Chapter 11 – Basketball Mania
Third day at London, everything was going smoothly for the gang [except maybe for the accident at the coffee shop…and the incident at Nicole's house]. Andrea was part of the gang now. And Heather wasn't very happy about it...Nicole very well knew.
Now Andrea was clinging on Nicole's arm, and was purring like crazy.
'There's a basketball court near the neighborhood,' Heather was saying. The only thing that kept her sane while Andrea was around was Kaede. He was hanging on every word she was saying with that endless smile on his face.
Akira was drowsily staggering along with the group.
True enough a basketball court came into view as they walked along. The sound of the bouncing ball was enough to keep Akira awake, Nicole noticed. He lifted his head toward the direction of the court. There was that glint in his eyes Nicole never noticed before.
'Nick! Heath!' called a voice from the players.
Nicole and Heather stood frozen on the ground. 'Uh-oh,' mumbled Nicole. 'Sounds like trouble…'
Two guys sauntered toward the five of them. Andrea was already smiling flirtatiously. There were still guys left in court. They seemed to notice the fuss and went over to the five as well.
'Sa…Sakuragi…' blurted out Kaede suddenly.
*
---The Japanese people were speaking in Japanese here…---
'Shimatta…' muttered Rukawa, glaring at Sakuragi's direction.
'AAAH! Sendoh! Kitsune!' yelled Sakuragi, pointing deliriously at Sendoh and Rukawa.
'Do-aho,' mumbled Rukawa under his breath.
Sakuragi's red hair grew long and was tied to the nape of his neck. To Rukawa, he looked like a monkey more than ever. 'Wha…what happened to your hair?' Sakuragi asked, laughing himself until tears came out of his eyes. 'Bwahahahaha!' He clutched his stomach as he guffawed.
'Yours is worse, do-aho,' replied Rukawa. '
'Nandato!' Sakuragi was fuming.
'Looks like you haven't changed much Sakuragi,' noticed Sendoh, grinning.
'Hmph!' Sakuragi placed his arms over his chest then gestured to the court. 'I have. I'm going to beat you this time Sen---' But before he could finish his sentence…actually before he could accidentally spill everything about the switch…Sendoh had already dragged him out away from the girls.
'Excuse us,' he told Heather and Nicole with a smile. Rukawa followed the two.
*
'I am Heather,' Nicole was telling the boys she knew, while taking glances at Kaede and Akira and…the Sakuragi person.
'Huh?'
'Seth just play along,' pleaded Heather. 'Call me Nicole okay?'
There was a confused look at Seth's face. The other guys wore the same expressions. 'Huh?'
'We pulled a switch,' explained Nicole hastily.
*
'Why the hell would you do that?' cried out Sakuragi.
'Quiet! Baka!' hissed Sendoh, hitting Sakuragi's head with his fist.
'Do-aho…' commented Rukawa.
Trust Sakuragi to explode. Holding him by the arms was all Sendoh could do before Sakuragi could initiate a skirmish with Rukawa. They haven't changed at all. 'It's Rukawa-chan here…he insisted,' Sendoh said.
'So that's what's behind the hair,' sad Sakuragi thoughtfully. 'Rukawa looks like a porcupine kitsune now…bwahahahha!'
Rukawa's eyes darkened. Sakuragi's face mirrored the kitsune's. Sendoh feared a storm would soon brew over London.
'Yes yes that's what's behind the hair!' exclaimed Sendoh, hoping to break the tension.
*
'But the two of you don't even look alike,' pointed out Seth, frowning. 'What exactly is going on?'
'It's a long story…' mumbled Heather. 'Nicole insisted…I had no other choice.'
'Or is it because Heather here wanted to have some fun with exotic guys?' another guy reckoned. 'Hey, they're not that bad looking.'
'Since when were you gay Alfred?' asked Nicole, rolling her eyes.
Andrea was completely forgotten.
*
'I thought you wanted Japanese women, Sendoh.' Sakuragi glanced over toward the two girls. 'And that other girl person over there…a lesbian…hmmm Rukawa certainly has weird tastes…' He snickered happily, patting Rukawa on the shoulder. 'I understand completely Rukawa. I know your looks are no match for Sakuragi tensai's looks! Hahahaha! No wonder no girl would ever have a crush on you!'
The sky behind Rukawa darkened again.
It seemed the talk between the girls and their friends were over. They sauntered toward the Japanese people, waiting for them to finish.
'By the way, you want to join the game?' offered Sakuragi.
*
Soon enough, Akira and Kaede were playing basketball in the frost-covered court. The players remained undaunted despite the cold.
Andrea was back, with her arms wrapped around Nicole.
The game was hot, even for the weather. Hanamichi [who was already introduced to the girls moments earlier], Akira and Kaede were on one team. Seth, Alfred and John were on the other.
The ball was in Kaede's hands. He wore a smirk as he dribbled it in between his legs, faked to the right and dashed toward Akira who was waiting for the ball just behind the three-point line. Everything happened so fast, that Alfred, Kaede's guard, barely had time to run after Kaede. Before everyone knew it, Akira already had the ball and was aiming for a three- point shot.
Seth seemed to make a pretty good defense as he jumped in mid-air to prevent the shot…or so everyone thought.
Akira expertly faked a pass to Hanamichi to his right, swiveled to the left, dribbled at high speed and made a perfect lay-up shot right before John's eyes. He landed on the floor with a thump, his face carrying a cold, serious expression.
Nicole, Heather and Andrea were all astounded, gaping at Akira's perfect form as he stood, crouched and glaring, on the court's floor.
Andrea was the newest addition to the girls sick of Akira-syndrome [or Rukawa-syndrome as known in Kanagawa…]. Her arms loosened grip from Nicole's and focused all her attention to Akira's great play. Her eyes took shape of pink hearts. Nicole didn't seem to mind. Maybe she was trying so hard to hide her admiration for Akira as well…
'Nice pass,' he commented, looking at Kaede. Kaede smiled back. Hanamichi, for no apparent reason, was seething.
'Whoa, I guess I underestimated you guys,' said Seth, panting.
Kaede laughed, his hands on his hips.
The ball was in John's hands. He was a couple of centimeters taller than Hanamichi and it was obvious the latter was having a hard time defending. Or maybe everyone misjudged him. Quick as flash, he tapped the ball from John's hands, and it landed on Kaede's.
Kaede was giving Seth a hard time. Guiding his way with his left arm, he pushed toward goal, dribbling the ball under him. Seth, and everyone else, who all the while thought he was aiming for a dunk, were on their heels guarding under the basket. Kaede had other plans though, he took a few steps back, and feinted. Three-points. The Japanese team was at the lead already by 10 points.
Heather's face flushed at the shot. 'God Nick, I think I am in love…' she mumbled under her breath. Heart bubbles seemed to float away from her.
'You aren't the only one…' Andrea's words flitted out of her lips dreamily.
Nicole was at a loss of words.
Third day at London, everything was going smoothly for the gang [except maybe for the accident at the coffee shop…and the incident at Nicole's house]. Andrea was part of the gang now. And Heather wasn't very happy about it...Nicole very well knew.
Now Andrea was clinging on Nicole's arm, and was purring like crazy.
'There's a basketball court near the neighborhood,' Heather was saying. The only thing that kept her sane while Andrea was around was Kaede. He was hanging on every word she was saying with that endless smile on his face.
Akira was drowsily staggering along with the group.
True enough a basketball court came into view as they walked along. The sound of the bouncing ball was enough to keep Akira awake, Nicole noticed. He lifted his head toward the direction of the court. There was that glint in his eyes Nicole never noticed before.
'Nick! Heath!' called a voice from the players.
Nicole and Heather stood frozen on the ground. 'Uh-oh,' mumbled Nicole. 'Sounds like trouble…'
Two guys sauntered toward the five of them. Andrea was already smiling flirtatiously. There were still guys left in court. They seemed to notice the fuss and went over to the five as well.
'Sa…Sakuragi…' blurted out Kaede suddenly.
*
---The Japanese people were speaking in Japanese here…---
'Shimatta…' muttered Rukawa, glaring at Sakuragi's direction.
'AAAH! Sendoh! Kitsune!' yelled Sakuragi, pointing deliriously at Sendoh and Rukawa.
'Do-aho,' mumbled Rukawa under his breath.
Sakuragi's red hair grew long and was tied to the nape of his neck. To Rukawa, he looked like a monkey more than ever. 'Wha…what happened to your hair?' Sakuragi asked, laughing himself until tears came out of his eyes. 'Bwahahahaha!' He clutched his stomach as he guffawed.
'Yours is worse, do-aho,' replied Rukawa. '
'Nandato!' Sakuragi was fuming.
'Looks like you haven't changed much Sakuragi,' noticed Sendoh, grinning.
'Hmph!' Sakuragi placed his arms over his chest then gestured to the court. 'I have. I'm going to beat you this time Sen---' But before he could finish his sentence…actually before he could accidentally spill everything about the switch…Sendoh had already dragged him out away from the girls.
'Excuse us,' he told Heather and Nicole with a smile. Rukawa followed the two.
*
'I am Heather,' Nicole was telling the boys she knew, while taking glances at Kaede and Akira and…the Sakuragi person.
'Huh?'
'Seth just play along,' pleaded Heather. 'Call me Nicole okay?'
There was a confused look at Seth's face. The other guys wore the same expressions. 'Huh?'
'We pulled a switch,' explained Nicole hastily.
*
'Why the hell would you do that?' cried out Sakuragi.
'Quiet! Baka!' hissed Sendoh, hitting Sakuragi's head with his fist.
'Do-aho…' commented Rukawa.
Trust Sakuragi to explode. Holding him by the arms was all Sendoh could do before Sakuragi could initiate a skirmish with Rukawa. They haven't changed at all. 'It's Rukawa-chan here…he insisted,' Sendoh said.
'So that's what's behind the hair,' sad Sakuragi thoughtfully. 'Rukawa looks like a porcupine kitsune now…bwahahahha!'
Rukawa's eyes darkened. Sakuragi's face mirrored the kitsune's. Sendoh feared a storm would soon brew over London.
'Yes yes that's what's behind the hair!' exclaimed Sendoh, hoping to break the tension.
*
'But the two of you don't even look alike,' pointed out Seth, frowning. 'What exactly is going on?'
'It's a long story…' mumbled Heather. 'Nicole insisted…I had no other choice.'
'Or is it because Heather here wanted to have some fun with exotic guys?' another guy reckoned. 'Hey, they're not that bad looking.'
'Since when were you gay Alfred?' asked Nicole, rolling her eyes.
Andrea was completely forgotten.
*
'I thought you wanted Japanese women, Sendoh.' Sakuragi glanced over toward the two girls. 'And that other girl person over there…a lesbian…hmmm Rukawa certainly has weird tastes…' He snickered happily, patting Rukawa on the shoulder. 'I understand completely Rukawa. I know your looks are no match for Sakuragi tensai's looks! Hahahaha! No wonder no girl would ever have a crush on you!'
The sky behind Rukawa darkened again.
It seemed the talk between the girls and their friends were over. They sauntered toward the Japanese people, waiting for them to finish.
'By the way, you want to join the game?' offered Sakuragi.
*
Soon enough, Akira and Kaede were playing basketball in the frost-covered court. The players remained undaunted despite the cold.
Andrea was back, with her arms wrapped around Nicole.
The game was hot, even for the weather. Hanamichi [who was already introduced to the girls moments earlier], Akira and Kaede were on one team. Seth, Alfred and John were on the other.
The ball was in Kaede's hands. He wore a smirk as he dribbled it in between his legs, faked to the right and dashed toward Akira who was waiting for the ball just behind the three-point line. Everything happened so fast, that Alfred, Kaede's guard, barely had time to run after Kaede. Before everyone knew it, Akira already had the ball and was aiming for a three- point shot.
Seth seemed to make a pretty good defense as he jumped in mid-air to prevent the shot…or so everyone thought.
Akira expertly faked a pass to Hanamichi to his right, swiveled to the left, dribbled at high speed and made a perfect lay-up shot right before John's eyes. He landed on the floor with a thump, his face carrying a cold, serious expression.
Nicole, Heather and Andrea were all astounded, gaping at Akira's perfect form as he stood, crouched and glaring, on the court's floor.
Andrea was the newest addition to the girls sick of Akira-syndrome [or Rukawa-syndrome as known in Kanagawa…]. Her arms loosened grip from Nicole's and focused all her attention to Akira's great play. Her eyes took shape of pink hearts. Nicole didn't seem to mind. Maybe she was trying so hard to hide her admiration for Akira as well…
'Nice pass,' he commented, looking at Kaede. Kaede smiled back. Hanamichi, for no apparent reason, was seething.
'Whoa, I guess I underestimated you guys,' said Seth, panting.
Kaede laughed, his hands on his hips.
The ball was in John's hands. He was a couple of centimeters taller than Hanamichi and it was obvious the latter was having a hard time defending. Or maybe everyone misjudged him. Quick as flash, he tapped the ball from John's hands, and it landed on Kaede's.
Kaede was giving Seth a hard time. Guiding his way with his left arm, he pushed toward goal, dribbling the ball under him. Seth, and everyone else, who all the while thought he was aiming for a dunk, were on their heels guarding under the basket. Kaede had other plans though, he took a few steps back, and feinted. Three-points. The Japanese team was at the lead already by 10 points.
Heather's face flushed at the shot. 'God Nick, I think I am in love…' she mumbled under her breath. Heart bubbles seemed to float away from her.
'You aren't the only one…' Andrea's words flitted out of her lips dreamily.
Nicole was at a loss of words.