Chapter 10: Orion Reminisces
Fortunately, Aria's first class of the day starts at 11 am so she was able to speed run her arki plate.
Orion, on the other hand, reminisces about his past and meeting again with Aria.
As Orion sits in his coding class, his mind drifts back to the memories of his past encounters with Aria. He recalls the first time they met at the open court at landing, the youthful innocence in Aria's eyes as she nervously approached him to ask for tips on shooting hoops.
"Ang cute-cute at liit niya pa nun," Orion thought as he spins his pen, ' hays, nagmumukha akong matanda nito,' He thought as he chuckled.
"Yiee, ikaw Ozzy ha, bigla-bigla kang ngumi-ngiti... Who's the lucky girl?" A guy suddenly poked Orion's shoulder, smiling mischieviously.
"Asssuming ka Rico, alam mo naman na di na ako naniniwala sa mga babae," Orion shaked his head in amusement as he heard Rico's outrageous remark.
Rico is tall, with a lean yet athletic build honed from years of playing basketball. He is the best definition of the, "tall, dark, and handsome" guy. His dark complexion contrasts with his bright smile.
As Orion's basketball buddy since high school, Rico shares a strong bond with him, built on a foundation of camaraderie and mutual respect.
Rico realizes that he somehow poked a wound on Orion so he suddenly shifts the topic.
Rico leaned in closer, his voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper. "Ozzy, matanong lang. Alam mo yung magandang chinita sa basketball tryouts kahapon diba? Jersey no. 27?"
Orion nodded, a knowing look in his eyes. "Yeah, si Aria. Ano ang plano mo?"
Rico scratched his head nervously, his cheeks flushing slightly. "Eh kasi, pwede pa introduce?"
Orion contemplated.
'Introduce lang naman. Part na si Aria sa team, mas mabuti na makilala na niya si Rico,' He thought.
Orion nodded, understanding Rico's request. "Sure, I can introduce you to her."
Orion's agreement brought a sense of relief to Rico, who smiled gratefully at his friend. "Salamat, Ozzy. I appreciate it."
"Anytime, Ric," Orion replied with a reassuring grin. "I-introduce kita kay Aria next time,"
As the coding class continued, Orion and Rico listened to the lecture, but their minds were elsewhere. Thoughts of Aria occupied Rico's thoughts, while Orion found himself reminiscing about his encounters with Aria and the prospect of introducing Rico to her.
At a floor above Orion's, Aria and her friends, Emily and Marcus, were walking down the building together. Aria was relieved to have submitted her arki plate on time. Despite being rushed, she was just glad that it's done. As they packed up their belongings, Aria and Marcus struck up a conversation.
"Naalala ko pala, ang highlights ko sa tryouts," Aria tapped Marcus' shoulder and continued, "send mo sa'kin,"
"Ah oo nga, sige upload ko muna sa gdrive then i-send ko maya," Marcus said and then stopped with excitement visible in his tone.
"May tryouts daw sa men basketball varsity," He continued.
"So, magtatryout ka sa varsity basketball team, Marcus?" Aria asked, noticing Marcus's interest in the topic.
Marcus nodded, "Yeah, last chance ko na na makasali sa team. Pag hindi ako napili nanaman, sa volleyball talaga calling ko,"
Emily asks, "calling?"
"Volleyball varsity player ako sa senior high school ko, isa ako sa spikers," Marcus replied, "napilitan nga lang ako mag-volleyball kasi palagi akong pinipilit ng captain namin eh,"
Aria raised an eyebrow in surprise at Marcus's revelation. "Wow, volleyball player ka pala. Bakit di ka nagbasketball noon?"
Marcus shrugged, "Sa totoo lang, di ako magaling mag-basketball noon kaya ligwak ako sa tryouts sa basketball. Nung nag-tryout ako sa volleyball team, parang nag-click na lang. Mas naging natural sa akin ang pagiging spiker. Pero mas gusto ko talaga ang basketball,"
Aria and Emily nodded in understanding.
"So that's why..."
"So that's why you're giving basketball another shot," Aria finished Marcus's thought, her expression thoughtful.
Marcus nodded, "Yep, worth it na mag-try again. First love ko ang basketball eh, kahit na di ako magaling noon. I want to see if I can make it this time."
Emily smiled as she placed her arms around Aria and Marcus' shoulders, "Basta nandito lang kami ni Aria para magcheer!" she continued, "btw, when ang tryout niyo?"
"Thanks, Emily," Marcus replied, returning the gesture with a warm smile. "Ang tryout namin is in three days, sa umaga."
Emily grinned, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Siyempre, we'll be there to support you! Kaya mo 'to! Marcus,"
As they proceeded to their next class, they bumped into Orion in the building. Aria seized the opportunity to introduce Orion to Marcus.
"Marcus, this is Orion, yung kalaro natin sa open court last time," Aria said, gesturing towards Orion. "He's actually a varsity player on our basketball team."
Marcus's eyes widened in surprise, a look of admiration crossing his face. "Wow, nice to meet you again, Orion. Kaya pala ang galing mo magbasketball, parte ka pala sa varsity team."
"Btw, kuya Orion, maagtatryout si Marcus sa basketball. Any tips kuya?" Aria said as she looked to Marcus and Orion.
Orion smiled warmly, extending his hand to Marcus. "Thanks, Marcus. It's great to meet you too again." Orion continued, " All I can say is na wag ka gaano mag-alala sa tryouts, chill lang, kaya mo yun,"
Marcus nodded, a sense of gratitude washing over him. "Thanks, kuya Orion. Isasaulo ko yan,"
Orion nodded, pleased to hear Marcus's determination. "That's the spirit, Marcus. I'm sure you'll do great."
Turning to Aria, he asked, "Pupunta ka ba sa tryouts ng basketball men, Aria?"
Aria nodded, a determined glint in her eyes. "Oo naman, pupunta ako. Gusto ko rin makita kung sino ang makakapasok sa team."
Orion hesitated for a moment before deciding to share his plans with Aria. "Actually, may gusto akong ipakilala sa'yo doon sa tryouts. Is that okay with you?"
Aria's curiosity piqued, "Sure, sino 'yun?"
Orion smiled, "Kaibigan ko sa basketball team. I think you two will get along well."
Aria nodded, intrigued by Orion's suggestion. "Okay, I'm game. I'm looking forward to meeting your friend."
With a nod of agreement, Aria and her friends bid farewell to Orion as they head to their next class.
The class turned out to be more exhausting than they had anticipated.
As they finally exited the classroom, Aria let out a sigh of relief. "That class was exhausting," she muttered, rubbing her temples.
Emily nodded in agreement. "Grabe. Ready na ako ma collapse."
Marcus chuckled, though there was a hint of weariness.