Chapter 40: Game

The title of this chapter is Game, which clearly refers to the basketball game between Friday College and the opposing school.  However there is a second game that plays out in the middle of the first game, and it involves a serious issue that tests of our beloved group of friends at a critical juncture in the story.  It is a surprising development, but one that heightens the drama in this chapter from an unexpected direction.  To stretch the game metaphor yet again, one of our pair will see and hear things that lead him to believe he’s being played.  The drama for this final game is on a slow burn, however, but the signs are there, even if this game is only just beginning.

Music is playing as the chapter opens, and I have to applaud the choice of Troye Sivan’s “My Youth” not only because I’m a fan, but it’s an uplifting and positive anthem and fits Pete to a T.  In the scene we find Pete and Earn “in the mood” on Pete’s bed with the air conditioner doing it’s feeble best trying to cool things off, albeit unsuccessfully.  The boys are kissing passionately and it’s no surprise that Earn wants more action than our Pete thinks advisable considering that they need to be in tip top shape for their performance the next day.  I’ll skip the juicy details as always, but suffice it to say this familiar tug-of-war plays out in an amusing way and the compromise they reach is pretty satisfying.  After getting cleaned up, they decide to go to sleep early and Pete starts to muse about how all the months of training have paid off.  The event is a solo performance for the Cheer Club and will have them performing before thousands at Huamark Stadium.  And with these thoughts, Pete and Earn exchange “I love you” along with a kiss, and then drift off to sleep.

The next morning the boys finish their exercise regimen with a jog back to Pete’s house that lapses into horseplay that ends up with Earn putting Pete in a sweaty headlock, and declaring that he won’t let Pete free until he admits Earn is the smartest person in class, even smarter than him and Card.  At first Pete is only willing to agree with Earn’s declaration, but Earn won’t let up until Pete says it as full statement.  As soon as Pete satisfies his demand, he senses Earn’s grip relax just enough for him to break free while adding that the statement is true only if he and Card are hungover and half asleep before squirming away from Earn’s menacing clutches.  Pete runs into the house with Earn on his heels.  He catches Pete and prepares to wrestle him down onto the couch while shouting that he’ll pay for what he said.  (Pete is fondly reminded of their earlier study sessions where they engaged in such horseplay, minus the current level of intimacy of course.)  Pete’s leg hits the corner of the couch and Earn takes the advantage to grab his arms and pin Pete down.  Pete struggles at first, but gives up under Earn’s tight grip.  Earn crows a little in victory, then asks for a reward.  As they fall toward a kiss, the voice of Pete’s mom cuts into their reality as she complains about how loud they are being.  The shock of nearly being caught immediately forces both boys upright as they compose themselves, and Earn apologizes.  Pete also sputters an apology despite still being trapped under Earn’s legs.  She just warns them not to break anything when they rough house or there will be hell to pay, signaling that she remains oblivious to what was really going on.

After finding out why his mom is not yet at work, Pete hands a glass of water to Earn.  His mom cautions the boys about exercising away all their energy before the basketball event, but Earn assures her that they have a couple of hours to rest, and she seems reassured.  She then turns to Pete to caution him about drinking after the game and reminds him to drop the car off before going out.  On the heels of this statement she instructs Earn that he is sleeping over to take care of Pete if he gets too drunk and Earn issues her a salute while promising that will not be a problem.  She orders them to sleep together so they won’t run out of energy later, prompting Earn to grab Pete by the neck and drag him off to his bedroom while Pete’s mom obliviously chuckles.  Once inside Earn throws Pete onto the bed and quickly locks the door and pulls off his shirt revealing his sweat glistened torso.  Earn pounces onto the bed recalling the orders from Pete’s mom that they “sleep together” but Pete shouts that he knows what she meant before Earn covers his mouth and tells him he’s too noisy.  Since Pete can’t protest with his mouth covered he the palm of Earn’s hand, catching him off guard.  Pete seizes the chance to roll over on top of Earn and cover his mouth with one hand, completely reversing their prior position.  Earn teases him, calling Pete a s*xy dominant Penguin, and Pete tells him to shut up before taking off his shirt, much to Earn’s delight.  But Pete just flicks Earn’s forehead and falls to the bed declaring that he’s tired.  Earn takes another stab at getting Pete to agree to some s*xual hijinks, but Pete vetoes the attempt, so Earn just warns him to be ready in ALL respects after the party. 

From this opening sequence you would hardly know that jealousy was an issue these two just confronted.  From the beginning they are so lovey-dovey almost to a fault, but it shows how clearly intimate and familiar they have become as a couple.  Having been best friends before falling in love has clearly helped, but being emotionally entangled on a romantic level is a much more serious endeavor with its own dynamics.  One of which is an increased level of expectations that applies to so many other aspects of the relationship, hence the uptick in feelings of possession and jealousy seen in the prior chapter.  That aside, the boys are currently on the same page which is great to see.  Having them almost get caught kissing by Pete’s mom is a welcomed twist in the chapter, and upping the ante by having her obliviously instruct Earn to sleep over and then order them to run off to bed together is hands down hilarious.

The chapter jumps to Pete and Earn in the car driving to the venue and singing their lungs out (MKTO’s “Classic” – another inspired feel good choice).  Pete reminds Earn that they shouldn’t be straining their vocal cords so much before they perform, followed by Earn’s whining objection that if he’s serious he’d have stopped them 10 minutes before.  After reviewing how everyone else is getting there, Pete asks Earn how he’s holding up.  Earn assures him that he is totally confident and Pete muses that it seems they have completely switched roles from the soccer event.  Earn assures him that he’s 110% confident things will go well, and when Pete asks why, Earn tells him that since he’s been with Pete nothing can make him worry.  Pete is incredibly touched by Earn’s sincerity, but Earn just teases Pete that he’s a total softy as he breaks into a huge smile.  They exchange “I love you” and meet in a firework filled kiss of tender passion.

As the chapter ambles toward the beginning of the basketball game, it treats us to one of the aspects of this work that I personally find the most enjoyable which is the very realistic dialogue exchanged between the characters.  I have commented on this aspect in prior chapters, but it deserves to be pointed out again because it really sells the story and makes the personalities involved much more individualistic, vivid and accessible.  The result of this open dialogue is that we are drawn into their experiences as if we are standing just on the edge of their reality and nearly live their experience as well.  The people we are reading about act and sound like they really are friends, and could, in fact, be our friends too. 

Pete and Earn are greeted by “Hey faces!” signaling that the speaker can be no one other than Por, and he has his arm around the shoulder of a mouse of a boy we know must be Hack, as they approach with Card and a group of other boys in tow.  Earn banters back to the group making sure to insult Por, with an assist from Pete.  It’s all good natured and normal behavior for this group of friends, and as Pete and Por fist bump, they begin discussing the arrival of Lhew and the rest of the girls in about 15 minutes time.  This brings to Card’s mind how she’ll get out the date she’s currently on with Ngaw, especially since news of the basketball game has been plastered all over school for months.  Pete tries to make light of the situation, but Card’s concern persists as his glare toward Pete communicates.  He flat out tells Pete how serious he thinks the situation is and that he’s worried because Lhew and Ngaw have been on the rocks since Valentine’s Day.  Pete tells him not to worry because Lhew’s tough, and reminds him that she has them to help her out, especially Card.  Pete tries to impress upon Card how much they all appreciate having a good friend like him in such times, but he brushes it off casually, although Pete catches the appreciative smirk on his face.

As the stadium handlers convert the arena to a basketball venue, Pete reflects on the status of all the club members who have arrived and the division of spectator seating reserved by Friday College.  With the popularity of the both the Basketball Team and the Cheer Club, the stands will be filled with a lot of familiar faces.  The ringing of Pete’s phone with the ringtone “One Call Away”, signals to him it’s Lhew and he answers it calling her Buttercup, to the astonishment of Por, Card and Earn.  She asks him to pick her and the girls up, and after some playful teasing and dark name calling about fetching, dogs, and b*tches Card rises intoning them all to get a move on.  Earn, however backs out which makes Pete ask why he’s not coming.  Earn refers to her as ‘Lhewd’ and just says no thanks, adding that he needs to stick around and keep things under control.  Pete realizes that while the two have been getting along lately, he can’t hope for miracles, so he puts a hand on Earn’s shoulder and tells him they may stop and get some drinks and that he can call them if he needs their help.  As they walk off, Card comments that he’s surprised Earn doesn’t want to come along, but Pete reminds him that they aren’t connected at the hip.  Card says that he forgets that sometimes while waiving his hand dismissively.  This earns him the insult “a*shole” from Pete and a smack on the head from his hand while Por piles on with a quip of his own, but Card’s distracted mood lets it all blow by without redress.

As they walk on Pete can’t understand why Card has the feeling that a storm is approaching.  Pete tries to joke around to lighten things up and he’s grateful Por is along because he’s such a clown.  Pete finally spots Lhew and the group of girls and calls out to her.  She responds in kind with a brilliant smile as Por pushes past Pete calling out to Josie and she jumps into his arms as they fall into their own little world.  Pete greets Tem and Rose, and Rose responds very enthusiastically, and it’s at this point he learns she’s a big sports fan, and that she and Kern actually met at a game.  They chat a bit more about why Kern isn’t here, before learning that Tem is solo too because Ody is home sick in bed.  Lhew greets Ace with a loud cry and swift slap on the back and he asks how her date with Ngaw went.  As they fall into conversation Pete turns to Tem and Rose and volunteers to them.  After commenting on his gentlemanly manners, Tem takes Pete’s arm and Rose calls out to Lhew asking why she let Pete get away.  Lhew just turns and shouts “CONFLICT OF INTERESTS” hinting at the implicit reason Pete already knows.  They chat while buying snacks and, with Por and Josie paired off, Pete finds it a struggle to entertain the girls since he doesn’t know them all that well.  Still he learns that Rose is Ody’s cousin, and that Tem and Card knew each other through their parents prior to meeting through the group.  Of course Card never mentioned it because no one asked (zing!).  Pete feels awkward when the girls ask him who his new girlfriend is and why he wasn’t with her on Valentine’s Day, but Pete realizes that their not knowing he’s with Earn means Lhew hasn’t been spilling the beans even with her closest friends, and he thanks Lhew for her discretion as they approach the stands.   She tells him that he should be proud he’s with Earn, and even if he is a dumba*s, they should happy that they love each other.  Pete just gives her a big hug, and they continue toward their seats.  When he sits down Earn asks Pete what the hug was all about, but Pete just tells him it was just Lhew being Lhew, and puts his arm around him. 

Minutes later the announcer declares the game will begin in 10 minutes and the teams are introduced to the crowd’s approval.  Pete is excited to see his school team in full uniform and notices they are all excited, except for Oil.  During the pre-game warm up Pete notes that Oil misses every shot, and as he stares into the crowd, their eyes meet.  Pete gives him a weak smile but Oil averts his gaze and looks at the floor, making Pete feel at fault for the situation.  As the announcement of the game’s commencement is made, Pete hopes Oil is just having a bad streak and that he’ll gain momentum as the game begins.  As halftime approaches and Earn tells everyone to get ready, Pete asks if they should stay and cheer on their team, but Por tells him it won’t help much at this point, and Card simply adds that’s what the crowd is for.  Earn tells Tan, Kurt and Owen to do their best to hype up the crowd, and they all rise and begin engage their task.

It seems that the game starts with two teams toe to toe in scoring, the crowd is energized and all seems good, until Oil drops out of synch with everything.  His play is sluggish and lacks aggressiveness, causing him to miss almost every shot.  He’s taken out of the game in the second quarter and the point gap makes it doubtful that the team can pull this one out, which dampens the crowd’s spirits considerably.  While changing into their costumes, Earn gives the club a much needed pep talk saying that the situation requires perfection from their performance.  The underclassmen all question Earn’s statement, even Choi and Odd, but Earn encouragingly tells them that when the outcome seems dark and desperate, it’s their job to lift the spirits of the crowd.  Card adds that when the crowd and team lack spark, the Cheer Club is one that must give it to them, and Por slams a locker and tells them if they can’t do that, then what good are they?  Rad jumps in telling the younger members that they have never been in this situation before, and reminds them that what the Cheer Club does is important.  Tee finally speaks up and tells them the Cheer Club has to have faith in the team, and rhetorically asks if they’ve lost faith in their friends on the court.  Choi and Odd are most keenly touched by this, and Earn immediately calls them to the halftime performance.  They all yell back to Earn in unison with energy as they rise to head out, but Pete stops Earn when he realizes the Angels are missing.  It seems they are still in the restroom putting on make-up and costumes, and Pete feels they deserve a pep talk too, especially since they don’t know how badly the game has been going.  Earn pulls Pete into half hug declaring that he loves him for how he’s always looking out for others.  They head off toward the Angels in a firm embrace, while Pete sends a text to Por to let him know what they’re up to.

As they walk along in their costumes, Pete feels strange and realizes how the Angels must have felt at the Soccer Event.  As they near their destination, they notice a couple of basketball players from the other school talking to the Angels and it’s not pretty.  A dark skinned player is berating Friday College for having kathoeys in its Cheer Club, and Chanel is dishing it right back at him.  A smaller player spits that all the guys at Friday College must be closeted gays, so Bell smugly snaps back that he seems to be as obsessed with the boys that attend Friday as much as they are, and asks him if he has something to share.  The dark boy suddenly grabs Bell by the collar calling her a b*tch and declares, “We’re nothing like you freaks.”  Rage surges through Pete, but he’s pushed aside as Earn grabs the player by the collar, and pushes him against the wall while asking, “What did you say you er?”  Pete sees him try to break free from the Golden Bull’s hold while asking Earn who the he is, but he knows the guy isn’t going anywhere.  The smaller boy calls Earn an a*shole and c0cks his arm back, but Pete defends his boyfriend and pushes the boy against the wall and quickly twists his arms behind his back while telling him that if he hits Earn, he’ll make sure he doesn’t play basketball for a long time.  The guy tries to talk sh*t to Pete so Pete twists his arms making yell in pain.  The onlookers are shocked at the intensity of Pete’s actions.  The dark boy calls them both bastards, but Earn tell him he’s one to talk for trying to hurt on of his club members while hiking up his collar even tighter.  Referring to the Angels, the guy still has the nerve to claim that since they’re gay, they shouldn’t be surprised to get talked down to, but Earn tells him they are not only his club members, they are also his friends as he winds back his fist to punch the guy.  Pete suddenly speaks up reminding Earn that they have to perform, and if they fight all the work they’ve done will be for nothing.  Earn pauses on the edge of hitting the guy before throwing him to the side, and Pete follows suit with the other boy.  The dark one calls them , and the smaller boy threatens Pete.  Suddenly from behind the players Tee is standing cracking his knuckles and saying that they are talking about the club’s President and Vice President and wanting to even the score.  Card now appears stating firm opposition to the fight and explains that they came to provoke them in order to get Friday College disqualified.  Card declares that the scores can be settled after the game, and Pete sees the two boys turn from smug to scared as Card tells them to run off before their friends find them missing for the next few days.  The tall boy grabs his friend and they run off, but not without warning everyone to watch their backs. 

Earn and Pete apologize to everyone for getting overrun with anger, and the others do likewise.  The Angels express their gratitude, and Pete notes that it’s almost time for them to perform.  Por wraps an arm around Tee and Card, and Tee tells Card he hasn’t seen him in such a state in a long time.  Por tells Tee it’s to be expected since they can’t have people talking about their friends like that.  As they all head back to the arena Pete quietly recalls how immature they used to be and how much they used to fight in their younger days.  The upper classmen used to call Earn the Golden Bull with good reason, and obviously he still has it in him.  And while Pete knows getting worked up is bad, he feels kind of nostalgic at the same time.  When they get back to the stadium floor they catch the last two minutes of the other school’s performance and Pete notices that a quarter of their club is kathoeys, making him realize the wisdom of Card’s position on the fight.

This is the second game I refer to at the top of the chapter, and my hat comes off for bringing this issue into the story.  One of the many strengths of this story is the fearless way it engages real world issues like violent homophobia.  It can be argued that since Card was right about the opposing team players trying to provoke a fight to get Friday College disqualified, it means they weren’t really acting as genuine homophobes, but I say bollocks.  Even if that’s true, when Pete and Earn walk up on the confrontation with the Angels, they have no inkling of what is motivating the aggressors.  They take the situation at face value, and jump in to defend their friends.  The scene sort of pops up out of nowhere, but that’s why I like it.  Homophobic violence is often a crime of opportunity and does much the same in the real world.  The scene goes from zero to 100mph in short order, and again, the dialogue is spot on.  It’s a multi-layered scene indeed.  Pete jumps into the fray to defend his boyfriend in a completely natural way, but to the unknowing, this generates surprise.  They are surprised by his intensity because they don’t understand its source.  And the plot persists like a multi-layered onion when Card shows up at the end to reveal that there are machinations behind the opposing players’ actions, pulling the scene back to a wider screen view of the confrontation.  Beyond that, an interesting side note to the situation is how this will influence Pete and Earn down the road in their relationship.  After all, except for their close family of friends, they are not out as a couple.  So while they are fighting for the Angels, they are also fighting for themselves while still partially closeted.  It’s just a thought.  At any rate, this is really excellent storytelling. 

As the opposing school’s number comes to an end, Friday’s Cheer Club applauds out of sportsmanship with a determination not to let the recent confrontation taint their opinions of the other club.  While the announcer entertains the crown, our boys don their headset microphones and get into formation with their backs to the crowd.  With excitement and adrenaline pumping through them, Earn nods als to Por and Hack to begin.  They launch into an acapella rendition of “Do Ya Think I’m S*xy?” (The link is an excellent rendition by The Warblers of the original Rod Stewart hit from the late 1970’s.), with various groups singing different parts and acting out different roles and scenarios.  A play-by-play will only rob the scene of its magic, but suffice it to say, the Cheer Club nails the performance and sends the crowd into frenzy, ending with a standing ovation that shakes the rafters.  At the conclusion, the announcer congratulates them and invites the ladies of audience to join in with his description of the routine as steamy while the boys grab their props and clothes.  Pete feels embarrassed by all the screams, and when Earn thanks everyone, the crowd roars and screams wildly.  The club takes their leave and crosses paths with the basketball team who meet them with high fives and accolades.  Pete takes the complements awkwardly and gets teased a bit, but then notices Oil off to the side lost in thought.  Pete sees Earn messing with Por and takes the opportunity to speak with him.

Pete grabs Oil’s shoulder to get his attention as he calls him by name, and Oil stutters back his recognition and acknowledgement, at first calling him Petey, but then correcting it to Pete.  Determined to straighten things out, Pete tells him to come along and pulls him away from the group.  Oil responds with a confused expression, so Pete punches his shoulder and tells him to get his sh*t together.  Furrowing his brow, Oil asks him what the he’s doing, but Pete throws the same question right back at him, asking what he’s doing out there, referring to the court and the game.  Oil tells him he’s playing basketball, but Pete says, “You could have fooled me!” before asking what happened to the cool Oil he’s come to know.  Oil hesitates over his response, but tells Pete that guy left with Pete’s rejection.  Pete rests his hands on the other boy’s shoulders and tells him, “The Oil I like isn’t like this” but is again met with silence.  Pete runs down a list of positive qualities he admires in Oil and tells him that he doesn’t like watching a friend crash and burn so he wants to lift his spirits.  Silent at first, a glint appears in Oil’s eyes and he thanks Pete.  Pete slides his hand from Oil’s shoulders and holds out a fist to him saying that if he doesn’t see him score at least 10 points by game’s end he’ll never hear the end of it.  While hesitating to bump fists, Oil asks what happens if he scores more than 10 points, so Pete one ups him and tells him that in that case he’ll never hear the end of him scolding him for ing up the first half of the game.  As Oil bumps Pete’s fist he swears that one day Pete’s kindness will get him into trouble.  Pete good naturedly tells him that he’ll worry about that when he gets into trouble.  As Pete gives him a salute and heads off toward the stands he tells Oil that they have to get back to cheer for the team’s sorry a*ses, but Oil challenges him saying that he won’t being calling them sorry a*ses when they win.  Pete just shouts, “THEN WIN” as he catches up to his friends.  Earn is the first to ask what took so long with a worried look all over his face, but Pete plays it down telling him ambiguously that he was just ensuring the school’s victory.  Puzzled, Earn asks what this means, but Pete just answers him with a devilish smirk, “You’ll see”.

Pete tells us that his incentives and encouragements worked because Oil begged his coach to put back in the game, and desperate to win, all the other MVP’s played out the last two quarters as well, resulting in slaughter of the opposing team.  Pete believes that the Cheer Club’s halftime performance was a huge shot of energy for the crowd, but it was Oil who had the biggest comeback.  He passed Pete’s 10 point goal within the first minutes of the fourth quarter, making his last shot while not even bothering to follow the ball, but instead looking to Pete to return the salute given to him earlier.  When ball passed through the hoop the crowd was on its feet in wild excitement, and Friday College was so far ahead they couldn’t lose at that point.  While Earn is busy running the cheers, Pete looks to his friends and realizes that Lhew is nowhere to be seen, and sensing something ominous he immediately becomes concerned.

The fairy tale ending to the game is pretty much expected, so I won’t carry on about it.  What I want to close with is the final “game” I mentioned at the top of the chapter.  The word game in this sense is really just a way of pointing out that Earn is watching Pete interact with Lhew (answering her phone call by calling her buttercup and later hugging her in the stands) as well as his interaction with Oil before the second half of the game, and he’s not entirely happy with what he’s seeing.  We don’t yet know what this means or what Earn is thinking or feeling, however, he’s concerned enough to ask Pete about it each time, and each time Pete has glossed over it either because he doesn’t grasp Earn’s concerns, or he simply doesn’t want to get into a long explanation, or perhaps several other reasons as well.  The storyline currently offers no other explanations which tells me we are not through with this issue by a long shot.  Finally there is the situation with Lhew.  Card sets the tone of concern about her relationship with Ngaw in the middle of the chapter, and the chapter ends with Pete noticing Lhew is missing and has an ominous feeling of dread, so we have that to look forward to in future chapters as well.  I just want to mention that Card played a very key role in this chapter twice, and his personality and intelligence are written to make him almost superhuman in some sense.  I like that a lot about his character and how he’s portrayed as nearly infallible.  It makes him very useful for certain plot points.  This might be my favorite chapter in the story so far.  Thanks for writing it so tightly and making it so entertaining.  Cheers!