[Season 2 Premiere] New Season

(Ball bounce sounds)

(Shoe squeaking sounds)

“Carlos, pass!”

___________________

??????

Hold on… Yes, I got you, you are confused. Ahem… Well, I guess I could explain what’s happening…

Today marks the start of Astro’s university’s third semester, August 12th, 2024. Huh? You ask me why what happen in the second semester?

Nah, nothing important. It just me, struggling on exams while I’m getting one-on-one tutor from Jessica. I practiced basketball like usual plus extra increased training regime in my second year to get myself some time allocation in matches.

My father coach me as well after he went back from work, seems that he managed to convince my stubbor…

Ahem, I mean my strict mother to let us practice basketball at our backyard. Of course, that’s after I finish my increasing homework that I couldn’t manage to finish together with her and carried to home. I guess it’s a given that we getting more assignments in second year.

Thanks to that, I having hard time managing my time and it’s quite hard to get out on shopping with her, or getting out walks in the park, let alone Chinatown when we used to go. But when I ask her if she regretted going out with me, this is what she replied:

“Well, it can’t be helped, can it? We have to fight toward our dreams, not just you, me too. As you are out there fighting, as your girlfriend, I should support you with all my might as you supported me with my dreams.”

“Plus, you are serious. You went as far to think about the future and even thinking that you would support me as a family… I’m a stupid girl if I let you go, Keith.”

To be honest, I felt that I don’t deserve her. She is a good girl. Too good, even. But considering that she said last year that she felt like she didn’t deserve me either, I started to think that she would also think the same way.

One thing for sure, I can’t be a perfect guy for her as she won’t be a perfect girl for me as well. If we are born perfect, then we won’t need anyone. It’s precisely because we are imperfect that we can complement and cover each other’s weakness.

What’s important here is that we give our all: to our own work, to our relationship, to our own family. And I believe, that our hard work won’t amount for nothing.

God is watching over us, and if he managed to help Sean realized his dream despite all of that injury and everything, so why He wouldn’t help us? He definitely will. We just have to do our best, and he will do the rest.

So, we shouldn’t feel that we are undeserving each other, but to make it up with our efforts. If we think that we are not good enough for our other half, then we ought to do more. Well, I guess I should stop here or this will continue into a sermon, lol.

Anyways, just recently, I made Jamal joined us into our circle. It turns out that he is quite a shy and quiet guy despite his big and intimidating figure, and it took us a long time just to break the ice between us. But he is still here with us, albeit not talking too much.

It turns out that he is quite a shy and quiet guy despite his big and intimidating figure, and it took us a long time just to break the ice between us. But he is still here with us, albeit not talking too much.

What else? Hmm, let’s see… Uhm… Oh! I honed my skills enough on basketball that now I’m confident in hitting twos or threes around 60% of the time if my guard is loose...

How loose you ask? I mean… Ugh… Open shots… Argghhh!!! It’s frustrating to spell it out… I wish I could just make it sounds cool but open shots are just… Yeah, I get it, it doesn’t…

Well, I’m not as good as Brandon, Tony, or Carlos. But hey, for a guy that only known how to dunk before I joined the team, at least that’s something… Right?

Uh, that’s it, nothing important. I don’t want to bore you by storytelling the boring stuff and just gonna go to the juicy stuff. I mean… Well… This should summarize that well enough, right?

Anyway… Right now, I’m playing in a scrimmage with Carlos and all the bench players against the starters of our team. That’s right, I’m finally moved up in rotation and now a role-player, earning my spot in bench rather than reserve player.

Wait… Why I foolishly challenge the starters you ask? No, we didn’t have a choice, the coach forced us to. It’s not like I wanted to challenge Brandon and Tony lol.

Oh yeah, Sean had graduated. He is now playing for New York Knicks as a role-player, player in the bench if you don’t remember. I heard he befriended Randle recently. We all rooting for him.

Okay, any more questions?

Where’s Jessica, you ask? She is there, at the bleachers, doing her own stuff with the painting. I occasionally steal glance at her and we wave our hands to each other.

Alright, anything else?

…

No? Great! I can continue the storytelling then…

3… 2… 1… And… Action!

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Before I could even blink my eyes, Carlos delivered a swift bounce pass to my hands. But as soon I grabbed it, Gordon Weaver stood front of me, spreading his arm wide to guard my advances. Following suit, I drove the ball forward.

“Wait, Keith!” Carlos shouted. “You shouldn’t challenge him head on!”

I know, I know! I’m not foolish enough to dunk on the starter of the team. That’s why I have Jamal to help…

“Screen!”

Jamal performed a pick in front of me, which freed myself from Gordon’s marking. With free space I got, I strafed right, then do moving jump-shot in the three-point line. If the shot goes in, then we would win the scrimmage.

Please…

*CLANG*

As if the match would end that easily. It didn’t go in. And that sound made everyone’s attention directed toward the ball which bounced off the rim. Xavier boxed Ivan out, as both center trying to get the possession of the ball.

“Rebound!”

The ball goes for the opposing team as Xavier got the ball in his hands. We are now switching to defense as the shot clock began to tick down.

“Xavier, here!” Brandon clasped his hands twice, signaling to Xavier for a pass.

Xavier threw a pass toward Brandon. Right at the time Brandon gets the ball, Carlos quickly performed a post defense, pinning Brandon on his current spot and prevented him from turning around freely.

“Heh!” Brandon smirked. “Good one, Carlos. Your skills are improving at a rapid pace. You didn’t let me down.”

“I ain’t playing around all these times, ya know?” Carlos grinned. “If you want to break through, show me your signature moves.”

“Ha-ha! You’re asking for it! Very well, you shall have it!”

Brandon quickly dashed away and freed himself from Carlos’s pressure. Suddenly, he started to perform feints and swift crossovers. The hesitations he performed mixed in between made it close to impossible to guess his next move.

But despise that, Carlos stood firm and widens his hands, keeping his guard against Brandon.

“I won’t let ‘cha get through!”

As Brandon was in over-the-back crossover motion, he smirked. Carrying the momentum of the ball, he delivered a flashy over-the-back pass toward Tony.

To our surprise, Tony just managed to distance himself from Jake, the one who marks him. He is now open at the three-point line.

Carlos turned around to realize that he wouldn’t have time to rotate to contest the shot. Jake tried to close the distance between him and Tony, but unfortunately it was too late. Tony quickly jumped, and shot the ball toward the rim.

*Swish*

*Priiiiit!!!*

That three-pointer sealed their win as the coach blew his whistle, stopping the scrimmage between us bench players and the starters. That miss of mine costed the game, and I can’t be any more frustrated to know that I need to work on my three-pointer accuracy.

“Good work, everyone.” The coach nodded satisfied. “Take five-minute rest before we do an evaluation.”

With fatigue building in, I sat myself down.

*Hah…* *Hah…* *Hah…*

Not only my three-pointers, it seems my stamina also left to be desired. It’s only roughly fifteen minutes and I’m already this tired.

Granted, it was neck-and-neck tight battle against the starters, but real match would have more pressure and drain my energy more than this. Not to mention that I probably have to prepare to last at least eighteen minutes if I want to climb up the ranks.

If I can’t do this much, then it’s a pipe dream to get myself into the starting role, where a player expected to perform no less than twenty-four minutes.

Haaa… I have lot of work to do…

But I guess, compared to the boredom I experienced from listening to the opening speech last year, feeling tired like this is nothing.

I looked at the bleacher. There’s Jessica, waving her hands to me. In her laps there exist a drawing book. Knowing that she must have drawn about me and the scenes around me, it made me more relaxed and less stiff, as if some of my fatigue was taken away from me.

Still, it doesn’t mean I can magically stand up and have all my energies back after a girl I like cheer me up like in movies though. Otherwise, I would have come there and hug her.

While I was looking at her, Carlos sat next to me and tapped my shoulder.

“Yo’ Keith!”

“Hey, Carlos…”

My reply gets cut off as the rest of the gang approached us. Yep, it’s Brandon, Tony and Jamal, each carrying their water bottles.

Jamal quietly sat down without much sound. It seems he is back to his “quiet type” again…

Meanwhile, Brandon also sat, nudged my stomach while snorting as he began to talk.

“Keith, what was that? Are you trying to mimic Steph Curry with that big body of yours? You should have done a step back and do a normal jump-shot instead of forcing a moving jump-shot. You haven’t trained enough for it.”

I can’t find a word to retort him. I have trained a lot, but three-pointer isn’t my forte, more so with a moving jump-shot that is much harder to perform.

“Yeah, I guess…” I scratched my head as I reply.

Tony looked upwards, exuding a deep breath.

“Well, it’s not like Keith if he isn’t stubborn.”

Wait… I’m stubborn…?

While I was thinking about that, Tony pointed his thumb at me.

“Remember the match where he fainted just right after the game’s over?”

‘Ah…” Carlos pointed his finger upward. “Our regional semi-final matches last year. Oh man… Of course I remember. It was wild.”

“Ha-ha…. Right?”

Tony sats down, putting his water bottle down and rest his other arm in Carlos’s shoulder.

“We already exceeded our limits, and yet a certain guy wanted to win so badly. He broke through his defender like a train with missing brakes, slamming through a wall to arrive at his destination.”

“Yeh, I don’t even know about a person that is willing to spend his whole stamina until he feints aside of my amigo over here.”

Wait… Guys… This is getting…

“And… Let’s not forget the moment when he is getting carted.” Tony smirked. “Our feinted hero over here gave the officials hard time, lol. Even Xavier and Jamal had to intervene and put him into the cart instead of the officials because Keith was too heavy for them.”

“I know, right? It was hilarious to see those officials scratches their head, lmao!”

Shit… This is embarrassing!

“But still…” Brandon sat slowly as he held the water bottle on his left hand. “We won the match thanks to him, didn’t we? We could say his grit and stubborn-ness saved us.”

“Well, yeah.” Tony scratched his head. “If he didn’t score that last dunk, we would all lose the game. Sean wouldn’t able to play in the final, and probably won’t get scouted either.”

Suddenly, I remember about Sean, the giant center that previously plays basketball with us. The moments where we train, laughing together is now only became sweet memory, as he left us after graduating from our university.

“So now he’s livin’ in the dream, aye?” Carlos took his water bottle and drank after saying his piece.

“Right, he already went ahead of us. I guess we just have to follow his lead and try get drafted just like he did…” Brandon replied.

“Yeah…” Tony added. “We shouldn’t be sad that he is gone, but we should be happy that he made it to the professional league. In fact, we should take him as a role model and figure to look after.”

“Indeed…” I replied. “It’s our turn next…”

And we continued to talk about our career prospect as the break goes on.