Restoring the broken shards of truth

Today will be the day when everything will be restored to its original shape. In order to tie a stringless shard, one must persuade the person to see the root from their own perspective. And once the person sees the truth, the shards will connect each other to the remaining pieces and they'll get the full picture of what's going on.

Such a phenomenon will decrease the tension between two people, but it will also help them sort their minds before confronting it. The only way to solve this problem is for them to realize their own mistakes and what causes them.

Kylee and I followed the address given to us by Reyson's adviser and we left the school quite early. Upon reaching the intersection, we turned left and goes toward the overpass, and then we reached a subdivision that is not that far from the town.

"Let's see... Ah, there you go. That's the one from the picture." said Kylee.

"Right, let's do it." I nodded.

Some of the houses in this subdivision are large which is a bit unexpected for me. I live in a subdivision as well but the homes and lots are small.

"This should be it..." Kylee rang the doorbell and we waited for a few seconds.

As we stepped back, the door opened and Reyson came out. It's pretty unusual to see him wear some casual clothes when you're already used to seeing him in his jersey.

"I was expecting some visitors but I didn't know you two will be the first..." he approached the gate with his hands placed inside his pocket. "Do you want anything from me, Head of the committee?" he asked.

"We're here to deliver a printout that you missed on your way home." Kylee brought some attached paper from her bag and showed it to him.

Reyson furrowed his eyebrows as he took the papers. "Thanks for this. Now get out of here and go home..."

Eek, he is really rude...

He didn't even open the gate nor invited us in. I supposed he doesn't want to get disturbed and wants to spend his time alone. Getting suspended and the feeling of loss might've been creeping on his head now since his usual composure is no longer to be found.

Reyson turned his back on us, completely uninterested in engaging in a small conversation.

"Wait..." Kylee began. "We have something important to tell you."

Noticing the seriousness in her voice, Reyson turned around again and narrowed his eyes. "What is it?"

"It's all about Danny and the issue that you guys have started..."

"The issue is already over. I got suspended, and that pretty boy got what he wanted. There's no need to talk about it anymore." he scoffed.

"Are you sure about that...?" I interrupted. Reyson turned his gaze on me.

"What? You got something else to say?" I could sense the irritation in his voice considering that he is huffing subtly.

"All of this issue happened because of one root cause. And you're the one who amplified it for selfish reasons. In truth, you're confused about his decision. Are you sure you don't want to hear anything?" I pressed.

"..." he couldn't say anything.

"Alright, come in..." heaving a sigh, Reyson opened the gate and let us in. I can see Kylee staring at me. I nodded and told her in mind that there was no turning back.

***

"Holy smokes, your house is simply amazing..." I was astonished.

The outside view was already incredible but seeing the inside washed out my initial thoughts. I could never see myself living in this kind of house even if I wanted to. It's just really fantastic.

"Heh, do you like it? We actually renovated this a few months ago after our tournament. I used all of the money I won to refurbish everything. It's not that much but please sit down and get comfortable." Reyson invited us in.

"Thank you for having us..." Kylee greeted as she removed her shoes.

I removed mine as well and followed her inside the living room. The space was neat and there weren't that many obstacles. Reyson might've sorted everything out in his free time while expecting some visitors. I thought he'd be different but I guess you really shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

"It was a decent decision and I'm impressed. Is Basketball really that important to you?" Kylee asked as she sat down on the sofa. I sat beside her and leaned my back to the soft corner.

"Obviously. I've trained so hard to win every tournament and I used what I gathered on helping things around here in the house. Danny is doing the same thing. It is our only way of achieving what we want while having fun." he scoffed but I felt a little pang of pain through that smile.

"If Basketball is really that important to you, then why did you beat Danny and got yourself suspended...?" I got to the bottom of what happened for the introduction.

"..." he didn't answer for a few seconds but then. "...I got jealous of his popularity and beat him up."

Kylee and I looked at each other, confirming that our suspicions weren't true.

"But well, it was a stupid reason. It's fine to get suspended like this to get some time alone. It was my fault that everything turned out this way and beat him up." he added.

If you look at it from a witness' perspective, it may be plausible to think that Reyson deserved his punishment because he is the painting of a bad guy from all of this turmoil. Danny did nothing wrong, and Reyson beat him up because of his insensitive and aggressive attitude. That's what he wanted people to think.

However—

"You're lying..." I dismissed his reason, prompting Kylee to take on the rest.

"No matter how you see it, it's strange. Beating Danny for a small and stupid reason and then throwing away your career in Basketball is oddly unfavorable to you..." Kylee started. "You said it yourself, didn't you? Basketball is your only way to rise yet you threw it away, why is that?"

Reyson frowned when he looked at us. "You idiots don't know anything about us. Didn't you know that you shouldn't pry on people's life?" his tone dropped, creating a tension that seems to be pretty heavy. But Kylee didn't waver.

"Pry on people's lives? Your issue has been dragging down your team's morale and the Basketball club is in misery because of what happened. The way I see it, this problem has already entered our field and if we cannot fix it, it'll affect the reputation of the school."

She meant that if the problem persists, the consecutive build-up of their achievements and the inertia they placed by winning every year would get disrupted.

"Reyson, we need you on the team. We need the star players to start the gear again..." Kylee pleaded.

"I don't care about the team anymore. And it's fine, right? Danny, the so-called best guy is already leading them. There's no need for me to be there." he scorned.

At this point, I realized that he really did his part properly. He concocted this kind of play at the spur of the moment in order to keep the painting fresh. I commend him for his sacrifice.

"You lied again, Reyson." this time, I spoke up as he turned his head on me. "What you think of Danny and yourself right now is nothing more than a sham."

"..."

"The real Reyson wouldn't do this. You intentionally played the bad guy in order for Danny to stay on the team, right?"

"—!" Reyson's face twitched. His reaction already told me that I hit the jackpot. "A-Are you saying, you knew...? You know the reason why he wanted to quit?" he asked timidly.

"We do. That's why you don't need to hide it anymore. You, beating up Danny and getting suspended, was your plan in order to restrict Danny..." I continued.

Danny wants to quit the team. But Reyson selfishly ignored that and beat him up without knowing the reason in the first place. Both of them know how important Basketball is, and Reyson couldn't accept that his partner and best friend is not going with him. That's why he played the bad guy and gave him misplaced attention and recognition to tie him in the position of leading the team.

"Did you hear this from him?"

"We didn't. But we found something very important in his locker." Kylee opened her bag and showed Reyson an envelope.

He took it slowly and checked the name of the sender. "This is..."

"It's a letter. Read it, and you'll understand..." I answered.

Reyson opened the letter carefully and examined the contents. After that, he read the letter silently while we waited for him. The way his expression changed throughout the course pricked me with an emotion that is not conceivable.

After reading everything, he dropped the letter on the floor and hung his head in regret

"N-No... No way... this can't be happening!" that's the natural reaction we're looking for.

"Do you get it now? Your actions to throw away your dream only made your situation stagnant. And you caused a severe problem for Danny. You shouldn't have acted that way and talked to him properly. But your blind and insensitive self made it worse..." Kylee admonished him.

"Reyson, the reason why Danny wanted to quit the team is because..."

***

"...my Grandpa—no, our Grandpa has been diagnosed with cancer," Danny spoke in a low yet sad tone. "I just found out that his health was already declining. I'm aware of his condition, of course, that's why I did all that. I realized that I need to be on his side."

Ayumi remained expressionless. She listened to the full details of the story and how their problems with each other are connected to one single cause.

"You have grave news on your hands, yet you didn't tell Reyson about it. Why? Why can't you?" she asked.

"It's because I don't want him to know!" Danny answered. "I didn't want him to carry that knowledge that will impede his progression in his career..."

"What do you mean?"

"Reyson and I grew up under my grandfather. I've known him ever since they moved in near our street but I never saw Reyson spending time with his parents. That's why I invited him to play Basketball and he was very fond of Grandpa. He taught us many different things, reprimanded us when we were fighting, trained us to get better, and he considered Reyson as a grandson as well." he answered.

Danny took the picture that was attached to his locker and showed it to Ayumi.

"This is an old picture that we took back when we were still in grade school. The man in the middle holding the ball is my grandfather. We made a promise to Grandpa that we work hard to become the best player and make a living out of it in order to support our future families... But now that it came to this... I realize that..." Danny paused for a second, and then. "...one of us should continue that dream while the other will take care of Grandpa."

From that point on, Ayumi finally understood. The secrecy that has been causing subtle discrepancies in their relationship has been laid out in the open field. The real reason why both of them are passive throughout the issue; was finally answered.

"If I told Reyson the real reason why I'm going to quit the team, there's no doubt that he will do the same. The letter that I received mentioned that Grandpa needs some help at home. If Reyson ever hears this, he will definitely throw away his career for my sake." Danny said.

"So that's why he volunteered..." Ayumi closed her eyes.

"Yes. But I didn't expect that he'll put us both in a quagmire. Reyson doesn't want me to leave because we promised to rise together..."

"That's because it's your fault..." Ayumi cast him an ice-cold glare. "You, trying to hide the news and not wanting to cause him any trouble led you into this stagnant point. You could've just told him the truth and talked about the problem."

"I couldn't! There's no way I would do that! You don't know who Reyson is! One of us should stay..."

"It's because of that mindset that you're now stuck in this predicament. Instead of solving things properly, you caused even more trouble and dragged your team's morale down."

"I know that! But still..." Danny gritted his teeth and clenched his fist.

"Well, even if I tell you, there's no way you could turn things back..." Ayumi grabbed something from her bag. "Here, you have another letter..."

"What? How did you get that...?"

"I had one of my colleagues visit your grandfather's place and he asked to send that on our way. It was a follow-up message to the one you received," she answered.

Danny took the letter and examined the contents. He opened the envelope slowly and pulled a folded paper out.

Ayumi observed his expression as he read it.

At some point, she realized that if Kylee didn't tell her about what Nathan planned to do, she would've been focusing on work right now while the issue between the star players would disappear like magic.

This assumption only leads to one thing.

Why would you go that far just to prove that you're reliable, you idiot...

There was a hint of admiration and happiness in Ayumi's subtle smile. She told Nathan that she didn't need any help yet here he is, trying to create a magic show behind the scene. And Ayumi couldn't explain the surge of feelings that she was experiencing right now as she joined his show. She was feeling delightful in a weird way that she couldn't understand.

"No..." tears left Danny's eyes as he finished the last sentence. He dropped to his knees and pounded the floor with his fist. "T-This can't be... Grandpa..."

The content of the new letter sent to him explains that Danny's grandfather is now fine and that their other relatives are taking care of him. Because of that, his condition didn't deteriorate and he told the two to stay on their path and continue being star players for the sake of their dream.

"Once a terrible storm passes, a calm sea awaits at the end of it. You didn't know that there would be a follow-up and now you're regretting it. And now that the situation is under control, what do you plan to do, Danny?" Ayumi asked him.

"..." Danny didn't answer for a while. He sobbed silently into the ground, slowly comprehending the message that he had been left with.

"...I get it. Everything's my fault, I need to apologize to Reyson."

"Reyson intentionally played the bad guy and sacrificed his beloved dream for your sake because you didn't tell him. He cares for you and your Grandpa but you hid everything..."

"I know, that's why... even if I couldn't revoke his punishment, I will try my best to restore his reputation and fix things." Danny resolved himself.

"If that's the case then I have something to suggest." Ayumi accepted his determination.

***

After we gave Reyson the first and the second letter that Kylee copied, he finally understood what happened and regretted his action.

"Do you see the clear picture now? Both of you are wrong." Kylee said as she stood up from the sofa. "I suggest that you two speak to each other and fix your mistakes..."

"Sorry about that, man. But you don't have to worry about taking care of things back home now that your Grandpa is stable..." I went beside him and patted his shoulder.

"I understand... Thank you, both of you, for telling me this. I will speak to Danny tomorrow and apologize." Reyson replied.

Reyson's smile was genuine up to that point and I was happy that he accepted his mistake.

I waited for Kylee to go out before I initiate something. This one is not entirely connected to their case but I'm going to use this opportunity to place some assurance in case I decided to use him.

"Hey, Reyson... now that you know everything, you want to go back to the team now, right?" I asked.

"Huh? Yeah, that would be great if I could but I'm suspended," he answered.

"I have some plan to get you in early, can I ask you for some favor...?"

"Sure, if that's going to reduce my sentence then let me hear it." he nodded.

And so I explained everything to him and then after that, I left his house and said goodbye.