Once the game ended, a larger crowd than before could be seen, gathered due to the increased level of play in this last game.
21-15: the scoreboard still showed how the game concluded.
But what drew the most attention was the performance of a single player, who was surrounded by his teammates while receiving pats on the back and praise.
"You're incredible, man," one of Aaron's teammates told him while patting him on the back.
"Don't forget about us when you're filling NBA arenas," another told him in a tone that took for granted that the NBA was where Aaron belonged.
The truth is, ever since Aaron showed up here nearly 9 years ago, he always said his dream was to be a professional basketball player and that was why he was here to train.
At first, everyone believed he was just a kid talking about impossible dreams, thinking he would give up within a week, but that never happened.
Practically everyone at Rufus King Park watched him grow from the little kid who could barely pass the ball between his legs to the guy who now dunks as if it were nothing.
"Okay, calm down guys," I told them, trying to soothe my teammates' spirits as I made my way through and approached the guy named Deandre.
"Good game, friend," I said while extending my hand and putting on my best friendly smile.
But for the already infuriated Deandre, that smile was nothing more than an arrogant smirk that only sought to rub more salt in the wound of his defeat.
In his fury and heat of the moment, he swiped Aaron's hand away with a smack and said, "You were on the line," through gritted teeth.
At that action, Aaron's smile disappeared, giving way to a frown at the man's outburst.
"Of course not, man," I said in a calm tone, trying to prevent the situation from escalating more than necessary.
"I'm telling you yes, man, you guys saw it, right?" Deandre said, directing his gaze toward his teammates, trying to get support.
"He's right," said one.
"It was the line," said another.
"Tell him, D-Dre," said the last one, supporting their leader.
"See? Your foot touched the line," Deandre said now in a smug tone, believing he was right.
After that, I decided to turn around, heading toward the growing crowd that had gathered for the game.
"Hey guys, these guys are saying I touched the line, what do you all think?" I said, raising my voice so everyone could hear and weigh in.
"Liar!" shouted one of the members of my team.
"His foot was far from the line!" shouted someone from the crowd who had been there since the beginning of the game.
"Fake!" someone in the crowd began to chant, and then the rest of the crowd started a chant that began to rumble through the entire park.
"Fake!—Fake!" the crowd chanted relentlessly while glaring down Deandre and his team.
Faced with the growing crowd beginning to roar against them, a nervous look was seen on all their faces as they huddled toward one side of the court, until one of them hesitantly approached Deandre and said:
"Leave it, man, it's not worth it," he said with a slight tone of plea in his voice while hoping things would calm down.
"I'm telling you man, he touched the line, this is rigged," Deandre said while grinding his teeth and glaring at the person responsible for all this.
Then, heading directly toward him with a threatening air, he said: "You think it's funny, huh?" while shoving Aaron's chest.
Aaron stumbled back due to the shove while raising his hands to signal that he wasn't doing anything.
"Calm down man, I didn't do anything," Aaron said, this time with a more serious tone in his voice while trying to make Deandre see reason.
"Don't tell me what to do," he said, this time raising his fist toward Aaron.
At that, his teammates panicked as they quickly approached and grabbed Deandre from behind, pinning him and preventing him from doing something crazy.
"What are you doing? Let me go!!" Deandre shouted furiously at his teammates.
"Calm down man, he's just a kid," one of the cronies said while pushing Deandre back.
"Besides, it looks like if we do something to him, we're the ones who lose," said the other while looking at the increasingly furious crowd that seemed ready to attack if any of them threw a punch toward Aaron.
The thing is, Aaron practically grew up playing at Rufus King Park, he got along with everyone and could be seen almost every day on the court; practically everyone here had watched him grow.
"Leave the money and get out," a guy said in a threatening tone as he stepped protectively in front of Aaron.
He was of Latino descent, muscular, about the same height as Aaron, and with prominent tattoos on both arms; along with his large and burgeoning beard, he was the type of guy you wouldn't want to cross in an alley in the middle of the night.
In that moment, Deandre and his team couldn't help but gulp, their legs shaking, thinking it was their end once they saw that man's crazed eyes.
"It's okay, Hector, calm down," I told my muscular friend while putting a hand on his shoulder as a sign that everything was under control.
"Sure?" Hector said, looking Aaron directly in the eyes.
"Trust me," was the simple response Aaron gave him without looking away.
"Fine, but remember that if something happens to you, Paola will kill me," he said as he backed off, not without first giving Deandre one last look while making the universal sign of "I'm watching you."
After that, Aaron saw how Deandre sighed in relief, believing he had escaped his possible death; once he was calmer, I said:
"How about a 1 vs 1 to decide who wins," I told him, giving Deandre an option.
One could see Deandre's face change to one of concentration as the gears inside his head began to turn, weighing what would be the best option to get out cleanly.
"What are the rules?" he asked, wanting to know what Aaron had up his sleeve.
"5 attempts: you on offense, me on defense. If you manage to score even a single point, the victory is yours," Aaron said, making it clear how the 1 vs 1 would be.
After hearing the terms, a smile appeared on Deandre's face once he heard he was on offense, because if he had confidence in anything, it was his dribbling and his ability to win in a 1 vs 1.
"How about to make it more interesting, we bet double," Deandre said with a smile, believing he already had this won.
"Deal," was Aaron's simple response while pulling out another 50 dollars and trusting them to Hector.
After that, he got into position, ready to block and smother Deandre's moves.
"Get ready, kid, this time it's just you and me," Deandre said, then accelerated straight to the basket with the ball, hoping to take Aaron by surprise.
But Aaron was imperturbable, watching Deandre approach the rim behind him while he kept his calm to turn around at the exact moment Deandre threw a simple layup, until Aaron's hand appeared and blocked the layup.
"Tscht," Deandre said upon seeing how he missed the layup.
"You got lucky, kid," he said while getting into position for the reset.
"We'll see," was Aaron's simple response as he passed him the ball for the second round.
This time Deandre was more cautious, bouncing the ball close to his body while waiting to see an opening in Aaron's defense, but while he kept looking for openings, Aaron moved in and began to smother him with contact, limiting Deandre's movements.
"Get off me," Deandre grunted while trying to push Aaron out of his personal space.
In that, Deandre tried a fake followed by a sharp spin to the other side, but Aaron stayed focused only on the movement of the ball, and as soon as Deandre made the fake and began the sharp turn in the opposite direction, Aaron threw his hand directly toward the ball so that the ball ended up rolling out of bounds, ending the second round.
"2-0," Aaron told Deandre, trying to get into his head.
"This isn't over yet," Deandre said, trying to find a solution.
After that, he held his position while trying to disorient Aaron with sharp changes of the ball over his head from left to right, but Aaron remained with the same imperturbable calm as if no matter what he did, he would always be two steps ahead of him.
So, from one moment to the next, he decided to pull back with a stepback and launch a shot straight to the basket, but in that, he saw how the person in front of him jumped as if he had two springs instead of legs and blocked the shooting angle.
"3-0," Aaron said in the same neutral tone, as if this were a simple practice of no importance.
"Shut up," Deandre shouted while getting into position, ready for the 4th and penultimate attempt.
One could perceive the tension in the environment while both got into positions ready for the fourth round.
They were so focused, the two of them, that they didn't listen—or rather, didn't pay attention—to the murmurs and whispers within the crowd.
"Do you think the kid has any chance against Aaron?" one of the people in the crowd said to his friend.
"No way, Aaron won't let the guy even touch the rim," his friend replied.
"Want to bet?" the person said with a half-smile to his friend, hoping to get some fun for himself and perhaps some extra money with a bit of luck.
"20 that Aaron doesn't let the guy score," his friend said with confidence.
"20 that Deandre manages to let the ball touch the rim," the guy said.
"Hey wait, I'm also betting that Deandre makes the last basket," said one of Deandre's friends once he heard someone betting.
That caused a wave of people starting to bet, while one of them pulled a notebook from his pocket and began to write while taking charge of collecting the betting pool money.
"30 that Aaron blocks all the shots!" shouted a guy with dreads.
"Put me down for 15 that Deandre manages to score," shouted another of Deandre's teammates.
Things got so hot that a bunch of people were heard shouting numbers while waving bills in the direction of the person in charge of collecting the money and taking notes; that was until suddenly a deep voice broke the bubble in which the crowd was enmeshed.
"100 dollars that Aaron blocks everything," Hector said in a deep and serious tone while handing over his money to the guy with the notebook.
"Are you sure, man?" the guy with the notebook asked hesitantly, since 100 dollars was the highest bet so far.
"Just write it down," Hector said in a sharp tone while his gaze returned to the court just at the moment Aaron blocked Deandre's shot, leaving only the last opportunity for this encounter to end.
In that moment the crowd fell silent while all eyes were on the two people on the court, both with sweaty bodies and without looking away from each other, as if the simple act of blinking would make them lose their rival's movement.
"Last chance," Aaron told Deandre while a light layer of sweat was seen on his face, his gaze still fixed on the ball.
At that, Deandre didn't respond, he simply kept bouncing the ball with a determined look, knowing that this was his last opportunity.
In a decided movement, he decided to try a move he had been practicing the last few months, an In-And-Out, a move in which the ball looks like it's going to change hands but returns to the original; a move in which you need great hand coordination or you run the risk of the ball being lost.
With a determined look, Deandre decided to bet everything on that last move, knowing that this was his last chance to score even one point.
Once he was close, he began to perform the move, and for a second he saw how Aaron's body leaned slightly to the right upon seeing the ball head in that direction.
"I got you," Deandre thought as soon as he recovered the ball without changing hands and finally managed to get past Aaron before the incredulous gaze of the crowd.
Then, once he got past that monster, he saw the clear path to the hoop and, not wanting to risk missing a shot, he approached the rim to perform an easy layup, but he didn't notice how, as soon as he managed to cross Aaron, the latter turned around quickly and jumped before he even took flight; the last thing he saw was a hand above him while a shadow seemed to loom over him, completely blocking the basket; at that moment, Deandre knew it.
He had lost.
Author thoughts
what do you think of today chapter?