FRIEND WITH BENEFIT

2. The Perfect Crush

Suuzan's expression totally changed when Damar appeared on the court. Girls were cheering for him, even though it was just a practice game, nothing serious.

Leo snorted. He knew his friend always froze up whenever Damar was around.

"Sit down. My legs are getting tired from standing."

Leo plopped down anywhere and watched the game calmly. Suuzan's gaze, however, was still glued to Damar. He played so smoothly. He had this charismatic aura, like some divine light was shining on him. Suuzan's eyes sparkled as she stared at Damar, her beloved crush.

Leo watched Suuzan, still standing and staring at Damar without blinking. With a quick tug, Leo pulled Suuzan's arm, making her sit beside him. Suuzan almost stumbled into him.

"Leo!" Suuzan snapped.

"Wanna stand until the game ends? 40 minutes is a long time. If you wanna keep standing, fine by me."

Suuzan grumbled. Even though Leo had a point, he shouldn't have pulled her in front of all Damar's fans. It would have been super embarrassing if they saw her fall.

Suuzan tried to hold back from fighting with her best friend. She had to look elegant, nice, and charming when watching Damar. So, she watched the game very calmly. When Damar scored a three-pointer, Suuzan cheered for him just like the other girls. She turned into a sweet girl whenever Damar was involved.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Why can't you be like that with me?" Leo glared at his friend, annoyed that Suuzan always acted differently when it came to Damar.

"What do you mean?" Suuzan responded without turning to Leo.

"You're never sweet to me. We've known each other since middle school. But when it's about Damar, you suddenly become a good girl."

"Ugh, what are you talking about, Leo? Why would I be sweet to you? Have you ever been sweet to me? No, right? So random. You should worry about how to stop flirting with all those girls. If you're serious about dating, just date them. Don't just take them out and then leave them hanging."

"It's called selection..."

Their conversation was cut short when Leo's phone suddenly rang. A distinct polyphonic ringtone blared from his phone. Suuzan glanced, already knowing who was calling. Leo quickly left, choosing to answer the call somewhere more private.

"Typical playboy," Suuzan grumbled.

She went back to focusing on Damar's game. Time was almost up. Damar's team had 11 points, while their opponents had 10. The difference was too small. As a result, the game got more intense. The players' movements became faster, and the ball almost went into the basket several times. Unfortunately, the defense from both teams was too strong, so they always managed to stop each other.

Suuzan didn't understand basketball. She didn't care about the points or anything else; she only cared about Damar. She kept staring at him, smiling to herself. Because she was so focused on Damar, she didn't even notice that one of the players threw the ball too far, past the court. Suuzan heard some commotion but ignored it. Until suddenly Damar ran towards her. Suuzan was shocked, panicked, and frozen stiff. She couldn't believe Damar was coming towards her.

"Move!" Damar yelled loudly.

But it was too late. The basketball flew swiftly and hit Suuzan right in the face. Everyone saw it. Suuzan was in shock and, of course, in pain, but soon after, she fainted.

"Hey! Hey!" Damar, who had reached Suuzan, immediately panicked. He tried to wake Suuzan up, but she remained unresponsive. Damar then tried to carry Suuzan.

"Oh my god, she's heavy," Damar mumbled, but he still tried to carry Suuzan to the infirmary.

Suuzan felt a pretty strong ache in her head when she opened her eyes. She was confused because she wasn't on the court anymore.

"Mmm..." Suuzan stretched. She turned to her right. Her eyes widened when she saw the handsome guy who often appeared in her dreams. "A dream. Crazy, but why is he so close?"

Suuzan tried to reach for her idol's face. She touched his cheek.

"But how can I touch him?" Suuzan felt something was off. She squeezed her face in disbelief, and there was no change at all.

"What are you doing?"

Suddenly, Damar spoke, confirming that this was not a dream. Immediately, Suuzan pulled her hand away from Damar's cheek.

"Oh, sorry. I thought it was a dream. Why are you here?"

Damar smiled. Suuzan felt like she was in heaven when she saw Damar's smile.

"You're asking me? You should be worried about yourself. You have a huge bump on your head."

"Huh?" Suuzan touched her head and instantly felt pain. "Oww! Uh, it hurts."

"Sorry about that. It was an accident. I was actually going for a point, but I was so hyped up, I threw the ball too far."

Suuzan didn't care about the pain in her head. When else would she get to be alone with Damar like this? Whether it was a bump, a scab, ringworm, athlete's foot, whatever. It didn't matter. The important thing was that she was meeting Damar now.

"What's your name?" Damar asked politely. Ugh, what girl wouldn't be smitten by Damar's attitude? "You're from tenth grade, right?"

"Yes. I'm Suuzan from 2 IPA A."

Damar extended his hand. Shyly, Suuzan took it. When she touched Damar's hand, she felt like she was touching a warmth that couldn't be replaced by anything else in the world.

"I'll give you my phone number. If anything happens, just call. I'm worried you might have a concussion."

"Ah, no. My head's fine..."

Suddenly, someone entered the infirmary with very heavy steps. He pulled back the curtain without asking permission. But for Suuzan, this was a moment that absolutely no one should disturb.

"Who threw the ball at your head?"

Leo came in with an annoyed expression. Suuzan glared. She hoped Leo wouldn't ruin the mood.

"I'm fine. Go away."

Leo saw the bump on Suuzan's head and the marks on her face that looked like basketball lines.

"Hey, what are you gonna tell your mom when she sees that bump on your head?"

Immediately, Suuzan panicked. She had just realized this. Suuzan instantly got down from the bed, and because she wasn't careful, she almost fell, but Damar quickly caught her. They accidentally looked into each other's eyes. Suuzan's face turned red. She saw Damar's face just a few centimeters away.

"Oh my god, he's so charming."