"Are you kidding? Hell nah" Logan smiled. Alex turned out to be just as stubborn as he was but that alone wasn't enough to make him give up, "I'm not about to quit on my best bud. I can't say he has grown fond of me but I sure have. I kind of learned what made him tick and using that to tease him has been a lot of fun. Of course, he also got back at me in his own way. It's been quite the adventure."

 

Normally, Alex would have been irritated by this but… the genuine tone Logan had in his voice baffled her. Even after all of that, she pondered, he never thought badly about me. She recounted the times she insulted him. The time she almost punched him in the face. The time she told him her name was Xandra....

 

"Thank you" she told him, sincerely meaning it. 

 

Logan's ears didn't seem to be working properly. He could have sworn he heard alien words from Xandra's mouth.

 

"What was that?"

 

Alex rolled her eyes, "You heard what I said."

 

"I'm sorry what I heard was 'why would I let a trespasser become my brother's best friend'?" Logan leaned closer, cupping his ear.

 

"Yeah, that's exactly what I said."

 

"Hey!"

 

Alex laughed, "Now, can I have my phone? You guys played a long time that I'm going to miss my flight."

 

Logan stood up and went to his locker. To Alex' surprise, she had actually targeted the wrong locker and Logan had a normal padlock. He fished out the key from his right sock and opened the locker. 

"That son of a cockroach" she muttered under her breath. 

 

"Did you say something?" Logan asked, walking back to her. 

 

"Nothing." 

 

He shrugged, "Is Alex here?"

 

"He is. Probably in the car now waiting for me since he has to drive me to the airport." The words flowed out of Alex' lips smoothly. Her chest constricted at the observation.

 

Logan handed over the phone. When Alex reached for it, he pulled it back over his shoulder, "What? No, congratulations, Logan? No, here's a reward for winning the game? Good luck on the championship?"

 

This time Alex reached up to snatch the phone, standing on her tiptoes. This left her in close proximity of Logan's face. Sarcastically, she grinned, "Congratulations, Logan, I have decided not to kick you for taking my phone. Take it as your reward for winning the game. Next time, you can go break a leg. Yours, please."

 

"Funny" he grinned back at her. Slowly, Logan released his grip on the phone. His fingers brushed over Xandra's—even so, the moment ended quickly.

 

Alex rolled back in her heels and tucked the phone in her back pocket. She immediately turned around  and walked away, hiding the blush on her cheeks, "See ya, moron."

 

"Bye bye, Xandra."

 

Alex hovered in front of the door she just closed, still holding the handle.

 

Could she... could she…

 

She sighed and dropped her hand.

 

At the end of the hallway, the rest of the team hollered as they walked to the lockers. The coach had told them to change so they could celebrate their victory. Although a few of them said they would wait for the championship first before celebrating, their coach protested by telling them all victories should be celebrated so that they'd never forget to appreciate them even if they lose a game someday.

 

"Did you see that guy's face when the ball passed between his legs?" Max gleefully laughed for the nth time, "Oh, man! I'd never forget it."

 

Jae groaned and grabbed his neck in a headlock. 

 

"If I hear that story one more time—" Before he could finish what he said to say, he felt a blow to his side. He and Max fell backwards, hitting some of their teammates.

 

Jae shook the black spots out of his vision and instantly snarled at the culprit, "Hey, watch where you're goin—"

 

A gasp escaped from the girl's lips. Jae couldn't help but stare, memorizing her features. She had a curtain of blonde hair, hiding most of her face, and had a pair of wide gray eyes peeking through.

 

"Hey, miss. Are you okay?" Max reached out a hand to the girl who immediately backed away. Max raised his eyebrows without dropping his hand while Jae got to his feet, looking at the girl weirdly.

 

Alex' breathing quickened. She had been a fool for not looking in front of her. She was in such a hurry that lost her sense of direction. Now, there she was on the floor with the whole basketball team's eyes on her and her skewed blonde wig. 

 

She gulped.

 

When Max attempted to move closer again, Alex got up and ran through their group, shielding her face with her hands.

 

"Wow" Max whistled, "My godly looks must have been too much for her. Sigh, it's so hard to be so good-looking."

 

"Or maybe she found your face to be so ugly it's horrifying" one of his teammates said.

 

"Oh, really? Good thing she didn't look at your face then! Or she would have thought she was in a nightmare!"

 

Jae ignored the growing argument and frowned, still looking at the direction where the girl disappeared. Then, he turned his gaze towards the locker room which, as far as he knew, was occupied. 

 

His father's words echoed in his ears.

 

'Could you keep tabs on him?  He seems awfully cheery.'

 

'Maybe one of my sons found someone they want to commit to.'

 

Did Logan really have a secret girlfriend? Jae wondered. The question left him a little bewildered. He didn't know whether he should be happy or not. Logan had always been someone who fell for someone easily which had more disadvantages than advantages so far. Not to mention the girl didn't seem that familiar. 

 

Was there any way to find out more about the girl?

 

A gleaming object caught Jae's eye. He bent down to pick it up. Its screen lit up in his hand, asking for a password.