We, From The First
#17. The Last Game (2)
When Yumi was gathering with Aira, Sheryl, and Bia in the basketball room, Dea –one of her team members, suddenly approached Yumi with a gasp.
"Yum! Yum! There's bad news!" dea said in a panic while trying to regulate her chaotic breathing.
"Why the hell, De?" yumi asked confusedly as Dea was already standing before her. Yumi's friends who were also there, were no less confused with Yumi now.
"Riri couldn't make the match today."
"Why?" Asked Yumi who still looked relaxed.
"Riri was in an accident while going to school. He fell off the bike."
"WHAT?!" Pekik Yumi was shocked. "How serious? Riri is okay? Wounded badly?"
This time Yumi was no longer worried about her match that was about to start. For Yumi at the moment, the most important thing was Riri's condition.
"The injury is not too bad. He was taken to the hospital. His leg was only a minor injury."
"Thank God then, as long as Riri isn't severe, it doesn't matter." Said Yumi who started to breathe a sigh of relief.
"How does our team go? Where else only ten people from class XII" Dea again sounded out.
"Can't you take it from a classmate?" Sheryl's trying to come up with a solution.
"It could be, anyway. This is the theme of Last Game. This match is for Class XII. Not the same moment." Answer Yumi. He who had calmed down since then, now inevitably became confused as well.
"There's a desperate situation, too, Yum. There is no other solution." Bia. While Dea just nodded in agreement. Dea herself felt completely deadlocked now.
Aira who had only heard the conversation had begun to understand the situation that was happening now. And suddenly, an idea popped into his head.
"I am the one who changed Riri. I used to be a basketball team in old school too."
Everyone in the room immediately stared at Aira who looked so certain. They all did not expect, that secretly Aira also joined his old school basketball team.
Aira smiled stiffly at Yumi, Bia, Sheryl, and Dea who were looking at her with a look of disbelief.
...****...
The atmosphere of the outdoor field of Patuh Karya High School is increasingly crowded with students who want to watch the last match of class XII. Not only did the students from class XII arrive, nearly half of the students from class X and XI attended. The weather was quite hot during the day, not the least dampened their spirit to give full support to their friend who was doing his last match today.
And among the crowd of spectators, it seemed that Nico, Rakha, Rio, and Natta who had just finished their match, contributed in giving spirit to the Princess Team. They even wear their basketball costumes. Rakha and Rio already look very excited to shout Yumi's name which actually looks indifferent in the middle of the field there.
Not long after, Sheryl who is also still wearing her cheerleaders costume comes with Bia, and joins Rakha CS. Sheryl glanced for a moment at Natta, before finally sitting next to him. And really, they seem to fit perfectly into the costumes they now wear. Natta the cool basketball boy, and Sheryl the popular cheerleaders kid.
Rakha and Nico, both aware of Aira's absence, compactly ask, "Where is Aira?"
Sheryl and Bia smile mysteriously and choose not to answer Rakha and Nico's questions. You'll know soon enough. Sheryl and Bia.
While chatting with Bia beside him, Sheryl suddenly gasps as she feels Natta covering her exposed thigh with her jacket. Sheryl turned her head towards Natta and threw a questioning face. But Natta said nothing. Since then, Natta had caught Sheryl's discomfort because the skirt she was wearing was too short. Natta felt the same way. That's why, he immediately took the initiative to cover the open part of Sheryl's thigh with his jacket.
The match almost started when Aira suddenly appeared in the middle of the field while running and tying her hair. He has been wearing a basketball costume in the pink color of Patuh Karya High School. But unlike the others, Aira's name is not on his back, and makes his figure mysterious in the eyes of people who do not know who he is. Because Aira is still a new child, so there are some who do not recognize him and feel foreign to him. They wondered, "Who is he?" "Why can you replace Riri?"
If the others were confused by the presence of Aira, Nico and Rakha were shocked to death to see Aira who had suddenly joined Team Yumi. And Aira who was in the middle of the field there, accidentally looked towards Nico who was still looking at him with a surprised look. He then throws his smile at Nico, and is completely unaware that Rakha is also looking at him.
Rakha is not that naive, he knows that the direction of Aira's gaze is not on him, but on Nico who is sitting right next to him. Rakha was stunned for a while, before Rio finally disperse her, "Kha! The kha! Gebetan lo, tuh."
Rakha threw away her thoughts about the thing that had just happened. He again put a big smile on his face and gave spirit to Aira.
"GO AIRA! YOU CAN DO IT!!" Shouted Rakha excitedly, regardless of his friends who began to feel disgusted by his romantic snobs.
While Nico, he remained unmoved.
Rakha was flabbergasted to see the game of Aira so stunning. Aira's play style reminds her of a girl she had met many years ago accidentally in an Inter Junior Basketball Tournament. Back then, Rakha had also been stunned by him.
Yes, that girl Rakha used to call "The Girl with the Back Number 88"
...****...
The match was won by Team Yumi. Everyone cheered happily, and they hugged each other one by one. It's not about winning or losing, it's about the beautiful memories they managed to form together.
Rakha was about to approach Aira in the middle of the field, when Yumi suddenly ran towards her and hugged her. Unknowingly, Yumi's body lifted up while hugging Rakha. Rakha immediately returned Yumi's embrace to keep her from falling.
"You did well, Rakha! Thanks..." Yumi said full of seriousness.
The success of today's event, it is not separated from Rakha's hard efforts during assuming the position as the Head of the Basketball Club. That was why, Yumi thanked him and said that Rakha had done well. It was a magical sentence for Rakha, who could always melt her heart and make her take off her mask for a moment.
All the team members then shouted Rakha's name. Rakha smiled with teary eyes. The pride that he had never gotten from his Papa even though he had worked hard, he could finally get from his friends and team members who had been working with him.
Rakha embraces Yumi beside her with a haru feeling that she is unable to bear anymore. And at the same time, Rakha could see Nico who was approaching Aira and rubbed her head. At that moment Rakha realized, that there was one more thing he had to do.
...****...
Banu Island, 2008...
While waiting for her turn to compete, Rakha watched the Princess Team match from her school against the Princess Team from one of the schools on Banu Island. Rakha sat in the front row while watching closely. Then suddenly, his attention was on the girl numbered 88 from the opposing team. In a precarious situation, the girl managed to score points. Rakha was flabbergasted at his prowess.
"Cool!" Murmured Rakha with amazement.
The match was won by the opposing school team. But Rakha doesn't care. He went to the waiting room to look for the girl with the number 88 back. Rakha did not find it. When Rakha will try to find him again. His teammates first informed him that they should gather in the field immediately.
Rakha's team won. But again Rakha did not care. As soon as the match was over, Rakha went back to look for the girl with the number 88. But his search again came to a halt when he saw his Papa pulling his Mama violently and violently towards a quieter place. Rakha finally followed them silently.
From behind the wall, Rakha could see that both her parents were having a big fight.
"You think I wouldn't know that you would bring Rakha to this Tournament? What do you think you're doing to my son?!"
Evelyn –Mama Rakha was just speechless, and made no attempt to reply to Arkha's words. He had absolutely no idea that Arkha could follow him to this extent.
Arkha is a Surgeon, while Evelyn is a former basketball athlete, who now works as a fairly well-known basketball coach. They have been divorced since Rakha and her sister Ranha were very young. The divorce was caused by Arkha accusing Evelyn of having an affair with a young basketball athlete. From then on, Arkha did not want to see Rakha play basketball, following in his mother's footsteps.
And for some time, once again Rakha who was very young, watched her parents fight. Rakha wanted to leave that place, and no longer wanted to watch the quarrel between the two. But both of Rakha's legs seemed to be glued. He was silent while trying to suppress his crying.
And when her father was about to land a slap in her face, a girl suddenly came and closed both of Rakha's eyes with her hands right behind Rakha's. Rakha stopped breathing for a moment, before she could finally feel the girl pulling her away from the place.
Rakha who walked behind him, could see the '88' back number very clearly.
...****...
Rakha was sitting alone on the bench while playing the ball in her hand as Aira came to fulfill her call. Seeing the presence of the girl, Rakha immediately stopped her activities. He stood up and flanked the ball in his arms and approached Aira with a flowering feeling.
"Now call, what do you want?" said Aira with resignation.
Rakha has won. That meant he had to keep his promise to give this young man a gift.
Rakha was not heard giving an answer. He just looked at Aira with all the emotions that again with unlucky he could not describe. Rakha's smile widened. He also bit his lower lip. The girl numbered 88 back, she finally found it.
Rakha then let the ball that he had been clamping down just like that. With a quick movement, he grabbed the girl into his arms. Aira who was shocked, had put up a fight by trying to push Rakha's chest, but Rakha actually hugged her tighter.
Aira has surrendered. But he did not intend to return Rakha's embrace.
"Ra... would you, so my girlfriend?"
To Be Continued...^^^