About two weeks later, Amber was sitting near a fountain with a couple of girls she'd made friends with. They were supposed to be studying, but they kept getting distracted by hot guys other topics.
"You have to come to the game with us tonight," red-headed Juniper insisted with a grin, reaching out to grab Amber's hands and give them a squeeze.
"I don't—"
Amber's protests were cut off by Savannah, a tall, athletic woman with golden hair. Random streaks of color peeked out from he bottom layer of her hair, the scheme seeming to be a pink to purple to blue thing. "There'll be a party afterwards~!" she singsonged.
"Oooh… Okay, we'll see, then. I'll text you guys later," Amber chuckled, shaking her head. "Text me the info, and I'll see if I can work it into my schedule."
“Again!” William barked, eyes tensed, sweat dripping from his chin. He breathed deeply, tired and exhausted, but not wanting to give up. He wasn’t the captain, but he certainly had the qualifications to be one. “Parker, you’re lacking in strength. Drew, you’re supposed to be preventing me from grabbing the ball!”
“William!” The captain finally called out, a tire in his voice. He was tall and tan, black eyes and brown hair. He looked strict. “We’ve been practicing nearly the whole day. Everyone's tired. The game is tonight. We can’t afford to get injured.”
William clicked his tongue in irritation, anger bubbling inside of him.
“But it’s not enough,” he insisted. “I’m not good enough for their shooter! They wiped the floor with all of their opponents, Captain, and it was just because of their shooting guard. He’s good, but I can’t let him be better than me!”
“That’s enough!” Caroline, their manager, finally called out in a stern voice. “William, get started on wiping the basketballs. Cool your anger. Don’t get too worked up. All of you, get started on cleaning up after yourselves!”
No one protested, though they gave William a glare. The Ace, however, simply let out a curse.
About a half an hour later, Amber arrived at the dorm. She took her jacket and shoes off, leaving them by the door, before making her way into the kitchen.
She was pretty hungry from rehearsal earlier since she tried not to eat close to when it started. And she hadn't eaten anything since then, so she was especially hungry.
William fell back on the floor with a huff, breathing heavily. He’d finally finished wiping all of the basketballs clean—without any help, as the manager commanded. Finally, she let him drink water and cook himself down.
As usual, he poured water over himself, the cool liquid relaxing him. The mess on the floor caused his teammates to glare at him, but he pretended not to notice.
“All right, you have five hours to rest before the game,” their manager said, narrowing her pretty eyes. “Get home, eat, sleep, preserve your energy. All of you—and I mean all of you—must be well rested when I see you again!”
They all exclaimed in reply.
(Skip to the game?
not it, btw)
William took a deep breath. He wasn't nervous, no. He wasn't afraid. His eyes observed each member of the team, taking in their forms in person. The Shooting Guard. Point guard. His team was going to be the best.
"William, come join the group cheer," one of his teammates, the power forward, rolled his eyes. His blonde hair framed his face, and though he looked cheerful, there was slight nervousness in his eyes. William rolled his eyes, walking over to his team, sighing again when they all cheered for themselves.
"All right," Caroline crossed her arms. "I don't care whether you win or lose–as long as you give it your all. I don't care about anything other than that. If you win, though… the coach and I were thinking of treating you all to dinner."
That got all the students to cheer. William snorted, amused by his team's gluttonous nature.
"All right, basketball team, go make us proud."
“C’mon, the best seats are over here,” Savannah called over the sounds of the crowd as the group of girls made their way to the bleachers.
Juniper laughed at something a guy said before her blonde friend grabbed her arm and pulled her away. “Hey! I was talking to him!”
“Yeah, well, I want to get good seats before they’re all taken up,” said blonde declared.
Amber chuckled at their interaction. It looked like this had happened before, as Savannah was ignoring Juniper’s (or Juni, as she sometimes preferred) protests and pouting.
As much as she was excited for the game, Amber seriously hoped that she didn’t run into William, who she knew was in the team. That would be both awkward and annoying…
The players were sent into the field, and as William expected, his team’s nature changed the moment they stepped inside the field.
Normally they were goofy, nervous and scared. When it was time to go, they were right where William wanted them to.
William’s once bored eyes sharpened, glancing across the opposing team as he took his position. When the whistle rang, everyone moved fast as lightning.
The first five minutes were spent defending on both sides. William simply looked around, trying to find an open spot, trying to find mistakes he could expose.
The first score was made by the opposing team, much to William’s chagrin. But that only fueled his team’s desires. And when the captain gave the signal, the Power Forward, without battling an eye, without wasting time, was near the basket, slamming a dunk.
Amber watched the game with slight interest. Sports weren’t really her thing. That was music and theatre. She had to admit, though, that it wasn’t as boring as she thought it would be.
The crowd cheered whenever their team got a point, and their excitement was almost infectious. Almost.
Juni and Savannah were just as excited as the rest of the crowd, though. They cheered and shouted, standing when their emotions were too much for sitting.
Juniper was watching intently, looking as if she was searching for someone. Her best friend chuckled and nudged Amber, pointing out to the court.
“See him? The blond in the center, there,” Savannah started. “Junes has a crush on him. That’s who she’s been looking for this whole time.”
Amber looked where the girl was pointing and smiled when she saw the man. “Yeah, I guess he’s attractive. Not my type, but Juni has good taste.”
William’s job through the first half was to watch. Observe, find tells, protect, defend. That’s what he always did. The coach thought he was their trump card. He was always reserved for the second round.
Finally, the coach brought William in the match. Subbing the current Shooting Guard out. William shot the opponent a stare, walking towards his position, his teammates raising their hands for a high five. William rolled his eyes, but obliged none the less.
When the whistle blew out, his team charged. William lunged forward, keeping the ball in his team’s position. Suddenly, the team didn’t seem too daunting anymore. Their team was just as capable.
In the end, their team didn’t win, but William expected nothing else. The team they’d fought was the third powerhouse. They were meant to be strong, but William knew his team would surpass everyone one day.
He remembered to leave a long lasting impression. He remembered to give it his all—show everyone he was capable. He was a completely different person. Aggression in the form of his plays—shooting three-points after each shot, keeping the players on the tip of their feet.
They didn’t win the match, but they won the expectations.
William would have been lying if he said he didn’t feel disappointed.
“All right. I’m hungry, and I saw a concession stand just over this way,” Amber said, smiling as she rolled her eyes at Juniper’s ogling.
The guy the ginger liked — Holden, she was informed — was actually making his way toward where Amber was wanting to go. He and a few other of the team members were beginning to crowd around the concession stand, talking and laughing and drinking whatever energy drink they had in their hands.
Caroline handed the team drinks, a blank look on her features. That was what William liked the most about their manager. No matter what the result, she’d keep up that look as if her life depended on it. It didn’t give them hope, nor did it dampen their spirits.
“Learn from your mistakes,” she said, her voice soft. “Next time, you will win.”
The team dispersed, trying to crack jokes to cheer themselves up. William was too caught up in his disappointment to join the others.
“Will,” Drew called worriedly, slapping his teammate on the arm. “C’mon, we’ll beat them next time. Join us.”
William grunted, though he followed the group anyway. The captain was nowhere to be seen, but William expected that. The whole team did. He liked to sulk alone.
Once they reached their destination, William leaned against the wall, ignoring the others as they talked, made jokes to clear up the sad atmosphere. Instead, he focused on what he did wrong. What the team did wrong.
As soon as they noticed the team, Savannah and Juniper made their way over to “console” them.
“You guys did great! I’m sure you’ll get them next time,” Juni said, smiling softly. Her gaze flickered to Holden before she swept her eyes over the rest of the guys.
Savannah nodded her agreement as she stood beside the redhead. “Right. And the ref should have called that shot at the end of the first quarter. The ball hadn’t even made it into the hoop yet.”
Amber raised her eyebrows as she listened to the blonde talk. Savannah sounded like she knew what she was talking about, which surprised Amber a little. Who knew the preppy young woman would know so much about the sport?
William’s fist squeezed the empty bottle of water, releasing an irritated sigh. His team ran their hands through their hair, pleased with the female attention they were receiving.
“We could have done better,” Holden said softly, rubbing the back of his neck. “We were so close.”
Yeah, they were. So close. Ten points off.
“The ball was in the air before the buzzer rang,” William found himself speaking bitterly. “The point counted.”
He pushed himself off the wall, the squeezed bottle tight in his hold as he pushed past the people, throwing the bottle away as he walked by.
He should have practiced more. The team should have practiced more. He didn’t have the right to yell at the team—he wasn’t the captain. Still, he wished they could recognize the mistakes in their plays. So many things could have been avoided had they paid close attention.
"Well, you guys still did great," Juniper insisted, her gaze having returned to Holden.
Amber noticed Wiliam slip away from the rest of his teammates, but she didn't say anything. Whatever the reason was, she didn't really care. He could certainly take care of himself.
"How long have you all been playing?" she wondered, letting her eyes drift over the guys. Admittedly, some of them were pretty good looking… Especially the guy standing a little more off to the side.
“Since middle school,” Drew replied, furrowing his eyebrows as William walked away. “Sorry about William… I’d say he’s not like that all the time, but then I’d be lying. He’s just really upset right now.”
Holden snorted.
“Upset might be an understatement,” he added in. “You should go after him, Drew. You’re least likely to end up on the other side of the building. Tell us once the storm’s over.”
Drew rolled his eyes, clapping Holden on the back.
“You guys better return to the gym fast,” he said in a threatening tone, but his teammates didn’t take him seriously. He then took off, running after William.
“Anyway, thanks girls,” Parker said, nodding. “We hoped it was good enough for the new members, too. What do you say, Jace?”
The boy in question snorted, though there was a smile on his features.
“Well, I know who to mess with and who to not on the court,” he joked.
So the cute guy's name was Jace… Nice name…
"Oh, I'm fully aware of how William can be. You'd think you'd get to know a guy better after dorming with him for a few months, but he seems to always be in his room," Amber said with a shrug. "I'm Amber, by the way. And these two are Juniper—" the redhead raised her hand in greeting, giving Holden and almost shy smile. "And Savannah—" she just smiled and nodded her acknowledgment of the introduction, a bit of golden hair falling away to show the many colors underneath the top layer.
Holden gave the girls a nod, oblivious to the looks he received from Juniper before he turned towards Amber.
"You're the one rooming with him?" he shook his head, a chuckle escaping his mouth. "Man, you're lucky and unlucky at the same time. Anyway, I'm Holden. These are my teammates–well, most of them. Parker–" he pointed to the guy with green hair, who gave a quirky smile. "Jace," the boy grinned at Amber. "Drew was the one who ran after Will. The rest of our team's gone back to the gym."
"Nice to meet you guys," Savannah said, sticking her hands in the front pockets of her jeans.
"Yeah, nice to meet you," Juniper chorused, grinning at the guys.
Amber nodded with a smile. "Good to meet you all. I think the girls and I were just about to go get some drinks from the concession stand, but I see that you already have something…"
The boys blinked before their eyes fell on their drinks in their hand. They broke off into a smile.
"Ah, yeah, we always have that covered," Parker grinned. "Whether it's food or water, our manager always provides us with stuff."
"She's like a goddess," Holden commented. "But she's extremely cold, it can get terrifying."
"Trust the new guy on this," Jace chimed in, his eyes never leaving Amber's. "I've been here roughly a day, observing the team, learning things, and she hasn't smiled even once. I think we annoy her too much."
"Anyway, we should go," Holden touched Jace's shoulder, offering a smile at the girls. "It was really nice talking with you girls. See you later, you three."
Amber offered Jace a smile when she noticed he was looking at her. He had nice eyes… She couldn't quite tell what color they were, but they were still nice.
"Oh, you guys'll be at the party tonight, right?" Savannah wondered, tilting her head curiously.
Jace smiled back at Amber.
"We will be," he replied, nodding. "The basketball team would be there. The coach gave us permission, so we would definitely take advantage of that."
"As long as we don't drink," Holden narrowed his eyes at Jace as if he was a babysitter. "Then the coach would forbid us from ever attending one."
"What? Well, that's lame," Juniper complained, shaking her head. "Not even one drink?"
"Definitely not," Holden replied, looking at Juniper with warm yet stern eyes. "We're basketball players. Alcohol shouldn't be in our system. It disrupts our plays."
Juniper hummed, nodding slowly. "That makes sense… You guys must be designated drivers a lot then," she joked with a soft laugh.
