The clock ticked toward 3:00 PM, the sun blazing over Lincoln High's wide-open field.
Brandston and Joel were chilling by the bleachers, tossing a ball back and forth, when Coach Davidson came storming across the field, whistle hanging from his mouth.
He clapped his hands loudly and shouted,
"Alright boys, listen up!"
Everyone turned their heads.
"We got ourselves a friendly basketball match today! Tip-off's at 4:00 PM. Warm up, stretch, get your head right," Coach said, his voice booming over the field.
Instantly, the whole boys' team scattered into their groups, starting warm-ups like their lives depended on it.
Joel jogged in place dramatically, pretending he was already out of breath after two steps.(He joined the basketball team even though he was kinda fat but because Brandston)
Meanwhile, Brandston stretched quietly, focused — but inside, his chest was buzzing.
First real match as captain, huh?
Coach Davidson wasn't done yet though.
He turned toward the sidelines, where the girls' basketball team was hanging around.
"Oh — and girls!" he called.
"No game for you today. I want you ladies cheering on the boys' team. Hype them up, alright?"
There were a few playful groans and laughs from the girls, but overall they agreed.
Some even joked about making fake cheerleader moves.
Audrey was among them, tying her hair up into a high ponytail, smirking as she leaned against the fence.
Brandston caught that smirk.
Focus. Focus, he reminded himself.
Coach then made a beeline for him, clapping a strong hand onto his shoulder.
"Yo, Cap," he said with a rare, proud smile.
"First game as captain, right? Don't sweat it. Just play like you always play. Lead by example, and the boys will follow. We win this, you start your record clean."
Brandston nodded firmly.
"Got it, Coach."
Joel popped up beside him, grinning wide.
"Sheeeeesh, my boy a captain now," he teased, nudging Brandston's ribs.
"You gonna drop 50 points and dunk on somebody's dad?"
Brandston cracked a rare grin.
"Let's just win first."
By 3:48 PM, the vibe around the field changed completely.
A large black and red bus pulled into the parking lot — the visiting team had arrived.
They were from a nearby rival school, Riverside High — known for their cocky attitudes and dirty playing.
As they hopped off the bus in matching warmup suits, some of them were already throwing looks and sizing up Lincoln High's players like it was going to be an easy game.
Joel leaned toward Brandston and muttered,
"Bro...why they walking like they own the place? Ain't nobody scared of some Walmart all-stars."
Brandston didn't laugh.
He just tightened the laces on his sneakers and stood up, his mind shifting into full game mode.
More students started gathering around the court — boys, girls, even random kids from other classes.
The girls' team, including Audrey, took spots in the front rows of the bleachers, already starting chants and small cheers to hype up their school.
Coach Davidson blew his whistle.
"Alright boys! Huddle up!"
Brandston led the team into a tight circle, hands stacked together.
"Let's show 'em what Lincoln's made of," he said, voice calm but serious.
"ONE, TWO, THREE—LINCOLN!"
They shouted as one.
As Brandston broke the huddle and jogged to the center court for tip-off, his eyes flickered toward the bleachers again — just for a second.
Audrey was there, leaning forward, elbows on her knees, watching.
Not Allan.
Not Joel.
Watching him.
And for the first time today, Brandston smiled —
not for the crowd, not for the coach,
but just for himself.
This game?
It was his.