Happy

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
NADIA
Phil had called me that evening, making an awkward demand. “Hey, I want you in college tomorrow morning,” he said, his voice firm, almost commanding. It wasn’t like him at all, which made me pause for a moment.
“Why?” I asked, my eyebrows lifting in surprise. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see him; it was just that his tone was off like he was talking to one of his workers, not his friend.
“The team needs you,” he replied, a hint of desperation seeping through his words.
I frowned, my fingers tightening around the phone. “But you know I’m working,” I reminded him, hoping that he had just forgotten. My job at the cafe and a few other places wasn’t glamorous, but it paid the bills, and I couldn’t afford to miss a shift.
“I know,” Phil said, almost too quickly. “But this is important. Please, just come.”
There was something in his voice, something that made me feel like he wasn’t telling me the whole story. This wasn’t just about basketball practice. “Phil,” I said, trying to read between the lines, “what’s going on? Why do you need me there so badly? What are you hiding from me?”
He hesitated, which only made me more suspicious. Phil wasn’t usually one to mince words, but now he seemed to be dancing around something. “Look, I can’t tell you over the phone,” he finally said. “But I promise, there’s a surprise waiting for you. It’s something you’re going to want to see.”
“A surprise?” I repeated, not sure if I should be excited or wary. Surprises weren’t exactly my thing, especially not after everything that had happened with the team when Alex showed up at the practice center…
“Yeah, a surprise,” Phil insisted, a smile creeping back into his voice. “But you’ll only get it if you come tomorrow morning. Trust me, you’re going to want to see this.”
I sighed, rubbing my forehead. This was so out of character for him, which only made me more curious. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something he wasn’t telling me, something bigger than just a surprise. “It better be worth my time, Phil,” I joked, though I wasn’t entirely kidding.
“It will be,” he said, and I could almost hear the grin in his voice. “See you tomorrow.”
I hung up the phone and stared at it for a moment, trying to figure out what had just happened. Phil had never been this insistent before, and the way he avoided answering my questions only made me more suspicious. But there was no use in overthinking it now. I’d find out soon enough.
The next morning, I left for school, my mind spinning with all the possibilities of what Phil’s surprise could be. As soon as I got there, I headed straight for the basketball practice center. The familiar smell of polished wood and the distant sound of a ball bouncing against the floor greeted me as I walked in.
Phil was already waiting for me, leaning against the bleachers with his arms crossed over his chest. He smiled when he saw me, and I was relieved to see that Alex wasn’t there.
“There you are,” he said, pushing off the bleachers to approach me. Without warning, he pulled me into a hug. His hands lingered just a second too long on my lower back, sending an unexpected shiver through me.
“We’ve missed you,” he murmured into my hair, his voice soft but thick with something I couldn’t quite place.
I awkwardly hugged him back, my body tense. “Uh, thanks,” I muttered, pulling away, acutely aware of the way his fingertips grazed my arm as I stepped back.
“So,” I said, cutting to the chase, “what’s this surprise you’ve been so secretive about?”
Phil’s eyes lit up, and he grinned like a kid about to reveal a secret. “Close your eyes.”
“What? Why?” I asked, taken aback.
That was old-fashioned!
“Come on,” he coaxed. “Close your eyes. It’s the only way you’re getting your surprise.”
I hesitated, feeling a bit ridiculous, but eventually, I closed my eyes. “Okay, but if you try to pull some prank on me, I swear-”
“No pranks, I promise,” he said, still sounding amused. Then, I felt something being placed in my hand, something small and flat.
“Okay, you can open your eyes now,” Phil said.
I slowly opened my eyes and looked down. In my hand was a sealed envelope. I stared at it for a moment, confused. “What is this, Phil?” I asked, looking up at him.
“Open it,” he said, his smile widening.
I carefully tore open the envelope, still not sure what to expect. As I pulled out the contents, my breath caught in my throat. Inside was a thick stack of dollar bills, more money than I had ever seen in one place.
“Phil,” I whispered, my hands shaking slightly as I looked at him, “what is this for?”
“Count it,” he said, his smile never fading.
I hesitated, then started counting the money. My heart pounded louder with each bill I counted. When I finished, my eyes widened in shock. It was the exact amount I needed for my college fees for the next session. I had been stressing for weeks about how I was going to pay it, and now, here it was, right in my hands.
“I… I don’t understand,” I stammered, looking up at Phil. “Where did this come from?”
Phil’s smile softened, and he took a step closer. “It’s a gift,” he said. “From a stranger.”
“A stranger?” I echoed, even more confused. “Who?”
He shook his head. “I can’t tell you that. I promised him I wouldn’t reveal his identity.”
“But why? Why would someone I don’t even know do this for me?” I asked, my mind racing. This didn’t make any sense. Who would just give away this much money to a stranger?
Phil sighed, clearly prepared for my barrage of questions. “He wanted to help you,” he said simply. “But he also wanted to stay anonymous. That was his only condition.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but Phil cut me off. “I really can’t tell you more. All I can say is that he wanted you back on the basketball team for the competition.”
I looked down at the money again, my thoughts swirling. “But I still need to work,” I said quietly, trying to find some reason to say no, to push this away. “I need to save up money for other things too.”
In truth, it wasn’t just about the money. It was about Alex. I didn’t want to be on the same team with him. I didn’t want to deal with his bullying, his constant taunts, and the way he always made me feel like I didn’t belong.
I also did not want any more sexual encounters with him or Sandro. Thankfully, I had barely seen Sandro in a while. I hated that I was already having sexual dreams and touching myself because of Sandro and Alex and I feared what else I would do.
Phil seemed to understand without me even saying it. “Don’t worry about Alex,” he said gently. “He won’t be in the main team for the competition. He asked to be excused.”
I blinked in surprise. “Really?”
Phil nodded. “Really. So you don’t have to worry about him. You can just focus on the game, on playing like you always do.”
I bit my lip, the weight of the decision pressing down on me. Finally, I nodded. “Okay,” I said softly. “I’ll come back to training.”
Phil’s face lit up, and he pulled me into another hug. “Thank you,” he said. “The team’s going to be so happy to have you back.”
But as I hugged him back, my thoughts were far away, fixated on the stranger who had given me this money. Why had he done it? Who was he? I wished I could thank him personally, but Phil’s refusal to reveal his identity left me feeling frustrated and confused.
That night, as I sat in my room, I couldn’t stop thinking about the stranger. Finally, I decided to do the only thing I could think of: I wrote him a letter.
The next day, after practice, I handed the letter to Phil. He looked at it for a moment, then back at me, his expression blank.
“I’m not sure he’ll take it,” he said cautiously.
“Please,” I insisted. “Just try. It’s the only way I can thank him.”
Phil sighed, but eventually, he nodded. “Alright, I’ll do my best.”