HOLY NIGHT SEBASTIAN
I rested my chin on my right hand, my elbow propped on the desk, and let out a sigh. Everiano wasn't here today because there was a basketball competition at another university. How was I supposed to keep track of him when he wasn't around? Our professor for the first subject walked in, prompting my classmates to settle into their seats.
"Anyways, before I start our discussion today, I'd like to inform you about the game competitions happening at another school. Each class can select one student to support our varsity players from the football, soccer, and of course, the basketball team." Mrs. Bautista, our teacher, announced. My spirits immediately lifted when she mentioned the basketball team.
"My gosh! Why would they announce this so last minute? I could've prepared if I'd known," one of my female classmates muttered under her breath. Though her voice was soft, I could still hear her clearly. I sat next to Everiano on my left, though today his seat remained empty. Turning to the girl on my right side, I noticed she rolled her eyes as the teacher continued speaking.
"Is there anyone who'd like to volunteer?" the teacher asked. Without hesitation, I raised my hand. Moryn turned to me, her face showing unmistakable shock. Rhyme, on the other hand, was glaring at me with a frown, his expression practically screaming, 'You're such a stupid!'" Rhyme eventually averted his gaze and focused back on the professor.
"Hey, you don't have to go," Moryn whispered to me.
"Why not?" I asked, furrowing my brows. She hesitated, staring at me as if trying to come up with an answer.
"It's just, I'm not used to you not being around in our class," she replied, and I could tell she was forcing a smile.
"Just let her go, Ryn," Rhyme interjected, still staring at the whiteboard. I was about to reply to Rhyme, but the professor called my name.
"All right, Ms. Sebastian, head straight to the Destine University School Bus Depot," Mrs. Bautista instructed. I said goodbye to Moryn and left with my bag in hand. It was obvious from her expression that she was reluctantly agreeing to my decision. I didn't even glance at Rhyme as I walked away. I already knew he was annoyed with me. Why should I care if he's mad at me? I'm used to it. In fact, we practically hate each other every single day.
According to our professor, the sports competition will span three days. Today features the basketball team, tomorrow will showcase soccer, and the day after tomorrow, football will take place. I wondered if I'd still be allowed to attend both the soccer and football team competitions to offer my support? But then, I also worried about missing important class activities and discussions. Rhyme would only get even more of an edge over me. Too bad, I was genuinely interested in watching.
When I arrived at the university bus depot, the timing was perfect as the bus was just about to leave. The athletes and the cheering squads were assigned to separate buses. For now, I couldn't keep track of Everiano since I didn't even know if he was already on their bus. I chose from the three buses assigned to students from different classes. All of them seemed almost full. As I boarded the one I picked, the noisy chatter inside came to an abrupt halt. Everyone turned to look at me.
I scratched the back of my neck, feeling awkward under their stares. Offering a small wave and a polite smile, I greeted them before quickly finding a seat. The students soon resumed their banter, though a few approached me, slinging arms around my shoulders. They joked about how rare it was to see me join to support a competition like this. Honestly, I've always wanted to participate in sports, but it seems like the university doesn't allow Rhyme or me to join anymore.
I sat with a group of girls, feeling slightly out of place. These days, I couldn't help but feel uneasy being around the boys, especially while wearing the girls' uniform. Most of the girls were holding blue-and-white pom-poms, while the boys had matching thundersticks in the same colors. Perhaps our only role there will be to cheer for our players. I didn't mind since it gave me a better excuse to keep an eye on Everiano.
The bus erupted into cheers as we set off for Crimson University, the competition venue. Along the way, I was bombarded with compliments from the girls around me. Some even playfully pinched my cheeks, gushing over how cute I looked in my uniform.
Until now, they couldn't seem to believe I was now wearing the girls' uniform. At one point, they asked why Rhyme and Moryn weren't with me. Since we were practically inseparable in school, they found it strange that they weren't with me today.
I couldn't think of a solid excuse, so I simply told them the two weren't in the mood to join, which wasn't far from the truth. Even if the teacher allowed them to volunteer, I knew they wouldn't, and it was all because of Everiano for sure.
As we arrived at Crimson University, the excitement from the students around me was so intense. I looked around at everything. It was my first time entering Crimson University. I was expecting that the red theme would often be seen throughout the campus. Well, I don't know its history, but it seems like the name of this university is not really its actual color. I scratched my head as I think about those things.
The campus was buzzing with students from both universities, all eager to cheer on our own varsities. Upon arriving at the basketball gym, the energy was infectious. Players from both universities were warming up, and I could hear their sneakers squeaking on the polished floor. Together with the team personnels, officials, and coaches had gathered inside the home court. It seems like they're having a pre-game briefing as usual.
The bleachers were filling up with supporters from both universities, and I found a seat near to the front, only to realize I was next to someone familiar. Turning, I saw her.
"Samantha?" I blurted out, surprised to see the student council president's secretary.
"Hi," she greeted softly, offering a faint smile.
"Our uniforms look really good on you," she commented. If Moryn is modest in speech, Samantha, on the other hand, is on a different level. Well, they're not shy, it seems that's just how they talk.
"Thanks," I replied awkwardly, brushing off her compliment. I still wasn't used to people commenting on my appearance.
After a while, both teams gathered at the center circle. The referee's whistle echoed across the gym as the jump ball was tossed into the air. The opposing team was the first to gain possession. Right from the start, the deafening cheers filled the entire venue as our team began to move. I couldn't help but focus on Everiano's every motion. A sudden wave of excitement washed over me. Well, that's interesting. Let's see how their defense holds up.
The other university led the first quarter, but our team managed to catch up in the second. The adrenaline surged through the crowd as our team moved fluidly across the court, passing, dribbling, and shooting. Every point they scored was met with thunderous applause from our supporters. I couldn't help but laugh at times, especially seeing how my fellow students, particularly the boys, were practically losing their minds with excitement.
The game was going well, exciting and entertaining. But as the third quarter began, I couldn't shake the strange feeling I was getting while watching Everiano. I didn't know if I was overthinking, but it seemed like his team wasn't giving him any chances to shoot, not even for inside scoring opportunities. Knowing he was the center, I expected them to feed him the ball more often. Unable to ignore my curiosity, I stood up from my seat and moved closer to the railings for a better view.
As the 8-second clock wound down, both teams transitioned to the opposite half-court, and my eyes followed their movements. The forward on our team, who had possession of the ball, was closely trailed by a player from the opposing team. When he passed the ball across the court, it seemed like Everiano was in position to catch it. But suddenly, someone bumped into him, causing the ball to accidentally land with our team's shooting guard, the very one who collided with Everiano. The sequence happened so quickly that I barely caught how it happened.
The shooting guard had possession but struggled to make a shot with two defenders from the opposing team guarding him tightly. Under pressure, he passed the ball to our point guard, who was positioned at the three-point line. As soon as the point guard received the ball, he immediately set himself up for a shot. Cheers erupted around me when his attempt turned into a successful basket.
Wait. What's going on here? I wanted to convince myself that Everiano's collision was just an accident, but I couldn't shake off my suspicion. It seemed far too deliberate and it wasn't the first odd thing I'd noticed during the game.
"Xandro! Xandro! Xandro!" The crowd of supporters around me chanted, waving their pompoms and thundersticks energetically. So, the point guard's name was Xandro. I also overheard someone mention that he was the team captain. My eyes instinctively fixed on his face, and I gasped when I recognized him. He was the guy Everiano had beaten up in front of the main gate. Now, it all made sense. There was obvious tension between the two of them. But why did it feel like the entire team was in on it? Are they all against Everiano?
I suddenly lost all interest in watching the game. My annoyance grew every time Xandro waved or winked at us after scoring a point. I got up and walked out of the gym in frustration. What a terrible game! This had to be the worst match I'd ever witnessed. And that Xandro—ugh, he was so full of himself. Acting like he was the star. He's obviously forcing his three-pointers, if it weren't for his stupid teammates helping him. What did he think he is, Chicken Curry!
Still fuming, I threw the pompoms I was holding into the trash and decided to wander around Crimson University to cool off. While exploring, I stumbled upon a chart listing the names of the school owners, which are the Crimson family. That's when I learned that "Crimson" was actually a surname.
My eyes lingered on a photo of one of the owner's two children. She was stunningly beautiful, and something about her seemed familiar. Then it hit me, she was the woman I had bumped into at the fountain while I was escaping from my fake wedding with Rhyme during the school festival!
"Vanessa Crimson Dizon?" I muttered, face-palming after reading her name. Gosh! She wasn't just some ordinary person I bumped into. And to think I even talked to her casually. She was so humble, I'd never guess she was the daughter of the owner of this huge university.
I paused again and reread her name. Wait a minute, doesn't she have the same surname as Rhyme? Oh well, maybe her husband just happens to have the same last name as Rhyme's father. I shrugged it off and continued walking.
I found myself on the fourth floor and decided to head back down. I hadn't explored the whole campus yet, but I was already feeling tired.
"C'mon! Hurry!" a woman said with a giggle as I walked down the corridor toward the stairs. I could hear the quick rhythm of their footsteps going down. I couldn't see them yet since I wasn't close to the stairs.
"Hey! Slow down!" a man said in an irritated tone. My chest tightened as I recognized the voice.
"Rhyme?" I whispered to myself, frowning. I immediately ran to the stairs, but by the time I peeked down, they were gone. However, I could still hear their footsteps continuing to go down from the third floor.
I followed them, my heart racing. It couldn't be Rhyme. I was certain he didn't come along on this trip. Maybe it was just someone with a similar voice. Yet, I couldn't shake the unease growing within me. It felt like an invisible force was urging me to confirm if it was truly him.
We eventually made it out of the building, but I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the two of them walking ahead. They were both wearing the Senior High School uniform from Destine University. I couldn't see their faces since they were walking with their backs to me, but the more I watched, the more I became suspicious. The guy's posture was exactly like Rhyme's, even his hair. I've known Rhyme for years, ever since kindergarten, so I could easily recognize his movements and posture.
That's what made it puzzling. How did he end up here? From his reaction earlier in the classroom, it was clear he wasn't interested in coming. And who's this girl he's holding hands with? I shook my head slightly. I still needed to confirm if it really was Rhyme. They were walking so fast that I had to start running to catch up with them.
We made our ways into the canteen of Crimson University. When I walked in, there were only five people hanging around, including the ones I was keeping an eye on. The two were facing the counter and had their backs to me, so I still couldn't make out their faces. I searched for a table where I could hide, and that's when I saw the girl's arm wrapped around the guy's. They were so close to each other, it looked like they were a couple. I slapped my forehead, feeling like a stupid stalker.
I crawled under a table, keeping my eyes fixed on them. My hiding spot wasn't too far from the counter. I froze when the guy stood up from the counter with a tray of food and finally turned his face toward me. My jaw dropped. I wasn't wrong, it was Rhyme. The girl was still at the counter, so I hadn't been able to identify her yet, while Rhyme was looking for a seat.
After he placed the tray on the table near the counter, right next to where I was hiding, he quickly went back to the girl. I walked out of the canteen, still in a daze. I went back to the gym to find out that our varsity team had won, and my fellow students were all celebrating. But I didn't join them. I couldn't keep up with their excitement. My mind was in chaos. I still couldn't believe what I had seen earlier.