The Brighter Side of Things

Chapter 19

I woke up early with swollen eyes the next day. Thankfully it was the weekend and Mama didn't have to cook anything as Papa wanted us to go out for a little family bonding time. Despite what I had learned the night before, the pain that Kuya Six's words dealt me hadn't fully subsided yet. I didn't want to dampen our quality time with my sour mood.

So I picked up my own ball and headed to the open courts.

Even when it was only 6AM, the sun was already high up. The occasional clouds that obscured its angry rays and the breeze it brought made my morning drill a chill one rather than a punishment. As I had the whole court to myself, I used the chance to ponder on things. Tried to understand the past through Kuya's point of view.

Dribble. Aim. Shoot. Rebound. Fake. Aim. Cross-over. Shoot.

In the years that I had been trading baskets with the Voyagers, no one took advantage of my being a female. Not one from the team cupped for a feel. Maybe because they saw me as one of the boys? I wasn't really sure. But thinking about it, I was only allowed to hang out with the team whenever Kuya Six was around. And L was always my matchup in practices. Not to mention the only Voyager who could drop by the house. I wondered if he was designated as such. Was manning me everytime weighed him down? Did I unknowingly become a roadblock because I was a girl and L couldn't be too physical with me so he had to tone his plays down?

An ugly realization hit me. That perhaps the Voyagers always lost to the Comets not because my presence in the game brought them bad luck. But because they couldn't unleash their full potential since I was always meddling with their practices. Just because I wanted to play basketball.

The short laugh from L pulled me back to the present. "Is it Pre-Calculus that got your eyebrows in a knot?"

"Oh, L. Good morning." I gave him a small smile after making a successful tear-drop, unable to shake the epiphany I just had.

He quickly went for the rebound after putting his wallet and phone on a stone bench and I found myself in the usual defensive position. "Kong Six was worried you ran away from home." That bit distracted me and he recognized the opening to make an uncontested lay-up. "I told him you'd be here." He grinned.

"Did he tell you to appease me?" I scoffed, side-stepping him for a turnaround jumper.

"No. But he wanted to know if you've cooled down—err, warmed up?" he hesitated before finishing his sentence. "So he could talk to you."

Swatting the ball away from him with unnecessary force was enough to know where I was with cooling down for a talk with Kuya.

L laughed as he ran after the ball. "That's why I told him to give me an hour at least to stabilize your emotions. Would you like to get hot chocolate?"

Who was I to deny him a trip to McDonald's when he smiled at me with hopeful eyes? Besides, chocolate was the next best thing invented by humankind aside from internet. And to agree or not for a morning date with my crush? That's a no-brainer.

But I got more than a cup of hot chocolate. L bought me pancakes, too.

Halfway to finishing my first pancake in silence because I hadn't realized I was hungry, L cleared his throat. "So, how was your all-girl team doing?"

Carefully, I chewed the fluffy cake with my mouth closed. I didn't remember ever telling him about the team we were forming.

"It was all Kuya Six could talk about lately," he shared, as if he knew what I was thinking.

After what Kuya spouted last night, I found it hard to believe L. "Huh."

"I know he often teases you as the jinx or something. But whatever he says when you're within earshot, is probably a joke. He's mighty proud of you when you're not looking."