It was finally the day for the official school opening and classes at the Madridejos Community College, and a lot of school organizations are busy trying to pull students into their clubs.
"Do you have a beautiful voice? Or do you need help to improve in singing? Come and join the Glee Club and enjoy at least 30% discount on school tuition! That is if you pass our test after all. Oh? You are here for the Sepak Takraw?"
"You! You look tall! Do you know how to play basket? Of course, you do! Come come come! Fill this up! What? You are registering to the Sepak Takraw Club?"
"Good morning! Are you here to register for....yeah. Sepak Takraw it is. I know."
Normally, new students would flock into the ever-popular Glee Club or the Basketball Club. However, contrary to the usual sight, this time, there was a long queue trying to get into the Sepak Takraw Club and the reason is simple - a chance to be scouted by the Takraw God.
After the event hosted by the Takraw God at the school a week ago, the school has enjoyed a massive boost in popularity, especially their Sepak Takraw club. Students from different islands and provinces specifically came just to become part of the Sepak Takraw club and hoping to get the attention of the rumored Talent scout stationed at the said institution.
True enough, Mr. Gaje, who has gained immense popularity after becoming a part of the Takraw God's talent scout team is currently standing as one of the official judges inside the gym. Players are doing their best trying to show off their skills and hoping to get his favor.
Whapaang!~
"Ahhh no!"
"Damn it."
"There goes our chances."
Unfortunately, Rino and his team have been crushing these newbie teams to misery.
"By the end of this day, I will make sure that Mr. Gaje will appreciate my skill and invite me to become a new member of the Takraw God's team." Rino's selfies thoughts were paired by his merciless performance, crushing teams after teams with a terrifying bicycle kick.
"Kurt! Don't miss my timing! John, I want it higher this time. Don't be stupid and look at my signal." Rino beckoned to his team members.
Together with his other two companions, John and Kurt, who has been playing with him for the past five years, they destroyed even the mid-tier teams who also came trying to get the attention of Mr. Gaje.
A new team came to try out and Rino made sure to destroy them as swiftly as possible. He was not letting the opposing teams get hold of the spotlight.
Sitting at the official's desk, Mr. Gaje sat beside the school's sports faculty member, Mr. Ulysis. They were both responsible for screening the teams and individual players.
Behind them are three foreign-looking Sepak Takraw players busily playing on their mobile phones. They were not interested in anything that was happening in their surroundings. One of them is even juggling a takraw ball with one foot while playing. Perhaps, all the players in the place it doesn't bother them.
"It seems that you have found a decent team for this school already. Although I recall they did not last even ten minutes against the Takraw God - who I am a part with." Mr. Gaje was complimenting Rino's regu our team while at the same time not forgetting to boast about his position.
"Yeah, they are really talented, specially Rino who is famously known as Dhalsim. He knows how to take advantage of his long legs and tall height. Physically he is at the pro level, however, he still lacks a lot when it comes to healthy team play and ethics." Ulysis did not deny the Tekong player's performance.
Then Mr. Gaje leaned closer to Ulysis and calmly asked, "Compared to our team before, who do you think will win? Dhalsim's team? Or us?"
"With our messy control and my terrible judgment, I doubt we could win at least ten points against this new and more experienced generation."
"Hey now, we managed to reach the 1997 CVIRAA meet you know. Don't tell me it was all luck until then?"
"It was all luck. We were only lucky we had Cardo that time." Ulysis replied with a little frown. There was a deep longing in his gaze.
Hearing the name of his old companion, Mr. Gaje become silent for a little while before continuing,
"Until now, you still take us as blind huh. We knew it was you carrying us all along. Your superb control and perfect timing was never a fluke. You had all Cardo and my deepest respect." Then Gaje turned to Ulysis with a cold gaze.
"It was doing well... Until you sold us."
Then Ulysis, turned back at him with a calm demeanor, not letting Gaje's provocation take effect.
"So it's this conversation again huh. How many times do I have to explain that I never betrayed our team."
Gaje, smiled as if the conversation was going according to his plan. With an even colder tone, he asked.
"Then can you explain to me why you purposely lost that last game?"
Ulysis was quiet for a while, there was only the sound of the cracking ball and beckoning players in their ears. Gaje was still smiling confidently when Ulysis suddenly spoke,
"Can you also explain why you stole our money?" It was an answer that made Mr. Gaje choke and dropped his smile. There was a guilty shock on his sweating face.
Ulysis continued, "Just so you know, it was not just our personal money but you also took the whole team's budget. I was awake but pretended to be asleep when you did it. I also followed you when you went to bet the money."
Gaje gulped a big one this time. His long-kept secret was actually known all along. His eyes were full of guilt and he could not look at Ulysis anymore.
"W-what are you talking about...Do-do you even have any c-compelling evidence?" Gaje retorted, trying to defend himself.
"You never told us where the money that you bought to buy the converse shoes came from. You also told us your family can't even afford it."
"Who says I cannot afford that shoes?! I was saving for a long time just for that shoes!"
"You lost all your savings from midnight gambling and drugs. Do you think we don't know? Cardo saw it all and he told me he tried to talk you out of it, and what did you do? You even threatened to kill him. No wonder you were a no-show at his funeral. And you call yourself a friend?"
"You-you.." Gaje could not continue anymore. His throat was dried up from too much sweat and stood up, leaving the gym in a hurry. It was a hurried step full of guilt.
He originally planned to stay and recruit the Balut vendor who managed to score against the Takraw God. Although he was not convinced about the Balut vendor's performance, he had no choice but to follow the instruction of the Takraw God to find the guy.
"Screw that Balut kid and screw this place. I am never coming back ever again." Mr. Gaje walked out of the gym with a bitter and angry face. The teams and players on queue watched him with worry and even tried to follow him for a chance to show them skills.
"Mr. Gaje! Mr. Gaje-"
"Don't you dare come near me you island peasant!" Gaje shouted with bloodshot eyes.
With his long-kept dark secret revealed back to him by his old friend, he could not help but walk away in shame and fuming anger.
He managed to build fame and prestige after working his best to get favor from the Takraw God. He was famous not just in this town but to the whole Philippines as well. But with his dark secret exposed like that, he felt like exploding on the spot and carrying everyone with him.
"Screw it. I don't care. I will just tell Santi that the Balut vendor kid never came back."
Mr. Gaje left the school premises in his car hurriedly.
He wanted to find a bar to calm his nerves and maybe come back when he got enough 'drunk boldness' to face his old team captain who actually knows about his dark secrets.
He also did not forget to send a text message to the three foreign-looking guys to stay behind and report to him in case the balut vendor kid came.
As Gaje hurriedly passed by the gate inside his black-tinted car, he failed to notice the guard who is currently arguing with a farm-boy-looking young man - it was the balut vendor Chiko he was looking for.
"You think you can sneak again this time?! Huh?! You stupid balut vendor? Go sell your stupid eggs outside. Keep your smelly face away from this school! The moment you step inside, I will beat the living crap out of your smelly looking face!" Mr. Pogi, the school guard angrily confronted Chiko.
His anger was fueled after the night he was scolded by Mr. Gaje and the school dean for not doing his job well and failing to stop a street vendor from entering a school premises during the school event.
Mr. Pogi's pride was shattered after being scolded heavily by the school Dean Mr. Cabahug. He was so mad that everything the Dean said just passed through his head. Of course, he did not remember hearing the most specific instruction to find the Balut vendor kid to get favor to Mr. Gaje.
All he remembered is to never allow that Balut-guy to ever enter the school again.
"I told you! Can't you see I am not bringing with me any products? I am here for a Sepak Takraw try-out!" Chiko explained while raising his arms to show he was not hiding any balut products to sell.
He was wearing a white-brown sleeveless, black truck-pants with a red jacket tied on his waist, and terrible-looking combat shoes with white paint at the front to resemble the design of a famous shoe brand at that time, Converse.
This time, Chiko is indeed planning to do the Sepak Takraw try-out. His aim was the one-hundred-percent full school scholarship and the five thousand pesos monthly allowance. There was desperation in his face.
Unfortunately, the school guard was a tough rock to crack. His huge body with a huge pot belly stood firmly at the entrance gate, never letting Chiko get inside.
"Fool me once, I am stupid. Fool me twice and you are dead! I dare you to step inside the gate and my baton will greet you an early good night." said Mr. Pogi, the school guard, while smiling wickedly towards the fearful and confused Chiko.
Meanwhile back at the club stands, the school janitor Yang was busily collecting trash when his sharp eyes spotted a fat bald guy sneakily stealing phones and wallets from the unknowing students.
"Not on my watch." Yang put down the trash sack and walked towards the bald fatty as discreetly as possible. He followed the snatcher as the latter hurriedly went towards the school garden. Leaving behind his victims who were still unaware of their missing phones and wallet.
Yang's sharp senses allowed him to track the guy and eventually found him standing before a trashcan.
Then before his very eyes, he saw the bald fatty pulled out the wallet and expensive iPhones from his brown jacket and quickly dropped them on the trash bin, like if he was holding a dirty sock, before mumbling angrily to himself.
As if shaking out of his trance, the bald fatty's eyes opened wide in realization
"Sh*t! I did it again!?"
Then he kneeled in front of the trashcan and cried to the sky, "Please forgive me, uncle Cardo. It was my hand's mistake! not me! I promise. I hate this stupid habit. I am doing my best to change. I promise!"