"Hey, Physical Ed will start in a while. Rush to the gym, okay?" I heard him call.

I raised my right hand as a response. But it meant neither going nor not.

I took a long and slow walk going to the comfort room, enjoyed changing to Physical Ed uniform, while at the same time after strolling the hallways of our school and chilling out my head, I dawdled to the gym. As I came closer, I can hear screeches coming from the running students playing basketball. There were also students cheering and cracking yells. Every sound resonates within the gym as I stepped in.

"Adrian!" Pia's voice calling me over-sounded the cheers and screeches. I looked around and saw her waving at me. She was sitting at the bench on the side of our team. Maybe she's helping as a medic or assistant manager for the class. "Come here. Your name is listed to play the game!" she yelled and continuously waving at me.

I walked towards her, where some other guys from our class were resting. A two or three of them seemed to just got substituted out from the game. They're panting very hard like they a tiger just chased after them. "I thought they will not be competing to lose?" I thought with a tsk.

I sat beside Pia on my right, with some of our classmates on the left. They reek of sweat, and looked feisty. The score was 45-32, in favor of the other class. I peered through the horde of students running back and forth chasing the ball dribbled by either one of them wearing loose jersey. There I saw Nathan, wearing his usual smile and running to the other side of the court in advance to guard the taller guy dribbling the ball towards his home court.

His eyes and mine met, I paid no expression. I was still staring from where he's standing, guarding under the board ring. His eyes rolled back to me. Our eyes met again. "Adrian!" he yelled and smiled at me. The crowd was silenced, which in turn left me speechless.

I heard whispers "Hey, it's Adrian. He's here. Will he be playing?" or similar to that.

"Oh, that was a surprise," Pia blurted. "He had been so focused on the game since it started. He never even attended to my cheers the whole time," she ranted.

Adrian was now waving at me. I tried to wave back but before I knew it, someone bumped on him which made him fall on his backside. My reflexes moved me to stand up and ran towards him. Pia also rushed following me, "Nathan!" she was shocked.

"Hey," Nathan calmly responded. "I'm okay." He said and repeated it for three times trying to convince everyone he's okay. I assisted him to stand while Pia was holding onto his arms.

"You should have paid more attention," Pia blamed. "You're in the middle of the game."

Nathan grinned. "I know. I know."

I was just looking at Nathan, trying to understand the pressure on the court. Our classmates, who are playing in the court, gathered around us. Everyone was asking if he's okay. "It's the second time you fell. Are you sure you're okay?" a guy asked. Nathan answered by replying a 'Yes' with assurance. "But this time, it's your fault because you are not paying attention, huh?"

"But why would he bump into you if you're not paying attention to guarding your post?" Pia asked curiously while glowering at the tall guy who appeared to thumped Nathan intentionally. "And it's the second time you fell because they pushed you hard and smacked you.

"Hey, hey, hey." Nathan interrupted, as if he's covering something up. "It's a game. Mild scuffles happen."

I grabbed his arms tighter. "How do you make substitution of players in an official game?" I said as I looked around for someone who's playing I can sub.

"Yohei!" I called a man standing not from afar. I assumed he is a classmate because of the uniform his wearing. "I'll be substituting for the rest of the game. Please rest." I said politely, trying to hide my agitation to kick that ass off from this court.

I prepared to enter the game, had a few yet fast stretches. "Are you sure on this?" Pia asked. "I mean, I haven't seen you play any sports before." Her tone turned from a roaring tiger to a smitten kitten.

Nathan pulled me close and whispered to me, "Hey, Adrian. You haven't played in years. This isn't just any childish basketball game."

"I know." I just answered. "Just pass me the ball. Each of us just needs to score one after another."

The next thing I know was that Nathan scored from a free throw, and a second after, we were chasing the ball.

Nathan and I exchanged scoring, while the rest of our teammates provided assists. Both of us continued to score. Since three-point shooting is what I am better at, I just stayed near the three-point curve. At first, no one was guarding me, but after a series of three points I made, two players from the other team started guarding me. As I was about to shoot for another score, the same guy who struck Nathan down hit me with his elbow. I instantly lost balance and fell off on my butt.

"Adrian!" I heard Nathan shouted. His tone was a bit high. I looked back at him. He was running straight to me. "Adrian, are you okay?" he asked. I felt a tingling pain on my left chest, but it was not that bad.

The scene suddenly went chaotic because Nathan pushed back the player who elbowed me. He was goading him and ready to brawl out. Those cheers for us to score points turned to cheers for us to stop it. The ruckus ended out fast when the teachers around abated the situation.

The bell rang. Our Physical Ed ended with 76-68 score, in favor of the other class.

Nathan, Pia and I were going to the classroom after the game when suddenly Nathan burst, "I told you not to play!" He truly did burst, with his ears turning pinkish red. "If you did not play you wouldn't be hurting yourself!"

"I was just ~~"

"Yes. You were just hurting yourself!" he interrupted me as I tried to explain that I just wanted to guard him, that no one will hit him again. "You never listen to me!"

Pia was surprised from what was happening, "Nathan? Are you okay? Are you mad?"

"I'm not okay! I am mad! Because your stupid friend insisted to play the basketball!"

I also burst out. I burst laughing out loud. "Oh no." I said laughing. "I shouldn't be laughing."

"Adrian, are you okay?" Pia asked, already starting to giggle. "Hey?"

"Hey?" Nathan annoyingly reacted. "What's your problem?" Pia was laughing with me. "Pia? Are you laughing at me? Adrian?!" Nathan seemed already confused and was starting to boil up. The way his eyes squinted when he glared at us proved his real madness. "Why the heck you two are laughing?"

My eyes started to tear. Pia was keeping her balance by leaning on me, while I was laughing hard. 'Why was I laughing?' I thought. My mind was blank, but I genuinely felt that I had to laugh it out because if it would be irrational if I kept my happiness inside, if my happiness was because of him and his deeds for me.

"Adrian? You can't be seriously laughing at me now? Ad ~" I embraced him, my left arm wrapped around his neck with my hand feeling his cheek; while my right arm reached only until the back of his spine, patting his back. "Hey."

"Ha-ha." I ended my break-out laugh. "Thank you."

"Huh?" he raised his voice, moved his head a little looking at my side. "Thank you for?"

"Thank you. Thank you for staying with me and staying for me. Thank you." I just whispered in a low voice, with breathes running through his side burns. "I'm just happy."

"Adrian?" Nathan asked. I felt that he's a bit confused on what I was saying.

"I am thankful that behind those cheers and people in the gym you noticed me. I am thankful that you got angry for me," I whispered.

I released my embrace and looked at him, but he pulled me back for another embrace. "Pia, it's a group hug. Join us!" Pia opened her arms wide and hugged both of us. "We lost the game," he said. "We'll take another practical exam. He~he."

Pia and I stepped back, both of us shouted, "What?!"

"Yeah. So be at your best like you did today!" He walked out laughing.