Hearts on the Court

Chapter 5: Big Announcement

As the class dragged on, Noah let out a dramatic sigh, slumping in his seat as if the weight of his hunger was pulling him down. "Oh my God, I'm so hungry, I could eat a whole elephant," he groaned, resting his head on his desk.

I glanced over at him and chuckled. "Be patient, Noah. Class is almost done," I said calmly, though I could see how impatient he was by the way he kept glancing at the clock every few seconds.

His response was another exaggerated groan as he slumped even lower into his seat, his stomach audibly rumbling. "I can't take it anymore," he mumbled, his face pressed against his arms.

The professor finally finished his lecture, his voice trailing off as he said the words Noah had been longing to hear: "Okay, class is dismissed."

Before I could even blink, Noah shot up from his seat like a rocket and bolted out the door, not even bothering to wait for Andrew or me. He was gone in an instant, and all I could do was shake my head in amusement.

"That guy," I muttered, as Andrew and I slowly packed up our things. "He didn't even wait for us."

Andrew, ever the stoic, shrugged nonchalantly. "Typical Noah," he said with his usual deadpan expression. "Let's catch up with him in the cafeteria. I'm starving too."

We made our way to the cafeteria, expecting to find Noah already halfway through his meal, but to our surprise, we saw him standing by the entrance, deep in conversation with Tom. Instead of shoveling food into his mouth like usual, Noah was chatting away, gesturing excitedly while Tom nodded along, smiling. It was strange—Noah never usually got distracted from food.

Before we could react, we saw Tom hand Noah a tray of food and then sit down together at a table to eat. Andrew and I exchanged a surprised glance.

"Huh," I said, raising an eyebrow. "Looks like he's found himself a new lunch buddy."

Andrew's face remained as neutral as ever. "Yeah, looks like we're on our own. Let's just eat. I'm hungry too."

We grabbed our food and started scanning the cafeteria for a place to sit when a familiar voice called out, "Hey Andrew! Come sit with us!"

Andrew turned around, spotting Harry waving from a nearby table. Harry was one of Andrew's teammates on the football team, always loud and full of energy. "Oh, hey Harry," Andrew said, nodding as Harry approached us with a grin, draping an arm over Andrew's shoulders.

"Come on, man! You gotta sit with us. Who's this?" Harry asked, gesturing to me with a curious smile.

I extended a hand, trying to match Harry's upbeat energy. "Hey, I'm Jacob. I'm a friend of Andrew's."

Harry grinned and shook my hand enthusiastically. "Sweet! I'm Harry, like Andrew said, we're on the football team together. Nice to meet you, man! Come sit with us."

"Thanks, man. Nice to meet you too," I said, following them toward the table. As we approached, I noticed William sitting at the table alongside another guy I didn't recognize. My stomach did a little flip when William looked up and spotted me.

"Hey, Jacob!" William called out, smiling warmly. "What are you doing here?"

Before I could respond, Harry stopped in his tracks, looking between us. "Wait, you guys know each other?"

William chuckled and shook his head. "Yeah, I'm Jacob's mentor. Don't you remember? I told you on the first day—Jacob Adams, ring any bells?"

Harry slapped his forehead dramatically. "Oh right! Now I remember. Man, I knew your name sounded familiar." He grinned and gestured toward William. "Well, since you two know each other, go ahead and sit next to him."

I smiled and walked over to sit beside William, trying not to seem too eager. Andrew, meanwhile, took a seat next to Harry, looking as calm and collected as ever.

"By the way," Harry continued, motioning toward the guy sitting next to William, "this is Maxine. He's also on the football team with us."

"Hey," Maxine said with a friendly grin, "but you can call me Max if you want."

"Sure, nice to meet you, Max. I'm Jacob," I replied, extending my hand.

Max shook my hand and laughed. "Yeah, I remember. Don't worry, I'm not like Harry over there who forgets everything in five seconds."

I couldn't help but laugh too, while Harry protested, "Hey, it's not my fault! I just meet a lot of people."

William joined in on the teasing, a playful smile on his face. "Well, whose fault is it then?"

We all laughed, the lighthearted teasing easing into comfortable silence as we started eating. The cafeteria was bustling with activity, the clatter of trays and the murmur of conversation filling the air, but at our table, things were relaxed and casual.

After a while, William turned to me and said, "By the way, don't forget to come to the club later. I heard from the seniors that something exciting is going to be announced today."

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued but also confused. "Exciting? What are you talking about?"

William gave me a mysterious smile. "You'll see. Just make sure you're there."

I shrugged, feeling a mix of curiosity and anticipation. "Don't worry, I'll be there."

"Good," William said with a grin, "see you there, Jacob."

"Sure, Captain," I teased, and he chuckled softly, his laughter warm and easy.

As we finished our meal, I couldn't help but wonder what the big announcement could be. It was only the first week back after summer break, so I couldn't imagine what could be so important that it required a special announcement. Still, the way William talked about it made me feel like it was something worth paying attention to.

We soon finished eating and headed back to our next class. As we walked down the hall, we finally caught up with Noah, who was lingering outside the door. Andrew grabbed him by the shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

"Hey," Andrew said, his voice low but firm, "why didn't you wait for us after class?"

Noah looked back at him sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry, I was just in a rush to get some food."

I couldn't resist chiming in with a grin. "Yeah, but instead of eating, you were chatting it up with Tom."

Noah laughed, shrugging. "Well, yeah. He bought me lunch, so I couldn't say no. He's a good guy, really looks out for me."

I rolled my eyes playfully. "Alright, alright. Let's just focus on class."

The rest of the day passed by in a blur, and soon enough, it was time to head to our clubs. I made my way to the basketball gym, my thoughts still lingering on William's mysterious words. The training session started off as usual—drills, warm-ups, the usual routines. Two hours passed, and I started to doubt there was any big announcement at all.

But just as we were wrapping up, Coach Martin called us over, his serious expression betraying nothing. "Alright, gather around," he said, and we all sat down, eagerly waiting to hear what he had to say.

"Good work today, everyone," Coach began. "I've got some news for you all. The playoffs are coming soon, and we need to step up our game."

My heart skipped a beat. Playoffs? Already? I had been so focused on the tryouts that I hadn't even thought about the upcoming season.

Coach continued, "Tomorrow morning, we're heading to El Paso for a tournament. It's a friendly game, so don't stress too much, but it's important we see how we're playing as a team. Go home, get some rest, and be ready to give it your all tomorrow."

Excitement bubbled up inside me as I realized this was the "exciting news" William had hinted at. A tournament! This was my chance to really prove myself, not just to the team but to Coach Martin as well.

After Coach dismissed us, I rushed back to my dorm, already mentally packing my bag. This was going to be a big weekend, and I was ready for whatever came next.