Project: LOVE [Chapter 6 - Edited]

It was a great Thursday afternoon to be outside. The sky was cloudy and the cool breeze brushed past as I leaned on the basketball fence, playing around with my camera. Students were jogging by, whiffing the scent of grilled food that came from the small canteen of sorts near the courts. I stood there, content, waiting for Parker as I listened to music that was playing on my phone.

Heh, not.

I wish I could say it was that good a day to be out, as I was scheduled to interview and film Richard Parker today, but it wasn’t. It was scorching hot! So here I was, crammed under the shade of the canteen, along with many other students who’d rather wait out the heat. Everyone was hogging the electric fans that decorated each corner, but that was pretty much all there was to keep most of us from sweating like horses. Luckily for me, I had my hand fan (which I always kept in my bag), as well as the bottle of cold water I just bought. Hey, if I had to fight over one fan with a group of around six students, I’d rather sit somewhere with less people and beat the heat my own way.

I wondered how Parker could stand training under the bright sun like this, especially with all the running basketball entails, but I guess he’s used to it. Now, before anyone argues with me (like a certain girl I know) as to why I chose this day – I didn’t. Parker chose it. I simply sent him a Facebook message asking him if he could kindly cooperate with me for a few hours for the project the group and I had to do. He replied that he didn’t really mind (he’s notorious for not wanting anyone to bother him during training, but he remembered me as the girl who helped him pass one class), and that we should do it today when the team had a day off, hence the gym was off limits to make way for the martial art teams. I don’t know why, but hey, it’s a steal if it meant I got his permission. Still though, couldn’t the weather have cooperated even a little bit?

I was about to refill the bottle when a familiar figure waved at me from the other end of the court. I squinted my eyes and realized it was Parker. He was jogging his way to me. I stood there, waved back, and waited for him to arrive.

“Hey, sorry I took long. Let me just go change.” He panted, wiping away the sweat that formed on his forehead.

Looks like he rushed to get here.

“It’s okay. You can rest first – you seem tired. I don’t mind. There isn’t much stuff I need to do this afternoon anyway,” I shook the almost empty bottle. “I would offer you a drink, but I don’t know if you’re into sharing bottles, plus, there’s barely anything left inside.”

“Well, maybe you can buy me some then?” He winked, stifling a laugh.

I rolled my eyes. “Fine, fine. Fair enough.”

Parker left his school bag right beside mine as he went to the changing room to switch clothes. I was in line at the counter when I heard familiar voices.

“The car’s this way, Miguel. Oliver can get there on foot.”

Miguel? Oliver? Hey, wait a minute.

I turned around and saw Kasey walking beside Miguel as she snickered at Oliver. Oliver, on the other hand, looked annoyed.

“If you make me walk to get there, I’m not helping you out,” he said, looking at Miguel.

I hurriedly paid for the bottle of water and walked closer to them.

“Hey, guys,” I called out. “What are you all doing here at this time?”

Oliver snapped his neck to my direction whereas Kasey’s eyes briefly landed on me. Soon, she continued to move along with Miguel, as if she noticed nothing. Oliver stood there dumbfounded, just like I was.

What’s up with that? I didn’t do anything wrong, did I? I returned her clothes earlier this morning… there wasn’t any damage on it.

“Oliver,” I greeted, still keeping my eyes on our two other friends. “Where are they going?”

“They’re, uh...,” he stuttered for what to say. “Kasey and Miguel are just – “

“Lara,” Parker made his way to me. “I’m dressed and ready, but can we wait a while?”

Oliver’s eyes shifted from me to Parker. I could see the question he wanted to ask me. “What’s Richard Parker doing here?”

“Richard, this is Oliver, one of my groupmates for this project. He’s also my blockmate. He happened to be here, as well as the others, but they disappeared somewhere. Here’s your water.” I handed him the bottle. He unscrewed the top and gulped down the contents. Afterwards, he extended his hand towards Oliver.

“Hey, nice to meet you. I was with Lara in one of our classes last year, so that’s how we know each other,” he smiled. “She helped me pass the class, so I’m here to return the favour. She told me all about it – I don’t mind if you guys shoot a video of me today.”

“Great!” Oliver grinned as he shook Parker’s hand. I chuckled at the sight.

I think I can see stars in Oliver’s eyes.

“Anyway, we can wait. Just tell me when we can start,” I told Parker, then turned to Oliver. “Are you staying to help me, or are you going to run off after those two?”

Oliver scratched the side of his head. I guess it was a difficult decision for him, considering who the subject was for today. Parker patted my shoulder and ran off to sit at the table I saved.

“Okay, I’m staying.”

Not even he can resist the MVP’s charm.

I grinned. “Thanks! I know you wanted to go with them, but I appreciate that you chose not to.”

“It’s okay. I’m surprised you got him to work with us,” he said as he pulled out his phone. “You know what he’s infamous for.”

“Yeah, I know, but the guy agreed so that’s good enough for me.”

Oliver was busy sending a text as I was talking. I didn’t peek at his screen, as much as I wanted to, but I already had the idea who the recipient was: Miguel. Those two are probably tighter than Kasey and I. They even have all their classes together! I guess they can’t get enough of each other’s company.

Before I could say something to him again, we both heard a loud honk. Outside, a huge van stopped right in front of the fence gate. Its door slid open and out came kids, all in basketball uniform. I blinked.

Hold on. Is this why Parker wanted us to film today?

I glanced at Parker. He smiled at me as he nodded his head. He had guessed what was on my mind.

So… he’ll be coaching kids today. I guess that’s why he trains all the time. Considerate guy, ain’t he?

I pulled up my sleeves and led Oliver over to the table. Parker, who was enjoying moments of silence earlier, was now surrounded by bouncy kids who were excited for that afternoon’s event. Most of them were boys, but I saw a handful of girls as well. I smiled at them.

“Will you be teaching us too?” one of the girls asked. I shook my head.

“No. I’m just going to watch you guys and film you,” I took out the camera from its bag and showed it to her. “See? You better put on your best smile… though that may be hard considering the weather.”

“Nope! I like smiling.” She grinned at me. Parker placed his hand on my shoulder.

“Okay, now we can start.”

I nodded and turned on the video camera. Oliver was just standing beside me, watching what I was doing, but I knew better. Even though that was what it looked like, I knew his head was somewhere else, especially with his hand tight on his smart phone.

“Do you think we’re going to need the external mic?” I asked, just to get his attention. If he wasn’t going to do much, and if he wasn’t really in the mood to help me, I wouldn’t force him to stay. He just needs to tell me and I’d let him go.

“No, not really.” He checked his phone screen. With a sigh, I covered it with my hand.

“Oliver, if you need to go, then you can leave. I’m not going to stop you. Miguel and Kasey should still be by the car park if you hurry.”

Oliver was taken aback for a moment, but soon, he switched off his phone. “Sorry, I’ll pay attention now.”

I smiled at him. Well, if he doesn’t want to go, then there’s no use advising him to run off.

By the time our small conversation ended, Parker and the kids were already doing warm-ups in the court. I turned on my camera and focused it on them. Everyone listened to what their mentor had to say, and I even saw some swoon as he ruffled their hair. It made me laugh – the guy who didn’t want to be filmed was actually a pretty sweet boy. I could see from the look in his eyes that he liked being around kids.

I watched them, through the lens of my camera, attempt to dribble, shoot, and run across the court without losing the ball. Some kids played it rough, intentionally giving the player with the ball a blow to the stomach, just to steal the ball whereas others kept it fair. When a kid got hurt, as many times as I tried to come over, Parker would already be there to check them. If he thought they needed to rest, he would let them stay with me as they recovered. To keep them entertained, Oliver would sit down beside them and tell stories. I would eavesdrop when I could, and to be honest, they were all pretty funny. I think the video may have recorded my laughter.

“Lara! The kids want you to play along with us, even just a little bit.” Parker smiled at me, dribbling a ball. “What do you say? Best out of three?”

I rolled my eyes. “Come on, Richard. You’re way taller than me.”

When I spotted Oliver’s eyes turn to us, an idea popped into mind. “Though there is someone who may want to play.”

Oliver stared at me as I winked at him. “You love to play basketball, right?”

“Yeah, but…”

I stopped the camera and went over to him.

“Take the opportunity,” I whispered, glancing at the others to make sure they didn’t hear. “Remember, Richard usually doesn’t let anyone bother him when he’s training.”

Oliver looked into my eyes and smiled. He took off his glasses and handed them to me.

“Okay.”

One of the things I knew about Oliver is that he and his friends occasionally played basketball. I would spot them when I stayed late on campus. They’d always be at the court nearest the showers (probably just so they’d have less distance to walk once they’re done playing). He would notice me sometimes, but even then, I would watch them for a few minutes by the bleachers along with other students (who were resting from playing themselves), and focus my gaze on Oliver. I could see his improvement, little by little per game. He’s smaller than Parker, but hey, he could hold his ground. He seems to have been aiming to, after all.

“A bit more and I could win over Richard Parker.” I remembered him saying. His friends were laughing at him that time, telling him that he can’t. I smiled.

Here’s your chance to prove it.

I turned the camera back on. “Best out of three, are you two ready?”

Both boys nodded at me, getting themselves into position. Parker let Oliver have the ball.

“Alright, start!”

I watched, along with the kids, as Oliver tried to get past Parker so that he could get a shot in. Parker wouldn’t let him, though, and stole the ball. Given the height difference, Oliver had a hard time to get it back, so Parker let it fly through the air and scored a point.

“Come on, Oliver! You can do it!” I found myself cheering. All of them looked at me. I grinned and gave him a thumbs up. He nodded, smiling.

On the second round, Parker’s shot was a rebound. Oliver was quick on his feet and got it. In a short while, he managed to shoot it through the hoop. The kids roared (and so did I). The next round would decide who the winner is, and honestly, I was rooting for Oliver. Parker looked at me, and briefly, I thought I saw something in his eyes – not tears or anything like that, but some sort of emotion. I couldn’t really tell what though.

“One more, guys!” I cheered, waving the hand I used to hold Oliver’s glasses.

The game was on – it was more intense than the last two. If in the first round, Parker wouldn’t let Oliver pass, he was more intent on guarding him now. I didn’t know how Oliver could escape.

He’s the MVP and all, but there’s got to be some way…

I held on to my breath as I continued to watch. Parker got the ball and showed no intention of letting Oliver get his hands on it – he stood outside the three point line and made a jump shot.

It’s over.

My heart fell and I prepared myself to welcome Oliver back when suddenly, everyone screamed. Oliver had the ball and was at the center of the three point line.

The ball rebounded?

I looked at Parker. He was smiling at me. As I stared at his expression, I came to understand what happened. I sighed and turned back to Oliver.

Don’t waste this chance.

I watched as he made the jump shot, and hoped that it would make a basket.

And it did.

Even though their idol lost, the kids cheered along with me. The quality of the video in the end must have been horrible, because I knew I was jumping. When Oliver came over, I handed him his glasses and gave him a high-five. I could see the happiness in his eyes.

“I won,” he shook my shoulders. “Did you see that?”

“I sure did,” I chuckled. “I have it on video too.”

He went to Parker and shook his hand before excusing himself to go to the bathroom. Richard then made in his way in front of me and I snickered.

“Did you plan that from the start?” I looked at the dog tag on his chest. “You could have made that shot.”

He sighed. “You don’t believe that I made a miscalculation?”

“No, I know that you intended to miss that one.”

Richard scratched his head and sat down beside me. I sat down too.

“I knew you wanted him to win, so I let him,” he chuckled. “Does that make you sad?”

“I won’t say I’m sad, but I am a little disappointed, I guess. Still, he’s pretty happy about it, so that’s good.”

We smiled at one another. We just realized it’s been hours since we’d been filming. We were all tired and ended up watching the sky turn into blends of orange, yellow, and red.

“Should we have the interview now?”

I let out a breath as I looked up. “We should.”

********

That night, I was watching the videos that was shot earlier. I smiled as watched how the kids were training hard as Richard helped them. I even had a few clips of Oliver’s story telling. I opened the one with the interview.

“So, why did you decide to play basketball? Why didn’t you choose some other sport?” I heard my voice say. The camera was focused on Richard staring off to the horizon. That pose wasn’t planned at all – he just wanted to look away, and honestly, it looked amazing. The guy has some charm to him.

“I just love it. It might be weird, but I always had this idea that it was the thing that would make me happy. Ever since I was a kid, I would play it over and over, until my mom would come and holler at me to get back home. I don’t think she was that thrilled, especially during the days I would get injured, but I didn’t care. I don’t care until now, really. I play it because I want to, since it makes me happy. …is that a good enough reason? Or does that make me seem selfish? Now that I made it this far, I’m thinking of going pro…”

A faint smile made its way to my lips as I continued to listen to the interview. In the background, Oliver was still elated and was eating snacks with the kids. What caught my attention the most though, was Richard. I could tell from the video, that he really meant what he said. In that uptight looking athlete lies a guy who just really liked to do what made him happy, and because of that, he spread his love for the sport, even though most others may not know about him coaching.

Of course it’s a good enough reason, Richard. No one can tell you otherwise. Aim high.

I closed all the opened windows and shut the computer down. I stared at the phone beside me. Earlier, I was contemplating whether or not I should ask Kasey if there was anything wrong, but I decided to let it be. I shouldn’t be too nosy (plus I didn’t want her to think I was clingy).

There have been some reason for earlier.

I looked at the phone screen – it was an hour before midnight. I threw myself on the bed and closed my eyes.

One part down, a heck lot more of others to go.