A Long-Forgotten Friend

Arriving at the Cafeteria, I was greeted by a rowdy and packed scene, full of people walking around. Most of the seats had already been occupied by early birds… Ahem! I mean students.

Oh, my goodness! It’s so crowded! Well, what did I expect? This is the cafeteria. Everyone will gather here to eat like ants.

Ah, whatever! I won’t find a seat here. I guess I have to order takeout.

Deciding to buy myself lunch, I swiftly headed toward the center of the cafeteria, only to see a long train…

No! I didn’t literally mean a train that transports people and goods, but the line of students that started from the cashier’s desk. The length would be comparable to a train with multiple cars attached to it, one after another.

Sigh! It’s a long queue! Well, there is nothing I can do about it. I should just have to get in line like everybody else.

Exuding a heavy breath, I hopped into the back of the queue, slowly moving forward at a snail’s pace.

After a long wait, I finally arrived at the desk, ordering a burger and an iced lemon tea before leaving the cafeteria.

Slowly strolling through the university corridor, I pierced the air seal of the lemon tea with the straw. The sun reached its apex, turning the whole place into a working oven. In the middle of the heat, I sipped my lemon tea as I walked toward the bulletin boards.

With each passing step, a wind blew gently through my clothes, ruffling them sideways. Other than my drink, the breeze was the only thing that kept heatstroke at bay.

I fanned myself with my free hand. I couldn’t help it, it’s pretty heated down there.

It’s so hot!

Not long after, I arrived at the bulletin board with many posters pinned to it. While sipping my lemon tea, I quickly skimmed through them, hoping to find anything about basketball.

“Hmm...” I muttered to myself as I examined the bulletin.

“Hmm...” Muttered a young man beside me.

Knowing someone was beside me, I turned my head to look, only to be surprised to see his face which was just a few inches away from my eyes.

“Gwaaa!” I instinctively hopped back, as I was startled by his proximity.

The shock was almost enough to make me fall over. I had lost my balance and almost dropped my lemon tea. However, I quickly regained my standing position and looked at the person in front of me.

He was an almond-skinned young man with black hair styled in dreadlocks, wearing a white hairband with a famous shoe logo on his head. Compared to myself, he is not that tall, probably around 6’ if you ask me. As I locked my gaze on his face, he chuckled.

“Oh, come on, man! How can you, a big guy, get startled by a regular guy like me?”

“Well, your face was just too close to mine. I couldn’t help but get startled, you know?” I responded while rubbing the back of my head.

“Ah, sorry if I surprised you. I was looking for a basketball poster here. You know, I enrolled in this university to join the Astro Jets.”

“What?!”

I was surprised and delighted at the same time. Never once did I expect a guy who isn’t too tall like him to share the same goal with me. My heart was filled with joy as I looked at him.

“You are applying for the basketball team too?” I asked, my eyes brimmed with happiness.

“Wow, you’re also joining the Astro Jets? Great! With a big guy like you, we’re going to rock it. Ah, man! I hope I can make it into the team. I’ve heard they’re strict with freshmen, not to mention the competition among the applicants.”

“The upperclassmen won’t hand us their positions that easily. Let’s hope we can at least get into the bench.” He added.

How quickly I forgot, it is a free-for-all for everyone. We are all going to compete for a spot on the team. Dozens of applicants, but fewer than five could get in.

Only a few spots are open, mainly to replace any upperclassmen who graduated from the university. Knowing he is quite a chill and friendly guy, I wished we won’t become enemies anytime soon due to the harsh competition.

“Let’s hope we won’t end up competing for the same spot.”

“Nah, man!” He crosses his arms, swinging them downward. “Just chill out, brudda. With your height, you won’t have a problem with positioning. You’re probably assigned as a forward anyway. All I can take is a guard position, ya’ know?”

I see. He was referring to the fact that his height won’t make it to the Forward, which consists of tall players. Meanwhile, guards are nimble players that handle the ball well. There’s no rule that a guard must be tall, and probably that’s why he said he aimed for a guard position.

“Oh! Look at this, brudda!” He pointed at a poster. “This is the basketball poster!”

Hearing that, I immediately turned my attention to the poster.

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Recruitment for Basketball Team

Freshmen, do you want to play basketball? Did you choose this University because of our basketball team? We have some exciting news!

Our basketball team, Astro Jets, is now open to new members. If you’re interested in joining us, we hold sessions every day from 5 PM to 7 PM at Sports Aula 3.

We will be accepting applications until August 18th, 2023. Showcase your skills, and you will receive a warm welcome to the team. We’ll be waiting for you there!

Astro Jet’s Management

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“Five PM huh?” He put his right finger and thumb on his chin. “That makes sense, you shouldn’t have any more class after five unless you took some extra classes on your academic schedule.”

“Yeah, I didn’t opt in for extra classes. You also didn’t, right?” I asked him.

“Of course not. We can’t attend the basketball club if we take them.”

“Ha-ha, you are right.”

“Man, I can’t wait to see the regulars. Let’s see how well the Division One school performs.” Carlos rubbed his hands.

“Sure, we should visit them later.”

Thinking about it, we haven’t introduced ourselves yet. Following the thought, I decided to ask this guy’s name.

“Anyway, what’s your name, buddy?” I asked him politely.

“Name’s Carlos. How ‘bout you, man?”

“My name is Keith, nice to meet you.”

“Keith? Wait… Are you that ‘Keith’ that I know? Uh… What’s your full name… Ah! Keith Wallace! You are Keith Wallace, right?”

Wait, we have been acquainted before? I couldn’t remember him, but he knows my full name. His name sounds familiar though…

“Excuse me, you know me?”

“It’s me, Carlos Stewards. We were in the same elementary school, remember?”

“Carlos… Carlos… I can’t remember…”

“Oh, my God! Bro, we played some Ya-Ga-Oh trading cards together. Don’t you remember anything? I’m so sad, man.”

Wait, Ya-Ga-Oh? Certainly, it was a childhood game I played in the past. And I played with… Oh, I see… He has a completely different vibe, that’s why I couldn’t recognize him. He is such a long-forgotten friend from ancient times.

“Oh!!! You are that guy that loves the blue eyes dragon card. You look so different now.” I chuckled.

“So are you, man. Look how tall you have become! Like an electric pole! Back then, we had almost the same height." He chuckled back.

“We have been apart for... How many years was it?”

“Is that important? What matters is we remember each other now. Don't forget me again, will you?” He sneered.

“I won't, ha-ha!” I laughed at him.

“Anyway, let’s meet again at the basketball club. See you there!” He ended with a signing-off gesture.

“See you!”

I took the last sip of the lemon tea in my right hand, disposing of the cup into a trash bin. Feeling the need to check my schedule, I quickly glanced at my smartphone. It’s half past twelve, and the next class is in classroom B201 from 2 PM to 5 PM.

Now, what should I do? I still have one and a half hours before the next class begins.

I yawned, trying to keep myself awake for the day. With much free time, I had to find something interesting to keep me occupied.

However, I never expected a romantic encounter… Would be just right around the corner…