The arena was buzzing after the intense championship game. The scoreboard was still flashing the final score, showing just how hard the my team fought. Nanalo kami against Sunridge.. shit.
I stood sa gitna ng court, soaking wet from sweat and totally pumped. My teammates were all around, celebrating and soaking up the joy of our big win.
Nilibot ko ang mata ko around the arena, where confetti was drifting down from the rafters. The stands, which had been filled with tense faces, were now a blur of cheers and celebration. But no one really mattered when I finally spot who I've been looking for.
Of course, Damian watched!
He's with the whole Iskwala, so hindi na ako aasa na nanood siya for me. There's a chance na hinila lang siya ni Knox because the dude had to watch his team lose. Yup.
It was really hard to see if he was looking back at me, and before I knew it, my teammates were already trying to make me cheer with them.
Bumalik kami lahat sa locker room to cool down. The awarding ceremony was coming up soon, but I'm still high from the win. I never really loved basketball pero for the first time, na-enjoy ko maglaro at manalo.
I hoped he saw that I was genuinely happy.
I looked over at my teammates, who were huddled together, grinning from ear to ear. We exchanged high-fives and playful shoves—
"Serrano, may naghahanap sa 'yo sa labas!"
Ang hirap makalaya sa teammates ko but I managed to change my shirt and leave the locker room. Outside, Frankie was waiting with a bouquet of flowers. "Congrats!"
I smiled, "Thanks, Kie. You know you didn't have to, right?"
She rolled her eyes, "Duh! Si daddy bumili niyan, I was forced here so I'm sorry if naistorbo ko kayo ng teammates mo."
I just laughed and gently pulled her along as we headed back to the arena. Kailangan ko batiin personally parents niya who gave me their time to watch my game.
"Congrats for winning the game, Rai."
"It was a team effort but thank you, Atty. Hernaez—"
"I told you to call me tito."
Uh, What if no? I've been setting boundaries para hindi na sila umasa sa 'min ni Frankie, but they just won't get it.
Before I could say a word, my eyes landed on Iskwala. They were still seated in the same spot as before, maybe to watch the awarding ceremony, pero nakatayo si Damian— and Knox seemed to be trying to stop him from leaving.
He's leaving?
"Right, sure, Atty. Hernaez. Excuse me."
Lumapit ako sa Iskwala but they didn't appear to notice me. Only Tio nodded in my direction, so I gave him a smile.
"Mamaya ka na umuwi, gago!"
"Kanina pa ako inaantok!"
"Dito ka matulog! Higa ka sa kandungan ko tapos i-hele pa kita!"
"Ako na taga-haplos!"
I cleared my throat to get their attention. As amusing as their bickering was, ayoko na i-try na i-imagine what they were planning to do with Damian— even if it's platonic.
"Nice game, Serrano!" Conrad exclaimed as he pulled me into a half-hug, giving me a solid clap on the back. "Bati tayo ngayon dahil pinanalo mo school natin!"
