Can The Player PLAY The Player?

Point 30.

This is the final point.

Z.B

It was nearing mid-January at this point in time, the moment of truth: the nationals Winter Cup. 

It was finally here. 

After defeating Millington, Stonehale, Willow Park, and West Highland, we were now standing in the area of the Phantom Park Stadium, the place where all schools went to compete in nationals. It was the home of the Minneapolis Vipers, so I was over the top with everything.

It took forever, a lot of practice, a lot of yelling from our coach, a lot of pats on the back, and advice from our captain who was no doubt a ball of anxiety, and just time. 

Fear was evident in each match that we played. What if we didn't win? Then that would mean that Aaron's dream would be lost, and I just couldn't let that happen.

But we finally made it here, on a shiny wood floor, the lights glistening over us as we practiced shooting threes, fake-passing, and layups. I couldn't contain my happiness, but this would be the match that determined everything because we were going against the school where everything all started.

Steelbrook.

Nationals or the National Sports Meet, as it was termed by was one of the most important high school basketball tournaments all over the world. It gathered the two winners from the last two cities, which was Minneapolis in our case, to compete in one all-star tournament with only one game between us. We had to win the preliminaries with other schools before qualifying for nationals, and if we won this, we would be recognized as the best basketball team in all of Minnesota.

We just stood with our team, practicing and practicing, but not enough to draw out our energy. It was only one game, so we needed to conserve the mass energy we had. "After this, we go back to being regular people, studying even harder for classes since this is our last year," Aaron sighed, leaning his head on my shoulder. "Yea, we do."

It was a bittersweet feeling because we loved playing basketball with the best of them. We loved playing with our teammates as we shared a lot of moments over the years. We loved the adrenaline that got us fueling when we realized that we were up against a formidable opponent.

"After this, it's off to college," He stated, rubbing his nose and I started playing with his soft black hair, finding peace in him. "Yup, but we get to share an apartment, so I'm okay with that." Omari snorted from behind us, putting on his jersey.

"Don't forget we'll be neighbors," He stated, reminding us of the fact that he and Akito were gonna share one apartment, and Owen and Natalia were gonna share the other. It appeared as if everyone got a happy ending. "How can we forget when you're gonna hear you yelling at Aki all the time?" Aaron rolled his eyes, tossing his basketball in the air. He seemed so calm, but I knew he was nervous because this was the make it or break it moment.

I looked down at the tan line left behind from the ring on my finger, smiling softly to myself. I couldn't deny that Aaron giving me that ring was everything to me. It just confirmed that he was my one and only, and I intended to return the favor by giving him an engagement ring. Of course, I would go all out, do the whole shebang because that was he deserved and nothing less.

Hehe.

"Gather round assholes," Aaron said as we noticed that the game was about to begin. All 12 of us and the coach huddled in the circle, eager for what he had to say. "We finally made it here, guys. Thank you for working hard with me," He smiled, a calm feeling waving over us. "We all know that this is an important day for all you losers, but I want you to know something. Regardless of the situation, regardless of the scoreboard, you're going to be successful because you've put in all the time, all the effort, all the hard work, and you know that it's going to pay off," His words sunk into our brains, reminding us of why we chose him to be our captain.