Chapter 14

Xavier stood at about 6'3", so he was half a head taller than Icarus. Moreover, his build was noticeably more muscular too. Given his clear physical advantage, there wasn't really a need to compare their basketball skills. Xavier could overpower Icarus based on strength alone. "A simple one-on-one is a bit boring. There should be some punishment for the loser," Xavier said with a smirk, tossing the ball to Icarus. "What kind of punishment?" Icarus asked in response. "The loser has to do 100 push-ups in front of everyone, and no one leaves until they're done. What do you think?" Xavier asked with a sly grin. "That's fine with me," Icarus agreed with a nod. A round of mocking laughter erupted from the crowd. They thought that Icarus was just setting himself up for humiliation. How could someone with his build manage to do 100 push-ups? Soon, the girls in the crowd formed a cheerleading squad. They chanted in unison, "Go, Xavier! Go, Xavier!" Almost everyone supported Xavier. No one was cheering for Icarus—he was the underdog. Xavier had long noticed that Ruth was standing at the edge of the crowd. The moment he saw her, he felt smug. Today, he would show her the vast difference between Icarus and himself. Ruth bit her bottom lip nervously as she watched Icarus, who remained unfazed. She knew Icarus couldn't win. Now, she only hoped he wouldn't go head-to-head with Xavier because judging from his personality, he would definitely get physical with Icarus. Icarus held the ball in his hands and stared at the hoop which was a short distance away. He wasn't lying when he said he didn't know how to play basketball. The only thing he knew was that he would score points by throwing the ball into the hoop. How hard could that be? Icarus grabbed the ball with one hand and prepared to throw it toward the hoop. Xavier stood with his hands on his hips. He didn't even bother to defend against Icarus. "Hahaha... look at Icarus' shooting form. He really doesn't know how to play basketball." "Yeah, it's hilarious. Look, Xavier isn't even defending." "How boring..." The students watching jeered and expressed their disdain for Icarus openly. Icarus didn't mind and casually tossed the ball. With a swish, the ball went through the net. The crowd that had been jeering was stunned into silence. Did he just throw in the ball like that? Everyone thought he just got lucky. Xavier raised an eyebrow and said nonchalantly, "Beginner's luck." "So, is it my turn to defend against you now?" Icarus asked. "Yes. But from now on, you won't get another chance to shoot," Xavier said with a cold smirk. He moved to the three-point line, swapping places with Icarus. "Go, Xavier!" The cheers started up again as Xavier took the ball. Xavier glared at Icarus, his eyes full of hostility. He intended to humiliate Icarus until he couldn't lift his head in front of everyone. There were only two ways to humiliate someone on the basketball court—either by dunking over them or by shooting without regard for their defense. Xavier was well aware of his physical advantage, so he planned to teach Icarus a lesson with his body. With that, he began dribbling. Suddenly, he accelerated and rushed to the left. His shoulder was positioned in front, ready to knock Icarus away if he dared to get in his way. Sure enough, Icarus stepped forward and positioned himself in front of Xavier. "You're asking for it," Xavier sneered, preparing to use his shoulder. He was a 5th-stage innate fighter. So, he was confident that his shoulder slam would put Icarus in bed for at least a week. Icarus had brought this on himself. Yet, when Xavier thrust his shoulder forward, he hit nothing but air. At the same time, he no longer felt the ball bouncing back into his left palm. The ball had been stolen! Xavier's heart sank, thinking that it was impossible. He then turned and saw that Icarus had indeed taken the ball. The crowd gasped in surprise. No one expected Icarus to steal the ball from Xavier during such an aggressive drive. "Damn it!" Xavier was both embarrassed and furious, especially since Icarus was looking at him with a somewhat taunting smile. Icarus casually picked up the ball with one hand and started to aim for a shot. Xavier had vowed not to give Icarus another chance to shoot earlier. So, he immediately used all his strength to leap up before Icarus. He jumped very high. If Icarus tried to shoot, there was no doubt Xavier would block his attempt. But Icarus stayed calm and didn't fret. As Xavier leaped into the air, he calmly took a step to the right before tossing the ball. The ball went through the net yet again—it was another clean shot. Complete silence took over the basketball court. Everyone was stunned at Icarus' sleek move, which enabled him to score another point. If he had been lucky the first time around, then what about the second time? Both of his shots had gone in with precise accuracy! On top of that, Icarus had managed to intercept and steal the ball from Xavier. He even pulled off a fake move that tricked Xavier into jumping. Could it be that Icarus knew how to play basketball? His shooting form was unusual, but it was clear that he could play—he might even be quite a good player. Xavier was now fuming in earnest. He narrowed his eyes in annoyance. Not only had Icarus stolen the ball, but he had also made a fool of him! With so many people watching, this was beyond humiliating as Xavier valued his image and pride above all else. "One more shot to go," Icarus said, tossing the ball to Xavier. Xavier grabbed the ball and began dribbling. This time, he was determined to knock Icarus down and score. Before Icarus could even get into the defense position, Xavier started running toward the free-throw line and jumped with all his might. This time, he would dunk the ball! Icarus was shorter than him, so he couldn't possibly block this. "Wow! Xavier's on fire now! He's going for a dunk!" some boys shouted excitedly. The girls watched in awe as Xavier soared through the air. However, Icarus jumped straight up into Xavier's path. It didn't look like he exerted, but he reached the same height as Xavier. "You don't get to dodge this time!" Xavier growled, his body tense, and his strength reached its peak. Xavier was consumed with anger. He didn't care about the consequences anymore. Even if Icarus ended up seriously injured or even dead, so what? With the Young family backing him, he wouldn't face any consequences. Icarus reached out and placed his hand firmly on the basketball in Xavier's right hand. Xavier gritted his teeth and used all his strength to force the ball into the hoop. But no matter how hard he tried, the ball wouldn't budge. After they clashed, all the force Xavier had mustered dissipated. He was left feeling like he had punched the air with full strength—it was an unpleasant, hollow feeling. Thus, Xavier lost his balance in the air and fell hard on his backside. Meanwhile, Icarus grabbed the basketball and walked leisurely to the three-point line. He took another shot, and the ball went into the net again following a swoosh. The match was over with Icarus scoring three points over Xavier. There was no doubt that Xavier had lost the match. There was pin-drop silence as everyone stared wide-eyed at the calm Icarus and the furious Xavier. No one could have imagined that Xavier would lose so utterly and completely—he hadn't scored a single point. Even Ruth stood rooted to the spot with a hand over her mouth while staring blankly at Icarus. Edith felt a pang of sympathy for Xavier, who was sitting dumbstruck on the ground. But when she looked at Icarus, a trace of malice flickered in her eyes. "Enjoy doing those 100 push-ups," Icarus said, leaving the court without looking back. The crowd parted to let him through. His performance had left everyone in awe. Some of the girls even started to swoon. "For some reason, I find Icarus handsome now…" Donovan caught up to Icarus. His round face was flushed with excitement as he exclaimed, "Icarus, you've been hiding your sick basketball skills! I never knew you could play basketball, let alone be able to defeat Xavier." "I don't know much about basketball. I just know how to get the ball in the hoop," Icarus replied. "Stop being so modest. After today, you're going to be famous throughout the school. You're going to be a superstar! Didn't you see how many girls were giving you those flirty looks earlier?" Donovan said with a mischievous grin while tutting. Icarus sighed heavily. As Donovan had said, after today, it would be impossible for him to keep a low profile. "Oh, well. My mentor used to tell me to just go with the flow. There's no need to purposely keep a low profile or be a complete show-off. I'll just play by ear," Icarus thought. After the physical education lesson was over, Icarus returned to the classroom, where his classmates couldn't help but give him curious looks. Icarus didn't mind these stares. But when Ruth, who was sitting next to him, leaned in close, he couldn't help but take notice. Being deskmates, they were already sitting quite close to each other in the first place. With Ruth leaning in now, their faces were less than four inches apart. "It's clear that you're starting to develop some curiosity toward me. As far as I know, curiosity is often the first step toward love. So, I suggest you stop being curious about me as soon as possible," Icarus said, turning to look at Ruth.