You can Bet on Me

Part 29 ~ The Game

Michael
"What the hell?" Cassie had yelled, anger in her voice. I winced. "Why would you do that to Maddy?" she crossed her arms over her chest and looked at me, her cheerleader sassiness clearly showing. "I don't believe you. She would have told me."
"She didn't tell you?" I couldn't tell if I should be relieved or concerned that Maddison hadn't told Cassie, one her best friends. "Whatever. I just need you to convince her to come to our game on Sunday."
"And why should I listen to you? Even if your story was true, that would mean you hurt her. Badly. And why would I help someone who hurt my best friend?" I winced at her words. They stung, but they were undoubtedly true.
"I want to make it up to her." I breathed, crossing my fingers that Cassie wouldn't pry further. I hoped to keep my plan as private as possible, giving Cassie the bare details since cheerleaders at our school weren't exactly known for their ability to keep a secret.
She didn't look convinced. "So, after all your lies, you think that I'll believe you?"
It was true. I wasn't exactly known for being very truthful, but at this moment, I was being completely truthful. I'd never regretted my dishonesty, but at this moment, I really wished I could go back in time and change that. I would just have to hope that she would believe me this one time. This one time that it really mattered.
I took a deep breath. "Maddison means more to me than I'd ever know. I regret everything. I love her, and I'm not going to just lose her without a fight. I don't care if it fails. I just want one chance to make things right with the girl I love."
"And the girl you hurt," she reminded me with a raised brow. I held her gaze for a long time, hoping I managed to convey just how much Maddison meant to me. Just how much I loved her, now and forever. She let out a deep sigh. "Fine. I'll try, but I can't promise anything."
Mentally, I fist-pumped, but outside, I simply smiled at her and hoped that she would keep her word.
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I scored, and the crowd practically screamed. I barely noticed them as my eyes zeroed in on Maddison's beautiful face in the crowd, and my good mood dimmed when I saw the dismay and sadness and anger sparkling in her eyes. I shook my head, telling myself she would be happier later after I did the Big Reveal. I could practically imagine the beaming smile that would be on her face and that motivated me again. I had noticed that her eyes had been on me the entire time – it made my heart soar to know that she only had eyes for me. Her eyes on me just made me want to play better; impress her.
Love really does things to people.
The game kept going, and we had less than a minute on the clock. I wasn't going to lie – the opposing team was really good. Every single one of their players were talented and incredibly tall, but I stood at 6'4 and was taller than most of them except this one guy whos' jersey read 'Fletchers'. They had managed to even out the score, and the crowd was wildly cheering for their respective teams. Naturally, our basketball team name was heard much louder than the other team's, and the feeling of Maddison's eyes on me made me even more motivated to win. I couldn't let the Big Reveal go after a loss.
The whole crowd was silently on edge as the timer became thirty seconds. I had grown increasingly frustrated – for every point we scored, the other team would score a point as well.
Joshua passed to me and I knew that I had to score – for the sake of the team, the Big Reveal, and Maddison. I dribbled the ball down the court, running as fast as I could and dodging the opposing team's players while my teammates helped clear the path to the hoop for me.
Fletchers was in front of me in an instant. His eyes held just as much determination as mine did, except I was most definitely not going to lose.
The entire crowd was still silent. The tension in the air was so thick that I could have sliced through it with a butter knife. Everyone was on the edge of their seats.
I scanned the giant in front of me, but I caught Maddison's eye. She too was anticipating the next move, and I smirked. I couldn't lose.
I made the first move. Fletchers was tall and a practical giant, but that meant he was slow and sloppy. I decided to make a risky move – I threw the ball under him and between his legs. Before Fletchers could even comprehend what I was doing, I had took the ball from the other side of him and he turned around in surprise. The crowd had began chanting and counting down – five seconds left.
The world seemed to move in slow-motion – I saw Maddison's beautiful face with traces of sadness and misery in her eyes; I saw my teammates urging me on with their eyes; I saw Fletchers run up to me to try and block my shot. But I threw the ball up – two seconds left. I winced – it had been a bad shot, but it was stilling bouncing at the hoop ring. The buzzer rang and the crowd had already counted down to zero, and was now waiting in anticipation to see if the ball would go in.
It circled around the rim for a long while, what seemed like forever, before finally going in and winning us the game.
The crowd went absolutely wild, and everyone was up in a standing ovation and wild cheers, whistles, and yells. The only person, I noted, who was sitting down was Maddison. Her eyes still held the same misery and sadness, and it made my heart ache knowing that I had hurt her. But I couldn't let that get to me – the Big Reveal had to happen, and now that I had won the game, I would try and win my Maddison.
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