Part-438
James nodded, looking right at her this time, like he was actually listening and not just tuning her out.
“Yeah, I know, apu,” he said, using their family nickname. “Thanks.”
Lily gave his shoulder a quick squeeze, like a little "I'm here for you, bro" move. “Alright, ‘baller’,” she said, using air quotes for dramatic effect. “Get your nose back in those books, stat.
And hey,” she added, turning all cheeky again, “maybe, just maybe, you could bless me with a sneak peek of these legendary basketball skills sometime? You know, for research purposes.” She winked like she was the coolest spy in a movie and then started heading for the door.
As Lily walked away, her face went all thoughtful.
James and basketball? Still kinda sounded like a weird fever dream in her head. But, honestly, there was something… different this time. Like, she’d actually seen a little spark in his eyes when he talked about it, a genuine interest that was totally missing from all those other hobbies he’d picked up and dropped faster than trends on the internet.
Maybe, just maybe, this basketball thing wasn't just gonna be another fsh in the pan, one-month-and-done situation. Could it be? Was James actually… into it? It was low-key kinda wild to think about.
Little did Lily realize, as she was mentally drafting James's totally fake sports CV and chuckling to herself about his "Epic Sports Binge," that this whole basketball thing was about to go way off the rails. Like, way, way crazier than she could ever picture in her wildest dreams. The practice game against Motijheel High was coming up faster than a trending meme, and with it, the big reveal of James.
But not just James the kinda-awkward, bookish kid trying out basketball. Nope. This was about to be James… unleashed.
Something totally out of left field. Something that was gonna make jaws drop, not just at Motijheel, but everywhere. And yeah, that included his own big sis, the queen of teasing and overprotective older sister vibes.
She had absolutely no clue what was coming, and honestly? Neither did anyone else.
The bus ride to Motijheel High, felt like it was personally trying to set a new record for "longest bus ride ever." Each kilometer decided to stretch out, like it was deeply offended we were even attempting to get to the match. And the tension? Dude, you could have served it on toast – Banani High was stressed.
Usually, our bus rides are basically a traveling circus.
Loud chatter, questionable jokes that somehow still nd, the whole chaotic mess. But today? Silence. Pure, unadulterated silence.
Broken only by the occasional nervous cough or the crinkle of someone adjusting their jersey. You know, the soundtrack to impending doom.
Even Arshad, our resident comedian – and usually the source of most of the chaos – was just staring out the window.
Like he was contempting the mysteries of the universe or something equally profound. Which, for Arshad, is saying something. But even he couldn't hide the nerves completely.
His foot was tapping out this frantic rhythm against the floor, like it was trying to escape the bus entirely. The guy was clearly feeling the pressure.
