Embracing the Troublemaker

Chapter Twenty Two

Jael's Point of View

The gymnasium was buzzing with excitement as my friends and I made our way from the gym to the front row seats to watch the men's basketball game between Azure College and their arch-rivals, Riverdale.

"Kakaladkarin talaga kita, Jael." Yamot na sabi ni Cypress. "Ayoko kase manood, ang daming tao. Nakikita ko palang sila, nauubos na social energy ko." Hindi nila pinansin ang sinabi ko. Wala na rin naman kaming magagawa dahil nandito na rin kami. Binigyan kaming tatlo ni Elkayne ng VIP ticket para panoorin s'ya.

As we settled into our seats, surrounded by students in red shirts representing Azure and yellow shirts representing Riverdale, the cheers and noise from both sides were deafening. Kahit ang sarili ko hindi ko na rin marinig.

"Pota, kaya pala hindi ako nag almusal sa bahay, mabubusog pala ako dito." Ani ni Ivy habang naka tingin sa kabilang bleachers ng gym kung saan naka pwesto ang estudyante ng Riverdale. I scanned the gym and noticed that the seats were nearly all occupied.

The speaker announced that there were only 10 minutes left until the game began. We hadn't seen the players yet, but the energy in the gym was palpable. Palong-palo yung hiyaw ng mga taga Riverdale pero hindi rin naman nag patalo ang mga estudyante ng Azure. Napaka competitive talaga.

Napa tingin ako sa katabing gilid ko nang may babaeng umupo roon, naka-suot ito ng kulay dilaw na tshirt kaya sigurado, isa sya sa mga inembita ng isa sa player ng Riverdale. She smiled at me, nginitian ko ito pabalik. Sa tingin ko medyo mas matanda lang sya saakin nag ilang taon. Hindi s'ya nag salita pero mukha syang mabait at napaka amo ng mukha, para syang dyosa sa paningin ko. Sobrang ganda.

"Ang hot nila, shet! Sana may ma-jowa ako d'yan, ayain ko sa marriage booth!" Humalakhak sa tawa si Ivy. Napailing na lamang ako, kanina n'ya pa pinag didiskitahan yung mga kalalakihan sa Riverdale. Hindi ko pa nakita si Seven pero sigurado naman akong nandito 'yon dahil nag sabi s'ya kagabi na manonood daw ito at hindi n'ya pwede palampasin.

After ng competition, welcome ang mga estudyante ng Riverdale na mag join sa mga booth na hinanda ngayong araw. The anticipation grew as the speaker started announcing the players from both teams. Unang lumabas ng practice room ang mga players ng Azure. Hinanap kaagad ng mata ko si Elkayne, paliko-liko ang kanyang ulo hanggang sa dumapo ang kanyang mata saakin. He has a big smile on his face. He looks so confident and excited. He waved at us and I waved back, trying to act enthusiastic. I see him mouth something, but I can't hear him.

The speaker starts to introduce the players of each team. I hear the names and numbers of the Azure players. Elkayne's number is 19, Jueravino. He gets the loudest cheers from the crowd. Ang lakas talaga ng audience impact ng lalaking 'to.

The Riverdale players come out next. They are all wearing yellow jerseys. They are also very good-looking. They have serious expressions on their faces. They look determined and fierce. They get booed by the students from Azure, but they don't seem to care. They look confident. Yung iba pa nga'y naka ngisi.

Mukha silang nag papakundisyon, nag tipon-tipon ang bawat manlalaro kasama ang mga coaches nila, may bulungan na naganap bago nag start ang laro. Limang player ang nasa gitna ng nasa Azure para mag laro tapos may limang player din na naka abang para sa palitan.

Nag simula na ang laro, una palang nakikitaan na ng pagiging agresibo ng mga manlalaro sa Riverdale.

"Uy! Foul 'yon diba?!" Sigaw ko nang makita ang pag siko ng kalaban. The Riverdale players glared at the Azure team, and it was clear they were here to win at any cost. The unfair tactics and dirty plays frustrated us, especially considering the players' serious demeanor.