Stanlee sighed, "Finally."
The boys reached the gym doors and quickly slid in. As soon as they did, the final bell rang and the doors shut automatically.
Jason shook his head, "Sheesh, talk about saved by the bell."
Stanlee just stared at him before turning back around and walking down the gray corridor.
Jason elbowed Barry, "Hey, what's his deal?"
Barry shrugged, "Either his plan's got some holes in it or you honestly get on his nerves."
Jason's smile faded, "Oh, tell me something I don't already know."
Marcus patted Jason's shoulder, "Nah, Stanlee is just worried about everyone. That includes you, J."
Jason glanced at Marcus incredulously, "He's got a weird way of showing it."
Marcus smiled, "That's how Stanlee is. When it comes to strategizing, nobody holds a candle to him. He's probably planning ways to keep us all safe and how to win this game. Stanlee always aims for a complete victory."
Jason nodded, "I'll keep that in mind."
As the boys entered the gym, they saw many students sitting on the lower side of the bleachers. Wade's eyes gleamed at the sight of the quintet of boys. Jonas had his gaze laser-focused on Jason. Jason waved at them with a smile on his face. Jonas's face was deep red, almost purple.
They saw Coach K signing everybody off. Coach K spoke to Stanlee briefly before Stanlee disappeared into the men's locker room.
Coach K pointed to the locker room. "Lose the uniforms and slide into shorts and the colored jerseys. We'll be playing basketball today."
Barry's face was crestfallen. He coughed twice. "Coach, I'm not feeling so goo-"
Connor grabbed his twin's arm. "Oh no you don't! He'll be fine, Coach."
"Nooooooooooooo!" Barry wailed as he was dragged. The twins disappeared behind the red door of the men's locker room.
Coach K focused his eyes on Jason. "Are you new here, kid?"
Jason nodded, "Yup, my name is Jason Yang."
Coach grunted, "Welcome aboard, Jason. For now, you can share a locker with Marcus. If that's OK, Marcus?"
Marcus threw a thumbs up, "I'm good with it, Coach."
Coach nodded, "Alrighty boys, go ahead and change. Got a feeling this game is gonna be entertaining-first game of the semester!"
With that, the coach headed off to his desk, popping an M&M in his mouth on the way. Marcus headed forward, beckoning for Jason to follow him. Jason hesitated, then walked through the red door.
The locker room was lit warmly with orange lighting. Rows of tan-colored lockers lined the room, with a brown bench in between each row for people to sit down on. A blue door titled "Showers" was in the far left corner, and a red door titled "Bathroom" was on the far right.
Marcus stopped at the fourth row of lockers at number 4. "Alright, here we are."
He opened the locker, and the smell of Old Spice body spray and other antiperspirants hit Jason's nose. Marcus grabbed a few sprays, his shorts, and his green jersey. He headed towards the bathroom and disappeared behind the red door.
Jason slid off his black dress pants and took off his tie and white dress shirt, revealing his six-pack abs. Kevin, the twins, Marcus, and Stanlee-all in green jerseys and shorts-all stopped at the sight of Jason.
Connor whistled. "Damn, nice six-pack, Jace."
Barry nodded, "For real, looks like I got some competition in the player world."
Kevin rolled his eyes with a smirk on his face, "Careful now, Bare. You don't want Alicia to hear you being associated with the term 'player'."
Stanlee broke out laughing, wrapping his arm around Kevin. "Ain't no way you just said term."
Connor shook his head, "Especially in front of the new homie, Jason."
Kevin stretched his fist out to Jason, "I heard about how you stood up for Marcus. I appreciate you, bro."
Jason bumped it. "Of course, dawg. I'm just repaying the favor. I was lost, man."
CLANGGGG!
The sound of the locker room entrance door being slammed filled the room, followed by Coach K's deep voice.
"Game time, kids! C'mon up!" Coach K bellowed.
Barry sighed, "Welp, it's go time."
Connor bumped shoulders with Barry. "C'mon, bro, it's game time. Remember, a true player knows how to impress the girls. No better chance than at sports."
Barry puffed his chest out, "Alicia, I'm coming, baby."
He rushed out of the locker room with a snickering Connor following close behind. Kevin and Marcus followed suit, leaving the locker room completely vacant besides Stanlee and Jason.
Stanlee leaned on the lockers next to Jason, staring at the ceiling. His smile faded away into a more nonchalant look as he gazed up at the orange ceiling lights.
"Why'd you do it?" Stanlee asked.
Jason's eyebrows furrowed. "Do what?"
Stanlee rolled his eyes, "Help us, genius."
Jason slid on his green jersey. "One, because you're friends with Kevin, therefore making all of you my friends. Two, those guys were clearly being assholes and crossing some lines. Finally, also because I'm tired of being associated with inaction."
Stanlee lowered his gaze from the ceiling and turned to Jason. "Even so, you have no idea what you're up against. You forfeited a peaceful semester. By standing against Wade, you've made an enemy of him and his entire posse. They are like flies buzzing around your head endlessly, except they don't die."
Jason grabbed his Men's Degree spray and sat on the bench. "Oh no. Well, as much as I appreciate your concern, Manager Stan, I'm what you might call a fly swatter."
Stanlee scoffed, "Don't get overconfident. Jonas isn't an amazing fighter. Anyone who lets their emotions dictate their actions is a horrible fighter, like Wade." Stanlee's expression hardened, "Jackal, on the other hand, is a force to be reckoned with."
Jason looked at Stanlee in amazement, "I don't know who Jackal is, but I got two questions."
Stanlee plopped onto the bench, yawning, "Fire away."
Jason began stretching, "One: if you know all of this, why don't you fight back? You seem to know a lot."
Stanlee began steepling his fingers, "If I want my plan to work out, I must strike when it matters most. I can't be careless and emotional. I can be verbal, but I can't be physical. You don't know it, but every single one of my friends has scars. It's my job to make sure I bring this nightmare to an end and finish what Kevin started."
Jason couldn't help but notice the conviction in Stanlee's voice-the sheer determination in his brown eyes as he spoke. Jason immediately recalled Wade's line to Stanlee in the hallway:
You're not Kevin. The rebellion is over. There will be no second coming. Exactly. This is why you'll never be like Kevin. He didn't care about consequences or how he'd be viewed by others; he just acted. You, on the other hand, are playing the long game and will have nothing to show for it.
Jason plopped next to him, "So, Kevin was a hero here?"
Stanlee chuckled, "He was a symbol of revolution. He clashed heads with anyone and he always stood up for us all. He called himself the Dragon King. Those were great times."
Jason smiled, "That's lit, bro."
Stanlee shrugged, "It was. But now with Jackal around and being a symbol of fear, nobody is exactly the same."
Jason cracked his neck, "I'll just be a symbol then."
Stanlee smirked, "You, Mr. 'I-hate-spiral-staircases'? Symbol of what?"
Jason punched the air, "A symbol of strength. 'Cause I can't promise peace. But I can promise my strength."
Stanlee stared at Jason for what felt like a minute before saying, "For all our sakes, you better at least be a man of your word, comedian. I don't believe what you did back there with Jonas was a fluke."
Before Jason could respond, the entrance door pounded two times, followed by Coach K's gruff voice.
"Hurry up!"
Stanlee rose to his feet and made his way towards the entrance door back to the gym. "Anywho, what was your second question?"
Jason scratched his head. "Well, really it's split in two. Who is Jackal, and who is Mr. Brown?"
Stanlee frowned, "You're about to meet Jackal, actually. And Mr. Brown is... a staff member we loved. He died in a horrible accident."
Jason bowed his head, "I'm sorry for your loss. He sounds like a great man."
Stanlee glanced back before opening the gym door, "Yeah, he was."
As Stanlee opened the locker room door, they returned to the gym to see the teams already divided up and on their own side of the bleachers. Green jerseys on the right and black jerseys on the left. Jason made out Keisha, Jessica, Kevin, the twins, Marcus, and Alicia on the bench, along with one other kid he didn't recognize. Stanlee and Jason took their seats next to Marcus and Keisha.
Coach sighed, "About time, Stan and Jason. Now, team captains, make your starting lineup. Everybody else on the bench. First to thirty wins. Halftime at 15."
Coach K glanced at a boy in the far left corner standing with purple spiky hair in a black jersey. "Pass me the ball, Jack."
Jackal spun the basketball on his index finger. "As you wish, Coach. Excuse me for trying to delay this massacre for the first day of the second semester."
Wade cackled, "Right! These ants won't even hit double digits today! We should've just played dodgeball."
Coach K rolled his eyes, "I'd be careful, boys. Cockiness or overconfidence is the downfall of all great teams when the 'ants' fight back."
Jackal chucked the basketball at Coach, who caught it. With that, Coach K grabbed his pack of Jolly Ranchers off his desk and stood at the center of the court with his basketball.
Stanlee turned back to face the crew, "Alright guys, here's the plan: the starting five will be Kevin, Marcus, the twins, and Keisha. Marcus, I want you to abuse the paint. Nobody can handle you one-on-one."
Marcus nodded, "You know it, boss man."
Stanlee turned towards Keisha, "You're the fastest on the court. If you see an open lane, drive it to the hoop."
Keisha growled while putting her hair into a bun using her black scrunchies. "Stan, I know how to ball."
Stanlee patted her head, "Duhhh, just keep that anger in check, you hothead."
Keisha slapped Stanlee's arm playfully, and Stanlee feigned a punch, making Keisha giggle. Jason couldn't help but smile at their rowdiness; it reminded him of his brother.
Stanlee readjusted his glasses, "Anyways, Kevin, you're the point guard. All the decisions fall into your hands. I trust you, bro."
Kevin nodded, "Bet, I won't let you down, bro."
Stanlee slowly panned to Connor, "I'm only going to say this once. Connor, you are not Kobe; stop with the fadeaways."
Connor threw his hands up to the ceiling. "C'MON BRO, YOU KNOW I'M COLD AS HELL."
Stanlee shook his head, "Yeah, but when your shots aren't falling, you get enough bricks to make the Great Wall of China jealous."
Everybody broke out laughing, even Connor.
Connor patted Stanlee's shoulder, "Alright, boss, I got you. I'll be in my hotspots today. No BS."
Stanlee turned to Barry, who was seated next to Alicia, holding hands. "Barry, I need you to be at the top of your game. I need defensive stops."
Barry rose to his feet from the bleachers. "It's a done deal."
Stanlee nodded. "Alright, everybody huddle in."
Everybody gathered around Stanlee with their fists pointed toward the ceiling. Stanlee's eyes were full of fire as he spoke.
"We aren't ants. We're tigers and dragons. The best of two worlds. Heaven and Earth better watch out! When we're through with them, they'll be the rabbits that underestimated the turtle! They call us ants, but we're not alone! We're a colony, am I right?"
"Yeah!" the group said in unison.
"I SAID, AM I RIGHT?!"
"YEAH!!" the entire group said simultaneously.
Stanlee's voice boomed, "Colony on three, whoop their ass on six. One, two, three!"
"COLONY!"
"Four, five, six!"
"WHOOP THEY ASS!"
Jason couldn't help but notice Coach smiling really hard. The entire black team just stared at the green team in disgust.
Wade cupped his hands and yelled, "Amazing speech, Club Scouts. You have a bright future in cheerleading!"
Keisha took a step forward, but Stanlee grabbed her arm. She glanced back furtively.
Stanlee shook his head, "Not worth it. We'll leave it all on the court."
Coach blew his whistle, "Starting lineups on the court. Bench players on the bleachers."
The black team's starting five walked onto the court: Wade, Jackal, and three other students.
Kevin peered at the quintet, "Jackal, Wade, Carlos, Charlie, and Manuel. The athletic morons. Except Charlie, of course."
Keisha cracked her knuckles, "They put him out to try to hold Marcus. We can punish that by putting that backstabber in positions where he has to leave Marcus, and if not, it's a free point for us."
Stanlee nodded, "Took the words right out of my mouth. Give 'em hell."
As they walked to the court, Stanlee sat at the end of the bench next to Jason. Alicia sat at the front, shouting words of encouragement. The silent kid just sat there watching, his legs outstretched.
Jason didn't have to turn over to the black team's bleachers to feel the hot, blazing glare from Jonas. There was no doubt in Jason's mind that he purposely chose to ride the bench to get his payback from earlier.
Too bad he won't be getting payback, though. Just more embarrassment.
Coach K put his Jolly Ranchers bag back in his pocket as he prepared to set up for the jump ball. The two people set for the tip-off were Marcus and Wade.
Wade shook his head, "Y'all seeing this? This is disrespectful, y'all. Y'all seeing-"
Coach K blew his whistle and shot the ball straight into the air. Despite being caught off guard, Wade still recovered and slapped the ball at the same time as Marcus. However, Marcus's arm had more force thanks to his weight, and the ball bounced right to Kevin.
Kevin, with no hesitation, zoomed downhill. Carlos went for a steal, but Kevin bounced the ball between his legs, blew right past him, and finished with a smooth layup.
2-0
The green side of the bleachers erupted with cheers, while the black side erupted with outrage.
Stanlee cupped his hands, "That's the way, Kev! Carlos can't guard you!"
Carlos threw a middle finger at Stanlee, "KYS, dude."
Wade grabbed the ball, stepped out of bounds, and immediately chucked it to the other side of the court. Waiting under the rim, completely cherry-picking, was Jackal. He caught the ball and put it up for an effortless layup. He turned back to the green side bleachers and placed a single index finger to his lips, shushing them.
2-2
The game was just getting started.