Red In The Rain

8

The sound of squeaking sneakers, bouncing basketballs, and Coach Vance’s sharp whistle filled the gym. The entire team was gathered, dressed in their fresh uniforms, stretching and warming up before diving into drills.

Tavian spun the basketball in his hands, eyes focused. He could feel the energy buzzing among the players—some hyped, some anxious, and some, like Evan, already complaining.

"Why do we even need to run suicides first?" Evan groaned as he jogged past Tavian, already looking winded. "We haven’t even touched the ball yet!"

"Because," Tavian said, dribbling casually, "Coach likes to remind us that endurance wins games."

Jayden, running beside Evan, smirked. "Translation: You’re slow, and he wants to fix that."

Evan shot Jayden a glare but was too out of breath to argue.

Coach Vance blew the whistle. "Hustle! We’re not here for a jog in the park! Let’s move!"

Tavian picked up the pace, leading the pack as they sprinted back and forth.

After several rounds of suicides, Coach Vance finally let them move on to ball-handling drills.

"Alright," Coach clapped his hands. "Pair up. Passing, dribbling, footwork. Let’s go!"

Tavian partnered with Jayden, bouncing the ball to him with quick, precise passes.

"You ready for the real test, Captain?" Jayden teased, spinning the ball before passing it back.

Tavian caught it effortlessly. "What? You trying to challenge me?"

Jayden grinned. "Not just me. You gotta prove to the whole team that you’re the real deal before you face Cameron."

Tavian smirked. "Then let’s stop talking and start playing."

After an hour of drills, Coach Vance finally called them into a scrimmage.

"Alright, team! Five-on-five! Let’s see what you’ve got!"

Tavian’s team consisted of him, Evan, Jayden, Drew, and Marcus, while the other side had a strong lineup of Ethan, Darius, Kyle, Vince, and Jordan.

"First to 15," Coach Vance called out. "No lazy plays!"

Tavian crouched, focused as Ethan dribbled the ball up the court.

Ethan passed the ball to Darius, who tried to drive into the paint, but Drew blocked him hard.

"Not today, man," Drew said with a grin.

The ball bounced loose, and Tavian snatched it, sprinting down the court.

Jayden was already running ahead. "Here, here!"

Tavian faked a pass to Jayden, sending Ethan the wrong way, before spinning past a defender and going straight for a layup.

The ball swished through the net.

"Let’s go!" Evan cheered, clapping Tavian on the back.

Jayden grinned. "Nice fake. You almost had me thinking you’d pass."

Tavian smirked. "Almost."

The game continued, both teams fighting hard.

Kyle managed a three-pointer, tying the score.

Darius powered through with a strong layup, putting his team ahead.

Jayden answered with a mid-range jumper, keeping it close.

Tavian could feel the pressure mounting. His team was good, but they weren’t playing as sharp as they needed to.

Evan huffed. "They’re not making this easy."

"They shouldn’t," Tavian said. "Neither will Cameron."

Evan groaned. "Can we stop bringing him up?"

Jayden laughed. "Only if you stop playing like you’re afraid of losing."

Evan rolled his eyes but nodded. "Fine. Let’s go all in, then."

Tavian grinned. "Now you’re talking."

The score was 14-14. Next basket wins.

The gym was silent except for the sound of sneakers squeaking and heavy breathing.

Ethan had the ball, looking for an opening.

Tavian watched his eyes.

He’s going left.

The second Ethan moved, Tavian cut him off, forcing him to pass.

Drew deflected the ball—right into Tavian’s hands.

No hesitation.

He sprinted down the court, defenders on his heels.

Evan was open. Jayden was calling for the ball.

But Tavian saw his shot.

Three feet from the basket.

He jumped.

The world slowed.

Release.

The ball arced beautifully—

Swish.

.

.

.

.

.

Game over.

The gym erupted.

"Let’s go!" Jayden clapped Tavian on the back. "Clutch shot, Captain!"

Evan wiped sweat from his forehead. "Man, that was intense."

Coach Vance blew the whistle, signaling them to gather.

"Good game," he said, looking them over. "But you need to be sharper. If you play like this against the Ironclads, you’ll get crushed."

The team nodded, still catching their breath.

Tavian rolled his shoulders. "We’ll get better."

Coach Vance studied him for a moment, then nodded. "I expect nothing less. Now, hit the showers. We go harder tomorrow."

As Tavian walked off the court, he couldn't help but smirk.

Cameron Lyle better be ready.