Chapter 12 – Spy Game
The game was over and the Japanese team won by 15 points difference. Seth, Alfred and John might as well be dead of exhaustion.
They already left, Sakuragi with them. Sendoh knew it was time to unveil the plan.
*
Andrea was stuck in a daze, still staring at the empty basketball court perhaps dreaming about how gorgeous the guys looked. Heather wasn't surprised. Nicole wasn't either. Ignoring Andrea, Heather turned to Kaede.
'Look I have to tell you something,' Heather and Kaede said at the same time.
Heather giggled. 'Okay you first.'
'No, no, you first,' said Kaede, grinning handsomely. Heather's stomach fluttered happily. Though he was tired, breathing heavily and sweaty even for the weather, he still looked cute. And she meant real cute. Heather was having a hard time imagining how smoothly he moved despite his winter clothes while dribbling ball in court.
*He is just gorgeous* she thought. 'We won't be with you tomorrow because we have work to do,' Heather explained.
*
Sendoh almost jumped with triumph. The plan was going perfectly. 'Really?' Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Rukawa sulking. Sendoh knew Rukawa hated it when he was wrong. He was trying to talk Sendoh out of the plan.
'We have to do things too you see,' Sendoh said. 'The company told me to attend this meeting about uhm…basketball shoes suitable for the new breed of players.'
'Lame,' mumbled Rukawa. 'Do-aho…'
Sendoh smiled despite the comment.
*
'Oh that is perfect. I guess we can reschedule our plans next time?' asked Heather sweetly. She knew it. Her intuition was getting sharper everyday.
'Sure,' agreed Kaede.
Nicole shrugged. Deep inside Heather knew her friend still had doubts about her plan. Well Nicole didn't know Heather well enough. This plan wasn't going to fail anytime soon.
*
Nicole managed to drag Andrea out of the court and snap her out of her daydream. There was a sharp pang of jealousy in Nicole's heart. But she wasn't being possessive over the girl. For some strange reason, she felt it was rather otherwise.
'Akira is just wonderful,' Andrea gushed as they went home.
Nicole knew Heather was thankful enough that Andrea liked Akira than Kaede. She sighed. Christmas was in the air and Nicole was afraid she would lose Andrea before Christmas comes. And she was surprised the thought did not scare her at all. In fact, she was actually happy Andrea was soon to be out of her hands.
'Bye Nick,' Andrea whispered as she jumped out of Nicole's car. She smiled mischievously and strutted toward her apartment lightly. Just like a person who just found her soulmate.
'Whatever,' muttered Nicole.
She was being possessive all right. And Nicole was afraid she was being possessive about Akira. Maybe…although she would hate to admit it, she liked Akira after all…and more than she could ever think.
*
'How exactly do you plan to get in this place?' asked Nicole, staring at the door leading to Kaede ad Akira's hotel room.
Heather grinned mischievously. 'Nick, dahling you are underestimating Heather the great!' She laughed evilly, taking out a skeleton key from her pocket. 'I would never come here unprepared. I told you this plan is foolproof.'
Nicole rolled her eyes. 'C'mon Heath, this is illegal intrusion…'
*
'They'd never know anyway,' Sendoh reasoned out, turning the doorknob. 'You know this place?'
Rukawa nodded half-heartedly, entering the house after Sendoh. He peered outside for people watching. For all they know, someone might be calling the police already. 'Where do we look first?' he asked.
'Nicole's room,' answered Sendoh. He was already upstairs.
Then Rukawa heard loud noises from upstairs. Sounds like Sendoh freaking out.
'Aahh! Get it off me!'
'Shiro!' exclaimed Rukawa. Shiro was at Sendoh's feet, pissing on his pants. 'He likes you,' Rukawa pointed out.
Shiro was barking happily as it encircled Rukawa's feet and wagged its tail.
'Likes,' muttered Sendoh. 'More like hates.'
'Do-aho…'
*
'Hmm…they sure do know how to fix their hotel room,' Heather commented, kicking a pile of dirty clothes scattered on the floor.
'You can say that again,' agreed Nicole.
'Hmm…they sure do know now to fix their hotel room,' repeated Heather.
'I get your point,' Nicole said, rolling her eyes.
'Yeah but I don't get yours why you had to make me repeat that again.'
Nicole fell over. 'Heath…' She sighed. 'What exactly are we looking for anyway?'
'Whatever will tell us which of them is which,' Heather replied.
'God Heath, that sure was helpful,' Nicole retorted sarcastically as she sat down on the bed.
'Gee, thanks. I know I would be much of a help.'
*
'Is this really Nicole's room?' Sendoh asked Rukawa, staring at the clothes hanging inside the cabinet.
Rukawa nodded.
'Looks more like Heather's room than Nicole's. These are all boy's clothes here,' noticed Sendoh, closing the door. 'That's a very useful clue.'
*
'Yeah look at this.' Heather motioned Nicole to the half-open bag sitting on the chair beside the bathroom door. 'I think this is Akira's bag. It's got a lot of gel on it…'
Nicole peered in and rummaged through the large stock of gel inside. 'No wonder his hair is always up,' she said. 'A week in London and I think I see twenty bottles of gel in this thing. Well, talk about depriving the world of hair gel.'
'This must be Kaede's bag.' Heather giggled at she opened the knapsack beside the suitcase Nicole was fumbling about. 'Hey, your letters are here.'
Heather fell over.
*
'No wonder you don't know anything about each other,' remarked Sendoh picking himself up from the floor, as he read Rukawa's letter to Nicole. 'Three sentences. Very nice Rukawa. And You consider yourselves penpals.'
Rukawa shrugged.
The game was over and the Japanese team won by 15 points difference. Seth, Alfred and John might as well be dead of exhaustion.
They already left, Sakuragi with them. Sendoh knew it was time to unveil the plan.
*
Andrea was stuck in a daze, still staring at the empty basketball court perhaps dreaming about how gorgeous the guys looked. Heather wasn't surprised. Nicole wasn't either. Ignoring Andrea, Heather turned to Kaede.
'Look I have to tell you something,' Heather and Kaede said at the same time.
Heather giggled. 'Okay you first.'
'No, no, you first,' said Kaede, grinning handsomely. Heather's stomach fluttered happily. Though he was tired, breathing heavily and sweaty even for the weather, he still looked cute. And she meant real cute. Heather was having a hard time imagining how smoothly he moved despite his winter clothes while dribbling ball in court.
*He is just gorgeous* she thought. 'We won't be with you tomorrow because we have work to do,' Heather explained.
*
Sendoh almost jumped with triumph. The plan was going perfectly. 'Really?' Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Rukawa sulking. Sendoh knew Rukawa hated it when he was wrong. He was trying to talk Sendoh out of the plan.
'We have to do things too you see,' Sendoh said. 'The company told me to attend this meeting about uhm…basketball shoes suitable for the new breed of players.'
'Lame,' mumbled Rukawa. 'Do-aho…'
Sendoh smiled despite the comment.
*
'Oh that is perfect. I guess we can reschedule our plans next time?' asked Heather sweetly. She knew it. Her intuition was getting sharper everyday.
'Sure,' agreed Kaede.
Nicole shrugged. Deep inside Heather knew her friend still had doubts about her plan. Well Nicole didn't know Heather well enough. This plan wasn't going to fail anytime soon.
*
Nicole managed to drag Andrea out of the court and snap her out of her daydream. There was a sharp pang of jealousy in Nicole's heart. But she wasn't being possessive over the girl. For some strange reason, she felt it was rather otherwise.
'Akira is just wonderful,' Andrea gushed as they went home.
Nicole knew Heather was thankful enough that Andrea liked Akira than Kaede. She sighed. Christmas was in the air and Nicole was afraid she would lose Andrea before Christmas comes. And she was surprised the thought did not scare her at all. In fact, she was actually happy Andrea was soon to be out of her hands.
'Bye Nick,' Andrea whispered as she jumped out of Nicole's car. She smiled mischievously and strutted toward her apartment lightly. Just like a person who just found her soulmate.
'Whatever,' muttered Nicole.
She was being possessive all right. And Nicole was afraid she was being possessive about Akira. Maybe…although she would hate to admit it, she liked Akira after all…and more than she could ever think.
*
'How exactly do you plan to get in this place?' asked Nicole, staring at the door leading to Kaede ad Akira's hotel room.
Heather grinned mischievously. 'Nick, dahling you are underestimating Heather the great!' She laughed evilly, taking out a skeleton key from her pocket. 'I would never come here unprepared. I told you this plan is foolproof.'
Nicole rolled her eyes. 'C'mon Heath, this is illegal intrusion…'
*
'They'd never know anyway,' Sendoh reasoned out, turning the doorknob. 'You know this place?'
Rukawa nodded half-heartedly, entering the house after Sendoh. He peered outside for people watching. For all they know, someone might be calling the police already. 'Where do we look first?' he asked.
'Nicole's room,' answered Sendoh. He was already upstairs.
Then Rukawa heard loud noises from upstairs. Sounds like Sendoh freaking out.
'Aahh! Get it off me!'
'Shiro!' exclaimed Rukawa. Shiro was at Sendoh's feet, pissing on his pants. 'He likes you,' Rukawa pointed out.
Shiro was barking happily as it encircled Rukawa's feet and wagged its tail.
'Likes,' muttered Sendoh. 'More like hates.'
'Do-aho…'
*
'Hmm…they sure do know how to fix their hotel room,' Heather commented, kicking a pile of dirty clothes scattered on the floor.
'You can say that again,' agreed Nicole.
'Hmm…they sure do know now to fix their hotel room,' repeated Heather.
'I get your point,' Nicole said, rolling her eyes.
'Yeah but I don't get yours why you had to make me repeat that again.'
Nicole fell over. 'Heath…' She sighed. 'What exactly are we looking for anyway?'
'Whatever will tell us which of them is which,' Heather replied.
'God Heath, that sure was helpful,' Nicole retorted sarcastically as she sat down on the bed.
'Gee, thanks. I know I would be much of a help.'
*
'Is this really Nicole's room?' Sendoh asked Rukawa, staring at the clothes hanging inside the cabinet.
Rukawa nodded.
'Looks more like Heather's room than Nicole's. These are all boy's clothes here,' noticed Sendoh, closing the door. 'That's a very useful clue.'
*
'Yeah look at this.' Heather motioned Nicole to the half-open bag sitting on the chair beside the bathroom door. 'I think this is Akira's bag. It's got a lot of gel on it…'
Nicole peered in and rummaged through the large stock of gel inside. 'No wonder his hair is always up,' she said. 'A week in London and I think I see twenty bottles of gel in this thing. Well, talk about depriving the world of hair gel.'
'This must be Kaede's bag.' Heather giggled at she opened the knapsack beside the suitcase Nicole was fumbling about. 'Hey, your letters are here.'
Heather fell over.
*
'No wonder you don't know anything about each other,' remarked Sendoh picking himself up from the floor, as he read Rukawa's letter to Nicole. 'Three sentences. Very nice Rukawa. And You consider yourselves penpals.'
Rukawa shrugged.