The wind smelled like salt and sun-dried laundry as Gubat Coast shimmered in the afternoon heat. The school's dusty courts and faded gym might not have looked like much to outsiders, but to Alona, it was sacred ground.
It was her court.
Their court.
And every echo of a basketball bounce or shuttlecock strike was a verse in their shared language.
Wednesday Practice
"Footwork, not foot guesses!" Coach Cely shouted, adjusting her visor.
Alona skidded across the court, then returned a drop shot so low Nina nearly tripped trying to catch it.
"Why are you mad at me today?" Nina gasped, panting.
"I'm not mad," Alona said, focused. "I'm sharp."
"Same thing," Nina muttered, but she smiled.
They'd entered a rhythm lately, a quiet sort of machine built from exhaustion, bruises, and silent nods. Every rep was a promise: to show up, to win, to not let each other down.
Across the way, the basketball team was running their fifth round of full-court press drills. Dane barked instructions mid-pass, sweat glistening along his jaw.
Alona didn't mean to notice.
She definitely didn't mean to stare.
Coach Dan clapped once. "Dane! Don't lead with your shoulder—what are you, a bulldozer?"
"Only when needed," Dane muttered, catching the ball again.
"Less bulldoze, more finesse!"
Dane nodded, then looked up. Just a flicker. Just a glance across courts.
Alona blinked and looked away.
She missed the way he smiled to himself after.
Post-Practice: Benches & Bottled Water
"You're getting quieter," Dane said, sitting beside her on the gym bench as the sun dipped orange behind the bleachers.
"You're getting louder," Alona replied without looking.
"Balance."
"Mm."
They sat in silence. A peaceful one. The kind shared by people who weren't trying to fill space anymore.
"You know," Dane said, twisting his water bottle cap, "I was thinking about Provincials. Win or lose… this team? I'd go to war with them."
Alona turned to him. "You're already at war."
"Yeah," he said. "But I want to be the kind of player who holds the line when it matters. I don't want to break when it's close."
"You won't," Alona said simply.
He looked at her, startled by the certainty in her voice.
She stood. "You're annoying, smug, and overly analytical… but you don't crack."
Dane laughed. "Thanks, I think?"
"You're welcome. Don't ruin it."
As she walked away, he called after her. "You don't crack either, Reyes!"
She turned her head. "We'll see."
Meanwhile: Nina & Yumi's Matching Chaos
In the background, Yumi and Nina watched the exchange like secret agents behind a soda vending machine.
"That was a moment," Nina whispered.
"That was at least two moments," Yumi agreed.
"You think she's in?"
"She's halfway to being my future sister-in-law."
They fist-bumped solemnly.
Provincial Prep Schedule (Pinned in the Locker Room):
Monday: Endurance drills + game scenarios
Tuesday: Mixed scrimmages + mental conditioning
Wednesday: Individual analysis & correction
Thursday: Rest and scout meeting
Friday: Departure to Daet for Provincials
Tension was rising.
But so was something else—team spirit, quiet trust, and maybe, just maybe… the earliest notes of something dangerously close to love.