The following week, during cheer practice, Tiffy led her teammates through intense acrobatic drills.
"Guys, we need to leverage our skills! The boys are having their friendly games this weekend right here at our arena. We have to deliver our best performances— during pre-game, halftime, and post-game. The mascot handles the short breaks, but our main goal is to energize the crowd and hype the players. There's no room for error in such a big event!"
Nick suddenly interrupted the session with a cheeky kiss as the basketball team entered the court.
"Hi, babe!" he grinned.
"Hi, Nick!" Tiffy responded warmly.
"I was wondering if you've seen—oh, there they are—Shadd and Jasmine!"
"Why are you calling them out?"
"I just need to have a quick word. I promise I'll return them shortly."
"Okay," she said, giving him another kiss before he walked off with the two girls.
Nick pulled them aside. "Last time, you two left me completely confused! I deserve to know—what happened?"
The girls looked at each other nervously. No one was eager to speak up, especially with Tiffy nearby. Maybe she knew... maybe she didn't.
"No one wants to explain?" Nick raised an eyebrow.
"We… we got urgent calls from a friend," Shadd stammered. "It was unplanned. We're sorry if it caused any inconvenience. And thanks for the bill, by the way!"
"I get it, but you left so abruptly—not even a goodbye! I was worried I'd done something wrong."
"We're really sorry," Jasmine apologized sincerely. "It won't happen again. If we get another chance, we'll be more courteous."
"Ouch!" Jasmine yelped as Elizabeth stepped on her foot.
"Oh, sorry," Elizabeth said, then added pointedly, "My friend doesn't know what she's saying. Nick, it's clear you're in love with Tiffy—even now. We'd prefer if you just stick with her. We don't want any conflicts with our captain."
Nick nodded. "If that's how you want it, I'll respect your space. But we can still be friends, right?" He extended his hand, and they shook on it before returning to practice.
---
Later at home, Shadd spoke to her older brother, Lawrence, curious about the upcoming games.
"I heard there's a friendly basketball tournament this weekend. Are you guys coming to our school?"
"Yeah, we'll be there. Four teams are facing off in a tournament-style format. It's just friendly competition, but there's talk it might turn into a gambling setup—everyone chips in, and the winner takes the pot," Lawrence explained.
"I'll be debuting as a cheerleader in front of the home crowd. I hope you do great too—you're the backbone of your team. Oh, by the way, have you spoken to Faith? Has she said anything... about me?"
"I saw her that Saturday at the restaurant. She was a bit suspicious—said she thought she'd seen you around."
"Did you believe her?"
"I didn't dig deeper. I figured it was just her imagination. You wouldn't have known that place—unless you tell me otherwise."
"Nope! Don't know the place. By the way, does Faith have a part-time job?"
"Yeah, she's a chef. I forgot to mention it—I thought you might laugh. We do visit other places on our dates."
"Your secret's safe with me."
Lawrence asked, "How are your cheer practices coming along? Especially the mid-air acrobatics?"
"Faith just introduced them. I haven't mastered them yet. The toe-full landings are tricky!"
"You'll get it. Have you done a jump at school yet?"
"Not yet. Tiffy hasn't assigned me one."
"Don't worry, I know I'll see my sister flying mid-air soon."
"Thanks! I'm excited!"
"I gotta go focus now," Lawrence said, grabbing his basketball to practice his dunk.
---
Game Day.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Colorad Zonal Friendly Games!" one commentator shouted, energizing the crowd. "The four schools facing off today: Pimento, Zabocca, Malacca, and… Daaaasheeeeen!"
The crowd erupted as the home team was announced.
"This is a winner-takes-all tournament. All four teams have contributed to a collective prize of ten thousand dollars! Match-ups drawn by lottery are: Pimento vs Dasheen and Malacca vs Zabocca. Let the best team win!"
The Dasheen cheerleaders lit up the arena with their performance, chanting:
> "Go, go, go Team Dasheen! Go, go, go Team Dasheen!"
With rhythmic dancing, artistic claps, and fluttering pompoms, they hyped the crowd. Tiffy wowed with a flawless mid-air acrobatic display, drawing loud cheers.
---
Game 1: Pimento vs Dasheen
The crowd roared as Nick, in jersey labelled number five, led the team onto the court.
1st Quarter: Dasheen dominated, 29–20. Nick contributed 12 points.
Mascot break: Entertained the crowd with a slam dunk.
2nd Quarter: 62–57, Dasheen still leading. Nick added 23 more points.
Halftime show: Marie took the spotlight, impressing with acrobatic skills.
3rd Quarter: 87–78, home team still leading.
4th Quarter: Final score 111–100. Victory for Dasheen.
Post-game, Tiffy and Marie were nowhere to be seen. Despite hesitation, Shadd was selected to perform. Though nervous, she stunned everyone with a breathtaking mid-air spin and flawless toe-landing. The crowd gave a standing ovation.
"Was that your sister?" Faith asked Lawrence.
"It was really her. You've taught her well!"
"I didn't teach her that spin," Faith admitted. "Maybe she learned it from YouTube?"
"She's a genius then," Lawrence replied, impressed.
Just then, Faith reminded him of his own game. Lawrence sprinted off to the locker room.
Nick, impressed, approached Shadd. "That was amazing—creative, energetic. Well done!"
"Thanks! I practiced from YouTube. But Faith taught me a lot too. And congrats on your own performance!" she said with a small smile.
Nick grinned. "Thanks!"
Elizabeth chimed in playfully, "My brother will be playing soon. He's just like you—same height, same star energy!"
"I look forward to seeing him!" Nick replied.
---
Game 2: Malacca vs Zabocca
1st Quarter: 26–22 Malacca in front. Lawrence scored 13.
2nd Quarter: 56–39. Lawrence added 20 points.
3rd Quarter: 77–63. Lawrence added 18 more points.
4th Quarter: 102–86. Lawrence finished with 11 more points as Malacca won the game.
Nick commented, "Your brother's incredible!"
Elizabeth smiled. "Thanks! He trains every day in our backyard. Very disciplined."
"Has he played long?"
"He's a new recruit—struggled to get picked at first. But in junior school, he led his team to lift a national title!"
Nick said, "We've always dominated zonals, but national-level games are tough. With Lawrence now, Malacca's a serious threat."
Elizabeth hesitated. "I don't know who to support—my school or my brother's team!"
"Follow your heart," Nick said.
Elizabeth teased, "You're great, Nick. But family first!"
Nick hugged her goodbye before heading off to warm up.
Tiffy, watching, stormed over. "Babe! Why are you hugging her first?!"
"I don't have time for this," he said, brushing her off. "I have to prepare for the final."
"Babe?! Really?" she shouted after him.
Now fuming, Tiffy sat beside Jasmine. Together, they ganged up on Elizabeth.
"And you," Tiffy snapped. "Who said you could flirt with my boyfriend?!"
"I'm sorry, Tiffy! We weren't flirting. We were just talking!" Elizabeth pleaded.
"Shadd," Jasmine added coldly, "Tiffy is our captain. What you did was wrong."
"We weren't even being romantic!" Shadd insisted.
"No one crosses Tiffy like that," Tiffy warned.
---
Final Game: Dasheen vs Malacca
1st Quarter: 27–25 Dasheen infront.
2nd Quarter: 63–61 Malacca infront.
3rd Quarter: 88–87 Dasheen infront.
Nick noticed Elizabeth was no longer in the stands. Distracted, his performance dipped.
4th Quarter: 103–101 Malacca won the final game by a whisker.Lawrence, the MVP then, had scored 61 points.
After the game, Tiffy tried to comfort Nick.
"I'm sorry, babe. You didn't deserve to lose. I'm here for you."
"Leave me alone!" Nick snapped and walked off.
Lawrence celebrated with his teammates but noticed his sister was missing from the crowd.