Ever since that day, the basketball team had thrown themselves into training with new fire.Mornings were for practice at school, evenings for renting an outside court to keep going.Bit by bit, everyone grew sharper, stronger—ready for the upcoming tournament.
As for Uy Phong, his schedule had become brutal.Between basketball and rehearsals for the school performance, he barely had time to breathe.Show up five minutes late, and Tri would roast him alive.
Knowing their captain had been pushing himself to the brink, the rest of the team secretly hatched a plan: a surprise breakfast delivery to boost his energy.
They marched down the hallway toward Class 12A, chatting and laughing like they owned the place.
"Be honest," Thien Hung said, grinning, "are we really bringing him breakfast, or is there some hidden agenda here?"
At that, An Thu, Ho Nhu, and Ngo Huy exchanged knowing looks and giggled.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hung narrowed his eyes. "What are you three plotting that I don't know about?"
An Thu flashed a mischievous smile. "Of course there's a plan! You think we'd just buy snacks out of the kindness of our hearts?"
The group erupted in laughter.
"So what's the real reason then?" Dat asked, curious.
"To meet his girlfriend, obviously!" An Thu declared, her eyes gleaming with gossip-fueled light.
"What!?" The shout was unanimous.
Ho Nhu put her hands on her hips, still laughing. "Well, Hung said she's gorgeous! I wanna see for myself what kind of girl could melt the Ice King's heart!"
The boys groaned collectively. Drama really did flow in these girls' veins.
By the time they reached Class 12A, the "investigation team" split up:An Thu, Ho Nhu, and Ngo Huy peeked inside like three nosy kittens,while the rest leaned casually by the railing, pretending not to care.
"Where's he?""Not in class?""Maybe he's off having breakfast with his mystery girl already~"
They were about to retreat when a voice came from behind."Looking for Uy Phong?"
All heads snapped around—eyes wide, ready to meet the rumored beauty—only to find… An Phong.
Instant deflation. Ho Nhu and Ngo Huy sighed in unison, while An Thu still managed a bright smile."Hi, An Phong! We were looking for senior Uy Phong. Do you know where he went?"
An Phong nodded. "He just went to see the principal. What's up?"
An Thu was quick on her feet. "Oh, nothing big! He's been working so hard lately, so we bought him some snacks. But since he's not here… maybe you could hold onto them for us?"
"…Huh?" An Phong blinked, confused.
"Come on, it's fine," Thien Hung said, stepping forward with a grin. "Phong or Phong—it's all the same. Let him have it."
Everyone turned to stare at him like he'd just said something revolutionary.
He clapped his hands. "What? Same name, same deal! Works perfectly!"
"Exactly!" Ho Nhu chimed in. "You can just give it to him later. Easy, right?"
Ngo Huy snickered. "Or, you know, eat it yourself—we won't tell~"
Under the full force of peer pressure, An Phong reluctantly accepted the bag of snacks."Uh… fine. I'll give it to him later."
A chorus of cheers followed as they thanked him and hurried off, whispering excitedly like they'd just pulled off a covert mission.
As soon as they disappeared, the classroom erupted."Hey, what's that? Food?""Let me get one!""Share, share!"
Within seconds, the place sounded like a feeding frenzy.Poor An Phong could only clutch the bag helplessly as his classmates swarmed him.
***
Meanwhile, the three girls sulked down the hall.
"Ugh, we didn't even see her," Ho Nhu whined.
"See her? You did," Thien Hung said casually, arms crossed, smirking.
They all froze."What are you talking about!? We checked every corner—there was no pretty girl in that class!" An Thu protested.
"Maybe she's up in the principal's office too? Oh my god, plot twist," Ngo Huy gasped dramatically.
Hung chuckled. "You're all blind. She was right in front of you."
He left with that cryptic line, slipping back to his own class before anyone could press him for details—leaving the hallway full of question marks.
"'Right in front of us'… who?" Ho Nhu muttered, blinking.
"An Phong?" Ngo Huy guessed.
"WHAT!? NO WAY!!" the girls shrieked in perfect harmony.
Dat happened to walk by just in time to hear that and couldn't help laughing."Why not? An Phong's pretty cute, actually."
The death glares he received could've melted steel.Thanh even smacked him on the head. "Cute or not, they said girl, genius."
"Exactly!" An Thu huffed. "There's no way. It has to be some gorgeous upperclassman or transfer student—maybe even the principal's secret daughter!"
Dat and Thanh exchanged glances, both realizing this conversation was spiraling into pure fantasy. They slipped away quietly.
The gossip trio, however, kept spinning wild theories, lost in their own soap opera logic.
***
Later that afternoon, after his meeting with the principal, Uy Phong returned to class.He slumped into his seat beside An Phong, stretching his shoulders.
"Hey," he said, noticing the other's silence, "why do you look like you just witnessed a crime? Did something happen while I was gone?"
Without a word, An Phong reached under the desk and placed a banana on the table.
"…What's this supposed to be?"
"…Someone came looking for you."
"PFFT!" Uy Phong spat out the bite of fruit he'd just taken. "What? Who now?"
"The basketball club," An Phong said flatly. "They brought snacks for you."
"Hah. Those idiots really have too much free time. So where's the rest?"
An Phong hesitated. "...Sorry."
Uy Phong narrowed his eyes. "Don't tell me you ate them?"
"No. But… the class did. I only managed to save the banana."
For a second, Uy Phong just stared at him, then glanced around at his classmates before sighing."You could've told them it was mine."
"I did. They didn't care. It was chaos."
"…Figures." He pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I'll buy it all back for you," An Phong said quickly. "Let's see—one Coke, two bags of chips, a sponge cake, an Oreo, and an ice cream bar."
Uy Phong blinked, then burst out laughing."What am I, a pig? You think I can eat all that?"
"…Still. Sorry."
"It's fine. Not your fault the class turns feral at the sight of food."
"You're sure you're not mad?"
"Why would I be?"
"You just… look tense."
"Not about this."
"Oh…"
"Really," Uy Phong said, smiling faintly. "Tell you what—if I eat this whole banana, that'll prove I'm not mad, okay?"
"Wha—"
Before An Phong could react, Uy Phong popped the rest of it into his mouth, chewed, and tossed the peel neatly into the trash.
"There. See? Problem solved. Now stop overthinking, dummy." He tapped An Phong's head lightly with his pencil.
An Phong frowned and rubbed the spot.
"By the way," Uy Phong added, "I won't make it to rehearsal tonight. Tell Tri for me."
"Busy with basketball again?"
"No. Family stuff."
"Alright, I'll let him know."
"Thanks," Uy Phong said, smiling, and reached out to ruffle his hair.
"Hey—stop that!" An Phong ducked away, scowling.But deep down, he already knew resistance only made the guy do it more.
That infuriating warmth again.The kind that lingered long after the hand left his hair.