She Outshines Them All (Athena and Matthew) novel Chapter 186

C Chapter 186
The whistle sounded again. The match continued. The basketball was thrown into the air.
Alaric let out a roar and jumped high, stretching his arm out. His fingertips reached higher than the 6.5-foot-tall Hataland players’ fingertips. He smacked the basketball toward his side.
Then, like a red lightning bolt, he rushed between the opposing players before they could react. He sprinted out of the three-point line and caught the basketball the moment it landed, Immediately after, he jumped high and took a shot from outside the three-point line. The ball landed steadily in the hoop, scoring them three points.
Everyone was shocked. They fell silent. Then, there was an earth-shattering cheer.
Someone shouted, “Here they are. Alaric’s best skills: passing the ball to himself, sprinting like lightning, and three-point
shot.
Another exclaimed, “Oh my god, my sports camera only caught blur. Is this really a basketball game and not a sprint competition?”
A girl explained, “You don’t know, right? Alaric used to practice sprinting for some time. He almost reached the standard of the national team.”
Another girl added, “He even practiced running for marathons. He once won the national college marathon championship.”
A voice asked, “Fuck. He’s practically all-rounded in sports. Why hasn’t the national team recruited him yet?”
Everyone was cheering for Alaric. Even Josie’s face was radiant, no longer crying.
Faced with such cheers, Alaric’s face was expressionless. No, that wasn’t accurate. His face was unusually cold and savage, as if he had gone from a hungry wolf to a wounded and starving tiger and scores were his only salvation. It was as though he would die if he couldn’t get any points.
Alaric went crazy. His eyes turned red. He ran like a maniac, taking back possession of the ball, and taking shots. No one could stop him. He was intensely aggressive. Even if he faced an opponent over 6.5 feet tall and much larger than him, he would still bump into him and steal the ball from him.
Among the repeated collisions to get the ball, Alaric fell hard several times. First, his knees and arms bled, then his nose bled, and then his face was bruised and swollen.
Everyone exclaimed, “Alaric is really crazy now.”
A girl said, “Tm his fan and schoolmate. I’ve watched him play since junior high. I’ve never seen him like this.”
Another asked, “Does he want to die on the court?”
As Alaric suffered more injuries and bled more, the noisy audience gradually quietened down. Everyone looked at him in horror and silence as he bled, not knowing what to say.
The coach wanted to replace Alaric once, but Alaric said something to the coach. The coach fell silent for a few seconds before choosing to let him continue.
At last, the final whistle blew. The match ended.
With Alaric’s out-for-blood performance, Faraway Club defeated Hataland’s second national team with a 9-point advantage. Amidst deafening cheers, the Hataland players refused to shake hands with the Faraway Club players and even kicked the
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Chapter 186
basketball a few times before leaving, drawing boos from the entire stadium.
Strangely, it was the same for Alaric. He did not say a word to the club’s players and ignored the coach. Drenched in sweat, he dragged his injured body around the arena, waving at the audience and bowed deeply to express his gratitude.
Then, he walked up to his sisters and smiled, “Athena, Josic, I’m exhausted. Let’s go home.”
Josie looked at Alaric worriedly with tears in her eyes. “Alaric, you’re injured and bleeding a lot. Let’s go to the doctor”
Alaric smiled. He raised his hand to rub her head but realized his hand was dirty, so he retracted his hand. “Don’t worry, Josie. My injuries are light. It’s nothing. I’ll be fine after a good meal and rest.”
Athena did not ask any questions. She supported Alaric and said, “Okay, let’s go home.”
His buddies surrounded Alaric and excitedly praised him for his best performance in history while asking him about his injuries with concert.
Alaric only shook his head. “I’m wiped out now. I want to go home and sleep. Help me apply for leave. I’m not coming to school tomorrow
His buddies did not say anything else. They just stood around him and escorted him out of the players passageway and into Athena’s car
On the way home, Alaric lay in the backseat, closed his eyes, and said nothing.
Athena told Josie, “Alaric is tired and wants to sleep. Let’s not talk for now, okay?”
Josie nodded obediently and did not speak.
After returning to the villa, Alaric told them he was going to rest and headed upstairs. He closed the door and never came out again. He did not come out to eat that night, and his phone was turned off.
When Athena went to knock on his door, he did not open it and only said, Tm beat I just want to sleep until tomorrow,”
Athena said, “Alright, I’ll tell the rest of the family not to disturb you.”
The Donovan family did not suspect anything and did not talk to Alaric the entire night.
The next morning, when everyone had gone to school or to work. Athena knocked on Alaric’s door with food, “Alaric, it’s been a night. Are you feeling better? Do you have an appetite now? If you don’t open the door, I’m going to kick it down.”
A few minutes later, the door opened and Alaric appeared. He was still bruised and battered, and his face was haggard. His eyes were still red, as if yesterday’s game had drained him of his stamina and spirit, but he had washed up and dressed.
gotten
When he saw Athena, he even revealed an ugly and sad smile. “Athena, thanks. He reached for the tray, but because his hands were weak, it almost tipped over.
Fortunately, Athena caught the tray in time. She carried the tray into the room and set it on his desk. “Eat. I’ll watch you.”
Since Alaric did not eat anything last night and did not have breakfast today, Athena asked their mom to cook a large bowl! of oatmeal with two sunny-side-up eggs, and a bowl of vegetable salad and fruit salad each. They were nutritious and easy to digest.
Alaric was extremely hungry. With the delicious food in front of him, he couldn’t care less about what he looked like. He held a spoon in one hand and a fork in the other and wolfed down the food.
Chapter 186
Ten minutes later, all the food was gone.
Under the comfort of the delicious food, Alaric’s mood seemed to improve a little. His face finally had some color too. Only then did Athena take out the small first aid kit. “I’ll apply the medicine on you. Tell me what happened in the competition yesterday afternoon. If you don’t, I’ll investigate”
Alaric was stunned by her question. He lowered his head and looked at the ground without saying a word.
Athena did not force him. She only gently treated his wounds.
After a few minutes, Alaric looked up and revealed a strong smile. “Athena, I’m sorry. I said I want to play a good game and enter the national team as a gift to you. But I can’t do it anymore.
He took a deep breath. His eyes were red again, and his voice was bitter. The coach asked me to throw the match. He said as long as I listened and lost to Hataland, the club would immediately sign me and fully help me enter the national tearn.
“I turned them down. Thus, not only will the club not want me now, but they will also stop me from entering the national team and other clubs. My basketball career is over. So much for my basketball dream.