Chapter 26: 25 | FALLING

25 | FALLING

Ivan Petrov and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Ivan Petrov

I wake up thinking it’s a normal day only to realise Lex Hope isn’t sleeping beside me. He’s standing beside our bed, all dressed up in his Falcons jersey and shorts, aiming his basketball at a makeshift hoop attached way up in the wall.

“You’re up early,” I mumble, kicking the duvet off my legs.

He holds the basketball between his elbow and the side of his torso and faces me. “I thought you’d be up earlier, actually.” His words sound guarded, his body is tense. He isn’t telling me something.

“Is it your birthday or something?” I ask, stepping out of the bed. “Or Sebastian’s?”

“Ivan,” he says, still tense. “It’s Match Day.”

“All the best, then,” I say casually. “I’m sure you’ll do just fi–” My eyes widen. “It’s Match Day?” My body floods with realisation. I cannot believe I forgot how important this day is for the both of us.

Hope nods. I understand why he’s been so tense all morning.

“Like our Match Day?” I reconfirm even though I don’t need to. There’s literally no way I’m wrong.

He nods again. We’re playing each other in a matter of a few hours and I’m in my pyjamas.

“Holy shit,” I mutter and grab my phone. I have about a hundred notifications - more than half of them are missed calls from Coach Merton and Tyler. I even have a text from Vinny Donovan which is surprising because the only time we acknowledge each other’s presence is when we’re arguing. I open his text and it’s a middle finger emoji.

I can only imagine what they’d be thinking now: they have a few hours until the Falcons game and their captain’s missing in action. If I were Vinny Donovan, I’d do more than just flip me off.

“Are you alright?” Hope asks, half-concerned.

I chuck my phone on the bed and look up. “I…” My hand runs through my hair nervously. “Yeah, I guess.”

There’s a long tense moment between us. “I really fucked up, didn’t I?”

He doesn’t disagree. “That doesn’t mean you can’t fix this thing. Take a shower, wear some fresh clothes and drive to wherever your team’s at.” He throws his car keys towards me.

I catch them. “You’re letting me drive your car?”

“You need it,” he says. “Besides, Blake’s giving me a ride.”

I nod. I’m going to have to be extra-careful with a Falcon-coloured car in Wildcat territory but he’s right : I don’t really have another option.

Hope checks his phone. “My ride’s here,” he says. “I guess I’ll see you… at the game?”

“At the game,” I confirm.

“All the best,” he says and I can tell he means it. It’s not a just-for-courtesy phrase; he really wants me to do well.

I nod. “You too.” My voice is curt, professional. He looks at me for a few seconds.

“You really think I’ll be able to work things out with the team?”

“Don’t lose hope, Petrov,” he says, only half-joking.

I roll my eyes.

“No, actually,” he sounds serious now. “I’ll always have your back.”

And then he closes the door behind him and leaves.

xxx

When I reach the basketball court,  Coach Merton is in the middle of a pep talk, the entire team around him, looking serious and desperate at the same time. I walk slowly, trying to be as soundless as possible, but Merton notices me. Before I can protest, he says, “Ten rounds of the whole court. Start now.”

“But-” Ten rounds is a lot for a match day. “I’ll be tired during the match.”

“Ten rounds or you’re benched, Petrov.”

Tyler gives me a sorry look while Donovan and his Vinions snicker. Sighing, I leave my sports bag on a chair and start jogging.

By the time I’m done, the boys are implementing the strategy discussed by playing a practice game. I walk up to Merton. He has that half-concerned half-reassured look that most coaches have before and during big games.

"I'm sorry," I say when I'm within earshot.

He shakes his head. "Tell that to your team, Ivan. they need to hear it more than I do."

I sigh. “Merton, you know-”

“I know you’re not gonna do that,” he says, then mirrors my sigh. He shakes his head and hands me a red sports pinny. “Go join them.”

I pretend I don’t hear the disappointment in his voice and slip on the pinny. I walk into the court and intercept a pass, capitalise on the element of surprise and head for the hoop.

I dribble ahead and take a lay up. The ball falls into the hoop and I grin.

“Ha!” I say. I guess my form isn’t that bad after all.

“You’re Team Red, Petrov,” Vinny Donovan says. For some reason, even he sounds disappointed. “You just scored Team Blue a basket.”

xxx

I think the entire town has shown up for our match. Every seat in the stadium is filled. Every time I belittle the Wildcat-Falcon rivalry, I get a reality check. The scene is wild. For our town, it’s the most important match of the season.

I stand in the centre of the court, and four other Wildcats are behind me, in their respective jump ball positions. I’m trying my best to ignore all the tension between us. We’re obviously not in our best form, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t good. But good isn’t good enough to take on the Falcons. We need all the luck in the world if we want to win.

The Falcons take their positions. Lex Hope is on the other side of the halfway line, taking his team’s jump ball. We’re facing each other, his grey eyes focussed.

“You good?” he mutters.

I shrug.

“All the best,” he says. I nod. I don’t have it in me to wish him the same.

The referee walks towards us, ball in hand. “Ready?” he asks, then tosses the ball up in the air. We both jump towards it, hands as high as they can go. Lex taps the ball and it lands right into my hands.

“Good luck to you too,” I mutter, and dribble ahead. Vinny Donovan calls for a pass but I ignore him and throw the ball towards Tyler instead. Hope leaps and catches the ball midair.

He makes a quick pass to his teammate - Jersey Number 4. A freshie, perhaps, because I’ve never seen him on court before. Jersey Number 4 takes a shot - a three-pointer. The referee raises his hands up, three fingers extending on each palm. It’s a swish.

The stadium erupts in cheer. The Falcons celebrate.

“You’re gonna need more luck than we do,” Hope says from behind me before jogging back to his defence position. His words don’t sound snarky at all. All fact and good intention.

And I hate it because I know he’s right.

xxx

The half-time bell goes off. The score’s 41-22, to the Falcons. None of us are happy about it. We’ve all gathered around our coaches. Coach Lincoln’s looking at each of us and telling us what we’re doing wrong and what we should do now. He’s done with Donovan, Langer and Ziegler. I know I’m coming up next.

“Petrov,” Coach Lincoln says. “Pass. To. Donovan. He’s always free on the other side and you know what happens when you don’t pass to him? You either take a bad shot or make a bad pass to Ziegler. Both of which cost us possession."

I nod. Merton clears his throat. "All right boys, have some water. We'll make a couple of substitutions. You guys are a capable bunch, just play as a team."

If only it were that easy. I down a bottle of water and wipe my face with a towel. Pass the ball, I tell myself. To Donovan.

I find myself pushing away everything Coach had told me. How on earth was I supposed to pass the ball to someone I didn't trust? And how could I trust Donovan and his Vinions after everything they'd done to me? My injuries from the night of my mother's funeral were recovering but there are some bruises that even time can't heal.

I walk into the court and wait for the game to resume. The whistle blows and the ball is live.

Here we go, I think. The Falcons have possession of the ball. Hope passes the ball to Blake Richardson who dribbles into the D. He passes to Jamie who takes a shot.

The ball bounces off the board. Ezra Langer goes for the rebound and I start sprinting towards the other end of the court. A couple of Falcons - Hope included - run behind me. Langer throws the ball.  It's a long pass but a pretty good one. I adjust my momentum and leap to catch it. Once I gain possesion of the ball, I dribble and jump towards the hoop, releasing it midair.

After that, everything happens very fast. But I see it all in slow motion.

The ball lands on the ring with so much velocity that it reflects off it and hits my face. I'm still midair and my body, which hasn't recovered, isn't ready for the blow. I lose my balance and gravity means more to me now than it ever did before. In a few seconds, my feet won't land on the ground. They'll fall - and possibly break - with the rest of my fragile body.

I watch the ceiling as I fall, growing more and more distant. The crowd goes silent, like they're waiting in anticipation for my fall. I can hear my own ragged breath.

I don't see my life flashing in front of my eyes like they say it would. Instead, I see glimpses of it - like a slideshow of my life's photo album. My sister playing with me as a child. Stargazing with my mom. Playing cards as a family. Slam dunking with Kellin and Tyler.

And then the not so nice stuff : my father turning into a monster in front of my own eyes. Me sneaking in male porno magazines. My mom growing sick until she ultimately stopped growing at all.

Then hopeful ones. I honestly didn't think I'd be one to think of puns in my dying moments but then again, I didn't really think I'd be living with Lex Hope for protection. I think of Sebastian and Jessica and Richard and Emelia. And Prince. Man, I'll miss him.

Then Hope. The one and only. His hair and his eyes and his stupid shirtless torso. His smirk and the way he rolls his eyes and his all-encompassing hugs. I think of how many times he's held me, consoled me, been there for me when I thought I was alone.

I think of all the things I told him and not anyone else. And then all the things I should've told him. Lex Hope, I kinda sorta maybe like you? Yeah no. That would've ruined everything.

Or not. Guess I'll never know.

xxx

A/N

Yup! Another cliffhanger! I'm sorry this took so long. But I had to do a character death some justice.

Ok no I'm not that evil. Stay tuned for the next chapter… you're all in for a (worthwhile) surprise.

Also I heard about Joe and Taylor and I never realised how much I took their relationship for granted  Honestly thought he was the 1

Anyways take care! I'll see you soon x