To Kaho's surprise, when Frosted Tips invited Naseru to play with him, he actually agreed, leaving Kaho on a bench with Eyebrows, spectating a two on two game. But even as Naseru played with a teammate, he seemed insular, like he didn't know if he could depend on Goatee to defeat Frosted Tips and his teammate, a short man with a patchy beard and his hair styled in a quiff. Kaho narrowed her eyes as she watched them play. Her legs were burning.
"Do you play often?" Goatee asked, "I've never seen you on the scene, but you're an Aigawa, right?"
Kaho nodded, "My brother used to live at these courts when we were younger. Taiga."
"No way, you're Taiga's sister? Yo! You've got the game in your blood! Hey! Bo'! The Whipping Lotus here is Taiga's sister."
"No way!" Frosted Tips, or Bo, as he was apparently called, exclaimed.
Naseru smiled and shook his head.
Kaho giggled, blush crawling up her cheeks, "Nobody's called me that in years."
"That's you though?" Goatee asked, "You're The Whipping Lotus."
Kaho nodded, "Yeah, when I used to play, some people used to call me that."
She was blushing. She'd quit playing properly in middle school when she got her drawing tablet. But the fact people still remembered that name, remembered her, made her heart soar. Maybe it was silly to be so excited, but she had resigned herself to being a spectator when Ryota declared he wanted to play basketball forever and ever, and she, so enamoured with being able to make art without spilling acrylics all over the kitchen table, hadn't echoed his sentiments.
A pang of regret shot through her. She shivered.
"You okay?" Goatee asked, "Adrenaline taken a nose dive?"
Kaho nodded, but her mind was racing, it was like a pinball machine, different memories whizzing past her as she attempted to decipher her feelings.
"You know," Goatee said, "I've never seen Matsuoka lose and he's been around here for months now."
"I'm sure it was just some good luck. I've been watching him play in P.E and stuff," she said, waving Goatee off.
He shrugged next to her and turned his attention back to the court, where Naseru moved like an otherworldly being, his control over his tempo and therefore everyone else was bizarre, like a composer in his pit, surrounded by musicians with their own interpretations of how to play, subjecting them to his will as to how a piece should be composed. He was Mozart on the court. When he slowed his play, everyone else, whether subconsciously or not, took that on.
"Have you known Matsuoka long?" Goatee asked,
"Not too long," Kaho shrugged, "You said he's been playing here for a few months?"
Goatee nodded, "We're usually about on the street courts. Maybe we'll see you around, eh, Whipping Lotus."
Kaho shrugged.
"Hey, Aigawa!" Naseru called, "Do you guys want to play, too?"
Kaho nodded, despite her aching limbs and the sweat pooling in the crooks of her armpits. "Who wants me?"
Frosted Tips raised his hand, and Kaho went to stand beside him. He offered her his fist and she bumped it with hers.
"You've got The Whipping Lotus, lucky," Goatee said, "You should have seen her in her heyday."
"Hey!" Kaho laughed, "I'm not half in the grave!"
Goatee laughed back and threw the ball in the air. Naseru won the tip-off and immediately passed the ball to Eyebrows. He took three steps backwards, dribbling the ball between his hands like Ryota can, the ball seemed balanced between his fingers like a yoyo, was this what Ryota was aspiring to do?
Eyebrows then scooped the ball into his hands and passed it over his shoulder, where Goatee was waiting. Kaho hadn't moved. Her heart was racing, and she couldn't even make herself move when Goatee passed the ball to Naseru, who was making his way past her. She watched him pass her as if it were in slow-motion, the ball bouncing off the ground as he passed her and left her in his dust. He dunked the ball, dangling from the hoop like it was a railing for pull-ups and dropped to the floor with a flourish.
Kaho smiled at him. If Eyebrows, or someone who watched him play before, had inspired that move Ryota had been practising, and he learned how to do it properly, then maybe he and Naseru would be a force to be reckoned with on the court. She felt her insides fizz like she was filled with cola and 'Mentos', and if she opened her mouth, she would just explode into an excited frenzy.
Frosted Tips did the throw-in after Naseru's dunk, and the ball found its way into Kaho's hands. Goatee went to block her. She attempted to take a step forward, dribbling with her left hand, and then passed it behind her back to her right hand, except she couldn't quite get control of the ball in her right after passing it over. She fumbled and the ball rolled away.
"Don't worry! It happens! That's a good move! You'll get it next time," Goatee said, passing Kaho to retrieve the ball. He tousled her hair and a wave of fondness crashed over her.
He reminded her so much of Taiga with that one tender gesture. Maybe Naseru wasn't as alone as she thought? Or maybe, she just reminded these guys of their younger sisters? Kaho shrugged, and went to intercept the ball. She had a game to win.
After a few quick three-on-threes, the sky had darkened, the evening was upon them, and Kaho was far from home. She rummaged through her school bag, texts from Taiga and her mother, demanding to know where she'd been. She took a deep breath and kneeled on the tarmac. Kaho took a breath and punched her brother's number into her phone. At least Taig wouldn't give her as much grief if he knew where she was.
"Kaho! What the Hell? Where are you? Are you safe?"
"Hey," she said quietly, "I'm fine. I'm safe. Promise. I'm with Ma- Mariah."
"Oh," Taiga said, his voice levelling, "I must have forgotten. Sorry, I've been blowing up your phone."
"Don't worry about it," Kaho lied smoothly.
"My bad. Tell Mariah I said hi, and let me know if you need a ride home."
"Right. Will do. See you at home."
She hung up her phone and put it back in her bag.
Guilt gnawed at Kaho's gut. She hated lying to Taiga, but she didn't want him asking questions. Better to lie and say she was with Mariah so he would stop texting. She didn't blame him, or her mother, for that matter, for not telling them where she was going. She should have said. But, what was done was done. She sighed and slapped her hands against her knees, standing up.
When she got to her feet, she felt like she'd just gotten off a Watlzer, top heavy, stomach dropping and dark spots forming in her periphery. Kaho flailed, splaying her arms to steady herself, but her body betrayed her. She felt like each limb was rattling, discharging screws and bolts it needed to keep her upright.
"Aigawa?" Naseru said, "You good?"
"I feel weird," Kaho said, "Can I have some water?"
Eyebrows tossed her the dregs of his bottle, but she fumbled, and it fell to the floor. Kaho closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath. She grasped the water in trembling hands and sent the water spilling all over the court. She drew the bottle to her lips and attempted to sip her water, but it felt as thick as treacle in her throat. Kaho retched, coughing and the water came back up.
"Shit!" Frosted Tips shouted, "You okay?"
He moved to cross the court, but Naseru was faster. He strode over to Kaho and rubbed circles around her back. She took some long, laboured breaths and was sick again. All bile, her stomach aching and contracting. Frosted Tips swilled the mess away with a bottle of water, while another player handed Kaho another bottle to drink from.
"Shh. Shh," said Eyebrows, "You're good. Deep breaths. You're just dehydrated. And for the asswhooping you just gave Matsuoka, it's worth it. That is the vile taste of victory."
"Not helpful," Naseru muttered.
Kaho took a few quick shallow breaths and tentatively drank some more water. She swallowed the lump in her throat.
"Hey," Naseru said, crossing the court. He'd packed his things and tied his blazer around his waist, "Are you alright."
She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, but the movement was too vigorous, too jerky, and made her feel even more unsteady. He put a hand on her arm, an attempt to anchor her that didn't quite work.
He sighed, shook his head and let a small, amused smirk cross his face for just a second, and bent down in front of her, "C'mon Aigawa, jump on."
Kaho slung her arms around Naseru's shoulders. He staggered to his feet, "I'm going to hold your legs, okay?"
"Yeah," Kaho said, "I'm just really, really tired."
One of the other boys on the court snorted, "See you, Matsuoka."
Kaho leaned against Naseru, her cheeks flushed. Her heart was pounding. Could he feel it against his shoulders? Her head rested on Naseru's shoulder. He kept stealing glances over at her. Even though he could see her in his periphery. Her cheeks reddened.
They walked for a while, or, Naseru did, wandering down street lit paths and out of the park. The exit led to a bank by the canal. The opposite side of the water to Luvrz, their angry neon sign a flickering beacon she could barely see. She clambered down from Naseru's back and hugged her knees on the slope. He joined her, flopping back on the cool grass, his braids fanning around his face like a halo, or the rays of a sunbeam.
She felt the sudden urge to pepper his face with kisses.