Take a Chance

Chapter 22

A few hours ago, Chanyeol was crying—dying inside because he had lost someone, and now here he was, helping a poor excuse of a basketball player.

Why was he so nice?

"I'm trying," Baekhyun replied and turned over to look at Chanyeol, seeing that the captain wasn't looking at him, instead keeping his gaze on the game.

"Do I always need to give you a pep talk?" He questioned and Baekhyun almost laughed.

"I wonder that too," he admitted, turning back in front and staring down at his hands, tangling his fingers together in an act of nervousness. "I... I'm really sorry," he confessed and to his surprise, Chanyeol began laughing.

It wasn't funny, though, because Baekhyun could hear the fakeness in that laugh.

"Sorry for what, me always giving you a pep talk?" Chanyeol asked.

"I'm sorry," he repeated.

Because he was sorry. God, he was so sorry; sorry for always calling him Channie even if he didn't want him to; sorry for always needing pep talks; sorry for sucking so much at basketball; sorry for acting insincere and hurting Chanyeol instead; sorry for not saying sorry for the right reasons.

"It's okay, I give a lot of people pep talks because I'm used to getting them from—" his voice slightly wavered and got quieter at the ending, pulling at Baekhyun's heart strings, "—my sister..."

Silence swept over them like a broom and Baekhyun knew what Chanyeol was probably thinking about at this moment.

Baekhyun didn't completely turn to Chanyeol, but from his peripheral vision he could see that Chanyeol was clasping his hands together tightly—so tightly that his knuckles were beginning to turn white.

Chanyeol wasn't staring at the game anymore and was instead staring down at the ground, his eyes glassed over with a layer of water.

Baekhyun realized then that really, he was useless.

Baekhyun realized that he shouldn't be the one receiving the pep talk, and instead he should be the one initiating it.

Why was he always getting help when he was the one who didn't need it the most? Why was it a common thing that the people who needed guidance the most always lost their way in the ending?

"Chanyeol, don't worry," Baekhyun smiled lightly even if Chanyeol wasn't looking or paying attention. "Everyone says that when happiness occurs, sadness follows quickly—and it's true. Really, really true." Baekhyun knew his words wouldn't help because he wasn't the greatest person with his words, unlike Chanyeol... He was childish and pretty dumb in his opinion. "But it also means that it's the other way around too.  It's just like the excitement of making cookies on Christmas Eve, you get happiness from accomplishing something. You wake up in the morning and realize some fat man in a red suit stole and ate your cookies, and you feel sad until you spot the neatly wrapped presents under the Christmas tree."

It was weird how Baekhyun was getting happier at his own speech... It was extraordinary how words worked. Words were nothing but sounds made up by people but it always somehow manipulated human's minds and made them feel a certain way. It was funny how something people created could destroy them in the worst ways possible. And it was hilarious how words could convey things so well but instead people choose to express it in different ways, giving gifts or kissing each other.

"You just have to wait for it to pass by," Baekhyun began. "Wait for the worst to come by..."

"Wait for the rain to pass by so that the rainbows could show themselves," Chanyeol finished.