Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

"We need to talk."

That statement definitely sounded intimidating. Most times, it was bad news—with the instigator asking to break up.

"Crap," Kai muttered as he paced back and forth in the public park. Lina had agreed to meet him there after lunch, and he felt like his heart was going to explode.

Did she find out and want to break up? But he never told anyone about the offer aside from his grandma just a few moments ago.

Kai's heart skipped a beat when he heard familiar footsteps walking to where he was. He didn't have the courage to turn around and look at her face, but he eventually did.

There, he saw Lina with an uneasy expression, causing dread to pool in his stomach.

She really is going to break up with me.

"Hey," Kai started off.

Lina shakily smiled at him and glanced to the side. "Do you want to sit?"

Kai awkwardly cleared his throat and nodded. "Yeah," he muttered.

The two of them sat on the bench, none of them speaking for a while. Then, Lina sighed, breaking the silence.

"I'm sorry for calling you here suddenly when you have a flight early tomorrow," she started off.

Kai shook his head. "I understand," he said, and with that, they turned silent once more.

Finally, Kai had enough and faced her. However, at that moment, Lina also found herself with the courage to speak.

"I need to tell you something," the two of them said at the same time.

Their eyes collectively widened, and fear consumed their bodies. It must have shown through their expressions since they spoke together once more.

"I'm not breaking up with you."

They sighed in relief now, leaning against the bench. Then, they began chuckling, finding the situation amusing.

Kai faced her fully. "You sounded quite mad over the phone."

"Sorry," Lina sheepishly said. "I was just pretty nervous."

"What do you want to tell me?" I asked.

Lina shook her head. "No, you tell me first."

Kai pursed his lips. "Are you sure?"

Lina nodded, straightening her posture and letting out a deep breath to prepare herself for Kai's revelation.

"I'm joining the L.A. Lions," Kai said with conviction, not wanting traces of regret in his voice.

Lina's breath hitched, and for a moment, Kai faltered. However, he continued, knowing Lina deserved to know the details of her departure.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to meet up with Ethan Henderson for the full details, but I have been thinking about it for the last couple of days. Actually, this was offered to me right after the Global Games, but I only had the courage to tell you now," he started off.

"He's going to shoulder all of the expenses, and he said that my accommodation is also taken care of. Grandma Bingbing also knows, and she thinks it's a good idea—especially since Aiden is coming here to take care of her, too. Although, Aiden's probably the one that needed to be taken care of," he chuckled before going back to the main topic.

"I know I said I wanted to take our country's basketball to the next level, but I believe this is the best way to do it. Even if I become the number one player in the world, I will not forget where I came from. In fact, Ethan even said that I could come back here in four years' time to represent our country for the Global Games."

Lina continued looking at him with wide eyes, speechless about his revelation, so he continued speaking.

"I hope you know that I want to make this work. I know that we are young and that we have so much left to do with our lives, but I'm certain with you, Lina. Aside from basketball and my family, you're the only person I want to keep forever."

"You also mentioned once that California is your dream place, and I want to bring you there someday. When I get richer and more capable, I'm going to tour you around," he said, breathless after his long confession.

"You don't have to do that," Lina suddenly said, making Kai feel like he had been poured with a bucket of cold water.

"W—what?" he stammered.

Lina pursed her lips and looked away. "I said you don't have to do that."

Kai's shoulder slumped. "Oh," he muttered. "It seems that you can't deal with the distance."

Lina suddenly chuckled, causing Kai to lift his head. "It's not that, you idiot."

Kai looked at her with curiosity while Lina smiled—a genuine kind with no ounce of sadness.

"I'm going there on my own," she finally said.

"Wait, how?" Kai asked.

"You know how something has been boggling my mind these days? I know you can tell, and you've asked me once but respected my silence every time."

Kai nodded.

"Well, it's because of this. I'm already in my last year at Shizi High, so I've been looking through colleges with interesting courses. I love basketball so much, and I really want to continue with what I'm doing. However, I also know I'm not cut out to become a coach or become a basketball player myself."

"So, I want to get into rehabilitative science," she said with a smile. "After that, I want to take a masters in sports medicine and help athletes like you play to the best of your capacity."

A small smile was on Kai's lips as Lina talked about her dream.

"Since there's only half a year left of the semester, I started applying to different colleges. Before I went to Beijing, I received an email from one of the schools offering me a full scholarship."

Kai's heart raced in anticipation.

"It's ULA," Lina revealed, her smile widening.

"ULA," Kai muttered. "University of Los Angeles, right?"

Lina chuckled, her eyes brimming with tears. "Yes," she said. "I've been thinking hard because I didn't want to leave you here, but the universe is so kind to give us different opportunities in the same light."

"Then that means...," Kai started off, still in disbelief of what was happening.

"Go and join the L.A. Lions," Lina smiled. "Then, after the school year ends, I'll meet you there."

"Don't even think of entertaining other girls while I'm not around."