Beyond The Hoops

Chapter 3: Breaking The Huddle

The drive to the camp felt like it stretched on forever. The bus ride was filled with chatter, but my mind was elsewhere. I couldn't shake the tension in my chest, the restlessness that had been with me for the past few days. This camp was supposed to be exciting—a chance to improve, to grow, but it just felt like another weight pressing down on me. It should have felt like a fresh start, but it didn't. Not for me.

As the bus pulled into the parking lot, the sprawling fields and multiple courts came into view. Everything seemed so... vast. Like the entire world of basketball had been condensed into this one space. Yet, I couldn't feel the thrill that everyone else seemed to be. The place was huge, with courts in every direction and coaches standing by to greet us with big smiles and motivational speeches.

I could barely hear the words. My head was too full.

When we disembarked, the teams split off to head toward their assigned dorms. The coaches were all smiles, full of pep talks and team chants. My mind wasn't on any of that. It was still back in the city, lingering on the cameras, on my team settling in across the courtyard, and most of all, on the knot that had settled deep in my stomach.

"Khanna! Snap out of it." Riya's voice broke through my thoughts, and I turned to face her. She grabbed my arm, pulling me aside as we walked toward the dorm. "What's going on? You've barely said a word since we left the bus."

I hesitated, unsure of what to say. There was no way I could explain what I was feeling. Not the nightmares, not the fears gnawing at me from the inside, and certainly not how Devansh had overheard me that night. I wasn't ready to put any of that into words.

I shrugged, offering the easiest excuse I could think of. "Just tired, I guess."

Riya didn't look convinced, but she didn't press further. "Well, you better snap out of it, Captain. We need you at 100%."

The camp had this old-world charm to it, with wooden beams lining the ceilings and walls of stone. The atmosphere was a strange mix of tradition and modernity, but all I could think about was how I had no idea what to expect. We followed the coaches to the room assignments.

"We've assigned the rooms," Coach Sharma said, walking ahead with the clipboard. "The captains will be staying on the top floor. You're next to each other, of course. I'll give you time to settle in, but then we'll start with a team briefing."

I stopped in my tracks, my heart racing. The top floor? I hadn't been told about that—no one had mentioned it. My eyes flicked to Riya, who gave me a confused look. "Wait, you didn't know?"

I shook my head, trying to mask my surprise. "No. No one said anything."

Riya gave me a pointed look, her eyebrows furrowed. "That's weird. I thought they'd at least brief us about that."

I didn't have time to dwell on it. We were already moving toward the elevator, and I felt the tension in my shoulders rise. The elevator doors closed behind us, and I stared at the blinking numbers above the doors. It was only when we reached the top floor that I saw the room numbers.

Room 415.

My room.

Room 416.

Devansh's room.

I stood frozen for a moment, staring at the numbers in disbelief. No way. I was supposed to be here alone, away from everyone, isolated from the rest of the group. But instead, Devansh's room was right next to mine. The space between our doors was practically nonexistent. And I couldn't deny the weird feeling in my chest—the one that had nothing to do with the camp and everything to do with the fact that this was exactly the kind of coincidence I didn't want.