Rematch

EPILOGUE

"Oh, no, no, no, no. Nuh-uh." I crossed my arms over my chest in defiance the moment I reached the dorm lobby where Jarlin was waiting. We had agreed to go to the Awarding Ceremonies together. "I am so not going to use that. You can't make me sit on that, Trance. There is no fuckin' way."

BRIS was able to defend the crown as overall champions for the eighth consecutive year and that morning, every winner from the participating schools will be awarded a medal and a trophy for the team.

And Jarlin wanted me to accept mine in a fuckin' wheelchair.

"Stop brooding, sweetheart. It does not suit you," Jarlin coaxed me as he pushed the hideous thing in front of me.

"It's just a fuckin' bruise! Why do all of you have to overreact?" I snapped at him.

"It's not overreacting. It's taking precautionary measures," he countered calmly as he stepped up to me and held my shoulders. "Besides, it's your Dad's strong advice. I don't want to disobey him."

I glared at him. "I didn't expect you to be a kiss ass, Trance."

I spent the night in the infirmary after drilling in that charity shot last night because Zoey sold me out to my parents. Mom nearly went hysterical when we talked over Skype. Dad couldn't be more pleased to see Jarlin attending to me. In fact he advised him to look after me closely because I tended to be clumsy. And yes, that's where the wheelchair idea came up. I had not expected Jarlin to take that seriously.

"Your team already suffered your absence the whole freshman year. They don't want you on an extended leave or something. We don't want you retreating to your shell again. You gotta understand that, Jazz. Don't blame us if we make a huge fuss over a simple bruise," Jarlin was saying.

And now he was guilt-tripping me? It wasn't like the injuries were my fault. One way or another, if I kept playing the sport, I was bound to have them.

"But this is too much," I whined. Seriously, it was way over the top. I didn't need the wheelchair when both my knees were damaged. I got a bruise and now this? Fuck logic.

Jarlin placed his hands on his hips and contemplated on something because I wasn't going to stand down on this. "The wheelchair or a piggy-back ride? Your choice."

"Trance, I'm not playing with you."

"I'm not either. I'm serious about you. That's why I'm following your Dad's orders."

I clicked my tongue in sheer annoyance. "You're dating me. Not my Dad."

A slow smile spread across his face. "Would you look at that. I finally got you to admit it."

"Yeah, so..." I faced him with my chin up despite the obvious blush on my cheeks. "Me, admitting it openly or you pushing me on that thing. Your choice."

The way he stared at me, his pupils dilated, his mouth agape, was funny, I wanted to laugh. But he immediately caught himself and squared his shoulders. "Say it. Say it first and this thing is out of your sight."

"I would like to be your girlf-"

He didn't let me finish and just harshly kissed me full on the mouth. "I would love that, too."

I noticed that Trance had a habit of surprising me with a kiss. Kind of like a reward if he approved of something I said or did. Like what happened when I made that free throw shot yesterday. He jumped over the railing, ran to me, cradled my face and just pulled me in for a deep kiss in front of my team and the crowd that lingered. It may have been a congratulatory gesture on his side. But to me, it was something greater especially when at the corner of my eyes, I saw Athena gawking at us. I had a feeling she wouldn't be rubbing elbows with Jarlin anymore.

We reached the Greek Halls just in time for the program to start. I walked to where my team was while Jarlin found himself a seat where he could see me. The handing out of medals and the photo op took time but it was all good. Everyone was happy and proud especially the Brats who were already planning on a victory party.

But this year, I felt like I had won the most. Not just a basketball game. Nor that year's title. But the battles that life had thrown at me even if it almost seemed like a repetition of history. I realized that people had to go through the same struggle, the same battles, the same games over and over until the lesson was learned. And I believed I was able to finally get the message the hard way.

I was suddenly excited to see what sophomore year has in store for me and my friends. I believed that after all the things that happened so far, I had not only become a better player but a better person.

FIN

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Posted on 5 April 2015 Sunday