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High School’s basketball court.

      Packed with students, parents, and people from the community—all basketball fans—the crowd knew this game would be the one to watch.

      The local police were on high alert and kept a close watch on the nearby streets to ensure everyone attending the semifinals could enjoy the game.

      It was a proud moment in the school history, as this was the first time that Jefferson High School had made it to the state basketball semifinals.

      Among the crowd were two proud parents, Peter and Jessica Johnson.

      It was because of their son Ariel, the star point guard of the Jaguars, that the team made it to the semifinals.

      Although the team had lost a few points during the third quarter, they soon found their rhythm and they were only trailing the Rockets by one point.

      Peter and Jessica felt confident that their son could win the game in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

      It was now or never: either the Jaguars would advance to the state finals, or their season would end on the court this morning. The pressure felt intense, but hopes were high!

      Although fatigue was setting in for the youngest basketball fans, everyone stayed. The crowd knew the tables could turn at any time. The game had become a real nail-biter.

      “Last chance for the Jaguars,” the commentator announced. “Ariel has the ball; all eyes are on him. If he scores, the Rockets are through.”

      The cheerleaders began to cheer for Ariel. “Ariel all the way! This is your day! Make us proud and bring the crown!”

      Ariel began to sweat heavily. The court seemed like a war-zone, and he was the lone ranger. The Rockets were all set to make his moves fail.

      He began to dribble the ball, and the opponents began to move toward him. The pressure increased. A player tried to steal the ball, but Ariel dodged him. People in the audience were sweating.

      Another player attempted to make a block, but Ariel moved around him, all while keeping expert control of the ball.

      He overtook the player so that the whole crowd came to its feet.

      This move awed the cheerleaders.

      As Ariel moved closer to the basket, with no opponent in sight, everyone held their breath. Drops of sweat began to form on Peter’s forehead. It was like him playing in place of his son.

      All he could remember was his high school tenure when he was also the star of his school’s basketball team.

      Ariel took a deep breath and threw the ball toward the basket.

      The ball was in mid-air, and no one flinched their eyes from the ball.

      A player from the Rockets team came out of nowhere, jumped, and hit the ball with his left hand, making it go elsewhere. Just before it could go inside the basket.

      “And it’s a basket missed.”

      The crowd went silent. No one was cheering, not even the winning team.

      Both teams began to push themselves until the referees broke the tension between them. The whole time, it was like they had turned the tables.

      A final decision was made and given to the commentator.

      “It was a close call. Jefferson Jaguars couldn’t make it to the state finals. Congratulations, Rockets!” said the commentator.

      The cheerleaders from Roosevelt High School began to chant for their team, and the crowd supporting the Roosevelt Rockets broke into clapping with wild excitement.

      The winning team celebrated amid confetti.

      They played their school song in appreciation, which echoed through the halls of Jefferson High School.

      Ariel remained on the court in shock. He couldn’t believe he was so close to scoring to move forward to the finals.

      In the chortling crowd were his parents who pushed their way past everyone, down to the court where Ariel stood.

      People were lifting the player who was able to stop Ariel from scoring a basket onto their shoulders. It was a big win for them.

      The Jaguars were aghast. They made their way to the stands, some of them sipping water, some of them angry, while one of them began to cry.

      Ariel was inside the court, eyeing the Rockets hero. It could’ve been him, but it looked like a beautiful dream now—far from reality.

      “Ariel! Dear! Are you okay?” Jessica shook her son, bringing him back to reality. “It is okay, Ariel, it happens. We are proud of you!” His mother hugged him, but Ariel didn’t say a word.

      “Talk to me, my champ!” said Peter.

      “We. Lost. Because. Of Me.” He then broke into tears. His cheeks flushed red. He was devastated and embarrassed.

      He couldn’t make his parents proud; he couldn’t provide a win for his team, or pride for the school, and couldn’t find an answer for this setback in a game he felt so passionate about. Basketball was everything to him, and it was something that he practiced almost every day.

      However, it was just the match that had ended, not the criticisms. The teammates who envied Ariel had a perfect chance to attack.

      Since they still considered Ariel a hero for bringing the school team to the semifinals, they wanted to turn his fame into ashes.

      “We lost the game! Just because of you. You are worthless!” said Albert.

      “You did it on purpose! You wanted to have fame all for yourself. You don’t deserve to be the captain of the team!” added Joel.

      Ariel buried his face in his hands. For some time, he thought they were right; he didn’t deserve to be in the team, and he stepped down as the team captain.

      “You guys are right; I don’t deserve to be the captain, I’m stepping down,” said Ariel with a heavy heart.

      “Come on, guys; you’re exaggerating. We are a team, and we all lost this game. We can win this next year. It was because of him we even made it to the semifinals,” said Daniel, trying to send them away.

      Daniel was another teammate. It was he who cried on the defeat. He stood up from his seat, making his way into the basketball court. He patted Ariel on his back and said, “You did a splendid job, Ariel. Do not listen to them. There will always be people who will try to invalidate you. You are my hero!”

      Albert came forward to hit Daniel for taking Ariel’s side; however, the coach intervened and stopped Albert by taking hold of his hand.

      “Enough, Albert. Go home! Your father and mother must wait for you and your brother!” said the coach.

      He couldn’t afford more drama in the basketball court, especially that they hosted the event.

      Albert tried to say something but couldn’t. It was like he couldn’t muster the courage to say so, and he left with a sheepish expression on his face.

      Once Albert and Joel had left the scene, he approached Ariel and gave him a warm hug. Tears ran down Ariel’s face. The coach said, “It was a good game, Ariel. It was just too close. We had a good season!”

      Ariel nodded. He didn’t say a word.

      The coach continued. “This is just the beginning. The next season will be much better. Trust me! Let nothing or nobody makes you lose focus. This is your passion, and because of you, we made it to the semis. A good player blooms everywhere. Nothing can overshadow talent.”

      “But … look how I missed the shot! If it happened once, then it can happen twice,” said Ariel. Albert and Joel had crushed his confidence.

      “Look, Ariel, everything will be okay! I dreamed that one day, one of my players would be a professional player, and I see that potential in you!”

      “Oh!

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