Hoops and Dreams

[18] Discord on the discord

There's nothing like the bus ride home after a loss.

The rowdy, rambunctious attitude that the boys carried in with them this afternoon is gone. In it's a place is quiet sobriety that one usually finds in a crowd of mourners or people still petitioning for a Game of Thrones remake. Basically, something is dead.

I opted to change out of my panther suit and shower before leaving. Meaning I'm the last one on the bus and I don't get to pick my seat. When I step on Darnell is sitting next to someone else, looking down at his phone.

I'm not hurt by that obviously. I didn't ask him to save me a seat and he wasn't obligated to. I'm irritated though that I ran from the bathroom and he didn't bother saving me a seat. It's an adrenaline crash realizing that I cared a little more than he did.

Instead, I get into a seat with one of the substitute players. I know his name is Micah but his most recognizable feature are the thick basketball regulation glasses that he wears 24/7. I know his vision is limited but he wears them all the time. I would wager that he wears the same glasses in the shower but I have no way to prove it.

When I plop onto the seat next to him he doesn't even register me.

He's focused on the graphic novel that he's reading on his tablet and so I don't have to bother with greetings. I place my tote bag onto the floor next to his and I notice they're similar. Both Adidas.

The bus is quiet save for the coaching staff who are either strategizing for next week's game or cutting their losses and giving up on our team entirely. I can't tell.

According to this season's statistics thus far the Irvine Panthers have lost one game and tied another. If we lose another game we'll be dropped from the championship altogether. A stark shift from my hopeful predictions at the beginning of this semester. All because my actions put one of our best players on the bench. But from what I've learned in the past few weeks about Xavier, I hope he never plays again.

In Irvine High's history, we've only ever won one state championship. Class of 86'. Immortalized in black and white photographs all over the trophy case. Which, and you won't be surprised to hear this, is very lacking in the basketball department. The way things were going I guess we wouldn't win another in my time as a student here. That was more than a little depressing for me to internalize.

When I look again to see what Micah had been so laser-focused on I do a double-take and as I realize why.

"You're reading One Piece?" I say with a gasp.

"Uhh, are you a fan?" He asks turning away from his tablet for the first time in the thirty minutes we've been on the road.

"Only the biggest," I reply.

In the anime community, One Piece is a cultural phenomenon. Forget Attack on Titan, that's child's play.

One Piece has been running since 1999, way before I was born and they're still chugging out episodes every week.

No one can pinpoint why it's so good. The animation style, the characters, and their development, the boss level upgrades it keeps receiving. I don't know. It's an entire topic of debate on my Tumblr fandom thread. One no one is close to winning.

Meeting someone else who knows about it is a pretty big deal.

But Micah's reading the manga and manga and light novel readers are notorious for spoilers. Any and all interactions from this point onwards must be hedged carefully.

"Wait, how far along are you?" He asks.

"Episode 902." I say on a whim. If he thinks I'm ahead of him, he'll have nothing to spoil.