Losing Grip

Chapter 14➷ My Mind is a Maze of Incoherent Thoughts

"Are they actually losing?" Brooklyn asked, pointing at the score countdown on the board.

"The game just started, Lyn. It's barely been half an hour." Jayce chuckled.

I was painfully aware of every single minute that passed as I stared mindlessly at the game, waiting for it to end.

"Do you think they'll win?" Jacob asked her, as the cheer squad clapped for nothing specific.

The room was bustling with chatter, a stark contrast to the last time I was here. An invisible line separated it into two sides. Across from our stadium seats, the Charters' supporters came in large crowds, faithfully dressed in red and white, and cheered on their players. According to Jayce, they received extra credit for school spirit. 

On the other side of the court, our school paled in comparison. We were significantly outnumbered and we were scattered all over the long rows of seats, wearing our random colors.

The differences between our school and Charters extended to the basketball court as well. The players of the visiting team were connected and seemed to anticipate each other's moves to respond accurately. Our team lacked chemistry and got distracted at the slightest movement from the crowd.

"Hard to tell," Jayce said, looking intently at the court as if she could see something beyond the constant back-and-forths of the players. "Bradley's nervous and cannot make a good shot to save his life. I think it shows that we've missed a couple of weeks of practice."

Bradley had replaced Jimmy after the first few minutes of the game. As usual, he had been benched after starting a fight.

"Where's our coach, anyway?" Jacob pushed up his sleeves to counter the warm temperature in the gym tonight.

"I think I heard that he might come back soon. He took a break to deal with a divorce," Jayce explained.

It was becoming increasingly harder to tune out their conversations, especially since they made it a point to ask me random questions when I least expected it and asking to repeat themselves more than twice felt ridiculous.

"Esther and Renée are not taking it well," Brooklyn added. "I babysit them on weekends someti— Nice!"

Bradley had just dodged several Charters players and scored. The opposite team had learned to think of him as the weak link and had let down their guards around him.

Our little crowd cheered for him as if they had never doubted him even though we all did.

His shot appeared to shift the entire demeanor of the team. They now seemed to want to impress him by making good shots as well and he humored them by congratulating them every time they did. Like children, they seemed to live off his feedback and seek his praise.

I held back a yawn. It felt like I had been sitting here forever and I longed to be in my room and sleep for a year. But I wanted to be here to support Arson.

Even though our team was now many points ahead of the other one and we were nearing the end, I could see that he was nervous through the mask of confidence he wore for his teammates.

"Does Jimmy ever stay in for an entire game?"

"Not that I can remember." Jayce laughed, fiddling with the wristband on her wrist. "I don't think it's his fault at this point. He can't seem to manage not fighting back at the slightest insult."

As Jayce and Brooklyn continued to chat about Jimmy, Jacob turned to me and seemed to notice that my nods were forced and inauthentic.

"This goes on forever," Jacob said with a cautious tone. as if he were testing me to check that I was indeed listening.