Intramurals I

ANGELLE

The Intramurals of Maximo started on Thursday. Even though we knew we would just be spectators and not participate, many students still came with their cardboard signs or banners to cheer for the players. They intentionally scheduled it after the exams to bring some joy to the students who were disappointed with their scores or stressed because of the exams.

The opening of the Intramurals was fantastic because of 'Maximonians Swaeg'. They performed a cheerdance accompanied by a hip hop routine that caught everyone's attention.

I was surprised to see Prof participating in the Maximonians Swaeg. But as far as I remember, he never joined their practices because he was always with me. Weird, right?

After the performance of the Maximonians Swaeg, Sir Archie, the emcee, and Ma'am Beca, the H.E teacher, went up on stage.

"Hello, everyone!" Ma'am Beca greeted energetically. "I'm Rebeca Cain Santos, I will be your teacher host for the rest of these events. And I'm with Sir Archie Anselmo, the handsome teacher from Grade Eleven GAS 2." She continued.

"Oh, Sir Archie. I wonder what activity we'll be watching first?" Ma'am Beca asked Sir Archie, who smiled.

"Hm... what's the popular sport nowadays?"

"As far as I know, basketball. You know, the moves of L.J and Stephen Curry?" Sir Archie nodded.

"Yeah, L.J is one of the millennials' favorite basketball players."

"That's great! By the way, what are we waiting for? Let's start the first activity!"

When Ma'am Beca gave the signal, we were surprised by a loud bang from a toy gun, and we found out that it was a prank by the Principal.

"Just to add some thrill!" Russel said with a laugh as he arrived at the spot where we were talking.

Among our group of friends, only four of us didn't participate in the activities. You know, those people who have no interest in sports? That's us.

"Guys!"

Russel and I turned to look at another person who just arrived and also had no interest in sports.

"Why did it take you so long, John?" Russel asked irritably as he approached us.

"I had to look for the tarpaulin that Jovelyn had made for her boyfriend," he replied with a voice filled with annoyance.

"Why do you seem angry?" I asked.

"Because Mama shouted at me." He pouted.

"Why?"

"After I took a shower, she went into the bathroom and saw some chicken skin." We burst into laughter at his response.

"You idiot, Par. Don't tell me you're going to pretend to be a chicken." Russel said.

John just scratched his head. We then looked towards the center of the court as the first players came onto the court to start the game.

"Grade 7 vs. 10! First quarter!" Sir Archie announced.

The game between Grade 7 and Grade 10 began, and it was a chaotic game. I mean, they were playing so messily. There were always fouls and out-of-bounds calls. After the first quarter, the second quarter followed, which was a bit better, but Grade 7 played quite dirty.

"Kurt is such an ugly opponent, he plays so dirty!" Russel exclaimed in annoyance when Grade 7 scored.

After the game between Grade 7 and Grade 10, Grade 7 emerged as the winners with a score of 92, while Grade 10 only scored 53.

Next was the game between Grade 8 and Grade 9. At this point, Grade 9 emerged victorious, probably because they had players who moved like MVPs, most likely because many of them were tall.

"Do you think Prof's team will win this year?" John suddenly asked Russel.

"Of course, we have Link and Andre on our side, why are you even asking?" Russel replied.

"Allan is in Grade 9, he was the MVP of Buras NHS before and no one has beaten him yet." John answered.

"Tch! Just believe that our team will win, you're so negative!"

"I'm not negative!" John retorted.

"Stop arguing!" I scolded the two of them and stood between them to prevent them from arguing again.

When Grade 11 and 12 were called to play next, the whole Maximo erupted with excitement. The girls were screaming their hearts out.

The audience was suddenly filled with cardboard signs and banners. I cringed when I read the names written on the signs and banners of some girls. The hype around the Outhrow Savage group, which Prof was a part of, was really popular here.

"Go, Link!"

"Albert, do your best for our future!"

"I want you to be the father of my child, Wendell!"

The three of us, Russel, John, and I, looked at each other after the last girl shouted. We looked at her, and she embarrassingly covered her face because many students were looking at her after hearing her shout.

"Someone still wants to have a child with Del?" John said jokingly.

"Even though Wendell is like that, many still have a crush on him." Russel said.

I shook my head at the two of them who agreed with each other again and looked at the players who were preparing.

I saw Link in the Grade 11 group with Prof, Andre, and their other friends. He looked handsome in his red-black jersey with his last name Serrano printed on the back, and red basketball shorts. His hair was also messy, as usual, nothing new.

He looked around at the spectators as if searching for something, and when his gaze landed on us, he stopped and locked eyes with me, which I reciprocated.

He quickly averted his gaze when Prof gave him a gentle push to go to his position. Even though we weren't okay, I still hoped they would win.

When the game started, the ball ended up with Grade 12. The first player passed the ball to a teammate, who then dribbled towards Prof's court. But before he could get close, Kervin stole the ball and passed it to Andre, who successfully made a three-point shot.

I saw Ate Jove screaming and cheering next to Lica on the other side. She was holding a cardboard sign that said "Go Yam!" with heart designs on it.

When the game resumed, the ball was immediately in the hands of the opposing team, who quickly scored.

Prof's team was really struggling. Imagine, Grade 12 also made a three-point shot.

When Grade 11 had the ball, they passed it to Prof, who quickly dribbled towards the Grade 12 court. But out of nowhere, Link appeared and swiftly stole the ball from him.

The crowd erupted in cheers when Link had the ball. I wanted to shout at Link to shoot the ball, but it felt like my tongue was tied and I couldn't speak.

"Damn it! Link, pass it first!" Russel shouted at him.

There were already many defenders guarding Link, but he seemed unfazed and unafraid, even though his opponents were taller.

"Link! Shoot it first!" I shouted loudly, causing him to look at me, which led to the ball being stolen from him.

Shit, it seemed like it was my fault that the ball was stolen. I slapped my forehead, which was seen by the people next to me, causing them to chuckle.

When Grade 12 scored, Link's teammates shook their heads. Prof patted Link on the shoulder with a smile.

Link glanced at me again with a blank expression, then turned away and mingled with the players who were fighting for the ball.

We still weren't okay since he shouted at me. Even though he came to my house, I ignored him. Maybe it because my pride, that's why we still haven't made up.

The first quarter ended with Kervin receiving a lot of fouls. We just laughed because he was taunting the opponents. Kervin will graduate soon, just a little more.

When the second quarter started, the score was always tied, but in the third quarter, Prof's team took the lead, which led to their fans celebrating.

In the final quarter, the players became more serious, especially the students watching. Andre even got into a defensive rebound scuffle, but it quickly subsided and they went back to playing.

One of their teammates ran with the ball when it was in Grade 12's possession, but Kervin, being skilled in stealing, snatched the ball and made a dunk shot.

"Just like Irving, bro!" John shouted.

I'm not really into sports, I just know how to watch them because we studied sports like basketball, volleyball, and others back in Grade Eight.

Grade Eleven called for a 5-minute timeout, so the game paused for a while.

"Did you notice that Kervin has more points than Link now?" John asked Russel, who nodded in agreement.

"They're not on good terms with his motivation." Russel flashed a mischievous smile at me and then looked back at the player.

When the game resumed, Russel excused himself to go to the bathroom and handed me the cardboard sign he took out of his bag. I didn't pay much attention to it and just watched the game. Every time Grade Eleven scored, I raised the cardboard sign in excitement. Duh, I'm proud to be in Grade Eleven!

When Link scored, he glanced at the cardboard sign I was holding, then looked at me and smiled. What just happened there?

"Ayyiiieeut! So sweet!" Andre said in a silly manner as he walked by our side.

I just gave him a glare because I didn't understand what he said. It's silly to get all giddy. What's with the "ayyiiieeut" thing?

When the game between Grade 11 and 12 ended, Grade Eleven emerged as the winners, which we already knew. Most of the guys who moved on the court were in Grade Eleven, like Tetsuya, but they were as skilled as Sakuragi when it came to dunking.

I was surprised when John-john pulled me towards Prof, who was wiping off his sweat. As we approached, Ate Jove and Andre also arrived, and Ate Jove immediately wiped off Andre's sweat, clearly trying to make the fangirls who were watching jealous.

"I wish everyone had a partner to wipe off their sweat!" Prof said, wiping his body because of the sweat.

"Duh, you have so many fangirls, why don't you date one of them and let them wipe off your sweat!" Ate Jove said.

"I don't like any of them!" Prof replied, continuing to wipe off his sweat.

I glanced at Link, who was on the side changing his clothes. Then I looked at the girls who were looking at him and rolled my eyes in annoyance. There's a bathroom, why is he changing here? Clearly, he's seeking attention too.

"Sistah! I don't think you're melting Kuya Link with your gaze, right?" Lica said with a teasing smile.

I glared at her. "Excuse me? I'm not looking at him," I denied and avoided eye contact.

"No way! Tch, you know, Sistah, don't even try to lie because every time you lie, it's always obvious!" Lica retorted.

"Fine, since you're bothering me. Record your game by yourself," I threatened and walked away from them, but before I could get far, Lica chased after me and hugged me tightly to prevent me from leaving.

"What's wrong with you! I already bought a month's worth of snacks!" she cried.

I removed her hand that was holding onto me and faced her with a smile. "Do it again, try me." I said.

Lica handed me the camera before the next activity started. I was about to go back to our spot when Prof called me. He approached me and smiled, as he always did whenever we saw each other.

"How was our game?" he asked as he got closer.

"Perfect!" I smiled.

"Thank you, anyway. Link told me why you're not talking to each other, but I hope you can fix that soon." I remained silent after he said that.

I admit that the problem is with me because I let my emotions take over when Link shouted at me.

"But it's amusing that even though you're not talking to him, you prepared for his game today." My eyebrows literally raised at what Prof said. Prepared?

"Excuse me? I just found out now that Link is playing basketball?"

Prof furrowed his brow. "Huh? Then why do you have a cardboard sign?"

I looked at the cardboard sign I was holding. "Oh, this is from Russel. He asked me to hold it because he went to the bathroom."

"Russel? Making a cardboard sign for Link?" he asked, confused.

I smiled and showed him the cardboard sign so he could read what was written on it.

"Cheer up, Babe Link!"

My smile disappeared and it felt like time stopped when I read what was written on the cardboard sign I was holding. Shit?

"Oh, are you feeling unwell?" Prof asked, approaching me and checking if I had a fever.

"Where's Russel?"

•~•~•~•~•~•

"Ouch! Ouch! Stop it, Angelle. Sorry please... ouch!"

I didn't stop hitting Russel with his cardboard sign. How could he set me up like this just to make things okay between me and Link?

What's even more annoying is that he took a picture of me while raising the cardboard sign that I absolutely cursed. But even if Russel were to die, he would probably still smile while being killed.

I've been looking for him since earlier, and he's here in the boys' toilet. There are many guys waiting for me to leave before they can't pee, but I don't care about them, especially since I'm annoyed.

"I'm sorry!" he apologized for what he did.

I swallowed and hit him again with the crumpled cardboard sign.

"Do you want me to do it again?" I asked irritably.

"N-no, sorry."

I let out a sigh and pulled him out of the boys' toilet by the ear. As we walked back to our spot, I lectured him like a mother.

"I won't do it again, I promise. I'll just let Link handle it so you two can make up," he said sincerely, sounding like a scolded child.

"Just make sure you do," I replied.

When we arrived, Prof and the others were already in their spots. The final game for the championship would be tomorrow, so for now, they were going to watch Lica's game.

I prepared the camera and aimed it at the two people standing side by side on the court. Lica looked at me with a silly smile, pointing at Drex who was in front of her. I nodded in response.

Grade 7 and 9 played first, and Grade Nine emerged as the winners. Next, Grade 11 and 12 battled it out, and Grade 11, Ate Jove's group, won. Andre cheered enthusiastically.

When Grade 8 and 10 started their game, Grade Eight quickly scored because they defended against the spike from the 10's server that Lica's teammates failed to receive.

Drex served and Grade 8 immediately attacked, shooting the ball towards Lica's court. In the first quarter, Lica's team was behind, but in the second quarter, it was always a tie. However, the highlight of the game was when Lica fell on Drex, which caused everyone to scream.

"Ews, is that nerd Lica's future?" Andre asked in a disgusted tone, earning a glare from Ate Jove.

"You're calling her a nerd? I'll smack you!" Ate Jove snapped at him.

The students quickly recovered from the excitement. But Lica seemed to be forever giddy because of what happened.

The game continued, and in the last quarter, Grade 10 gave it their all, leading them to victory.

"Yown oh! Nice one, Lica!"

"You guys are amazing, Grade 10!"

"Congratulations!"

I smiled and saved the video, then handed the camera to Lica, who happily accepted it. She thanked me for recording the most exciting part of their game.

After the activities, the students started going home. Some of the students walking with us towards the terminal seemed unable to move on from what happened during the Intramurals.

"Argh! My body hurts so much from falling!" Kervin complained, pounding his back.

We smiled at him because he fell several times while playing. Sometimes he would collide with someone, or it was because of his speed that he lost balance and fell.

Since our players were tired, we decided to go home instead of eating first so they could rest. They would just eat at their own homes.

When we arrived home, Lica went straight to her room and watched the video of their game and the heart-melting scene earlier. As for me, I went to the kitchen to eat before heading to my room to change. I was really hungry, but I held back from suggesting that we stop by the noodle house to eat because everyone was tired. I didn't want to be the reason why they were exhausted and couldn't play well in the finals tomorrow, right?

"Hit you with a Ddu-Du-Ddu..."

While I was brushing my hair, I sang along to the popular song by the Korean girl group Blackpink.

Afterwards, I picked up my cell phone and started browsing. When I opened my Facebook, I was greeted with a few messages from my friends from our old place and former classmates asking how I was doing. I missed our old place and even my friends there because we haven't been able to meet up due to our busy schedules. But among all the messages I saw, one chat from a former schoolmate caught my attention, causing me to feel alarmed.

Katherine Balingit: Hey, Isiah hasn't been attending school for a month now. We can't even reach his parents. Let me

know if you have any information. PM me asap, thanks!

Is she kidding me? Isiah and I hardly even talk anymore because he's so busy with school. That's what Isiah always tells me whenever we do talk.

And now she's telling me that Isiah hasn't been going to school?