The moon hung low that night, washing the quiet neighborhood in silver light. King's house, however, was anything but quiet. Laughter spilled from the living room, the kind that only came when people who had fought and bled together on the court finally had a chance to relax.
The Royal Court players were sprawled across couches, chairs, and the carpet. King and Mia sat close together at the corner of the couch, whispering between jokes. Cadel had claimed the armchair, flipping a basketball lazily in his hands. Treasure was on the floor, leaning back on a beanbag with Jasmine beside him, her mischievous grin never leaving. Ebun sat cross-legged near the coffee table, arms folded, while AJ and Kiisi shared the loveseat, quiet but comfortable.
The topic of conversation, of course, was the event of the day.
"Man," Treasure said, shaking his head with a low laugh. "I still can't believe Walter Derick came to our school. Like—what the actual hell? That's the GOAT, yoo."
"Shit, for real," Cadel agreed. "And twenty million? I thought I was dreaming. I kept pinching myself all day."
King smiled faintly, his arm draped around Mia. "It's real. Coach Tunde wouldn't let something like that slide unless it was solid. This changes everything."
Mia leaned in softly. "But you know what? I'm proud of us all, not because of the money, but because we earned this. All of us."
Her words softened the room for a moment. Even Treasure went quiet, nodding slowly.
Then Jasmine broke the silence with her signature mischief. She nudged Treasure with her elbow. "Speaking of earning things… Treasure, when are you going to 'earn' your place next to Ebun, huh?"
Treasure choked on the soda he'd been drinking. "Jas! Damn, why you gotta put me on the spot like that?"
The room erupted in laughter. Even King smirked while Mia hid her giggles behind her hand.
Ebun's face heated, and she glared at Jasmine. "Stop it, Jasmine. You're so annoying sometimes."
But Jasmine only grinned wider, throwing an arm around Ebun's shoulder. "Oh, come on, Ebun. I'm just saying what everyone else is thinking. You like Treasure. Treasure likes you. We all know it. You two are just too slow to catch up."
Treasure rubbed the back of his neck, muttering, "Damn, Jas, chill. You're acting like a whole talk show host."
But Jasmine winked. "Somebody's gotta push the story forward, right?"
Though Ebun groaned, something in her eyes had softened. She didn't push Jasmine away this time. Instead, she shook her head with a small smile. Jasmine noticed — and leaned closer to whisper only for Ebun to hear:
"Don't worry, I've got your back. You're my girl now."
That moment mattered. For the first time, Ebun didn't feel like Jasmine was competition. She felt like a sister teasing her into bravery.