Kevin's triumphant scream ripped through the air. All his friends rushed over and huddled around him at the center of the court. They were probably praising the shot, calling it incredible or unbelievable—but their voices barely reached me.
I continued to stare absently at the net as it swayed indifferently in the wind.
…I lost.
I tried my best, and this was the result. There was no running or denying it. It was as simple as that.
Yu came up to me and lightly patted me on the shoulder. I kept my gaze fixed on the net, but I could see from the corner of my eye that he had a strained smile. "Hey… you okay?"
Before I could even respond, Sora ran up to me and deeply bowed his head. "I'm sorry for failing you!"
I tried to respond, but his unusually loud voice overpowered mine. "I was supposed to be the ace of the basketball team, and yet I failed to be your teammate when you needed me! That's inexcusable. I'm a failure as a teammate and a president. Please, forgive me!"
Remi stepped up beside him, the smug expression she had been wearing when she beat me was replaced by a look of guilt. "...Me too. I didn't do anything at all to help you the whole time. I'm sorry."
Luna, however, stayed back with her arms crossed. She didn't offer a word of comfort. She knew I hated those things, after all. Instead, she gave me her usual smile, but the guilt in her eyes was a faint, jagged trace she couldn't quite hide.
I couldn't just do nothing while they were trying so hard—so I let out a long sigh. Remi flinched. Sora looked up at me, concerned. They remained frozen as they waited anxiously for my words.
A wide, teasing smile crept up my face as I shook my head. "Geez, you guys don't have to look at me like that. I'm not going to yell at you or anything."
Sora stammered over his words. "B-but."
"It's fine," I interrupted lightly. "There's nothing you could have done anyway. We played two games up to 21 back to back. Of course, we wouldn't have won."
I wasn't trying to flatter them or anything; I was just being honest. Realistically, there was no way we could've won.
…No. That's just an excuse.
If I were a better passer, I could have set up Yu better. If I were a better shooter, I would have made more of my shots without being reliant on the post. If I were faster, I would've been able to defend more people. The one who failed wasn't them, but me. I just wasn't good enough.
And yet…
It's fine, though, because…
"I don't care," I said, my voice as unserious as ever. "So you don't have to worry about it. It's just a game anyway."
Yu's eyes widened slightly. For a brief moment, it felt like he was searching my face for something. His grip on my shoulder tightened at that moment, but he quickly let go and cleared his throat. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Wanna go grab a bite to eat?"
Luna chimed in immediately. "Sure! Though I have a hard time eating with these nails, so…" Her gaze swept around the group until it landed on Sora. "Wanna feed me, Sora?!"
Sora's posture straightened as his face went from pale to crimson in a heartbeat. "Wha–! We can't do something like that when we aren't even dating!"
Remi shoved a hand in his face and pushed him aside violently. "And just like that, you blew the opportunity of a lifetime. Move over, dweeb. I'll do it. Is that okay, Luna?"
"That might be even better!" Luna laughed, grabbing Remi's hand.
They started walking, Yu dragging a dazed Sora behind them. I took a step to follow before Kevin called out from behind.
"Hey!"
I paused for a moment before turning around. My smile was already in place. "What's up?"
He awkwardly scratched his cheek, the setting sun painting his face in a harsh, amber light. Our long shadows stretched across the court between us, forever out of reach.
"I just wanted to say…" he stammered, his 'cool' facade finally cracking. "It was a good game. I had a lot of fun playing with you again. And… you're a lot better. Even better than me. I actually… thought you were pretty cool."
The nothingness that had hollowed out my chest twinged with something faint for a split second before dissolving.
Maybe if I had heard that two years ago, I would've had hope that it was a sign that it would restore our friendship. But that ship had long since passed. Or maybe… it was my fault.
I gave him a slightly embarrassed laugh. "Thanks. But I'm still not good enough. I'll be better if we ever play again."
Kevin nodded. "Yeah… when we play again."
Without wasting any more time, I turned my back on the court and followed the sounds of my friends' bickering.
"Also!" Kevin called out one last time. "You've made good friends!"
I didn't look back. I just kept on walking down the street with hollow steps as the night descended onto the world.
The sounds of their laughter drifted ahead of me, warm and distant. I matched their pace, my smile still fixed in place—even after no one could see it anymore.