Chapter 137

After the school sports day, Citrine and her brother Travis suddenly found themselves getting along better than ever.

That Sunday, Travis happened to have a basketball game and invited Citrine to come watch. As soon as she arrived, a group of Travis's close friends greeted her and ushered her to a prime seat right in the middle of the bleachers. Someone had even gone out of their way to lay down a soft cushion for her—the seat was so comfortable she almost melted into it.

Citrine glanced around, but Travis was nowhere in sight. "Where is he?" she asked after scanning the court for a while.

"Coach called him over before the game," Sylvan explained. "He sent us to welcome you."

With a proud grin, Sylvan grabbed several large bags from his friends behind him and presented them to her. "Here you go-water, some soda, snacks-we brought everything you might need."

Citrine stared at the three bulging bags in disbelief, her eyes widening. "This is... way too much! There's no way I can eat all of this."

Sylvan just made a playful face. "No worries, just pick whatever you like. Travis told us to make sure you're taken care of."

"We'll leave you to it!" With that, the group headed off.

The game hadn't started yet, and Citrine soon grew bored. She rummaged through the bags until she found a snack she liked, nibbling on it as she watched the court.

A few minutes later, Travis and his teammates jogged out in their jerseys. Travis spotted Citrine right away and waved at her from the court. Citrine mouthed, "Go get 'em, big bro," giving him a silent cheer.

No one else noticed, but Travis caught it perfectly. He couldn't help but smile to himself.

The opposing team then came out and Citrine immediately recognized them. Oh boy, it was Clifford and his usual crew, plus a few unfamiliar faces. As soon as they stepped onto the court, they started showing off. Laird even turned to Travis's team and gave a mocking thumbs-down.

Travis barely reacted, but Sylvan looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel. "Who do these jerks think they are?" he fumed, taking a step forward as if ready to start a fight. "I'm gonna wipe that smug look off their faces."

Travis placed a steadying hand on Sylvan's shoulder. "Don't lose your cool." He looked across at the other team, his voice icy. "We'll see who the real losers are. Settle it on the court."

Clifford shot Travis a dark glare, clearly unimpressed. "Fine by me. Let's see if Havencrest Technical College has anyone who can actually play," he sneered, his words dripping with disdain for their school.

Right then, the referee arrived. "Alright, let's get this game started!" With a sharp whistle, the match began.

Both teams sprang into action. Travis made the first move, snatching the ball and making a long pass to one of his teammates. Their team moved with seamless coordination; even in the opening minutes, they were already taking the lead.

Across the court, Clifford quickly realized he'd underestimated his opponents. He snapped to attention, and his team started to catch up, the score inching closer.

By the time the first half was over, both teams were drenched in sweat, not daring to let up for a second. At halftime, Travis's team was up by only one point-24 to 25. The game couldn't be closer.

During the break, the teams retreated to their benches. Citrine was waiting for Travis near the benches, but before he showed up, Clifford found her instead.

Citrine cursed her luck under her breath and was about to slip away when Clifford called out to her.

He looked genuinely surprised to see her there. "What are you doing here?"

As he spoke, he caught sight of the bag of snacks and drinks in her hand.

He couldn't help but smirk to himself. He was convinced she'd come looking for him to apologize, just like she always did whenever they fought at least, that's how it had always gone before. Clifford was already used to it.