Blocked |c.h.|

03:00

"Alright we're down by three with a few seconds on the board. This is not the time to be messing about guys." The Coach started, pulling out his small dry erase board and began doodling. "I need Calum in the corner and everyone else in normal position. I want you all to guard that ball with your life. That means defense, understand?" He asked, scanning the sweaty players huddled around him. They all nodded and wiped their faces with the towels Tai handed out.

Calum examined the board and bit his bottom lip, completely worried. So far they've been on a back to back losing streak so they had to get this win to redeem themselves.

And now the game rests on his shoulders.

"C'mon, Cal! I'm counting on you. When they inbound the ball, you catch and shoot. We have no time for you to think." Coach explained, raising a brow at the boy. Calum wanted to roll his eyes so bad, not from anything the coach said, but everything else.

The fact that he can't shake this 'zone' he's been in ever since the previous week.

The fact that the team won the first game but lost the next two.

The fact that during the whole game all he's scored was ten points, neither of them in the fourth.

The fact that he turned the ball over more than he scored, twelve times to be exact.

And lastly, the fact that he's been scoreless the whole last quarter yet this last shot is all on him.

"I got it, Coach." He agreed and took the cup that Tai was handing him. She was giving him that concerned look and he hated when she pulled that face. Usually what followed after was a bad-timing, elongated and unnecessary speech.

"What, T?" He asked the brown girl as she placed the folded towels on the end of the bench.

"You sure you don't want Luke to take the shot?"

"Why would I do that? Luke's three-point percentage is below mine. We can't risk that." Calum shook his head and downed the half cup of gatorade.

Tai rolled her eyes and handed him a towel.

"Yeah but he's the reason we're only down by three." She side eyed the kiwi boy and lazily tossed another towel at one of the players.

"Thanks for the encouraging words, dear friend of mine." He said sarcastically, throwing on a fake smile.

"Thomas, get slick with me, again. You have time for good beat down before timeout is over." Tai sassed, bending down to tighten her laces.

"Well, have some confidence in me then, T." He nudged her arm a few times before she sighed.

"I do but I know you're out of it right now."

"It's different when I'm under pressure." He argued back, wetting his mouth piece then placing it back in his mouth.

The buzzer went off, indicating that the time-out is over and it's time to get back on the court.

Tai opened her mouth to reply but Calum only squeezed her arm reassuringly and raced to his position.

The crowd started cheering the teams name and some even chanted Calum's.

He stood by the free throw line and watched as Luke dribbled the ball out of bounds. The whistles blew and Calum quickly made it to the corner.

This was the perfect angle for him to look up and not only see the defender trying his best to block him but a familiar pretty face in the crowd.

Delaney.