Pablo’s voice rose behind them, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Where’s the other guy? I heard Kash busted his lip. Damn, man, why’d we miss that?” He laughed with Brandon.
Ody stopped and turned, his jaw clenching again.
“How’d you do it?” Brandon asked, still laughing.
“Clocked him in the jaw and kept hitting the same spot till he bled,” Kash said, sounding proud of himself.
Ody felt sick watching him pretend.
“So yeah, good call keeping an eye on him,” Brandon added, jerking his chin toward Steve and Chris.
The group walked off, still laughing.
“I’m gonna beat the shit out of them.” Steve growled, watching them leave.
“Dude, stop,” Ody said. “You don’t see what they’re doing? They want us to take the bait. Just ignore them. Come on, let’s get coffee.” He pulled Steve forward, and the three of them kept walking.
He exhaled, trying to shake the tension out of his shoulders. He reached into his pocket to grab his phone, planning to check the time, when it buzzed in his hand.
A message lit up the screen.Kash: I’m sorry…
Ody stopped for a moment, turning instinctively. Kash was already looking at him from down the hall, guilt written all over his face before he turned back to his friends.
After his exam, Ody headed to the parking lot, the tension of the morning still sitting heavy in his chest. He got into his car, shut the door, and let out a long breath before pulling out his phone. They had a game to plan. And the trip.
He called Mano. It rang twice before a deep, groggy sound came through the speaker, something between a hum and a half-formed word. Mano was clearly still half-asleep.
Ody cleared his throat, trying to ignore how that voice affected him. “We planned a basketball game tomorrow at noon. What time’s your exam?”
He made another soft, sleepy sound. Then, he muttered something about ten, his voice rough and warm, making Ody’s grip tighten around the phone.
“Alright. And we need to pack for the trip after.”
A quiet, barely awake agreement came back, followed by a soft click as Mano hung up without another word.
Ody stared at the screen, his pulse picking up for no logical reason. That voice lingered, annoyingly hot in his ears. He smacked himself, tossed the phone onto the passenger seat, and started the car.
Thursday came, and Mano headed to campus for his final exam. By noon, he changed into sportswear, got on his bike, and rode to the basketball court.
A few guys were already there. The court was loud with shouts.
“Pass it!” Elias shouted.
Pierce sank a three-pointer, and everyone cheered.
Ody spotted Mano first. “You made it.”
“Yeah.”
Elias gave him a quick nod. “All good?”
“Uh… yeah,” Mano said, a bit awkward.
They started passing the ball around while waiting for the rest to arrive. Once everyone showed up, the game began, and by the end they were all panting, drenched in sweat. They grabbed their water bottles and sat down to catch their breath.
Mano leaned back on his palms, chest rising and falling.
Ody glanced at him. “You go hard when we’re on opposite teams.”
