Dear Frenemy | BrightWin | 2gether AU

21 - Different Loves

Wat's POV

Saturday dawned bright and clear. Breakfast was a muted affair.

We were all on edge, nervous but excited.

The championship final was with Westend. They had crushed their competition in the semi-final by a record margin.

Every player on the Westend team seemed to be in peak form, and they were taking complete advantage of being on their home ground.

The spectators were almost an extension of the team. They took it upon themselves to psych the opposition team with jeers, slurs and sledges. The semi-final match had been absolutely brutal.

We had our work cut out for us, physically and mentally.

Bright had kept our noses to the ground and our feet on the court the last two days. We had gone through every play, every position, every move, every eventuality time and time again.

"Let's just go out there and play our best game today. Win or lose, I want us to walk off the court today with our heads held high" said Bright.

We all knew how important this trophy was for him, but he never put the burden of his own dreams on us. And that's why we would do our very best to win for him.

This was the first time in the championship that we would be facing off against Westend.

Both teams lined up before each other. The captains shook hands.

With a sharp whistle, the ball was in play.

It was the most intense game I had ever played. Not a single pass was missed, the blocks were like brick walls crashing down, every point scored was immediately won back.

Earth was a beast. He moved so quickly that he was practically a blur. For someone his size to flit around the court needed great skill.

"Wat, shoot" shouted Tine. I threw and scored. The whistle blew for half-time.

"We are ahead, but not by much. We need to cover Earth" said Bright, panting.

We were all breathless and dripping with sweat.

"I'll do it" said Tine. Bright nodded.

The second half started off just as brutally. But there was a slight, imperceptible shift in Westend's game.

Earth was not moving as freely as he was in the first half. Tine had him pinned.

Wherever Earth ran, Tine was right beside him. He didn't let Earth pause for even a second to throw.

Earth was forced to make a lot of passes which he could have converted to points. It was like Earth and Tine were playing by themselves.

It reminded me of the time Tine had covered me during the game at camp when he was pissed at me. He hadn't so much as let me breathe without sharing the same air.

I knew exactly how frustrated Earth must be feeling. And it had started showing in his game.

The Westend team was cracking. They were starting to miss easy shots, and their defense had holes.

The whistle blew sharply. Westend had called a short time-out.

"We're doing great. Let's stay focussed and keep it tight. We can win this" said Bright.

The fourth quarter began. It was the defenders' quarter through and through.

Westend seemed a lot more together. Their centre, Wai, was an expert defender, and he was on Tine like glue on wallpaper.