Second Chances

Chapter 10

The Second Quarter ended with the score of 27-45

We're being crushed. 

The first half ended, and now all of us are in the locker room. If there would be some way we can do in the following second half...

It's silent here, no one's talking and all of them are deep in thoughts or something. 

"Kuroko-kun." I sit beside him in the corner of the bench as I scan something in my bag. 

"What is it, Mari-chan?" 

"Here." I handed him my camera. He raised an eyebrow and I smile at him in return. "This contains a tape of Takao-kun during the first half."

His mouth fell open a little bit before taking the camera. "Thank you, Mari-chan." 

"What are you thanking for? We're a team." 

Kuroko smiled. "You're right.." He mumbles, before watching the videotape. 

After that, no one is still talking. 

I looked at the coach and sweat-drop when I saw her thinking about a prize again. 

"H-Hey everyone.." Coach Riko said, clenching her fists shakily.

Hyuga-senpai raised his hand. "Coach, it's okay. You're probably going to say something stupid anyway."

Coach blushed. 

And....another silence again. 

Are they losing hope now? Will they give up? Half of me wants to believe we'll win...but..then, half of me is also telling me that we'll lose, no matter how determined we can be. 

But...there's gotta be a way somehow..

"Kuroko, what are you doing?" Izuki-senpai asked Kuroko beside me. 

"Mari-chan has a videotape of Takao-kun during the first half." He answered without looking up.

"Do you have a plan?" 

"I don't know." 

"You don't know?"

"I have thought about winning, but I have never wondered if I can win or not." He looks at us. "Even if we lose by 100 points, there's a chance a meteor will strike the other team's bench in the last second."

I sweat-dropped. "Kuroko-kun.." 

"You're right." Surprisingly, Izuki-senpai agreed.

"Yeah." The others nodded. 

"Don't give me that!" Hyuga-senpai stand up. "There isn't going to be a meteor. That's a crazy thought."

Tsuchi-senpai puts his hand on his chin. "But what if they all get stomach aches?" 

"Geez, I should let them eat my cooking if that would be the case.." I mumbled. 

"Don't get carried away. That won't happen either." Hyuga-senpai commented. 

"Well, compared to that, a second half comeback is way more realistic." Koganei-senpai said, with Mitobe-senpai nodding beside him. 

"Let's just keep running and think after the game's over." 

"Let's go!" 

"Yeah!" 

*******

"Let the third quarter begin."

"Fight!" Furihata cheered.

I stared at Kuroko, who is sitting beside me on the bench, in the corner of my eyes. To be honest, he can't do anything if Takao-kun's around and maybe that would make him concentrate to think of a plan.