This was starting to look like a dumb decision on my part.
Oh, really, you're only now realising that?
Okay, Hazel, you're truly living up to that title of guardian angel, aren't you now? Supportive much?
As all four of us - and one invisible company - made our way down towards the gym, I could feel my stomach filing its complaint against my brash decision of doing sport right after eating lunch. I mean, it wasn't like Ji-Sung was not caught in the same predicament as I was; in fact, on paper, he should be a little bit worse off due to how much more quickly I had finished my meal. But, speaking from experience, the guy had always been a natural freak when it came to anything sports-related, so I really couldn't rely on any hypothesis of mine to help me secure the victory. Besides, I myself could feel the energy within me slowly draining away just from walking, so using my inductive reasoning skills, I could already say that I was at a disadvantage.
I really need to start working out one of these days, I thought.
Oh, add that to the list of the many things you tell yourself you need to do, why don't you?
For some reason that I couldn't really put my finger on, it seemed like Hazel was enjoying this whole ordeal far more than I was. I wonder why I got that feeling from her. Must be the wind.
"So, how long are you two playing?" Mai asked, right as we were about to enter the court.
"There's still like twenty minutes left before class starts, so I think we can have a full quarter just to make things fun. Though, I don't think either one of us want to waste our time sprinting the entire court, so half-court it is then," Ji-Sung quickly responded. No, responded wasn't the right word; he was announcing the fact since I had absolutely no say in the matter whatsoever. He was the actual basketball player, I was not. Besides, I wasn't that dumb to not realise that the entire parameter he had set up was one-hundred percent made with me in mind. As much as he had to have wanted to play D&D, he was still willing to give me a relatively fair chance. Whether it was due to his sportmanship spirit or just his kind attitude, I did not know. Regardless, I remained thankful to him for such consideration. And so was my stomach.
"Sure, let's do it." I said, trying to pump myself up.
While Mai and Eddie took their place at the sideline, I readied myself for the can of whoop-ass that was surely heading my way. Let's just hope my tolerance level had improved just enough since the last time so that I could at least hold my own now. At the moment, all I needed was one point. Just one point! And I would win this bet and be home free.
"Your ball?" Ji-Sung asked.
"Nah, you can start." Ah, such humility coming from the person who was absolutely going to regret such a decision. How delightful.
"Okay, bud."
And with the two of us both starting from the halfcourt mark and with me defending Ji-Sung, the game finally began. Twelve minutes, that was the time I had to win. Or I guess, to be more realistic as we all should strive to be in situations like these, the time I had to survive.
As I had expected, though Ji-Sung did give me a fair opportunity to even the playing field, he had no desire to actually let me get an easy win. Sure, I could still follow his dribbles at first, but I knew that the moment he wanted to change gear, I would be at risk of losing him right on the spot. Taking into account some old memories that I had of primary PE, I tried to put some distance between him and I so that I could cover more ground. Unfortunately for me, this was exactly what he was waiting for. As I step-backed to gain a better position, Ji-Sung quickly turned the other direction which I had left open by mistake. Not even wasting any precious time, he bolted all the way to the paint for an easy layup, with me barely arriving at the rim when the ball was already on its way down. It was 1-0, and I was trailing with less than a minute past. Off to a great start here, aren't we? Not only must I now score two points, but I also have to keep him from getting any more points! Otherwise, it was going to be a hell of an uphill battle for me to get back to this game.
YOU ARE READING
Sleep Deprived
Fiksi Remaja"A rewrite of a story that I had once written, and a story that has continuously been playing in my head ever since." Noel, a tired yet somewhat still trying high schooler, is plagued by a problem that has made it even harder for him to overcome his...
