rematch | ishman

CH: 10

What did hurt was the fact that Shubman didn’t even try to make things right. Not like Ishan expected him to, anyway. 

“It’s okay, isn’t it? We have two games under our belt,” Tilak said as his eyes nervously fleeted around the quiet dressing room. 

“It’s not that we lost, Tillu.” Rishabh sighed, glancing at Ishan. “We lost to Meridian. That always stings more than a normal loss.”

“I should have played it safer,” Rohit grumbled as he scratched his thigh pad idly. 

“Let’s not beat ourselves down,” Ishan finally spoke. “It is no one’s fault, luck wasn’t on our side today. We’ll definitely win the next one.”

Mayank’s expression softened. “Ish, are you okay?”

Ishan nodded curtly, he did not want to answer that in front of everyone. They did not deserve a captain who held his personal grudges higher than the what mattered for the team. He cleared his throat before grinning, “We’ll beat their asses in the finals, yeah?”

Hardik grinned back, slapping Ishan’s back. “What the Cap says, boys. Let's focus on reaching the finals first.”

Rohit smiled, watching Ishan trying to motivate the young boys. He turned to Hardik, “Sach sach bata, tu kiski taraf se khel raha tha? Runs toh tune unko zyada diye.”

Hardik shot him an apologetic look. “Um, Ro. Let me treat you to vada pav?”

Rohit sighed, rubbing his temples. “This is not going to work everytime but… BOYS! HARRY’S TREATING TONIGHT!”

"Oi, not everyone— ugh. Fine! Tillu, don't bite me!" Hardik attempted to fend off the boys who clung to him like hungry wolves, pulling him outside.

Abhishek chuckled, standing back and draping an arm around Ishan. "Hey, let’s go watch Shub’s interview.”

Ishan scrunched his nose in distaste. “I don’t want to see his face.”

“I’m not gonna lie, bro, that sounds kinda petty,” Mayank quipped, shooting Ishan a playful grin.

Abhishek shot a pleading look as he said, “Please, please, please?”

Ishan clicked his tongue. “Okay.”

Shubman breezed through the questions, sporting his usual game face, though Ishan could see the tiredness in his eyes. Abhishek happily snapped a pic of Shubman, earning an eye roll from Ishan. As the interview carried on, Ishan felt a mix of irritation and intrigue. Why did Shubman talk so much? It's not like he won the finals, tch. 

"Any remarks on the opposition?" the presenter inquired. Ishan's ears perked up at the question. He anticipated Shubman to highlight their weaknesses, mentally noting to keep them in mind. 

Shubman smiled as he brought the mic closer to his mouth. “Ah, we have always loved a good rivalry with Summit. They definitely built the pressure we needed to drive forward. I think their captain did a great job on field; it was hard to find gaps at a point. Admirable effort.”

Ishan gaped at the scene. Shubman had a few screws loose, he concluded. Ignoring the shocked expressions of Abhishek and Mayank, Ishan shook his head to himself. 

“You got it on cam, right?” Mayank asked, still in disbelief.

“Y-Yeah,” Abhishek nodded. “Um, wow.”

Ishan turned on his feet when he heard Shubman calling out his name. That only made him walk faster, which Shubman wasn’t going to stand and accept. He followed Ishan towards the exit, refusing to be ignored. He grabbed Ishan’s hand when he finally caught up. “Why would you make me chase after you? I’m already tired,” he huffed.