{Jumpol}
Off genuinely has no idea why he's doing this.
Maybe Gun hypnotized him at some point and got him to change his mind about the basketball game, because that would be the only valid reason as to why he's walking up the school's sidewalk currently, Gun skipping next to him with a school t-shirt on.
"It's gonna be so much fun!" Gun exclaims as he skips alongside Off. He already has his megaphone in his right hand and the whistle hanging around his neck so he can "call a foul when the ref doesn't do his damn job".
Off smiles as he picks up his pace to meet Gun's.
They have to pay at the front to go to the game, which is already an inconvenience, and when they reach the gym where the game is being held, the bleachers are flooded with so many people that Off gets the urge to turn right around and leave.
They arrived a little late, so the opposing teams are already running up and down the court and the sports' fans are shouting catchy chants.
Off winces a bit at how loud everything is as he follows Gun up the steps of the bleachers. The boy immediately starts clapping hands with a bunch of other students, and within seconds, he gets his face painted with two blue stripes on either of his cheeks.
Off takes a seat and tries to appreciate the basketball game as much as he can. It can't be all that bad, anyway. It's tons of people, coming together to celebrate and support their school. Off would rather have this than to have everyone hate each other.
Halftime comes around fairly fast because of how late they arrived, and Gun takes that moment to run all the way down the bleachers and wave a giant school flag (where did he get that flag?) up and down the court, prompting everyone to jump and scream.
The cheerleaders come out to perform after a few minutes, fueling the crowd's excitement even more.
Off observes the game once it continues, and it's pretty hard to miss how well Tay is playing. Pretty much every other shot made by his team is made by him; the cheerleaders even have a special chant specifically for him.
Truthfully, Off understands. With all that praise given to one person, it's impossible for that person not to grow such a big, cocky head. Off could probably stay humble though, but it's clear Tay and Off are two different people.
The game's getting tied up and every single person is standing up instead of sitting, making a loud barrier around Off and causing him to feel trapped. When Tay dunks on an opposing team member, the entire gym erupts, and Off decides he doesn't have to sit through all this noise.
He pulls his phone out of the pocket of his jacket and plugs in his ear buds. He stuffs them in his ears and lets his mind return to a calm state as the sound of Tame Impala floods his surroundings.
He watches as Gun brings the megaphone up to his mouth and shouts something that Off can no longer hear. The image puts a grin on his face as he lets out an easy sigh.
As his eyes wonder around his surroundings, he spots the figure of dark fluffy hair in the distance---at the very front row of the stands, to be exact---and it almost alarms him how he hadn't realized New was there.
He's one of the few people sitting down, just like Off is, and he's watching the game intently and giving a little cheer every time something nice happens for their team. It seems as though he's rooting Tay on in his own little world, having his personal victory party every time the boy makes a shot.
Off knows how alike they are to each other; he just doesn't think New does. If the boy would just pay a little more attention, he'd realize there's not much that's different about the both of them. He knows New would rather be somewhere quieter, wrapping himself in a blanket and listening to some music, but he's here, because of Tay.
Gun leaves Off's side for probably the fifth time since they've gotten there, and he runs up and down the sidelines, shouting something at the players as his face goes red with adrenaline. Off huffs and takes that as his cue to move down the steps of the bleachers, spotting the open area right next to New.
He removes his ear buds as he sits down, New noticing him and immediately growing a smile on his face that provokes Off to return one as well. New offers a fist out for Off to bump as they settle.
"Didn't know you'd be here," New says, his voice straining a bit over the noise.
Off shrugs as he scratches his nose. "Didn't know I'd be here either."
New laughs before telling Off about how he had to come to this because it was Tay's first game.
"He's uh..." Off starts, taking a short breath. "He's doing pretty good."
He doesn't want to admit that it was a little painful to say.
New's eyes nearly sparkle as he grins and turns his head, watching as Tay dribbles the ball down the court with quick feet. "He is, isn't he?" He directs his attention back to Off. "So why'd you decide to come?"
"Gun somehow got me to," Off says with a fond shake of his head.
New nudges Off's knee with his as he speaks. "Well, thank God for Gun. I was sitting here all alone."
"You know I always come to your rescue," Off teases, poking New's shoulder. "Besides, it's Friday. I've got nothing to do anyway."
"Staying at home and rubbing your lava lamp is something to do," New teases back.
"It's a lava lamp, New. I'm not some genie."
New chuckles and Off can see from behind the boy's head how Tay is occasionally glancing over at them from time to time.
They continue their conversation, New now fully facing Off and not having looked at the court once in the last five minutes, but all Off can see is Tay, and his eyes shooting over to where they're sitting when he's supposed to be playing a basketball game.
The abrupt sound of the fans of the opposing team cheering with glee take New and Off by surprise, and both of them look over to find that someone has stolen the ball from Tay.
Off sticks his lips out as he observes the spectacle of the students from their own school, looking ahead despairingly.
Their school went from being tied with the opposing team, 33:33, to losing, 33:36, and it's basically Tay's fault.
Unfortunate.
"Do you think we can still win?" New asks, a hopeful look on his face as his eyes now follow Tay's every move closely.
"There's about ten seconds left, but wishful thinking may help."
As if on cue, the buzzer sounds to mark the end of the game, and---Tay successfully shoots a three pointer right on time, causing the teams to become tied again. Even New stands up to cheer as the game goes into overtime, and Off has to fight against putting his head in his hands from having to sit through this game even longer.
Eventually, their school's team wins, and Off finds himself outside in the cold, autumn air, watching students exit the building in heaps and waiting for Gun to join him so they can venture out to his car.
"Those refs were so stupid!" is the first thing Gun yells once he comes outside. "I'll go to school and study to become a ref myself, if---"
Off places a gentle hand on Gun's shoulder, shaking him around a bit. "Gun...the game's over. It's okay. We won."
Gun lets his nerves calm as he looks at Off. It has to be unhealthy, how passionate Gun gets about these kinds of things.
"Yeah, we won. That's all that matters," Gun says, perking up a bit. "Ready to go?"
Off opens his mouth to answer just as one of the players on the team comes up, hastily greeting Gun with a clasp to his shoulder. The guy looks familiar to Off, but he can't quite remember his name.
"Arm!" Gun exclaims.
Ah, Arm.
He's sweating, still wearing his jersey, and has his sports' bag hanging over his shoulder as he smiles at Gun. "Thanks for being so enthusiastic, Atp," he says. "It really helps."
"No problem, babe," Gun says, crushing Arm in a friendly hug.
"We're having a little party to celebrate the win. You guys should come," Arm says, gesturing at the both of them. Off's certain he's never talked to Arm before.
The first thing Gun does is glance at Off, seeking his approval.
Off shakes his head as a shy smile grows on his face. "No---I can't..."
Gun punches him on the shoulder. "C'mon, Off. Please?"
"It's a Friday night. Come on," Arm urges, giving Off the same hopeful look Gun is.
Off stands there, looking between them with his lips parted. When did his decisions become so important? He can't handle this kind of power.
Tay appears out of nowhere, resting an elbow on Arm's shoulder as he enters himself into the conversation.
"What're you guys talking about?" he asks, curious eyes flittering between all of them.
"I'm trying to invite Off and Gun to the little get together we're having," Arm explains, reaching out and playfully pulling at Off's jacket.
Tay's smile widen as a grin forms on his face.
"You guys should definitely come. We'd love to have you there," he says, and Off hopes he's not the only one that's catching on to how fake nice Tay's being. It irritates Off to such a high degree that he has to refrain from balling up his fist. He knows Tay's just trying to hide the fact that he doesn't want Off to come by asking him to come. He's easy to read.
"You know what? I'll come," Off says. It doesn't surprise him when Gun takes his face and presses a giant kiss to his cheek, which Off wipes off with his hand immediately after.
They eventually end up at the "get together" which is actually just a mellow phrase for "huge party that's completely out of control".
Off ends up sitting in the far corner of a couch, stuffing his hands in his pockets and trying to ignore the sounds of the pair making out on the opposite end of the couch. Someone keeps popping confetti every two seconds, and the air is so thick with the scent of weed that Off's surprised neighbors haven't called the cops.
Two different people have joined him on the couch at some point, attempting to engage in conversation with him and eventually take him upstairs and into a bedroom, but he gave them short, uninterested responses, which succeeded in driving them away so they would leave him alone, just the way he wanted.
At some point, the heavy bass in the speakers and the deafening screaming coming from drunken girls becomes too much, and Off pushes himself up from the couch in order to find a bathroom to escape to. He wonders down one of the halls where there are only a few people loitering around, and after checking a few doors, he finally finds what he's looking for.
He steps into the spotless white bathroom and moves to close the door behind himself, but finds the door halted by some unknown force. He turns his head to find none other than the famous Tay, preventing the door from being closed and letting himself in, much to Off's surprise.
"Are you trying to hook up with me?" Off asks jokingly as Tay closes the door behind himself.
Tay shakes his head, his eyes growing serious. "No. I love New."
Off crosses his arms as he maintains steady eye contact with Tay. "Okay then. Wha---"
"I just...I wanna..." Tay starts, gesturing vaguely with his hands as he tries to get his thoughts together. "We're clear on the fact that New's my boyfriend, right?"
Off nods his head hesitantly, averting his eyes to Tay's chest. "Yeah."
Tay scratches the back of his head. "I just wanna be sure that you...that you don't---"
"Tay, New's one of my best friends," Off says, his voice a smidge quieter.
"I know," Tay replies. "I get that. I just don't want you to get some crazy idea."
"I won't."
"Good, because I don't want you to."
"Great, because I won't."
Now Tay grins, because he's so entitled and feels as though he has full rights to anything in the world. He grins his fake grin before he opens his mouth to speak again. "Awesome. So...we've had this talk. There shouldn't be any trouble in the future," he says, reaching out to place a gentle hand on Off's shoulder.
"I get it, Tay," Off replies, proceeding to set his jaw tight. He takes Tay's hand and removes it from his shoulder, wiping the smug expression right off of Tay's face. "Now can I pee?"
Off can hear Tay grind his teeth together before he answers. "I'll leave you to it," he says as he twists the doorknob behind him and lets himself out---but not before Tay, the glorious Tay Tawan, gives Off an actual scowl.
Off's not sure if this is real life anymore.