"Let's go!"
R immediately went over to his friends, who were already on the court. Even though his eyes were still fixed on one particular person, he had to remain professional. As one of the forwards, R played a crucial role. He and Dean were in that position, while Loen was the guard. Among the students in his grade, Vera's twin was famous as the Big Boss of Immersion High School's IIS 4 basketball team.
The referee blew the whistle, and the game began. Kenand's team attacked first. Rehan had the ball and looked skilled as he dribbled. Loen's team refused to lose ground and played defense to keep their opponents from scoring.
Rehan passed to Kenand on his right. Kenand immediately took a shot after receiving the ball. The spectators in the stands erupted when the ball stopped on the rim. Kenand muttered a curse when he realized he had missed.
Loen's team went on offense. Dean casually dribbled the ball and passed it to Bari, his teammate. Once they entered the opposing team's area, Bari threw the ball to R. He caught it with a blank look on his face. He was still busy watching the girl in the stands. The referee immediately blew his whistle and penalized Loen's team because R had committed an offensive three-second violation. According to the referee's call, possession went to Kenand's team.
"What's wrong with you? Focus, R," Loen scolded.
R quickly nodded and started running again. He shook his head over and over, trying to get his mind back on the game. Every now and then, R stole a glance at the girl who had been busy playing with her phone the entire time.
Before he could fully regain his focus, the referee's whistle startled him, signaling the end of the first quarter. Loen immediately grabbed R's arm and glared at him. When it came to basketball, he didn't hesitate to yell at R, and R didn't take it personally. They had agreed that during a game, their friendship had to be set aside and they had to act professionally.
"If you're not feeling well or you're not in the mood, just sub out, R."
"Sorry, bro. I don't know why I can't focus like this."
Dean gently rubbed R's back. He knew R hadn't meant to let his team down. Their coach gave them a briefing and reinforced the strategy they'd worked out beforehand. He said he wasn't ready to make any substitutions yet. R breathed a sigh of relief. At least he was still being given a chance.
Loen's team moved the ball around calmly. Their play was safe, and R was able to receive the ball properly. However, the opposing team guarded him tightly. Annoyed, R knocked down the player guarding him. The referee immediately blew his whistle when R committed a charge, awarding Kenand's team free throws because of it.
"Shit!" R cursed before leaving the court and heading straight for his team's bench.
Loen's team's coach immediately called for a substitution. He was furious at his player's immaturity. However, the man chose to stay silent and let R do whatever he wanted. He just didn't want to end up fired.
Stela covered her ears. Vera and Mia, sitting to her left, wouldn't stop screaming. She chose to listen to music and check her social media instead.
Every now and then, she looked ahead just to watch the game. She had never seen a live competition like this before. She was the type of kid who went straight home and avoided school activities.
Stela froze in place after locking eyes with the boy whose class was her opponent's. Without realizing it, she stared intently into those eyes. The referee's whistle broke her gaze.
"What's up with R?" Vera asked.
"Yeah, why does he look like he's spacing out?" Mia shrugged.
Stela quietly listened to their conversation. She looked back at the boy named R, who was holding the ball. She grew even more focused when the boy she thought was pretty decent committed a foul. Her body tensed as it happened.
"Does he always play that rough?"
Vera and Mia turned toward Stela in unison. This was the first time the girl had spoken since the game began. Vera immediately nodded in response.
"Not just here, but everywhere. Violence is R's middle name," Mia explained.
Stela nodded to show she understood. She went back to watching R as he walked toward the bench. Once again, their eyes met. Stela quickly lowered her head and opened her phone.
"Why? Are you curious about him?" Vera's question made Stela look up again.
"And if I am?"
"If you can, stay away from him. There are too many things out there we don't know about. We should minimize the risks as much as possible," Mia said.
R ran after the IIS 5 student and grabbed the hand of the girl who had been distracting him all this time. Stela immediately turned and looked at her hand. When Vera and Mia saw what happened, they quickly tried to pull R's hand away.
"What the hell are you doing, R?" Vera yelled.
Loen, who had come with R, immediately pulled his twin away and covered her mouth. "You're so loud!"
Stela didn't move at all. She casually let R hold her hand; after all, she was already used to being treated that way. Mia, seeing this, quickly tapped Stela on the shoulder.
"Stel!"
"Mia, just wait for me in the parking lot, okay?"
At those words, R smiled in triumph. Loen and Dean walked ahead with Vera in tow. The girl kept pounding on Loen's hand, demanding that he let go of her.
Still grinning broadly, R released Stela's hand and held his own out to her. Stela merely looked at it and kept walking. R, glancing around in confusion, quickly moved ahead of Stela and stood in front of her.
"What's your name?"
Stela didn't respond. She kept walking and started putting on her headset.
"Hey! I'm talking to you."
Stela stopped and glared sharply at the boy. She still kept her mouth shut.
"Stop! Don't make me even more interested."
Stela shook her head and left R standing where he was. She didn't glance back even once.
"Don't play hard to get, or I'll go broke!"
The short-haired girl quickened her pace and soon caught up with Mia. She asked her new friend to get them out of there immediately. They went home before those curious boys could show up and do anything weird again.
On the way, Mia talked Stela's ear off. The girl was incredibly enthusiastic about sharing all kinds of things with her. Besides, their school was a gossip warehouse, so Mia never ran out of things to talk about.
Stela only hummed and agreed with what the girl said. She had always avoided pointless conversations. That was why Stela rarely had female friends. Only Mia and Vera had stubbornly kept trying to get close to her. Other than them, Stela made no effort to socialize at her new school.
She asked Mia to stop after they passed a traffic light. Mia, who didn't actually know where Stela lived yet, followed her directions. The girl, who still looked fresh despite being covered in thousands of specks of city dust, quickly got off and removed Mia's spare helmet.
"You can drop me off here. Thanks for the ride."
"Are you sure?"
Stela nodded and smiled. She waved and continued walking toward her personal hell. The girl quickened her pace even more as she passed through the deserted area.
The house she'd just rented for a month was extremely minimalist. With the cost of living being fairly high, Stela had to rack her brain to make the money Sanas gave her last. A home in a narrow alley like this was her best option.
For now.