Chapter 150 The Trio Watches the Game
At noon, Willow was the first to pack her things and rush to the elevator. As soon as she reached the lobby, Daniel called out, "Willow, over here! Hurry up!"
Willow jogged over. "How did you get down here so fast?"
The two of them linked arms and chatted as they walked out the front door.
"I snuck out five minutes early. Our team on set always has to rush off, and since there's no time clock to punch, it's not unusual for us to be away."
Willow couldn't help but feel envious.
"Come on, don't dwell on it. As long as my brother's in charge, you guys don't stand a chance! Let's grab a cab; we can even enjoy a barbecue tonight. Just thinking about it makes me excited."
"Yeah, you've got me feeling hungry now."
They hailed a taxi and headed straight to the entrance of A University, where they grabbed lunch at a small diner just outside the campus.
After the meal, Willow received a call from Declan. "Hey, have you arrived?"
"Yeah, we just finished eating."
Declan sounded thrilled on the other end of the line. "Where are you? I'll come find you."
"No need, I know the way."
"Alright. Then head straight to the gym. I'll wait for you at the entrance."
"Okay."
Willow ended the call.
Daniel, who was close enough to have overheard the conversation, teased her, "Your eager little junior sure is enthusiastic."
Willow pretended not to hear and quickly changed the subject, "Check if Ophelia has left yet."
"She's on her way. She just posted in the group chat that she left right when you were on the phone."
"Then let's head over. We can meet Ophelia when she arrives."
The two strolled towards the A University campus, with Daniel carrying a DSLR camera in his bag. Eager to start snapping pictures, he said he wanted to take a lot of photos to help Liam scout for potential new talent. He was ready to take on the role of a talent scout on the side.
Students in pairs and small groups strolled down the sidewalk, where interlacing branches stretched out, rich with verdant growth. The morning sun filtered through the gaps, and a cool breeze greeted their faces. Walking under the trees' canopy softened the sunlight to a gentle warmth.
The gymnasium was situated on the edge of the central plaza, a good distance from the school's entrance. The pair, Willow and Daniel, casually made their way, pausing to take photos and admire the scenic beauty of A University's campus, which took them about half an hour to reach the gym.
From afar, they could see Declan waiting for them at the entrance. Spotting them approaching, he rushed over with excitement. "Hey, you made it," he greeted them cheerfully.
"Yeah, looks like it's about to start. Let's head inside," Willow said, checking the time. It was already 1:50 p.m., and their leisurely walk had almost made them late.
Daniel, too, smiled at Declan and raised his DSLR camera, saying, "Hey, buddy, strike some cool poses during the match so I can snap some great shots of you."
"Will do, Madison," Declan replied obediently.
Just then, someone from inside rushed out to call for Declan, "Declan, hurry up, the game's about to begin!"
"Coming!"
Declan led Willow and Daniel into the packed gymnasium, which left them astounded by the sheer number of people and the exuberant energy. The stands were nearly full, with around seventy percent of the audience being female students—it seemed like almost every girl from the school had come to watch the game. Cheers and shouts of support were incessant.
"I've saved you both seats up front," Declan told them.
He guided them through the crowd to the first row, where four or five seats were still empty.
"Sit here. I've got to get ready to play," Declan said to them.
"Sure, go do your thing. We've got this," they responded.
After Declan left, Daniel lifted his camera and started snapping pictures, musing aloud, "This little guy's got quite the fanbase. Look at all these fans, and they're so bold! Youth is great. Girls these days are definitely braver than in our time."
Willow nodded in agreement.
Back in college, she never bothered to watch basketball games; her mind was completely wrapped up with Mitchell. She also didn't seriously pay attention to any of the boys at her school.
The players from both teams entered the court—all tall, towering over six feet, each oozing youthful charisma. The crowd erupted into cheers, screams, and chants that swelled and swelled. Everyone stood up—it was clear that the real frenzy was beginning.
Willow heard a group behind them stand up and shout enthusiastically, "Go, Architecture Department! Go, Declan!"
Daniel leaned towards Willow and whispered with a chuckle, "Looks like our friend Declan's quite popular."
When Declan got on the court, he threw a 'Yay' gesture towards Willow and their group, setting off a wave of continuous screams from the crowd.
Willow was holding her phone, vigilant for Ophelia's call amidst the clamor of the noisy environment. She worried she might not hear the ring.
The referee's whistle signaled the beginning of the showdown. The Architecture Department and the Business Management Department were competing. Serves, dribbling, passes—the athletes from both sides engaged in a fierce contest, creating a tension-filled atmosphere.
About ten minutes into the game, Ophelia called: "Willow, I'm at the entrance of the gym."
"Okay, I'll come out to meet you," Willow replied.
She informed Daniel that Ophelia had arrived and was going out to meet her, then got up and made her way to the entrance.
Reaching the gym's grand entrance, she saw no sign of her friend and called her. "Ophelia, where are you? I don't see you."
Suddenly, a figure popped out from around a corner and dashed up to Willow. Wearing a low-profile baseball cap, large sunglasses, and a face mask, Ophelia announced, "Willow, I'm right here."
Willow stepped back, clutching her chest in fright. "Ophelia, you scared the life out of me. I barely recognized you in that outfit."
"I told you it'd be no problem," Ophelia said confidently.
"Let's go. The game has started," Willow urged.
"Mhm."
Arm in arm, the two made their way into the gymnasium.
Seeing the crowded stands, Ophelia quipped with astonishment, "Wow, so many people. Feels like there's even more than the fans at my brand event this morning."
Willow led her through the crowds of people until they finally reached their seats.
"You're back! You guys missed the freshman scoring back-to-back three-pointers. You should have heard the shrieking girls behind us; my eardrums almost burst. I took lots of photos. I'll send them to you later," Daniel said, eagerly recounting the game's events as they settled down.
Willow glanced at the scoreboard; the Architecture Department was already leading by ten points, which looked promising. Declan was playing hard on the court. He zipped around the defenders like lightning and then stood behind the three-point line, raising the ball high as he leaped up. The ball sailed in a perfect arc, swishing through the hoop without touching the rim.
The crowd erupted into cheers and screams once more.
"Declan! Declan! Declan..." Everyone was chanting his name.
"The crowd's enthusiasm is overwhelming," Willow remarked, overwhelmed by the noise.
"Willow, that guy who just scored is pretty handsome. I bet ninety percent of the girls here are mostly here to see him," Ophelia teased, laughing.
Daniel listened to Ophelia's words, a smile spreading across his face as he explained, "Ophelia, that guy who just scored and also happened to be pretty good-looking, is the same one who was asking Willow for her Facebook at the diner last time. Actually, he's the one who invited us to today's game."
Ophelia, now buzzing with curiosity, turned to Willow and excitedly shook her shoulders, "Willow, what's the deal? Tell me everything."
"Calm down, Ophelia, will you? Someone might recognize us! There's no 'deal,' okay? Don't listen to Daniel's nonsense. He's just a guy from our major," Willow said, trying to stabilize herself from Ophelia's enthusiastic shaking.
"But Willow, this guy Declan—he's pretty handsome. He's a real catch, and you're in the same field of study, too, which means you've got common interests. What's his name again?" Ophelia inquired, her eyes glinting with intrigue.
"Declan," Daniel interjected before Willow could answer.
Ophelia's expression suddenly turned to one of slight difficulty as she glanced around the stadium and commented, "Looks like there might be quite some competition for his attention."
"That's no issue," Daniel chuckled. "As long as Declan's got eyes only for our Willow, right?"
The two bantered back and forth about Declan and Willow, their animated conversation making it seem as if something was really going on.
"Okay, enough," Willow interrupted, her voice cutting through their discussion. "At the rate you two are going, you're going to have our kids all planned out. Let's dial it back. It's getting a bit much."
Thankfully, halftime arrived, and with the sound of the whistle, Declan made his way towards the trio's seats.
Standing in front of them, his gaze fixed on Willow, Declan invited her, "Hey, after the game, we're all heading out for a team dinner. You should come with us." His eyes then shifted to Daniel and Ophelia, "You two should join us as well."
As his gaze fleetingly swept over Ophelia, there was no indication of recognition, suggesting either he didn't know her or Ophelia was concealing her identity exceptionally well.
Aware of Ophelia's celebrity status and the fact that they weren't acquainted with Declan's circle of friends, Willow declined tactfully, "We'll pass, thanks. It might not be appropriate for us to crash your get-together. And our friend here isn't exactly free to join."
Following her line of sight to Ophelia, Declan's attention returned to her, and a semblance of recognition dawned on his expression. Ophelia, who wore a mask and no sunglasses at the time, revealed bright, sparkling eyes that seemed vaguely familiar to him.
Declan watched Ophelia pause for a moment before it finally clicked - she reminded him of a character from a movie his roommate had recently obsessed over. His buddy, who also happened to be his roommate, wasn't interested in the lead actress but was captivated by the supporting actress. So much so that he plastered a huge poster of her behind their dorm room door and wouldn't stop talking about her. Having been exposed to it so often, Declan had her face etched in his memory. At this moment, he felt that his senior friend bore a striking resemblance to that actress.
Furthermore, when the senior mentioned she was inconvenienced, Declan guessed why and hesitantly asked, "Do I recognize you? Are you the actress from that recently released movie...?"
"Shh!" Ophelia cut him off urgently, not waiting for him to finish. She knew Declan drew the gaze of female students wherever he went, and the last thing she needed was to be outed, risking a scolding from her agent. Not to mention that she'd sneaked out to this basketball game and hadn't informed Liam. If he found out, she'd be toast.
Understanding her situation, Declan nodded, turned to Willow, and said, "Senior, since it's inconvenient today, I'll treat you to dinner some other time to thank you for coming to the game."
As he concluded, he had to rejoin the game. "I better go."
"Yeah, get going," Willow urged him to get back to the team.
After Declan left, Ophelia leisurely twisted open a bottle of water and smiled, "The underclassman has seen my movie. That's going to earn some points."
"Looks like you're climbing up from being a minor celeb," Daniel chimed in jokingly.
"You're on your way to the top five, Ophelia," Willow supported her friend wholeheartedly.
It was true that Ophelia could have leveraged her connection to Liam—like lying in the shade of a large tree—but she'd never asked him for anything, and he hadn't offered her any special treatment. Her success was hard-won, step by step.
But nobody should feel sorry for her because...
Ophelia didn't really want to try hard. Her life desired to live effortlessly, a dream her agent constantly pushed against every day...
In fact, she felt that being a barely-known artist was better for her. "I think I'm better off being an unknown," Ophelia lamented to her friends. "It's just too exhausting now."
Daniel and Willow couldn't help but roll their eyes.
They both thought it was remarkable how Ophelia's lack of ambition had stayed the same.
The second half of the game was practically a foregone conclusion. By the end of the first half, the Architecture Department had widened the gap, and although the Business Management Department made a spirited effort to catch up, they needed help to turn the tide.
In the end, when the game was over, the Department of Architecture had beaten their opponents by a 15-point lead, clinching the championship title in the university basketball finals.
At the end of the match, Declan was surrounded by a crowd. His department had won the championship, and his contribution to the score was the most significant. The female students from the stands rushed down to hand Declan water and towels.
Willow didn't make her way through the crowd to greet Declan. Instead, she left the gym with Daniel and Ophelia as the award ceremony concluded, and everyone gathered around the winning team for photos.
Stepping out of the gym, they realized it had been a long time since they had all managed to get together, as they had all been so busy recently. The trio decided to grab dinner right outside campus.
After much discussion, they settled on having soup, a favorite of Willow and Daniel's from their college days. Ophelia, usually mindful of her diet, seemed ready to let loose tonight.
Meanwhile, Declan, along with a few teammates, received the championship trophy and stayed behind for a photo op. By the time people started to leave the arena, Willow and her friends were nowhere in sight.
He walked to the side and took out his phone to message Willow on Facebook, "Hey, did you guys leave?"
Willow had just settled into a booth at a soup restaurant when she received Declan's message on Facebook. Considering Ophelia's public image, they had chosen a place with private rooms for convenience. She messaged Declan back, "Yeah, we're grabbing a bite to eat. We'll catch up another day."
"Alright, we'll schedule a time to meet. I'm glad you came today," he replied.
Willow read the message but didn't respond again. The soup arrived, and the three of them were very happy, even ordering three bottles of water to enjoy with their meal.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
