As Jayden jumped, trying to slam home the winning point, Ethan moved at the exact same time. Ethan's entire being was focused on that single point in the air.
He reached up, his hand rigid, and smacked the ball out of the air, cutting Jayden's explosive movement toward the hoop short. It was a desperation block, fueled by pure terror of losing.
A sharp, unified gasp came from the other team members watching from the sidelines.
Ethan could see, even just from the very edge of his eyes, how his teammates were clasping their hands together, their bodies tense. He knew they absolutely didn't want him to lose, and that knowledge, combined with his own burning determination, focused his sprint.
The loose ball bounced, rolling toward the edge of the court. Ethan took off, a sudden burst of speed carrying him forward. Jayden also sprinted after Ethan, but because Ethan had launched first and had the better angle, he was a fraction faster. Ethan scooped the ball up and pivoted immediately toward the hoop. Without hesitation, he launched a quick, short jumper.
For a moment, Ethan thought time slowed.
He watched the ball arc high, spinning against the backdrop of the gym ceiling.
Ethan wasn't alone; the team members and the coach thought time was moving slowly too. They all silently prayed that the ball would enter the net. Jayden, standing frozen near the arc, was the only one with a negative thought, sending a silent, desperate wish that the ball should instead bounce back and not go through the hoop.
Jayden's frantic prayer was cut short and went unanswered. The ball dropped neatly through the net.
Game over. The win was in Ethan's court, with a total score of 11 points, leaving Jayden to accept the loss with 10 points.
The team members let out a huge roar of relief and pure happiness. They cheered for Ethan and instantly ran toward him and surrounded him. They kept shouting "Ice Prince, Ice Prince", all thrilled that Ethan had won and defended his status.
Ethan, however, wasn't happy. But the team members didn't notice; even when Ethan won and was happy, his face was always in that Ice cold setting. So they simply thought this time was the same as usual, just another day for the impassive Ice Prince.
The coach, who knew Ethan well, saw the tight, unsatisfied look in his captain's eyes. He knew Ethan was far from pleased with that narrow margin. The coach reached out and gave Ethan's shoulder a solid squeeze to placate him.
The coach then turned to Jayden, a smile on his face. "Welcome to the team, Jayden," he announced.
Jayden smiled back easily. "Thanks, Coach," he replied. Just from Jayden's open expression, it was clear that he did not care that he lost. To Jayden, he had tried his absolute best, nearly forced a draw against the captain, and he accepted the fact that he lost with a good-natured heart.
Jayden took a step toward Ethan, stretching his hand out, a wide, friendly smile at Ethan.
"Good game," he said sincerely. Jayden had accepted that Ethan was currently the better player, and he wanted to do the typical bros move: shake their hands to forget about their little spat earlier and move on as teammates.
But Ethan was thinking differently. His mind was still caught in the ugly feeling of almost failing.
If Ethan had won with a big gap, say 11 to 5, he knew exactly what he would have done.
He wouldn't have let Jayden off with just a handshake. He would have said something like, "Now you know and have to agree with me that basketball isn't a one-man show."
And he was absolutely sure he would have ended his lecture with, "If you want to be in my team, remember that." That humiliation would have cemented his authority.
But he hadn't won with a big gap like he had so fiercely hoped. He'd barely escaped.
And the fact that Jayden was smiling genuinely like this at him—so casual, so accepting—was what was truly making Ethan feel worse. It felt like Jayden was saying, "That was fun, almost got you!" It was grating.
So, instead of taking Jayden's hands, Ethan simply looked past him to Coach Miller, deliberately ignoring the outstretched hand. "I'm tired," Ethan said, his voice flat and dismissive. "I'm going back to my room to sleep."
Ethan did not wait for Coach Miller to answer or for anyone else to speak. He turned and just left, walking quickly toward the exit.
He left Jayden there with his outstretched hands, frozen in an awkward pose, and his team members looking at him leave in stunned, embarrassed silence.
Jayden was surprised by the blatant snub. His genuine smile dropped. He was confused; Ethan had won, Ethan was the champion, and he had accepted his lost and even wanted to bury the hatchet and be cordial.
But Ethan had chosen to treat him like a nuisance, beneath his attention, an action that instantly ignited Jayden's anger.
Jayden looked around at the rest of the team members. They immediately looked away from Jayden, deeply uncomfortable. They were clearly embarrassed by Ethan's behaviour. They all knew Ethan had always been cold, but they truly did not expect that Ethan would treat Jayden like this, especially since Jayden had been the one trying to make up with him.
But the captain was still the captain. They had to smooth things over. They moved toward Jayden in a united group. Hunter, no longer angry at Jayden for his reckless playing, gently patted Jayden on the back.
"Do not be angry at our captain," Hunter said, forcing a casual tone. "He is always like this. That's why he is known as the Ice Prince. It's not that he hates or dislikes you or something personal."
Hunter, however, did not even believe his own words. While Ethan was a cold person, he had never ignored someone that directly before. But Jayden didn't need to know that this was unprecedented.
All the other team members, taking their cue from Hunter talking first, quickly nodded and offered various phrases to Jayden, all carrying the same meaning: Ethan is just like that—cold and distant to everyone.
Jayden could see that the rest of the team members were making an effort to placate him, to keep the peace. Jayden, who does not like making things difficult for people and knew they weren't the ones who had offended him, decided to let it go.
"You all don't have to placate me," he said, giving them a small, appreciative nod. "It's okay."
To show them that he wasn't angry anymore and was ready to integrate, Jayden asked a simple, practical question. "Can anyone show me to the locker room? I don't know where that is, and I need to find my locker too."
Zach immediately spoke up. "Well, you're lucky, because we're all going there anyway." Jayden smiled at them, and the group—minus their captain—headed off to the locker room together.
Ethan kept walking, not slowing his pace until he was well away from the court. He walked toward the male dorm building, his only goal to get to his room quickly and find a space where the tightness in his chest could ease.
As he moved, he was forced to admit a devastating truth: he was experiencing jealousy toward Jayden. This was a first for him. Ethan Park, since the day he was born, had never been jealous of someone before.
He had always been so meticulously prepared and disciplined that envy felt like a foreign, dirty emotion. But he could not escape the fact that the feeling right now is indeed jealousy.
From the brief, chaotic play, Ethan had clearly seen that, setting aside the showmanship and the one-man show, Jayden is indeed talented.
His skill was so raw and intuitive; it was like Basketball is just something Jayden picked up one day and immediately realized he was good at it. Ethan suspected and he wouldn't be surprised if he later learned that Jayden had not been playing basketball two years ago and that this immense skill was something that Jayden just picked up recently.
This natural ease was exactly what was causing Ethan's jealousy. Ethan's entire identity was built on effort.
His father had been a professional and a star Basketball player, practically the idol of the basketball court. Ethan, wanting to emulate and then surpass his father, had picked up the basketball since he was young.
His dream had always been to overthrow his father as the idol of the basketball court.
Ethan was the only one who truly knew that he definitely does not have that much natural talent regarding basketball. He had the drive, though, and was unwilling to give up his goal.
His father supported his dream and always pushed him, and he pushed himself too.
Where he lacked the natural talent, he made it up with hours and hours of practice, which is precisely how he became this good. His immediate goal was to launch his professional career by winning the high school National basketball competition at the end of the year, just before graduation.
But now, someone so naturally talented—someone who hadn't dedicated his life to the sport—was able to almost beat him to a draw. Ethan really could not accept it.
He despised the way he was thinking right now, feeling petty and bitter, a sharp contrast to the confident image he had always held of himself.
Ethan sighed, a long, weary exhalation. He looked up and realized that while consumed by his thoughts, he was already inside the male dorm building in front of his dorm room. He had unknowingly walked to his destination.
Ethan sighed once again because he definitely does not like how Jayden is getting to him. He reached for his pocket, removed his key, and inserted it into the lock.
He turned the key, open the door, and took a step inside. What he saw made him stop.
Ethan's eyes widened in shock. He scanned the space. He could see a suitcase on one corner opened, half-unpacked. Shoes were carelessly scattered at another angle. Worst of all, clothes were scattered on the ground.
Ethan almost felt a wave of dizziness, fearing he might go crazy. His room had always been very organized, a sanctuary of order. Coming back to a disorganized room almost made Ethan question if this is still his room or if he had made a mistake.