Aaron
"Timeout!"
Nagising ang ulirat ko sa pito’t sigaw ni Coach Salazar, only realizing now I’d been standing under the basket for too long.
"Captain, ano ‘yun? You’re camping in the paint! Tatlong segundo ka na roon," aniya, palapit sa akin.
I glanced around. Nakatitig sa akin ang mga teammates ko with concern in their faces, while the students in the bleachers had gone quiet, all eyes on us.
"I apologize, Coach," I muttered.
"You’re not even cutting or opening up for the pass. If you’re gonna play like that, bench ka muna."
I bit my lip. Tumango na lang ako, then jogged toward the bench while practice went on.
It’s been a few days since... Kakashi and I got called into the Dean’s Office. That was the last time I even heard a word from him.
Now, every time we pass each other in the dorm hallway, he walks by like I’m invisible. Na para bang hindi niya utang sa akin ang putanginang buhay niya.
And I’m slowly getting fed up. Lalo na ngayon... kung dati halos lahat kampi sa akin, ngayon may ilan-ilan na sa social media ang bumabatikos sa akin.
I hate to admit it, but it gets under my skin. My reputation is my darling. And watching it get chipped away because of Kakashi? It makes me think of the most creative ways para pahirapan siya.
"Tangina." I raked my fingers through my hair, elbows resting on my knees, letting the strands fall forward to hide my face.
I’d been wearing shades the past few days, kahit sa klase, never ko tinanggal. Ngayon lang talaga.
Coach hated it. I mean, who the hell practices basketball wearing sunglasses? Magmumukha talaga akong katawa-tawa nu'n.
I reached up and gently touched the skin around my eye. Hindi na siya masakit, at hindi na gano’n kahalata. Kita pa rin, pero siguro kapag tumatakbo ako sa court, hindi na rin masyadong pansin.
"What’s going on, Cap?"
I glanced to my side. Coach had settled beside me on the bench, eyes still on the game. Seryoso ang mukha niya, and he adjusted his cap without looking my way.
I cleared my throat. "Wala, Coach—"
"Distracted ka ba?" He finally turned, his stare drilling straight into mine.
I hesitated, then shook my head and looked back to the court, watching Xavier, our best point guard, sink a one-handed shot.
"I’m… stressed lang po, Coach," I said. "Being team captain gets overwhelming sometimes."
This year lang ipinasa sa akin ang position ng captain before the old Thunderhawks leader graduated. The whole team voted for me dahil sa skill at passion ko sa court.
May ilang veterans din na gumraduate, so we had to hold tryouts to fill the gaps.
Pero kahit mabigat ang responsibility, that’s not why my head’s not in the game.
Truth is, I keep thinking about what’s gonna happen when Mom and Dad find out my issue with Kakashi.
Since I moved into my own dorm, I’ve told them almost nothing. Wala silang alam na halos winawaldas ko ang allowance ko sa condoms, lube, alak, at gasolina.
They don’t know that aside from being athletic, I’m also reckless. They’re not chronically online, lalo si Dad, na palaging nasa business trips at abala sa kumpanya, kaya clueless sila.
