Barry Cooper: girly things?. Do they strike you as people who would waste their time on things like that?.
Me: oh God, just strike this guy down.
Chiamanda: (chuckling) stop that keima.
Me: I didn't do anything, this paperback pale-face just knows how to get under my skin
Cynthia: (laughing) how do you even come up with this names?.
Barry Cooper: this is just absurd.
Me: yeah unsalted cracker, I think it is.
Barry Cooper: what did you just call me?
Me: oh my bad, did I call you something?.
Barry Cooper: I've had enough of this childish behaviour
Me: look if we're being honest, you started this. So don't cry about not being able to finish what you dished.
Barry Cooper: Mr Dhark!. I demand a change
Mr Dhark: change of what?.
Barry Cooper: Keima has being doing nothing but throw jabs at me, I don't think he'll help our team harmony.
Mr Dhark: Keima?.
Me: it was all friendly bants sir, didn't think he'd take it that way.
Mr Dhark: (looking at cooper) he said it's friendly bants. I don't have time for all these. Work on things yourselves. You don't want me to remind you of what's at stake for you guys.
Barry Cooper: no sir, you don't.
Me: (whispering to Barry) You're a fucking wuss trying to kick me out ya know?.
Barry Cooper: I have nothing more to say to you, just don't slow us down.
In about ten minutes Mr Dhark ended classes and informed us he'll be calling for our presentation. Barry Cooper was still going off like a dying giraffe, that boy keeps getting annoying. Chiamanda was busy jotting down notes and making plans on the topic, and Cynthia was just looking at me with this mix of pity and fascination, as if she knew I won't be bringing anything to the table.
Me: So, I'm guessing we will all be meeting up for a deep, philosophical chat about vectors.
Barry Cooper: I'm requesting a team change. This is a disgrace. I will not let a math failure drag down my GPA.
Me: oh God, would you just chill out for once?. You're a Gamma, not a Streak. If you take your studies as serious as your annoying personality, you'd have probably made it.
Barry Cooper: I score consistently above 86, you Omega block-head!
Me: are you fucking serious?. The best you could come up with was omega block-head?. If I'm this dissapointed I wonder how your parents think of you as their child.
Chiamanda: (Sighing, looking up from her notes) okay that's enough, it was all fun and game but now I'll need us to get serious. We need to decide on a group meeting time and split the subtopics.
Cynthia: Barry, please just cooperate? I'm sure Keima has good ideas on the presentation.
Barry Cooper: Oh, I'm sure he does. Probably involving cheap, idiotic jokes.
Me: Correct! See?, I knew we'd gel well.
Cynthia: okay, now that we're done with the bickering, we can work on sharing subtopics
Me: I think that Barry can handle the Geometric Ratios part. He does look like someone who enjoys comparing things.
Barry Cooper: I was going to suggest Vector algebra. It's the most complex, and I trust no one else here to handle it.
Me: are you fucking dumb?. There are two people here who's been proven to be smarter than you and you still claim to not trust anyone with it. You'll take the ratios. It fits your personality.
Barry Cooper: I see no need to reply you.
Me: you just did genius.
Chiamanda: keima please just stop, okay?.
Me: (smiling to her) okay just for you. Besides I won't wanna stress you guys now, the real work is yet to come
Cynthia: What real work?
Me: The girly things lesson.
Barry Cooper: Are you serious?, you wanna jeopardize the future of two potential world leaders to teach them how to… what? Paint their nails?.
Me: Something like that. I'm thinking we start small. We need to chip away at the bookworm exterior before their brains fuse with their textbooks. So Chiamanda and Cynthia meet me at the school garden by 4:30. I'll bring the materials.
Chiamanda: (showing a tiny smirk on her lips) maybe I'm intrigued, but isn't now like a bad time?. We have things to do.
Me: And I assure you, things we will. All work and no play makes Amanda a dull girl they say, and you can also bring textbooks, we'll just call it our first meeting.
Chiamanda: let's do this then, if we learn this girly things you're suggesting, you'll put in your maximum effort in our presentation.
Me: I see no reason to reject.
Cynthia: but aren't you forgetting something?.
Me: am I ?
Cynthia: you're excluding Barry.
Me: oh that guy, I never excluded the guy. I just saw him as not of this group
Barry Cooper: the guts of yours.
AFTER CLASSES, MY ROOM****
Justin: I'm so gonna ace this test.
Kayode: Why'd you say that?.
Justin: I got Cassandra, she's the smartest student of the year ones, what else should I possibly ask for?.
Kayode: at least I got Natasha, she's the only serious person, no offence k.
Me: uhh, What'd you mean?.
Barry: Tephnine is in his team
Me: ohhh. But that shouldn't be a bother to you. You're the smartest straight A student I know.
Kayode: yeah yeah, I'm smart. But I do need someone to share the burden with me.
Barry: well, what can I say?. Good luck to you all.
Me: What's with the tone?.
Barry: two from beta, one from alpha.
Me: oh, you're so fucking dead.
You see, those from alpha were like the total blockheads of starling strike. Let me properly show you the ranks
STREAK: Fucking book book worms. They have 5 stars on their jackets.
GAMMA: Just book worms. They have four stars on their jackets.
OMEGA: Balanced average students, have three stars.
BETA: Duffuses, heading to brain rot. Two stars
ALPHA: I wonder why these guys still come to school, they have one star.
You probably already know I'm in Omega, Barry and Justin too. But our boy kayode is in the Gamma department, and not just in it, he's at the top of the leaderboard, the only one close to getting 5 stars. Our boy.
Me: two very beautiful streak, and one Gamma.
Barry: the tone shift in that gamma
Me: hearing your voice reminded me of him since you both bear same name.
Kayode: Barry Cooper?.
Me: Kay, you know him?
Kayode: feels like the world revolves around him, quick to say annoying shit, good at getting at one's nerves, and plays the victim card.
Me: damn, you do know him.
Kayode: everyone in Gamma does.
Me: wait, where's he in the ranking table?.
Kayode: Why'd you wanna know that?
Me: just spill idiot.
Kayode: for the last ranking, he placed around 26-28.
Me: out of ?.
Kayode: 30. That's how much Gamma holds.
Me: oh I've seen a new way of attacking him.
Kayode: I won't advice that.
Me: why not?.
Kayode: cause even if he ranks 30, he's still better than you and everyone at Omega right now.
Me: ouch, are you for me or against me?.
Kayode: just hate when you let your stupid intrusive thoughts take over.
Me: ouch again.
Justin: at this point I feel like everyone at Gamma and Streak lose their emotions to book.
Kayode: What'd I do?, I can't advice my friend anymore?.
Me: mahnn, just lemme be, wanna shut my eyes
Kayode: What'd I do?.
PAST 5PM *****
Justin: wake up you dead log
Me: (still feeling sleepy) mahnn, leave me alone.
Justin: didn't you say you had a meeting ?.
Me: no I didn't, can I go to bed now?.
Justin: yeah whatever, just come lock the door, I'm going out now. Oh and a girl came looking, said she's Cynthia or something.
Me: uhh, Cynthia?. Fuck!.
Justin: What's wrong?
Me: I have a meeting
Justin: where did I even meet you?.
How I got to the kitchen is something I can't explain, but I somehow snuck out a box of juice, courtesy of miss faith the head chef. Finally getting to the school garden
Barry Cooper: finally felt like showing up to a meeting you orchestrated?.
Me: sorry girls, and Barry no one invited you.
Chiamanda: Kei, please stop. Were already behind. So let's just start.
Me: sorry sorry, let's start with my teaching of girly things, so every one grab a pack of juice from the box. I brought more than enough.
Chiamanda: thank you for being thoughtful.
Cynthia: so are we talking about the history of fashion, or just... the practical side of it?
Me: We're talking about human interaction 101. We need to get you two to stop saying "that's our fun" when someone points out that your only hobby is differential equations.
Cynthia: It is, though.
Me: Exactly! See?, this fucking bookworms I tell you. When someone asks what you do for fun, you gotta say something that at least sounds fun.
Chiamanda: Like what?
Me: Like... "I was at the mall trying on seven-inch heels and accidentally knocked over a display, it was chaos." Or, "I spent three hours arguing with my mom about whether a crop top is a casual wear."
Chiamanda: But that doesn't sound like something that'll happen to me.
Me: It sounds more fun and adventurous. And it's a better story than "I just spent three hours calculating amortization tables."
Cynthia: (Takes a slow sip of the juice) I don't see the purpose of this social deception.
Me: The purpose is that people tend to like you. They feel connected to you. It's what normal people do. We call it 'connecting.' Now,while you guys digest and learn that, let's move on to slang. What do you think "I'm finna" mean?
Chiamanda: It sounds like a misspelling of 'finally.'
Me: How?!. I'm just pouring water on a rock at this point. Look it means 'I'm going to.' Use it. Make any sentence. Sound cool.
Chiamanda: I'm finna ace Mr Dhark's presentation?.
Me: the first thing you did was bring education into it. Okay What about 'no cap?'
Cynthia: It means you're not wearing a hat?
Me: (Shaking my head dramatically) God, I'm going to need a lot more juice for this. 'No cap' means 'no lie' or 'seriously.' Look, use that one tonight. Text one of your study buddies: "I'm finna calculate Newton's third law or something, no cap."
Cynthia: (Chuckles softly, covering her mouth) That is stupid, but I can see how it might be fun.
Me: See? Progress. God, I pity your teachers at this point.
Barry: genius we all share the same teachers.
Cynthia: okay boys, before this escalates, let's just go into the educational part of our meeting. We're gonna be sharing parts to each person here to work in and defend.
Me: And you plan to do that here?.
Cynthia: well yeah.
Me: uhmmm, is it just me?. Or do y'all not hear the noisy noise around here?. It's fucking noisy, our first topic should be picking a new meeting place.
Barry Cooper: there you go again deciding like you know best.
Chiamanda: he's kinda right if you think about it
Barry Cooper: seriously?. You're just giving him a free hand?.
Chiamanda: he's been bringing points and ideas to this group from the very start, he's been making sure our nerves stay stable, he's been doing his best to reduce the pressure on us. And what have you been up to since this group was made?. Nothing but chaos and snotty remarks.
Barry Cooper: ohh, now it's three against one?. The three Nigerians are going against me?.
Me: you white racist be fucking serious for once.
Barry Cooper: cool, you say I don't bring nothing right?. What about the library?. That's a good place for our meeting.
Me: nope, too quiet, except we want the wrath of the head Librarian
Barry Cooper: the auditorium?.
Me: passed there while coming here, it was filled with other teams, was noisy as hell. I don't think we'll learn shit there.
Barry Cooper: the basketball court?.
Me: that's impossible, we train there everyday, so our noise won't let you guys concentrate.
Chiamanda: then what about today?. You don't have any training?.
Me: we do, 5pm
Barry Cooper: it's almost six dude.
Me: uhhh, (looking at my phone) fuck!!. Sorry guys heading out now.
Cynthia: we didn't even do anything.
Me: just split parts and get back to me.
With that I dashed out of the garden, straight to my room, changed to my training jersey and straight to the basketball court.
Coach fuckface: would you guys look at that?, keima finally decided to show up.
Me: sorry coach, something held me up.
Coach fuckface: What's with you all today?. Jensen, James and Matt are yet to show up.
Jensen: (running in with James) sorry coach
James: We're here now.
Coach fuckface: What's wrong with you guys?. We have a very important match tomorrow, I don't need this lazy attitude from you lot.
Jensen: we do?.
Coach fuckface: didn't you all get the text from your captain?.
Me: there was a text?.
Jensen: I didn't get anything
Jace: I don't think I did too.
Coach fuckface: Mathew!!.
James: I don't think he's here yet coach.
Coach fuckface: why did I get stucked with you guys. Look, tomorrow we're playing memorium for a better chance at winning the 'youth Kings cup'. We're already at a decent spot at the league table, so winning the double is a dream not too far from being achieved by us. This is the elimination stage, so every training matters, every dril we practise matters. Are we good?.
Me: not really coach.
Coach fuckface: why?.
Me: you want us to do intense training for the intense match tomorrow, but Mr Dhark also gave us some crazy assignment, when do we get to rest ?.
Coach fuckface: you don't, you work till you break down. Moreover What's the rush with the maths?. Your presentation is in three months.
Jensen: uhh, it is?.
Coach fuckface: did Dhark not inform you guys?. He'll be out of the country for a while.
James: you aren't pulling our legs coach?.
Coach fuckface: and why would I want to ?.
When coach said intense training I thought this bastard was bluffing, he wasn't. We spent over two hours running drills, playing friendly matches and working our butts off. This man makes hating him easy.
MATCH DAY, STARLING HIGH VS MEMORIUM SECONDARY SCHOOL******
The basketball court was a pressure cooker, just like the game itself. The team was locked in a brutal war with Memorium high. It was the second half, early third quarter, and the scoreboard glared back at us, Starling Strike 38, Memorium 39. A single point. It had been like this the entire game, a suffocating, back-and-forth grind where every basket felt like winning the tie itself.
Memorium played a suffocating zone defense, their tall forwards clogging the paint like a traffic jam on the highway. On offense, they ran disciplined, slow sets, chewing up the time and forcing our team into desperate, contested shots. Jensen, our usual spark plug, was getting double-teamed every time he touched the ball, his passes looking more like prayers than plays. Jace was hustling, throwing his body around, but even his boundless energy was getting swallowed by Memorium's organized chaos.
From the bench, I watched, my legs twitching. Coach had started me on the bench again, a 'strategic decision' he called it, and I've learnt to never doubt him. The rhythm of the game was broken, cause neither team could establish any flow. Starling were too crowded to create any, and memorium were too focused on their haram-ball to create any. Every dribble was contested, every pass was a risk. It was pure, unadulterated basketball trench warfare.
Jensen: We need a spark. (Jensen muttered as he came off for a brief breather).
I could see the frustration on his face. The normal handsome rival of mine was now something I refuse to recognise
Jace: bro, they're just... there.
Matt: They're a human wall bro(wiping off sweat)
Jensen: we can't get a damn thing to drop.
Coach, who on a normal would be screaming his ass off at us, was surprisingly calm, but his eyes looked like they were up to something. I'm guessing He knew we were in trouble. He knew this wasn't our game. He turned. His eyes met mine.
Coach fuckface: Keima, I need you to get in there For James. I've seen you adapt, I've seen you cause chaos. Give me some movement, some chaos
I can't put it in words but I felt a surge of adrenaline hit me. Chaos?. That was my specialty. I threw off my warm-up top, jogged to the scorer's table, and checked in. As I stepped onto the court, the crowd, sensing a shift, roared. This was something I needed. Something to help with this ego of mine.
Memorium had possession. I've been on the bench watching their every move, i knew their standard play, slow post-up, then a kick-out. Instead of guarding tight, I hung back, anticipating the passing lane. The moment their forward fumbled the ball coming out of the post, I was there. A blur. Steal!
I took off, a one-man fast break. Their point guard scrambled back, but I hit him with a crossover, a skill I've been practicing for ages hoping for the right time to come. Leaving him stumbling, i laid it in for two. The crowd went nuts, we were up to 40, memorium 39.
Over the speakers I could hear the commentators go wild, was surprised they even had that in a highschool match.
Commentator 1: Starling's wonder kid wastes no time to give them the lead.
Commentator 2: I'm sensing that we'll be in for a long ride. So everyone sit back. Cause it's about to go nuts.
Ohhhh, I'm begining to love all this hype, my ego was pumping blood to my adrenaline, yeah I know, that makes no sense. The game had just finally found its tempo, and it was my tempo.
Next possession, I waved off Jensen, taking the ball close to the center of the court. I could feel Memorium's zone shifting, trying to react. They'd been so used to slow, predictable plays.
Planting my pivot foot while holding the ball, I quickly thrusted my non-pivot foot towards a defender, probably thinking I was making my way for that direction, both him and his teammate got dummied, at the last second, I dished a no-look pass to Jace our rainmaker, he didn't waste any time cause the next thing I knew was a 3 pointer being made.
The stadium erupted. Our bench was on their feet.
Commentator 2: that's why he's the rainmaker, making 3 points shower all over
Commentator 1: Starling's taking this game by the neck all of a sudden. And I'm guessing we know who to credit.
Commentator 2: the wonder kid of starling.
I wasn't just scoring, I was dictating. And my passes weren't just passes, they were invitations to score. On one occasion I drived into their stifling zone, drew all attention, then passed it out to Matt who, for the first time all game, found himself with space to shoot, and he struck a three. I started a pick and roll with Jensen, leaving him free for a quick layup.
Memorium's coach was screaming, trying to re-adjust, but they couldn't keep up. Their disciplined zone defense was collapsing under the weight of my unpredictable movement and vision, I'm not trying to brag right now, but It was like I was playing a different game, a faster, wilder, more improvisational game.
By the end of the third quarter, the scoreboard told a new story Starling 58, Memorium 45. We had outscored them 20 to 6 in that quarter alone. The fifteen-point lead had materialized out of thin air, a direct result of my entry, again I'm not trying to brag.
I walked to the bench, barely tired, the roar of the crowd was feeding my adrenaline. Jensen slapped my back so hard I nearly stumbled.
Jensen: yes, this was the spark I was talking about, Kei this was what we needed.
Jace: Dude, they didn't know what hit them. That no-look pass to me was insane.
I just grinned, this was every single one of my gruelling training and hardwork paying off, from now on I'll be making something out of nothing, I'll be bending every game to my will.
The fourth quarter was ours. Memorium fought hard, but the spirit had been drained from them. We maintained the lead, cruising to a 16-point victory.
As the final buzzer screamed, I looked at the scoreboard: Starling Strike 73, Memorium 58. My teammates rushed me, a joyous pile-up in the center of the court. Another MVP performance, another game flipped on its head. And this time, it was all thanks to me. Can't wait for Jensen to throw another party. That fucking idiot
TO BE CONTINUED******