Intramurals II

ANGELLE

"What are they arguing about, the couple?" my mom asked irritably while heating up water. I sat down at a table chair and buried my face in it. I'm still sleepy! I want my soft bed now! Huhu, let me sleep a little longer.

"I dunno, Ma," I replied lifelessly.

"They don't even think about the fact that there are still people sleeping. If they're going to argue, they should be the ones disturbing themselves! They're involving others!" my mom complained.

My mom really hates noise, especially when she's sleeping and someone disturbs her. She might even skin you alive.

"Just let them be, Ma. We won't gain anything by meddling in their affairs," I said, closing my eyes.

"I'll report them to the barangay." I abruptly opened my eyes and stared at my mom, wide-eyed.

"Ma! Please don't!" She looked at me and chuckled.

"I was just kidding, I'm just trying to wake you up. You still look sleepy," she said, laughing.

I just blinked and stood up from my seat.

"I'll take a shower now," I said and went into the bathroom to start my daily routine.

My mom really knows how to tease, huh? Do I look like a sleepyhead?

After I finished showering, I went up to my room wrapped in a towel and got dressed early so that if I doze off, the only problem left would be fixing my face. I put down all my belongings and sat on the sofa, tying my hair up. See? When it comes to tying, I still rely on my mom. Why can't I tie my own hair? After she tied my hair, she went back to the kitchen and prepared the packed lunch for our two boys. We usually just buy from the canteen with Lica instead of bringing lunch boxes.

"Do you wanna build a snowman? Come on, let's go and play..." When I turned on the TV, the movie Frozen immediately appeared. My favorite movie!

I glanced at our DVD player and saw that it was open. My two younger brothers must have watched Frozen and left the CD inside.

While waiting for my mom to finish cooking breakfast, I continued watching the movie that Hero and Jr. didn't finish.

I was so delighted while watching and my sleepiness disappeared when I saw my favorite character, Olaf. I even have an Olaf toy, which my dad bought for me last year. I still remember those days when we went to SM for bonding time. My dad bought Hero an Iron Man figure- I don't know why, but with my mischievous eyes, I saw the Olaf toy and insisted on getting it from my dad. He didn't want to buy it because he said it was for kids, and I understood what my dad was trying to convey, but I was determined to have that Olaf toy.

I was about to sulk when we got home, but my dad handed it to me. Aww~ I was so bad during those days, insisting on something that wasn't meant for me. It's only for ages 2-8, which annoyed me, duh. Didn't they think that even adults would want an Olaf toy? They're selfish towards the elderly, huh?

I glanced at my mom as she went upstairs, probably to wake up my siblings. Well, it's already 6:01 AM and they still need to take a shower, so they really need to wake up. I returned my attention to what I was watching. I paused again when my cell phone vibrated, indicating that I received a text message.

I picked up my cell phone and read the first message from Prof.

From: Prof

Angelle, come over to Link's house. We'll have breakfast here.

I raised an eyebrow and composed a reply to Prof. Me going to Link's house? Duh, no thanks. We're not okay with each other yet, and I might just embarrass myself there.

To: Prof

No thanks, Prof. I'm already having breakfast at home.

After sending my reply, I returned my attention to watching. When my mom finished her tasks, she called us for breakfast and we prepared ourselves to go to school. Lica and I left first since we were with Prof, and we didn't mind the tiredness because we were chatting and enjoying the walk.

When we arrived in front of the school, many people were wishing the players good luck and cheering for them.

"My notifications are probably exploding right now," Kervin said, who was standing next to me.

"Why?" I asked him.

"The fangirls of Hype Beast, of course they'll message me 'good luck, big brother,' so annoying!" I chuckled softly at his complaint.

"It's actually nice to have fans who support you," I sighed.

"I don't want attention from others, unless that attention is from someone I love."

"Eww! Are you making moves on Angelle, Kervin?" John-john suddenly appeared and teased Kervin.

"Hey! Kerv, is that true?" Prof asked, looking at us now.

"We're just talking, and you're already assuming things? You guys really have advanced thinking!" Kervin said, laughing along with us.

"It's like we didn't know that you're already pursuing Angelle, right? You're quite the ladies' man," Prof teased.

"Oh please! Don't act innocent, Prof. You have a lot of chicks on Facebook," Kervin retorted.

"Hey! That's private, okay? Why are you spreading it!" Prof exclaimed.

I laughed and shook my head at the two of them as they bantered and exchanged playful insults, but they didn't take it personally.

When we reached the covered court, Lica and I immediately went to our designated spots. I stood near the scoreboard while our other teammates were on my left and right. Prof went to the other wing to get ready and discuss their plans.

There were still other activities before the basketball game that everyone was looking forward to. I glanced at a guy sitting on the side, staring at the students entering and leaving through the gate, sigh.

I'm getting confused with my feelings now. Before, it was fine with me if Link and I didn't acknowledge each other. After all, we started off as enemies. But now? I'm struggling with our situation. Part of me wants to talk to him and resolve the issues we have, but every time I think about it, I get annoyed because of how he shouted at me.

It would have been fine if he just talked to me instead of shouting. I'm just annoyed with that.

"Hi," a young girl greeted me, and I looked at her. I thought she was waving and greeting someone else, but she was actually looking at me. She looks like a nerd type, but she's pretty.

"H-hi?" I stammered. She smiled and handed me a small box, which made me furrow my brows, okay.

"Uh? What's that?" I asked.

"It's from the handsome guy," she said, and I blinked. Huh?

"Excuse me? The handsome guy?" She nodded, and from her actions, I realized she must be in Grade Eight.

"Are you sure you're not mistaken?" Who is she referring to as the handsome guy?

"No, he specifically told me your name and pointed you out to me." Huh?

"Where is he?" I shrugged, and the girl took my hand, placed the box in it, and ran away.

Okay, what's that for? Ate Jovelyn approached me and looked at the small box in my hand.

"I saw a Grade Eight give that to you. Who is it from?" she asked, taking the box from me.

"I dunno, someone asked her to deliver it, but she didn't want to say who it's from." Ate Jove smiled mischievously and poked my waist.

"You have a secret admirer!" she teased, and I rolled my eyes.

"Stalker or admirer?"

"Oh, admirer then!" I just rolled my eyes at her.

I forcefully took the small box back from her. "Go! Shoo, go cheer for your boyfriend!" I shooed her away.

"I already did that earlier, and he doesn't have a match yet," she said.

"Okay." I gave a brief response.

I looked at the box in my hand and out of curiosity, I removed the top and looked inside.

I chuckled when I saw a baked cookie inside. But what surprised me is that it had a picture of me on it. How did they do this?

I looked underneath and found a small piece of paper. I saw that it had writing on it, so I took it and read.

You have an amazing smile, don't hide it... share it today! -Handsome Guy

I don't know why, but when I read that short message, it made me smile. Did a guy really send these to me?

"Sistah! What's with your smile?" Lica, who was sitting on my left, asked.

I quickly put the cookie and the note back into the box and gave her a glare.

"Nothing," I replied curtly and put the small box inside my bag.

"Nothing, but you're smiling as if the handsome guy just swept you off your feet!" she teased.

"Shut up!" I glared at her and ignored her.

Who are you, Handsome Guy?

•~•~•~•~•~•

The volleyball game ended with Senior High winning. Ate Jove's team emerged victorious. Andre, her boyfriend, hugged her tightly as if someone was trying to steal her away.

As Ate Jove approached our spot, we congratulated her. She was happy, so we hugged her one by one, even though we knew she was sweaty from playing.

After the Senior High's celebration for their volleyball victory, Sir Archie spoke to introduce the next activity, which was basketball.

"OMG! There's Kuya Link!" Lica exclaimed with a smile, holding her phone ready. I winced at her excitement.

Does she have a crush on Link?

Sir called out the names of the players one by one, and there were loud cheers when Allan's name was called. There's no reason not to like him. He's handsome like Don Juan, just kidding.

When Team B was called, Prof's team, the support from the students was overwhelming, just like yesterday. The students couldn't contain their excitement.

The hype beast heartthrobs! I glanced at Kervin as he waved and smiled. I returned the smile and waved back.

"Nah, forget about Kervin, it's all about Kuya Link!" I heard Lica scoff. I looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about, young lady?"

"I'm more into Kuya Link than Kervin," she said.

"Oh, why don't you pursue Link then?" Lica rolled her eyes dramatically.

"What I mean is, I'm rooting for Kuya Link for you, not for me! Duh, I have my Drex!" she said, putting on an act.

"Tch! Stop talking about Link, okay? We're not yet okay."

"You're still acting all cute!"

"Me, acting cute? If you were in my situation, you'd do the same!" I said, annoyed.

How dare she? Am I acting cute? If anyone should apologize between Link and me, it's him. Not that I'm trying to be prideful, but it's his responsibility to apologize for shouting at me.

I ignored Lica and focused my attention on watching the game.

The first quarter began, and the ball was in the hands of Grade 9. Abalcos, wearing the jersey, ran towards Prof's court. Before he could reach it, he chest-passed the ball to Owen, who successfully made the shot.

The other members of Prof's team shook their heads as they failed to steal the ball from the opposing team.

The ball was with Prof's team. Santos passed the ball to Kervin, who then passed it to Prof. Prof dribbled the ball towards Grade 9's court and passed it to Andre near the ring. Andre immediately shot the ball, and it went in.

Their supporters cheered, and I smiled, giving them a thumbs-up gesture before looking back at our spot. The ball was with Grade 9, and they quickly ran towards the other court. However, before they could reach it, Link blocked them and stole the ball.

"Go, Kuya Link!" Lica shouted while recording a video. Link passed the ball to Santos, who made a three-point shot. It hit the rim, spun for a moment, and went in.

The Maximonians cheered loudly, and their excitement was contagious. The first quarter went on, and Prof was leading with a score of 24-20. Grade 9 was also playing well, catching up and giving Prof a good challenge.

After the first quarter, the second quarter started smoothly, with Prof still in the lead.

Then came the third quarter, which made the Outhrow Savage supporters nervous. The opposing team changed their tactics.

Every time they had the ball, they would go straight to Allan or pass it to him, even if he was far away, he would shoot. I could see from Prof's team that they were losing hope of catching up in the game.

"They should also use Link, or better yet, combine ProInkVinDre! Teamwork, guys!" Ate Jove exclaimed in frustration while Prof called for a timeout.

ProInkVinDre? Prof + Link + Kervin + Andre. Who came up with that name?

"The way Prof is playing now is different from last year," John-john said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, especially Link, he looks so bored playing," someone added.

I looked at Prof's group and saw Link drinking water. That just meant Link wasn't focused on the game.

He had something else on his mind. Was it okay for him to lose? "Why don't you cheer him up? Maybe his game will improve if he sees you cheering for him," a guy who stood beside me said, catching my attention.

"How do you know?" I smiled.

"We men become more determined in difficult times when we know that the woman we love is supporting us," he said.

"I'm not loved by Link, what are you talking about?" I grimaced.

"Let's say you two are not there yet, but you're the reason why he's getting distracted. You're messing with his feelings," Am I the one to blame? And what did he mean, I'm the reason for Link's distraction?

"I don't understand you, why are you talking something-" I didn't finish my sentence as he placed his index finger on my lips.

"Give him a chance, you won't get hurt," he said with a smile, removing his finger and looking at the court.

Why is it so easy for him to say that?

"Besides, both of you have feelings for each other. Am I right?"

"You're wrong, I'm not into him. To tell you, Jimwell, Link is just messing with my feelings, but I don't have any feelings for him. I would never be interested in a Hype Beast like him," I said.

"You'll eat your words eventually," he said.

Yes, Jimwell, I've already eaten my words a long time ago. I just don't want to admit it yet. Even though I want to shout to all of you that I love Link too, I can't bring myself to do it.

I looked at Link and caught him looking at us. Even from a distance, I knew he was looking at me while catching his breath.

"Can you do me a favor?" I shifted my gaze from Link to Jimwell as he spoke.

"What is it?" Link looked at me and smiled before Jimwell continued.

"Find a way to make Link smile during the game," he said. What does he mean?

"Excuse me?" He leaned closer to me, which surprised me. What is he doing?

These friends of him really have a knack for these kinds of situations.

"W-what are you doing?"

"As his friend, I want to see our youngest sibling happy. So I hope you can do this favor," he said. I could clearly see the sincerity in his face, and it's annoying because I can't refuse him. Jimwell has been kind to me, even though he has his moments of abnormality. I just don't like it when he dances to 'Spaghetti' when he's in a weird mood.

"Please?" I swallowed and glanced at Link.

I returned my gaze to Jimwell and let out a sigh before closing my eyes. What should I do?

I opened my eyes and smiled at Jimwell. "Okay."

•~•~•~•~•~•

Earlier, I realized that even though they're young, they still think about each other. They're like a family with understanding in their minds.

How can I refuse Jimwell when he's just thinking about Link?

"One pink cardboard and a marker, and two colored papers, please," I said with a smile to the teacher selling them at the Coop. I took money from my wallet and paid for what I bought.

Afterwards, I went to the canteen to make a banner for Link. Oh yeah, this is the idea I came up with to cheer him up. It's only the third quarter, so I can still make it in time.

I also want to patch things up with Link. I realized it's not good to hold grudges against the people around me.

Once I finished lettering, I started cutting the colored paper to use for the design of the banner I made. Argh! This is not my style, but why am I doing this just because of a favor?!

"Oh, how sweet!" I almost jumped out of my seat when I heard Russell's voice behind me. I was surprised to see him looking at me with a forced smile.

"Err- i-is it nice?" Ugh, it's embarrassing. He might think I'm becoming one of Link's fangirls.

"Yes, it's beautiful, especially when Link sees it," he said with a smile. "You got mad at me at first for what I did, but now you're doing the same thing," he teased.

"Sorry," I just smiled and he tapped me on the shoulder.

He sat down on the seat next to me and took the scissors and colored paper. "Let's finish this so Link can see it," he said playfully.

I just rolled my eyes and ignored his teasing. We finished what we were doing so I could cheer up Link, even if it's just in this way. I hope he appreciates it, even if it's just like this. If he doesn't appreciate it, I'll smack him with this cardboard so he can feel the effort I put into it.

After Russell and I finished, we left the canteen and headed to our spot to watch the final game. It was fortunate that the third quarter had just ended, and there was a brief timeout for rest and discussion of the next defense strategies for each team.

"Why don't you raise this, Russell?" I asked the person next to me.

"You do it! You made the effort, you can do it," he said. I just shrugged and looked at Link, who was busy discussing the plans for the final quarter with the team.

I was surprised when the cardboard I was holding was suddenly snatched away from me. When I looked at who took it, I saw Ate Jove and Lica reading what was written on it.

I saw Ate Jove briefly frown, but she also smiled. Lica looked mischievously at me. "Ayie! She made an effort for Kuya Link!" Lica exclaimed. Ate Jove approached me and pinched my face.

"C-cousin, what are you doing?" Wow, she's really persistent with pinching my face.

"Cous, I don't like Link for you. But I won't stop you from feeling what you feel," I slapped her hand away and removed it from my face.

"Come on, Cous. I'm just cheering for Link, besides, I don't even like him," she smiled.

"It's good that we understand each other. A Hype Beast isn't suitable for you."

"Jove! That's too much. It's like we're cancer, if you look at it that way," Russell interjected.

"It's not like that, Russell. I just really don't like Hype Beasts for my cousin, especially since I know you guys." Ate Jove explained. Russell didn't say anything and just looked down. I feel sorry for him.

I wanted to say something to Ate Jove, but she's right. In the few months I've known them, I understand why Ate Jove doesn't like them. They're nice, no problem with that, maybe just when it comes to girls.

"Ate Jove! Come here!" Lica said irritably and handed me the cardboard before pulling Ate Jove to their spot.

"The final quarter is about to start," I heard Wendell say as he arrived with John-john.

I lifted my head and looked at the court. I glanced at Russell, who seemed offended by what Ate Jove said, and I smiled at him, even though it was forced. Ugh, why does Ate Jove have to be so real?

When the game started, Prof's team had the ball, and Link was the one holding it. Russell and Wendell glanced at me, and I raised the cardboard above my head and closed my eyes.

"Link!" I heard Jimwell shout.

When I opened my eyes, I met Link's gaz

e as he dribbled the ball. I don't know why, but I suddenly felt my heart pounding strongly. Shit. Why are you like this, heart!?

"Go Link!" I shouted and closed my eyes, but before I could even close my eyes, I saw him smile and then he ran with the ball.

D-did he smile? Does that mean he liked what I did?