The second half was much different.
Stanford was on the verge of taking the lead, and they had two defenders on Rowan at all times. The rest of his team seemed slightly lost without him being able to take charge, and it showed five minutes into the half.
One of Rowan's defenders was grabbing his jersey, keeping him within arm distance. Rowan looked irritated, and kept pushing his hands away, but they'd just put them back.
"Is he allowed to do that?" I asked Erik, looking to the refs to see if they'd do anything, but their attention was focused on the players near the ball.
"Do what?" Erik said, with a pained expression on his face as he glanced at the scoreboard.
"They keep grabbing Rowan's jersey."
"Oh, yeah. I mean technically no but it happens all the time. Refs won't call it unless it actually gets in the way."
"Isn't it getting in the way?"
"Not really, they're just trying to get under his skin. Get him to foul or something. Happens every game."
"Oh."
"He's used to it though, it won't work."
It seemed to be working though. They were successfully keeping the ball away from him and he was clearly getting frustrated. The crowd could see it and the excited energy that'd filled the building before had diminished and filled with anger as fans started yelling at the refs.
One of his teammates tried passing Rowan the ball, but as he went forward to catch it his defender desperately pulled him back by his jersey and the ball flew into the hands of the opposing team. The crowd roared with anger and Rowan turned, angrily shoving his defender away from him. The player stumbled back before exaggerating a fall and the sound of a whistle blew as the ref called a foul on Rowan.
"First personal foul on Williams..." I frowned at the severity of the call and the fans continued shouting at the refs.
"Ah, shit." Erik said, watching Rowan. The frustration on his face was clear as day as he got back on defense.
"They didn't see them pulling his jersey?" Lucy asked him, looking conflicted.
"I guess not, but Rowans pissed. He usually doesn't let that shit distract him, not sure what's up."
Creighton was struggling. It was getting more and more obvious how much they relied on Rowan. They managed to get a few points in, though not enough as Stanford took the lead. I was nervously biting my lip, watching Rowan as Erik was commenting on every play in frustration.
The point guard took the ball up the court and passed it to the player on the wing, who took a shot but missed. Rowan went up to get the rebound but was again, held back by his defender who grabbed his arm. This time, one of the refs blew his whistle and called a foul, but Rowan turned with a furious expression and started talking to the player who'd held him back. One of his teammates came to his side and the refs started walking towards them.
"Oh no..." Erik stood up from his seat. "Shit..." I looked down and saw Rowan's defender say something back to him with an arrogant look on his face, before giving Rowan a sharp shove. That was all it took for Rowan and a few of his teammates to pounce on the other team, and soon enough the refs and coaches for both teams were trying to pull them apart.
"Oh my god," Lucy had her hand on my arm absently and we both stood up, looking down at the scene below with our mouths open.
"And a fight has broken out on the court..." The announcer's voice blended in with the cheers from the crowd, and I frowned at Erik.
Why are these morons cheering?
Erik read my expression and rolled his eyes,
"People will cheer for anything."
I finally spotted Rowan being pulled away from the other players by two teammates and he shrugged them off, angrily walking back to the bench as the refs tried to settle down the rest of the players.
"The refs seem to have gotten it under control..." The announcer spoke and Rowan dropped to the bench, ignoring the fans shouting for his attention a few feet behind him.
The rest of the players finally went back to their benches and the refs met with each other, before turning to the officiating table and talking to one of the people taking down statistics.
"And the refs are giving out a personal foul and a technical foul to Cardinals guard Baker," the crowd cheered around me and I glanced over at the player who'd just fought with Rowan. There was a bruise under his eye and he looked furious. "And another technical foul to Bluejays guard Williams..."
Boos filled the arena and I glanced down at Rowan, but he didn't look surprised in the slightest. His coach was talking to him with a cold expression on his face, and the rest of the team stayed a few feet back as they spoke as if they were afraid of both of them at that moment.
While they talked, the refs sent a player from Stanford who went to the free throw line. The crowd tried making as much noise as possible to distract him, but he made it easily.
"Point guard Hall makes the technical foul shot for the Cardinals," The coach had stopped talking and gave Rowan an abrupt nudge towards the court where he headed towards the free-throw line. "Looks like Creightons sending Williams for theirs..."
The crowd went silent as Rowan went to the line. I found it odd how people actually thought they'd make a difference on whether or not a player would make the shot. I'd think it'd be more difficult to make a shot with an arena full of thousands of silent people watching closely, rather than making a lot of noise. But I figured the players were all so used to it, it probably didn't affect them at all.
Rowan took a dribble before shooting the ball, which fell through the net smoothly. The silence broke as people cheered and the rest of the players went back to the court.
"Williams makes the foul shot, and Creighton gets possession of the ball due to Stanfords earlier personal foul..."
"Well this is pretty dramatic for preseason." Lucy said, as the game resumed back to normal. Erik laughed and shook his head.
"I don't know what's gotten into Rowan, he never lets anyone get to him like that."
I felt myself biting my lip again in nervousness. I hadn't distracted him had I? Maybe he'd been surprised to see me at the game, with Sam...
God, how conceited do you have to be to think he cares that much?
I shook my head and re-focused on the game, feeling stupid for even allowing my mind to go there.
Rowan rejected you. He's not into you.
I pushed the thoughts away and glanced at the scoreboard. 60-65. Creighton was down by five points, and there were forty seconds left of the game. How had it gone by so quickly?
Rowan had the ball and passed it to a teammate on the lower post, who leapt up and lightly dropped it through the hoop. 62-65. They were only down by three, though it wasn't looking good now that Stanford had possession of the ball with twenty-five seconds left.
"Shit!" Erik said, he was on the tips of his toes watching the game with wide eyes. "They need to steal it and make a three just to tie." He didn't look hopeful as his eyes flickered from the clock and the game.
Twenty...
Stanford was trying to get another shot in, trying to increase their lead. I held my breath as their point guard shot from the three point line, but it clanged off the rim and a Creighton post player grabbed it, passing it forward to Rowan quickly.
Fifteen...
Rowan sped up the court, he had a wide open lane for a layup. But instead of taking it, he passed out to a player on the three point line.
"Why didn't he go in for the layup?!" Lucy yelled, turning to Erik.
"It's only two points- they need three-"
"Oh, right-"
Ten...
Rowan was on the right wing, being defended by two players again as his team passed the ball around. He stayed there, his defenders looking worried, they knew they hadn't cleared a victory yet even with a three point lead and less than ten seconds on the clock.
Five...
I held my breath as I watched Rowan dash a few steps away from his defenders, one of his teammates setting him a screen, and obstructing their paths for a split second. Someone attempted a three-point shot, but I was too focused on Rowan to see who.
Three...
Rowan reached the top of the key, as the offensive player on the lower post grabbed the rebound of the missed shot,
Two...
He passed the ball back out to Rowan, whose defenders were still a few steps behind him as he reached the left wing.
One...
The ball left his hands and one of the defenders leapt up to try and block it, instead falling back down onto Rowan, causing one of the refs to blow his whistle. The buzzer went off as the ball was in midair, and everyone's eyes followed it as it seemed to fall in slow-motion.
The sound of the ball ripping through the net caused the crowd to erupt in cheers, and Rowan's teammates charged at him happily. Erik was shaking me roughly in excitement as he jumped up and down.
"And one! Williams with the buzzer beater! He ties the game with a three and has a chance to end it all with a free throw!"
The crowd was louder than it'd been all night as they celebrated, I even found myself laughing with Lucy as we watched the two girls in front of us sobbing in relief.
The score was 65-65. If Rowan missed, they'd go into overtime with a tied score, but if he made it they'd win the game by one. He reached the free-throw line and the refs gave him the ball. The entire building was back to being silent as everyone collectively held their breaths, though they already seemed to know he'd make it.
The ball left Rowan's hands, seeming to float in the air as it travelled along a perfect arc. The crowd erupted before it even went in.
"The Bluejays with the last minute comeback for the win!" The announcer kept yelling, and the team was already celebrating as Stanford headed to their locker room, their heads hanging low.
My eyes landed on Rowan's coach. He didn't seem like he'd just won a game, he still had an angry expression and waved his team over to head to the locker rooms. It struck me as odd, even Rowan had dropped his intense composure and allowed himself a smile with his teammates. They all followed him to the locker room and Rowan turned, scanning the crowd again. He found us and quickly held up ten fingers to Erik before turning and disappearing from sight.
"Alright ten minutes and he'll be out." He said, and I nodded, feeling my nerves slightly pick up at the thought of seeing him. We watched the crowd thin as people slowly exited, though the energy in the arena remained upbeat with those who stayed and discussed the game.
My eyes wandered through the crowd and I eventually spotted Sam leaving with a small group of people chatting happily. I noticed Lucy watching me from the corner of my eye and quickly averted my gaze, moving my attention to different people and hoping she hadn't noticed anything.
She's your best friend...
I realized how secretive I'd been acting. But I didn't know what I was feeling yet, let alone how I could talk about it to another person. All I knew was that I was confused. About a lot.
Scattered cheers and applause sounded through the building from those who were still there and I looked down, seeing Rowan and a few of his teammates emerge from the hallway. His hair was wet presumably from a shower and he was wearing sweats and a t-shirt, carrying a gym bag over his shoulder.
"Let's go." Erik said, standing.
We climbed down from the stands and reached Rowan who was kindly thanking an important-looking man in a suit at the officiating table. He turned to us and Erik gave him a hard punch on the arm before he could say a word.
"That was the most stressful preseason game I've ever been to you asshole."
Rowan didn't budge from the punch, instead giving Erik a light shove with a smile.
"Thanks for coming guys." He said, and his eyes fell to mine. He looked much more relaxed than he'd been throughout the night and his gaze held no contempt towards me in the slightest, but I still felt put on the spot as he looked at me. I felt even more intimidated by his presence.
"Yeah, I mean you played really well." I said after a moment of silence, feeling uncomfortable with the attention. The game had temporarily numbed me to the anguish I'd been feeling about him throughout the week, but it was slowly creeping back.
"Definitely," Lucy added.
"Thanks," Rowan said, and his smile seemed so genuine and personal I felt my face flush slightly and looked away from his captivating gaze. "You too Lucy, welcome back home," he added, and as his eyes turned to her.
"Rowan, see you at ten?" One of his teammates yelled from across the court, and he gave them a thumbs-up.
"Anyway," Rowan said and turned back to us. "Let's go get some food before the afterparty."
"Afterparty?" I frowned, and turned to Erik.
"What, you didn't tell them?" Rowan asked, turning to his friend. Erik looked unapologetic.
"Uh, of course not. Talking about the afterparty jinxes the game. If I'd said anything you would've lost and there'd be no party at all. You should be thanking me." Rowan stared at him for a second before turning back to me.
"Your choice if you wanna go?" He said, and I avoided meeting his eyes. I didn't want to go. I was sure an afterparty would include tons of girls throwing themselves at Rowan and I didn't think I could handle that until I got over... Whatever this was.
Lucy shoved my shoulder after my lack of an answer and spoke for both of us.
"Of course we'll go."
***
A/N: thank u so much for readinggg! sorry if the basketball stuff was confusing let me know if u need any elaboration!
thank u SO MUCH for 25k reads and 1k votes i am so lucky to have y'all :')
Q: did y'all see lil nas x's new music video for call me by your name i'm so happy for him and obsessedddd :')
Plus, Underwater will be updated 2X this Wednesday to make up for my shit updating patterns this past week tysm for all your patience. <3
***