shot of desperation, Jeno threw the ball across the court, the crowd falling silent, holding their breath.

We watched in anticipation as the ball went through the hoop right as the buzzer sounded, the crowd erupting immediately with cheers.

Jeno had won the game, but his sense of triumph wouldn't last for long.