Breakthrough

CHAPTER 2

They say if you think of someone enough, you're sure to meet them again.

But then, even if you don't (and I swear I haven't been thinking of her), you're still sure to meet them again. Lalo na if you both go to the same university and you also both train as student-athletes.

...

HIS POINT OF VIEW

It has been almost three weeks since the Animo Rally. We were at the latter part the first term na since almost two and a half months na din from when it started. Puro papers and reports na. At nag-start na rin 'yung basketball season kaya naman ang hectic.

Nung nagsisimula palang 'yung term, hindi ko pa sineseryoso 'yung acads. Who cares, right? I'm in college na. Ngayon pa ba ako hindi mag-eenjoy? Kaya puro ako gala. With new friends and highschool classmates. Mayaya lang, sasama na agad. I was just having fun. And besides, first term palang ng first year, ang aga pa para ma-stress.

Well, ganun ako before I failed a midterm exam at muntik-muntikan na dun sa dalawa.

"Bro... Bro."

Someone was nudging me.

"Bro, wake up."

Someone was shaking my arm.

"Je. Jeron!"

I opened an eye to see who it was at bumungad sa'kin ang smiling face ni Thomas.

"What do you want, bro?" tanong ko sa kanya in a tired voice.

"Nothing." He just shrugged. "E why are you sleeping here ba? Pinalayas ka na ba sa inyo?"

"Loko. Bakit naman ako palalayasin? Mahal na mahal nila ako 'no." I sat up slowly and stretched at umupo naman sa tabi ko si Thomas. "Coding ako ngayon. I had to come here early."

I actually have done this a couple of times before. I would go to school early kasi coding 'yung car ko. But I would always go to some fastfood while waiting for our training to start. But now... I just had to sleep. Nakaka-ilang all-nighter na'ko because of all the papers.

Hindi ko pa masyado ma-balance ang time ko ngayon dahil hindi naman ganito ka-demanding 'yung instructors ko nung highschool. Kailangan ko nang bumawi ng tulog kaya umakyat na agad ako dito sa court sa Razon para makapagpahinga kahit sandali lang.

I looked at my watch. 7:43 na. Almost isang oras din pala akong nakatulog. 8:00 ang start ng practice and some of our teammates were already on the court na pala doing some drills.

"Teng oh," Kuya Almond shouted from the court and threw me the ball he was holding. "Gising na? Tapos na bromance? Tara."

I readily stood up, smiling. "Tara, game. Bago pa mabading sa'kin 'tong si Thomas."

Sinagot naman niya 'yun ng batok. "Sira, kay Gabs lang ako."

Nagtawanan kaming lahat ng nakarinig. Nasa mood ang loko, may date na naman siguro kagabi nung nililigawan niya.

Bumaba na'ko sa court at dumating na din si Coach. This is actually the best part of my day. Basketball. So many things are changing now that I'm in college na and it's taking so much out of me, but not this. I will always have this.

We practiced up until 10:30 and we all went to our classes na.

Bumalik na naman ang pagod ko na nadagdagan pa after nung training. I barely heard my profs. I was just staring at them. I took note lang kung ano man isulat nila sa board. Luckily, hindi naman nila ako pinapansin masyado. I guess they're used to it na lalo kapag UAAP season na.