7
755 Words
Tavian watched as Ailith practically ran away from the cafeteria, her best friend Mira trailing after her like a detective eager to interrogate a suspect. He smirked to himself, shaking his head.
She’s something else.
Ailith always had this way of reacting to him like she couldn’t decide if she wanted to fight him or disappear into thin air. It was… adorable. And highly entertaining.
Not that he’d tell her that.
Not yet.
Tavian leaned back in his chair, letting out a small chuckle.
“You really got her all flustered, huh?”
He turned his head to see one of his teammates, Jayden, watching him with an amused look.
Tavian just shrugged. “She’s fun to mess with.”
Jayden smirked. “That’s not all, though.”
Tavian didn’t respond—just finished his drink and stood up. “Let’s go. We’ve got practice.”
Jayden didn’t push, but his smirk stayed.
---
Tavian was halfway down the hallway when his phone buzzed.
Team Chat:
Coach: "Caius, get back to the gym ASAP. Uniforms are here."
Evan: "Better hurry, captain! We don’t want you missing out on the fresh new look!"
Drew: "Watch them have your jersey misspelled again. Tavian Gomeezz."
Tavian rolled his eyes but picked up his pace.
By the time he reached the gym, most of the team was already there, huddled together as the assistant coach unloaded the neatly folded uniforms onto a table.
"Finally," Evan said, tossing a basketball up and catching it. "We thought you got lost."
"Or too busy flirting," Jayden muttered just loud enough for Tavian to hear.
Tavian ignored that.
"Alright, gather up," their coach, Coach Vance, called out, blowing his whistle once for emphasis. The team immediately lined up in front of the table.
But before the uniforms were handed out, someone brought up the topic everyone had been dreading.
"You guys know who we’re up against first, right?" Evan asked, crossing his arms.
Silence.
Of course, they knew.
Drew let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah. The Ironclads."
The mood immediately shifted.
The Ironclads were one of the strongest teams in the region. More specifically, their captain was.
And that captain?
Cameron Lyle.
---
Tavian leaned against the wall, watching as the conversation quickly spiraled into a debate.
"Cameron’s been MVP for two years straight," Evan pointed out.
"And their team has been undefeated since last year," Drew added.
"Yeah, yeah," Jayden waved a hand. "But let’s be real. The real problem is Cameron himself."
Evan nodded. "Dude's a machine. No wonder scouts are already watching him."
Someone else muttered, "He’s got, what? A record of 30 points per game?"
"More like 35," another corrected.
Jayden turned to Tavian, raising an eyebrow. "What do you think, Captain? Think you can handle Cameron?"
Tavian exhaled slowly. He’d been expecting this conversation.
Cameron Lyle was good. No doubt about it. But the way his team was talking, it was like they had already accepted defeat.
Tavian hated that.
"Doesn’t matter what I think," Tavian said finally. "What matters is how we play as a team."
Evan snorted. "Spoken like a true captain. But seriously, you know people are already comparing you two, right?"
"Let them," Tavian said simply.
"But they’re saying you don’t stand a chance against him."
Tavian smirked. "Then I guess I’ll just have to prove them wrong."
---
Before the debate could go any further, Coach Vance blew the whistle again.
"Alright, that’s enough," he said. "I know Cameron’s got a reputation. But last I checked, this is a team sport. If any of you go into that game thinking it’s just Tavian vs. Cameron, we’ve already lost."
The gym went silent.
Coach Vance continued, pacing in front of them. "I won’t lie. The Ironclads are a tough team. They’ve got height, speed, and experience. But so do we." He looked at each player seriously. "You’ve all worked hard. And you didn’t come this far just to get psyched out before the game even starts."
He turned to Tavian. "Caius."
Tavian straightened. "Coach?"
"You’re the captain. Lead them."
Tavian met his coach’s gaze and gave a firm nod. "I will."
Coach Vance nodded in approval, then clapped his hands. "Alright. Line up and get your uniforms. We start practice in five."
Tavian watched as his teammates moved forward to grab their jerseys.
As he picked up his own, he clenched the fabric slightly.
He wasn’t going to lose to Cameron.
And he sure as hell wasn’t going to let his team lose either.
- Writer
