Chapter 28 - Resignation
April 16, 2016 is the final day of the 59th Palarong Pambansa, held at the Bicol University Sports Complex in Albay. The early morning air of 16th of April was thick with sweat and expectation. I stood on the court, surrounded by the shouts and footwork of teenage players. Our team — Belleza Maria National High School was just finishing its match in Sepak Takraw. The wooden rattan ball flying over the net, the spike-kick, the crowd's murmur rising when someone did something close to perfect. "Stay calm. Focus on your stroke, your turns," I told them, voice barely above a whisper so as not to distract the adjacent lanes. I could see their faces with determination and quiet resolve. When the buzzer sounded, they dove in, bodies streamlined and slicing through water. Each turn, each push
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