Chapter four: The first practice.
1084 Words
The shrill sound of Leon's alarm pierced the silence at exactly five in the morning.
He groaned, blindly reaching for the old phone sitting on the wooden stool beside his mattress.
The screen was cracked.
The battery barely lasted half a day.
Still, it worked.
That was enough.
Leon rubbed his sleepy eyes before turning to the other side of the room.
His mother was still asleep.
Even in her sleep, she coughed softly.
His smile faded.
Quietly, he got out of bed, folded his blanket, and tiptoed into the tiny kitchen.
The apartment was silent except for the boiling kettle.
He prepared two slices of toast with the last of the bread and fried the remaining egg.
One plate looked fuller than the other.
As always.
He placed the larger portion in front of his mother's chair.
For himself...
He settled for half a slice of toast.
His stomach complained.
"Loud enough," he whispered. "You'll wake Mom."
The growling stopped as if it understood.
Leon laughed quietly.
---
By six-thirty, he was already walking toward the bus stop.
The chilly morning breeze brushed against his face.
His worn sneakers squeaked with every step.
One sole had started peeling away.
"I'll survive another month."
He had been saying that for three months.
The city slowly came alive.
Workers hurried toward offices.
Street vendors arranged fresh fruits.
Students gathered around bus stations.
Leon climbed aboard the crowded bus, standing because all the seats were occupied.
An elderly woman entered at the next stop.
Without hesitation, Leon offered her his place.
"Young man, thank you."
He smiled.
"No problem, Grandma."
She patted his shoulder affectionately.
"You have kind eyes."
Leon blinked.
Kind eyes.
Nobody at school had ever described him that way.
They usually chose words like annoying...
Disgusting...
Or shameless.
The compliment lingered in his mind long after the old woman got off the bus.
---
Westbridge University.
Morning classes hadn't started yet, but the basketball court was already busy.
Coach Miller blew his whistle sharply.
"Line up!"
The freshmen hurried into formation.
Leon jogged over, balancing a basketball on one finger.
One of his teammates rolled his eyes.
"Show-off."
Leon winked.
"If you've got it, flaunt it."
The teammate laughed despite himself.
A sleek black SUV pulled up beside the gym.
The chatter immediately quieted.
Ethan Blackwood stepped out.
Dressed in a simple black tracksuit, he somehow looked more intimidating than anyone wearing an expensive suit.
He walked toward the court with calm, measured steps.
"Morning, Coach Ethan."
The players greeted him respectfully.
"Morning."
His deep voice carried naturally across the court.
His eyes briefly swept across the team before stopping on Leon.
Leon grinned from ear to ear.
"Coach Ethan!"
A few teammates sighed dramatically.
"Please..."
"Not this early."
Leon ignored them.
"I dreamed about you again."
Ethan didn't even blink.
"I'll recommend a doctor."
The team burst into laughter.
Leon clutched his chest.
"You're breaking my heart before breakfast."
"You'll survive."
"I don't know..."
Leon dramatically wiped away an imaginary tear.
"My fragile heart can only take so much rejection."
Ethan walked straight past him.
"I've rejected you fifty-two times."
Leon blinked.
"You counted?"
"I told you."
"I count everything."
Coach Miller pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You two are impossible."
---
Practice began.
"Five laps!"
The players sprinted around the court.
Within minutes, several freshmen were breathing heavily.
Leon...
Looked perfectly relaxed.
Coach Miller noticed.
"Ethan."
"Hm?"
"Guard him."
Ethan frowned.
"He's a freshman."
"I know."
"I'll crush him."
"I know."
Coach Miller smiled.
"That's why I want you to do it."
Leon overheard every word.
His eyes sparkled.
"I get Coach Ethan all to myself?"
Several players laughed.
"You wish."
Ethan picked up a basketball and walked toward center court.
"First one to eleven."
Leon bounced the ball confidently.
"If I win..."
"You won't."
"You didn't even let me finish."
"If you win?"
Leon thought for a second.
"You have to eat lunch with me."
The entire gym fell silent.
Coach Miller nearly choked on his coffee.
One freshman whispered,
"Did he just ask Ethan Blackwood out again?"
Ethan sighed.
"...Fine."
"And if you win?"
Leon asked.
"You stop bothering me for one week."
Leon gasped dramatically.
"One week?"
"That's the deal."
He extended his hand.
Leon stared at it before smiling.
"Deal."
They shook hands.
---
The game began.
Leon attacked first.
He dribbled left.
Then crossed right with incredible speed.
The watching students gasped.
"So fast!"
Ethan didn't move.
At the last second...
He stole the ball cleanly.
Leon blinked.
"What?"
Ethan drove toward the basket.
One smooth layup.
Two points.
Leon scratched his cheek.
"Okay..."
"Again."
This time Leon became serious.
His playful smile disappeared.
His movements became sharper.
Faster.
More precise.
For the next fifteen minutes...
Neither of them spoke.
Only the sound of sneakers screeching against the polished floor echoed through the gym.
Five points.
Seven.
Nine.
Ten.
The score remained tied.
Everyone watching had forgotten to breathe.
Coach Miller folded his arms proudly.
"I knew it."
"What?"
"The kid's been holding back."
Ethan realized it too.
Leon wasn't just talented.
He was extraordinary.
Every move felt instinctive.
Every pass was perfectly timed.
Every shot looked effortless.
For the first time in years...
Someone his age had pushed Ethan this far.
The final possession.
Leon sprinted toward the basket.
Ethan matched him step for step.
Leon jumped.
So did Ethan.
The ball left Leon's fingertips...
It kissed the backboard...
Spun around the rim...
And dropped through the net.
11–10.
Silence.
Then—
The gym erupted into deafening cheers.
"HE WON!"
"No way!"
"He actually beat Coach Ethan!"
Leon landed on the floor, breathing hard.
For a second, he forgot to smile.
Instead...
Pure joy lit up his face.
A real smile.
Not the exaggerated one he showed the world.
Not the teasing grin he wore to hide his pain.
Just...
Happiness.
Ethan stared at him.
That smile...
It was completely different.
And for reasons he couldn't explain...
He found himself smiling back.
Only for a moment.
But Leon saw it.
Before either of them could say a word, Ethan's phone rang.
He glanced at the screen.
Richard Blackwood.
His expression immediately turned cold again.
He answered.
"Yes, Father."
Leon watched silently as Ethan walked away.
Whatever was being said...
It couldn't be good.
For the first time...
Leon realized that even someone like Ethan Blackwood carried burdens no one else could see.
And maybe...
They weren't as different as the world believed.
- Writer
