Extra Basket

Chapter 137: Chapter 124: Thugs on loose

📍 Graves Court — August 5, 2010, 4:00 PM

The rhythmic echo of basketballs bouncing across the hardwood filled the gym. The walls were scuffed, the paint on the three-point line faded, but for the boys of Vorpal Basket, this was sacred ground.

Ethan stood near the baseline, arms crossed, eyes scanning his teammates as they ran shooting drills. Lucas was practicing fadeaways in the corner while Louie Gee Davas worked on his flashy streetball-style layups.

Then—

"LUCAS!!"

The sharp, energetic voice cut through the noise like a whistle. Heads turned. Lucas froze mid-dribble and looked toward the gym doors.

There she stood, a girl in casual jeans and a black windbreaker, holding a clipboard with one hand and waving with the other.

Ayumi Brooke.

Lucas’s eyes widened. "Ayumi?"

Ethan grinned and stepped forward, patting Lucas on the shoulder.

"Oh, I didn’t tell you?" Ethan said, amused. "She’s our new manager. Officially."

Lucas blinked. "Seriously?"

"I talked to that bastard Coach Fred Mason," Ethan added, voice bitter. "He stripped Ayumi of her manager spot last year over some dumb excuse. Said she ’wasn’t needed.’ But now?" He smirked. "Now she’s ours."

Ayumi walked up, beaming. "Hehe."

Lucas chuckled, still surprised. "You never told me. When did this happen?"

"Just yesterday," Ayumi said, glancing at her clipboard. "Ethan messaged me, and I couldn’t say no."

Lucas looked genuinely happy. "It’s good to have you back, Ayumi."

She held up the clipboard proudly. "I’m not just back — I’ve already organized your practice rotations, injury recovery tracking, hydration schedule, and Ethan’s nutrition plan."

Ethan gave a sheepish look. "She yelled at me this morning for skipping breakfast."

Ayumi crossed her arms. "I will throw protein bars at you if I have to."

Lucas laughed. "Yep. That’s Ayumi."

Josh, Evan, and Aiden waved from the court. Louie gave her a thumbs-up with both hands. And Ryan and Brandon also give him some hand waving.

"Glad to have you here." Josh called.

"Now our team feels more complete." Aiden added.

Ayumi nodded, a bit embarrassed by the attention. "You boys better not slack. I’m not going easy on anyone just because we’re friends."

..

The gym’s warm air suddenly felt suffocating.

Three strangers stood at the entrance like wolves sniffing out prey. Their baggy hoodies barely concealed the menace in their eyes. One had brass knuckles hanging from his waistband. Another had a jagged scar running down the side of his cheek.

Spit.

"This the place?" one of them sneered, scanning the gym like it was a trash heap.

Ethan took one instinctive step forward, placing himself slightly ahead of Ayumi and the others.

His voice was low, controlled. "Who are you?"

Before they could answer—

"Ethan!!"

Everyone turned as another figure stumbled through the double doors.

Coonie Smith — limping, bruised, a gash on his lip.

Kai Mendoza followed behind, blood trickling down from a busted eyebrow, supporting Coonie by the shoulder.

Gasps echoed. Ayumi put a hand to her mouth. Lucas immediately rushed over to them.

"Coonie, Kai?! Where’s Jeremy?" Ethan demanded, eyes darting.

Coonie winced and looked up, pointing a shaky hand toward the thugs.

"They... they jumped us. Said they were looking for you... and it’s because of Jeremy. I’m sorry"

Kai growled, wiping blood from his cheek. "Jeremy owed them. A lot."

One of the thugs chuckled.

"Smart kids."

He pulled back his hood, revealing slicked-back hair and a gold tooth.

"You must be Ethan Albarado — the name Jeremy dropped before he ran. Said if he disappeared, we should collect from you."

He cracked his knuckles.

"So here we are. Time to pay up."

Ethan’s mind raced.

(What the hell, Jeremy... what did you drag us into?)

Lucas stepped up beside Ethan, glaring. "Who are you people?! "

The tallest thug grinned, eyes gleaming.

"Name’s Brick. We don’t care about your games, little boy. Just the money."

"Or maybe we trash this whole place and take it out of your hides instead." the third added, smirking as he pulled out a small metal bat from under his hoodie.

Aiden and Josh flinched. Evan looked around, nervous.

Ethan stepped forward, jaw clenched. "You’re not laying a finger on anyone."

The thugs laughed. "You gonna fight three of us, hero?"

But then —

BAM.

The sound of a basketball slamming against the bleachers silenced the room.

Louie Gee Davas stood at the far end of the court, his hoodie off, spinning a ball on his finger.

His expression was calm but his eyes were dead serious.

"Y’all want a problem?" Louie said, walking toward them. "Try it."

Lucas caught the ball as Louie tossed it his way, then cracked his knuckles.

Ayumi stepped in front of the injured Coonie and Kai, her voice sharp and unwavering.

"This is our court. You picked the wrong team."

Ethan’s gaze darkened, his voice low and filled with quiet fury.

"I’ll ask once. Leave now... or you won’t walk out."

The gold-toothed thug glanced around.

He saw the fire in their eyes, Ethan standing at the front like a general. Lucas beside him, fists clenched. Louie Gee twirling a ball casually, eyes cold. Behind them, Josh, Evan, Aiden, Brandon, and Ryan forming a wall of young warriors ready to throw down.

The tension was suffocating.

For a second, the thug weighed the odds.

Then—

"There are only three of you," Brandon said, stepping forward, broad shoulders rising.

"We are a lot."

Ryan followed with a venomous glare.

"So scram, fuckers."

The tallest thug twitched but the gold-toothed one raised a hand, stopping him.

He spat on the gym floor again, eyes locked on Ethan.

"This ain’t over, Albarado. We’ll be back."

"Then we’ll be waiting," Ethan snapped.

The doors slammed shut behind the thugs as they left in frustrated silence.

Everyone stood still for a moment, letting the weight of what just happened sink in.

Graves gym — no, their gym was safe.

For now.

Ayumi turned back to Coonie and Kai, kneeling beside them with a deep breath of relief.

Lucas muttered, "This is more than basketball now..." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Ethan didn’t say anything.

He just stood there, staring at the doors, the same ones the thugs had walked through.

His fists still clenched.

His fire still burning.

(Jeremy... you better have a damn good reason.)

...

Meanwhile — Jeremy’s House

August 5, 2010 | 4:50 PM

📍 Blueleaf Apartments, Winston-Salem, NC

The room was quiet except for the soft clatter of plastic spoons in chipped bowls. A dim light flickered overhead, barely bright enough to hide the worn-out wallpaper and creaky wooden floor.

Jeremy knelt near the small table in the cramped kitchen.

"Did you eat, little bro?" he asked softly.

His seven-year-old brother nodded while holding a spoon with both hands, scooping up the last bit of canned soup.

Their five-year-old sister, still in a faded pink hoodie, kicked her legs under the table.

"I left you some, Jeremy," she said, her voice sweet and small.

Jeremy forced a smile.

"Nah, I’m not hungry. You need it more."

His stomach growled in betrayal. He ignored it.

Behind him, on the couch, a stack of unpaid bills sat beside a pile of schoolbooks he hadn’t touched all week. Next to them, a medical form was marked in red:

"URGENT: Awaiting Surgery. Payment Due by August 20."

His hands trembled as he picked up the form again.

(If I don’t get the money soon... Dad doesn’t make it to surgery... And if I don’t pay tuition, I’m out of school. No school, no team. No team, no future.)

He leaned his head against the kitchen cabinet, sighing quietly so the kids wouldn’t hear.

"I’m trying..." he whispered. "I’m trying my best..."

His phone buzzed.

A message.

Loan Shark #2:

"You better have something for us soon. Or else."

Jeremy stared at it.

His fingers clenched.

He thought of Ethan. Of Lucas. Of how Ayumi used to cheer them on. Of how it all felt so far away now.

He wasn’t a bad guy.

He was just a kid stuck in a grown man’s nightmare.

..

Back to Graves Court

The thugs had backed out for now. But the atmosphere inside the gym was heavier than ever.

Ethan stood with his arms crossed, sweat beading down his brow—not from practice, but from the pressure mounting.

Jeremy was still gone.

Coonie and Kai sat against the wall, bruised, breathing hard.

Ethan took a step forward, voice low but firm.

"What really is going on? Why did those guys mention my name? Why Jeremy?"

Coonie looked down, ashamed. His hands were clenched into fists.

He glanced at Kai, silently asking for permission—but Kai’s jaw was tight, eyes darting away.

"Coonie," Ethan said more sternly.

Coonie let out a shaky breath, then finally looked up.

"I guess... I need to tell you everything."

"Coonie, don’t—" Kai interjected, grabbing his arm.

But Coonie shook him off.

"No. They deserve to know."

He turned to Ethan, Lucas, and the rest of the team, who had quietly gathered near.

"Jeremy... he’s in debt. Deep debt. Those guys aren’t just thugs—they’re loan sharks."

Everyone went still.

"His dad’s been sick—hospital bills, surgery, and their family can’t cover it. His mom’s working triple shifts. Jeremy... he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to give up basketball. So he borrowed money."

Lucas muttered, "That’s insane... from them?"

Coonie nodded.

"They gave him two weeks. But the payment’s past due. So... Jeremy told them..."

He hesitated.

Ethan’s jaw tightened.

The room was quiet not out of fear, but out of respect. Everyone was listening.

"He told them if he couldn’t pay, they could find you."

The words replayed in Ethan’s mind like a broken record.

"He said you have the solution..."

The betrayal stung, but not because of malice because of trust. Because Jeremy had thought of Ethan as his only way out.

Ethan’s back was still turned when Coonie stepped forward.

His voice wavered.

"Jeremy... he didn’t mean to hurt you, Ethan. He was just scared."

Ethan didn’t respond.

He closed his eyes, drawing in a slow breath through his nose, his fists loosening just a little. He could picture Jeremy’s face, the strained smiles during practice, the quiet way he always lingered after games. How none of them noticed something was wrong.

"Where is he now?" Ethan finally asked.

Kai hesitated, then answered softly.

"He’s at home..."

Kai looked down, voice thick with guilt.

"He wanted to ask for your help, Ethan. He really did. But... he hesitated. Said he was too embarrassed. Said he didn’t deserve your help after dragging you into this."

A heavy silence followed.

Ethan finally turned around, his gaze locked on Kai and Coonie but there was no anger in his eyes.

Only something stronger.

Resolve.

"He’s wrong."

Ethan’s voice was low, but every word hit like a hammer.

"It doesn’t matter if he screwed up. He’s our teammate. That means something."

He stepped forward.

"Basketball isn’t just passing and shooting — it’s trust. It’s loyalty. Jeremy’s been carrying this by himself for who knows how long."

He looked at the others — Lucas, Ayumi, Aiden, Evan, Josh, Ryan, Brandon — every one of them listening.

"We don’t let our own suffer alone. Not now. Not ever."

Ayumi nodded, her eyes glistening.

Josh clenched his fists and said, "Let’s go find him."

Lucas added, "We’re his team. Let’s act like it."

Ethan turned toward the door.

"We’re going to Jeremy’s house."

He glanced over his shoulder.

"And after that? We make sure those thugs never think about stepping on this court again."

Ethan opened his eyes.

They burned with something sharper than anger.

Determination.

"We’re not letting him handle this by himself."

He looked at the team.

"No teammate of mine deals with hell alone. Especially not Jeremy."

To be continue