TEN
At the gym there were a lot of people. but even though it was crowded i was glad that Fretzie and i managed good seats, right in front of the court. can you just imagine how near we were? we saw the players from both teams, all having their warm ups. i saw James, wearing number 35, and Ivan, with jersey number 23. they both looked cute in their respective uniforms. but i was still mad at James, after what i saw earlier that afternoon. why didn't he just tell me about Devon? some best friend?! and could it possibly be true? are they together for real? and was i jealous when i saw them kissing? i hope not! i mean, of course i'm not! James is my best friend, just my best friend. and besides, i have Ivan. so how come i still felt envious towards Devon? right after Fretzie and i got our snacks, the game began. i saw Fretzie gave Bret a flying kiss. and James gave me his tender smile. i pretended not to see him. Ivan meanwhile winked at me,
i just smiled. i looked around and noticed Devon was nowhere in sight. good! i thought to myself as i started concentrating on the game.
The game was in motion, and i saw James guarding Ivan. Ivan dribbled and attempted to shoot, but James blocked his shot. the referee called for a foul. James lifted his arms in the air as if complaining. while Ivan gave him an annoying smile. minutes later, the Wildcats were leading by two, but not until Ivan made a 3-pointer. two, one, buzzer! the players were then getting ready for second half. Fretzie asked me to accompany her to the ladies room.
While retouching our make-ups, Fretzie started asking questions.
"So, is Ivan your boyfriend already? you two look like you're getting serious."
"No, not yet. i mean, we're constantly dating, and we kissed, but about the serious part, i have no idea honestly." Fretzie continued her interview,
"Well, what did he say?"
"He said he thinks he's falling in love with me, and that he'll wait for my response, no matter how long it will take."
"Hmm...and it's been what, almost two months? doesn't that tell you anything?" i was getting confused.
"What do you mean?" Fretzie looked at me and replied,
"Well, it's obvious you don't love him back. coz if you did, you wouldn't have made him wait any longer. you would've made the decision right then and there when he confessed that he loves you. besides, i think he's all wrong for you." her words were getting me riled up. and i didn't want her to think i was wrong about Ivan. she doesn't even know the guy, who is she to judge? and who voted her expert on LOVE anyway?! i mustered every inch of patience i had left and stated,
"What do you mean i don't love him? you are wrong. Ivan and i are meant to be. didn't you say so yourself that he was the guy in my dream?" Fretzie frowned then,
"Yes, but maybe i was mistaken about him. coz i know you, Ann. we've been best friends for so long. and i can see that you guys are wrong for each other. but it's just an opinion okay? so don't be so defensive."
"Why thank you miss opinionated. but your opinions are appreciated elsewhere. i didn't ask for it. so just keep it to yourself." i found myself getting outraged. Fretzie seemed to feel the same way. she nodded sarcastically.
"Fine. whatever. sorry for bringing it up. since you weren't asking for my opinion, ignore it!"
We both got back to our seats then. but i couldn't help feeling dismayed. what was the matter with her? anyway, the second half started. the Wildcats were again leading by two. After a while i saw Ivan and Bret having a tiff on the court, it looked bad. i was getting nervous. suddenly James pulled them away from each other but Ivan pushed James. in retaliation, James pushed Ivan and if it weren't for the referee and the other teammates, i was sure they were in fistfights already. the referee decided to eject the three of them from the game. fans from both teams were angered, and shocked. i myself couldn't believe what happened. Fretzie and i hurried to the locker rooms then. and there, we found Bret and James. both were totally worn out, not to mention completely disappointed and furious. Fretzie then spoke up,
"What happened babe? why did you shout at Ivan?" Bret answered back heatedly,
"The guy was a creep! he tripped me when i was dribbling the ball!" i tried to calm him down,
"But that's normal in a game. it happens all the time. maybe he didn't mean to." Bret got more angry then,
"The jerk tripped me three times, is that normal? he freaking did it on purpose!" i kept quiet. maybe Ivan did it on purpose but does that make him a bad guy? Fretzie turned to James next.
"And James, why were you included?"
"I didn't do anything Fretz! i tried to stop them both from beating each other but Ivan pushed me and called me a sucker. man i wanted to punch his face so bad! he shouldn't do that to me, i'm his...i mean, i never did anything to him!" all eyes were now focused on me. what more can i do? they all hate Ivan. i felt sorry for him and i couldn't defend him anymore so not bothering to wait for them, i went home by myself. i didn't want to finish the stupid game! is Ivan really bad? he's never like that to me. in fact, he's such a great guy. he makes me feel special, he treats me and mom like we're princesses and he's not a snob at all. but why do my closest pals hate him? i just couldn't figure them out. and what was James trying to say? he seems to know a secret about Ivan. i was getting all confused, and puzzled. after supper that night i sat at the swing in our backyard when finally, the guy on the hot seat came. Ivan looked tired, and hurt. i felt the need to hug him. but didn't. i waited for his explanation.
"Hey Ann, you can go celebrate now. the Wildcats won. they'll be facing the Dragons for championships. man i hope the Dragons crush them." then he snickered at his own joke. sensing my not-so-good mood, he sat beside me and took my hand.
"Sorry, you know i was only kidding, right?" i sighed.
"What happened out there Ivan? why did you call James a sucker? you think that would remedy the situation? you only made it worse."
"Ann, you still don't know the whole story. it's true that i called him that, coz he deserves it. he should have been minding his own business...then again, he's always like that, interfering with my life in general."
"What do you mean?" Ivan got quiet then. i was starting to get sick of the lies, and the secrets. what did he mean by James always interfering with his life? i really don't understand. Ivan still didn't reply. i was losing my patience,
"For heaven's sake Ivan! what's going on?" but he didn't answer. he just looked at me as if he made a mistake in telling me. maybe i made a mistake too...a mistake like trusting him and letting him into my heart. maybe Fretzie was right after all, we were wrong for each other. he changed the subject then and asked me to go out the next night. i agreed, maybe, just maybe, it was time to end this.
The game was in motion, and i saw James guarding Ivan. Ivan dribbled and attempted to shoot, but James blocked his shot. the referee called for a foul. James lifted his arms in the air as if complaining. while Ivan gave him an annoying smile. minutes later, the Wildcats were leading by two, but not until Ivan made a 3-pointer. two, one, buzzer! the players were then getting ready for second half. Fretzie asked me to accompany her to the ladies room.
While retouching our make-ups, Fretzie started asking questions.
"So, is Ivan your boyfriend already? you two look like you're getting serious."
"No, not yet. i mean, we're constantly dating, and we kissed, but about the serious part, i have no idea honestly." Fretzie continued her interview,
"Well, what did he say?"
"He said he thinks he's falling in love with me, and that he'll wait for my response, no matter how long it will take."
"Hmm...and it's been what, almost two months? doesn't that tell you anything?" i was getting confused.
"What do you mean?" Fretzie looked at me and replied,
"Well, it's obvious you don't love him back. coz if you did, you wouldn't have made him wait any longer. you would've made the decision right then and there when he confessed that he loves you. besides, i think he's all wrong for you." her words were getting me riled up. and i didn't want her to think i was wrong about Ivan. she doesn't even know the guy, who is she to judge? and who voted her expert on LOVE anyway?! i mustered every inch of patience i had left and stated,
"What do you mean i don't love him? you are wrong. Ivan and i are meant to be. didn't you say so yourself that he was the guy in my dream?" Fretzie frowned then,
"Yes, but maybe i was mistaken about him. coz i know you, Ann. we've been best friends for so long. and i can see that you guys are wrong for each other. but it's just an opinion okay? so don't be so defensive."
"Why thank you miss opinionated. but your opinions are appreciated elsewhere. i didn't ask for it. so just keep it to yourself." i found myself getting outraged. Fretzie seemed to feel the same way. she nodded sarcastically.
"Fine. whatever. sorry for bringing it up. since you weren't asking for my opinion, ignore it!"
We both got back to our seats then. but i couldn't help feeling dismayed. what was the matter with her? anyway, the second half started. the Wildcats were again leading by two. After a while i saw Ivan and Bret having a tiff on the court, it looked bad. i was getting nervous. suddenly James pulled them away from each other but Ivan pushed James. in retaliation, James pushed Ivan and if it weren't for the referee and the other teammates, i was sure they were in fistfights already. the referee decided to eject the three of them from the game. fans from both teams were angered, and shocked. i myself couldn't believe what happened. Fretzie and i hurried to the locker rooms then. and there, we found Bret and James. both were totally worn out, not to mention completely disappointed and furious. Fretzie then spoke up,
"What happened babe? why did you shout at Ivan?" Bret answered back heatedly,
"The guy was a creep! he tripped me when i was dribbling the ball!" i tried to calm him down,
"But that's normal in a game. it happens all the time. maybe he didn't mean to." Bret got more angry then,
"The jerk tripped me three times, is that normal? he freaking did it on purpose!" i kept quiet. maybe Ivan did it on purpose but does that make him a bad guy? Fretzie turned to James next.
"And James, why were you included?"
"I didn't do anything Fretz! i tried to stop them both from beating each other but Ivan pushed me and called me a sucker. man i wanted to punch his face so bad! he shouldn't do that to me, i'm his...i mean, i never did anything to him!" all eyes were now focused on me. what more can i do? they all hate Ivan. i felt sorry for him and i couldn't defend him anymore so not bothering to wait for them, i went home by myself. i didn't want to finish the stupid game! is Ivan really bad? he's never like that to me. in fact, he's such a great guy. he makes me feel special, he treats me and mom like we're princesses and he's not a snob at all. but why do my closest pals hate him? i just couldn't figure them out. and what was James trying to say? he seems to know a secret about Ivan. i was getting all confused, and puzzled. after supper that night i sat at the swing in our backyard when finally, the guy on the hot seat came. Ivan looked tired, and hurt. i felt the need to hug him. but didn't. i waited for his explanation.
"Hey Ann, you can go celebrate now. the Wildcats won. they'll be facing the Dragons for championships. man i hope the Dragons crush them." then he snickered at his own joke. sensing my not-so-good mood, he sat beside me and took my hand.
"Sorry, you know i was only kidding, right?" i sighed.
"What happened out there Ivan? why did you call James a sucker? you think that would remedy the situation? you only made it worse."
"Ann, you still don't know the whole story. it's true that i called him that, coz he deserves it. he should have been minding his own business...then again, he's always like that, interfering with my life in general."
"What do you mean?" Ivan got quiet then. i was starting to get sick of the lies, and the secrets. what did he mean by James always interfering with his life? i really don't understand. Ivan still didn't reply. i was losing my patience,
"For heaven's sake Ivan! what's going on?" but he didn't answer. he just looked at me as if he made a mistake in telling me. maybe i made a mistake too...a mistake like trusting him and letting him into my heart. maybe Fretzie was right after all, we were wrong for each other. he changed the subject then and asked me to go out the next night. i agreed, maybe, just maybe, it was time to end this.
