Chapter 37: Invitation To Get Close III

"I expected you to tell them after the tournament," Leo said once the others had gone, leaving just the two of them in the empty gym.

Kenneth slung his bag over one shoulder and shrugged, "They asked out of the blue. I wasn't exactly hiding it."

"Yeah, but you really caught them off guard. Do you not remember who dragged those three into the team in the first place?" Leo raised a brow, giving him an amused look.

"And the rest of the newly recruited freshmen. You have basically kidnapped all those kids."

Kenneth laughed out loud at the thought of it.

-Flashback-

"There you are!"

A younger Tasha jolted when an arm clamped around his shoulders. Spinning around, he found himself face-to-face with a beaming Kenneth.

"Uhmm, do we know each other?" Tasha asked, bewildered.

Then his eyes went behind Kenneth where two freshmen stood, their faces forlorn. Tasha's jaw dropped—both of them were in handcuffs.

"Stop struggling," Kenneth warned the two with a grin.

"If you get me hurt, you won't like what happens."

Tasha's confusion deepened when he realized the cuffs were connected to Kenneth's wrist.

"Wha—what's going on?" he stammered, taking a step back.

CLICK.

Tasha looked down at his wrist in horror. A cuff now locked him to Kenneth too.

Kenneth's grin widened. To Tasha, it looked less like a friendly smile and more like the grin of a devil.

"Uh, Senior...?" Tasha began hesitantly.

Kenneth didn't miss a beat, "Congratulations! You're officially part of the basketball team!"

He yanked the three bewildered freshmen forward.

Tasha, Malik, and JJ exchanged desperate looks, realizing there was no escape.

"Cap!" Kenneth called proudly as they entered the gym.

"I've brought new recruits!"

The team captain looked up—and blinked at the sight of handcuffs.

"Recruits... or victims?" he asked, barely containing his anger.

"Recruits!" Kenneth said with mock seriousness, bobbing his brows confidently.

A younger Malik hesitantly raised a hand.

"Senior, uh, I don't really want to play again."

Kenneth's smile didn't falter.

"Request denied. Next!"

JJ cleared his throat.

"I stopped playing after middle school."

"Suggestion rejected. Next!"

Tasha tried to speak, but Kenneth cut him off before he could even begin.

"Denied! Next question!"

The captain exchanged an exasperated glance with his teammates.

"This is kidnapping. What are we doing to these poor kids?"

Despite their protests, Kenneth dragged the three to every practice. Whenever they tried to skip, Kenneth would hunt them down and haul them back to the gym. Forced to sit on the sidelines, the three freshmen watched the older players practice—but something began to stir inside them.

Their hearts started to pound, the itch to play returning stronger with each passing day.

WHOOSH.

Tasha instinctively caught a basketball thrown his way.

"Come on," Kenneth motioned for them to join.

The three exchanged glances, a flicker of excitement in their eyes. Without realizing it, they were on the court, playing. And for the first time in years, they felt joy.

The team captain leaned toward a younger Leo, observing with a knowing smile.

"That guy has a strange gift. He pulls people back to what they love."

"Yeah," Leo agreed, watching Kenneth lead the game with infectious energy.

-End of Flashback-

"I knew their backgrounds," Kenneth said, glancing at Leo as they walked together.

"That's why I scouted them. But in the end..."

He trailed off, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"In the end, it was their choice to stay," Leo finished, nodding.

The two walked under the soft glow of the moonlight, their steps quiet on the pavement.

"But Kenneth," Leo said, breaking the silence.

"Let's be honest—you didn't recruit them. You kidnapped them."

Kenneth blinked, momentarily at a loss for words.

"..."

…..

At the next practice, Malik, JJ, and Tasha played harder than ever, their movements sharper and more determined.

"What's gotten into you three?" Kenneth asked, genuinely puzzled.

Malik grinned, "We've got to make sure you leave with a championship under your belt."

Kenneth blinked, surprised by the response. Then he burst into laughter.

"What the—? I thought you'd be bummed out about me leaving!"

JJ joined in the laughter, "Why? The great kidnapper is finally retiring! We're just celebrating for all the poor souls you won't get to kidnap next."

Malik solemnly nodded, "It's a victory for the future freshmen."

Kenneth gaped at them, "You little punks! Come here and let me teach you a lesson!"

With a laugh, the three boys bolted around the court, dodging Kenneth as he chased after them. The rest of the team watched, chuckling at the antics.

Leo shook his head, smiling as he stood on the sidelines.

"I thought they'd be down after hearing the news," he said to Tasha, who wandered over.

"We were, for a bit," Tasha admitted, wiping sweat from his brow.

"But it's not like we'll stop playing just because Cap's leaving."

"True," Leo nodded, his gaze drifting to Kenneth.

"Though Cap says he won't go pro, I think he'll still play just for fun."

"Do you think he'll play in university?" Tasha asked curiously.

"Maybe," Leo shrugged.

"Who knows?"

Tasha gave Leo a sideways glance, "And you, Vice-Captain? What'll you do?"

Leo smiled wistfully, his eyes following Kenneth as he wrestled JJ and Malik to the ground in mock frustration.

"You know, Kenneth was right. You guys stayed because you love the game—not because of him."

"Yeah," Tasha said thoughtfully.

"But it sounds like it's different for you."

Leo's smile softened, "It is."

He paused, exhaling slowly, "I kept playing because he was playing. More than that—I kept playing because he was there with me."

Tasha stared at him, wide-eyed, "Wait... You mean—?"

Leo chuckled quietly, his gaze never leaving Kenneth, "Yeah. I kept going because of him."

Because playing alongside Kenneth was fun and his ordinary high school life turned out to be fun after following Kenneth's invitation.

'Your height is good enough. Your build is good. So, let's go.'

'Go where?'

'Go and have some high school fun.'

'You do realize this is the very first time we met, right? And the first words we spoke to one another without even knowing each other's name.'

'I am Kenneth Verlice and you are Leo Martinez. Now let's go.'

Without asking for his opinion, Kenneth pulled him to the basketball court and the rest was history.