It's Just A Game

Chapter 1 Not A Bad Day After All

Physics was a total bummer when I saw those formulas being scribbled on the board. Mrs. Rodriguez' voice was straining my ears because it was coming in too pitchy. I sighed at the doodle on my notebook. I feel so heavy with all these frustrations and aches in my heart. My day started so bad. The entire lecture was a blur. I just wanted to go home and stay in bed.

I hurried out of the Physics class right after the bell rang to avoid the throng of students in the corridor. I made my way to the far end of the hallway to put some of my stuff back in the locker. With swift movements, I keyed in my combination to open it and jammed the books not minding how topsy-turvy the insides of my locker looked like already.

A loud thud and waves of laughter disrupted my focus and I looked at the source of the disturbance. Rolling my eyes at the petite girl who has the entire basketball team in tow. "Going anywhere with the boys, Zareena?" I asked without looking at them while trying to fix the contents of the locker.

"Yes, we're going to get some lunch." My best friend Zareena's brows arched in a way that whatever she was going to say next should not be contradicted. "And you are coming with us." She grabbed my wrist, pulled me away and her boyfriend Luke easily closed the locker for me.

"But I don't want to eat." I stared blankly at her but the effort fell on deaf ears. Luke laughed and the rest of the boys snickered. "Just leave me alone, guys! I'm not your responsibility anyway."

We were near the door of the cafeteria and it was only half filled with students. "Who said about responsibility, Myah? We are just concerned about you. Personally, I don't like you sulking." Luke said at my back as he guided me by the shoulders to the nearest empty table. "I know you are still hurt by what happened. The pain isn't going to subside right away but your life has to continue for him." He settled on my right side as trays of food was placed in front of us.

"Myah, we aren't saying to forget everything. What we wanted you to know is for you to get a grip on the situation." Zareena pushed a plate of lasagna in front of me.

"It's not only you who are grieving. The team is hurting too because we lost a very vital part. He was our leader and our friend more than anything else." Jessie Lambert, the team's point guard, uttered emotionally as he sat opposite from me.

I searched their faces and saw the sadness in it. I couldn't help but feel touched by their sentiments. Five months have passed since my brother's death and this is the first time they confronted me about the whole mess and my cold demeanor.

"All right, fine!I'll let you all babysit me if that's what you like." Smiling, I threw my hands in mock surrender. They all beamed at me sincerely as the boys did high fives with each other. Zareena wrapped me in a tight hug while Luke destroyed the bun of my hair.

Definitely, I should be thankful that I have these people around me to keep me sane. Zareena has been my best friend since day one in high school. We click together because we balance each other's character. She's noisy. I'm quiet. She's the It girl. I'm plain. You can say the shirt and pants type paired with Chucks. We enjoy movies all the time from old-school Tom Cruise down to Channing Tatum.

Luke Grisham, aside from being Zareena's boyfriend, was my brother's wingman on the hard court. He plays the center and the rebound expert. He's not too tall like most center players but he has the strength to counter the giants.

Jessie was the tattletale of the group. He does all the trash talking to pester the other team even his teammates get annoyed with him sometimes. He throws a crumb in my direction that landed on top of my hair. I laughed while Zareena took it off and threw it back to Jessie who evaded it so easily.

The other guys on the team were Phil Lange, another forward, and Randell Ortiz, Jessie's fellow point guard. They make up the starting five of New Harold High School.

It wasn't a bad day after all if only I have opened my eyes to my friends who are trying to reach out to me from my own world. My brother's friends. You never failed to amaze me, brother.

My eyes are beginning to get wet with tears. I rubbed it with my knuckles to prevent it from falling.

"Are you okay, Myah?" Phil suddenly asked and all of them were looking at me.

I faked a smile and nodded. "I'm all good, Philly. Thanks to all of you."

"I really thought you were going to cry," Jessie commented out loud and garnered protests from the people.

"And why would I cry,Jessie?" Innocently I countered and sniffed.

"Coz your eyes are all red," Jessie muttered breathily.

"Shut up, Lambert. That mouth of yours!" Randell interjected as a balled paper flew directly to Jessie's face. Everybody laughed including me at the two boys trying to punch each other's shoulders.

Everything's gonna be fine from now on.