After the game.. hours passed
The gym was silent except for the faint echo of bouncing basketballs outside. Inside Vorpal's locker room, the team gathered around a long wooden table Coach Fred Mason had dragged in himself. Whiteboard behind him. Markers scattered. The scent of sweat and determination clung to the air.
Ethan sat forward, elbows on his knees, eyes scanning every one of his brothers in arms. They weren't just players anymore. They were comrades, bound by fire, by near-defeat, by trust.
(Semi-finals. This isn't just a game. This is the threshold. Win, and we touch the finals. Lose, and all this sweat, all this pain, dies here.)
Lucas sat beside him, tying his sneakers tighter, eyes sharp. Louie leaned against the wall, bouncing a ball lazily with one hand, a grin half-hiding the storm in his chest. Brandon sat silently, his massive frame hunched, listening. Ryan twirled his headband with his usual smirk, though even his eyes showed gravity tonight.
