The Running Game

Chapter 13

She took his bandaged hand then engulfed it with her hands. "You shouldn't have done that. This is the hand that you use to play basketball. This is your asset, you have to protect it at all costs in order to pursue your dream." She frowned as she lectured him.

There was something about her that moved his heart. She genuinely cares for him. She gave him a sense of comfort and the warmth he never felt with anyone. Even at home.

"Do you want to know a fun fact?" He asked.

"What fact?"

"Talking to you actually suppresses the anger within me. All those trips down to the beach with you, actually put my mind at ease."

"That is the cheesiest compliment I've ever received from anyone." She rolled her eyes at him. But inside, she was blooming with blitheness.

"Ya! It's true!" He exclaimed. "Give me credit here. I rarely compliment anyone. Not even my friends."

"Whatever you say." She scoffed.

"Eun Young Ro." He called her name softly.

"Yes?"

"When I join the national team, I'm going to have training."

"That's good then, it will enhance your skills though. Who knows if there'll be news about the eminent South Korean player, Lim Soo Ho doing a slam dunk in the NBA summer league." She let out a coquettish chuckle as she nudged his shoulder with hers.

"That training is in the US." He let out a heavy sigh. And the serious look etched on his face as he looked her in the eyes. "I'm moving to New York after graduation."

And like lightning in broad daylight, the invisible anchor weighed down heavily and plummeted sharply in her heart as she processed his news. The entire senior year was filled with a packed schedule as she prepared for the CSTAT (College Scholastic Ability Test). She spent the majority of her time busying herself in the library, as she put aside her sadness at the thought of him moving overseas.

We will be miles apart.

Can we still be as close as we are today?

That's the only thought that always crossed her mind. What if everything between them will not turn as it seems before? She knew he would want to pursue his basketball career from the start but she never expected that he would pursue it miles away from her.

When she lost at her thought, the book in front of her suddenly forced closed by the hand she became familiar with. That big hand with those chubby fingers. How could she not recognize that?

"That's enough. You're studying too much."

"Well I need to work my ass off to get into Uni, unlike you. You felt assured because you already knew that you won't have to go through all this shit."

Then, he put his hand on her shoulders and massaged it gently. He bent down and he whispered to her ear. "Come on. Let's ditch. Let's go to the amusement park. My treat!". Then he took her hand and quickly ran off with her from the library.

"Wait, I thought you're planning to take me to the amusement park?" She furrowed her eyebrows. Looking slightly confused when they stopped at the photo studio nearby.

"Oh this is only the beginning. We're gonna have a fun time later for sure! But first, I need to take photos for my passport."

"Passport?"

"Yes, you heard it. I need to extend my passport."

"How do I look?" His hands went up to style his hair. But it still looked messy.