The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)
Chapter 163

Tristan and Arabella shared a knowing glance before they turned on their heels and strolled back to their cluster of classmates, the boys who'd chosen to participate in the game. However, the mood in Class Eighteen was quite somber.

Logan frowned as he looked at the boys in his class, frustration evident in his voice. "Guys, are you really that scared? We're a class of over twenty boys, and only Oberon and I have the guts to step up?" Counting Percival, they were still short of two players.

"Well... we're afraid of losing..." A boy mumbled weakly. "We aren't exactly known for our skills in basketball. If we lose, Mr. Ellington and Ms. Vivienne would have to kneel down to that jerk in public." After he finished speaking, he shot nervous glances at Percival and Vivienne.

"We can't just lose without even trying!" Oberon was nearly livid with the cowardice displayed by his classmates.

Where had the spirit of Class Eighteen gone?

But the boys just looked at each other, still hesitant to step forward.

"Fine, I'll do it."

The students of Class Eighteen turned to look in surprise as a girl with short hair and a rather unremarkable appearance stepped forward. She was wearing a loose-fitting sports uniform and sporting silver- rimmed glasses. She addressed Percival amid the surprised stares of her classmates.

"Mr. Ellington, can girls play too?"

"Do you know how to play basketball?" Percival asked, eyeing her doubtfully.

Vivienne gave the girl a once-over. She remembered her name was Anna. An average-looking girl with middling grades. Anna was practically invisible in Class Eighteen.

The only thing that made her stand out was her height. She was at least 5'8" and was always seated at the back of the class, often tucked away in the shadows whenever Vivienne visited. Vivienne hardly had any impression of her.

So when Anna stepped forward, it took everyone by surprise. The entire class looked at her with doubtful eyes, questioning whether she could actually play basketball.

Instead of responding, Anna picked up a basketball from the nearby basket and dribbled it all the way to the three-point line. She jumped up, took a shot, and scored. All in one smooth motion.

The basketball swished through the net, causing a stir among the students of Class Eighteen, who all looked at Anna in amazement.

"Is that okay?" Anna asked Percival.

"You're great." Percival nodded in approval, having noticed that Anna's basketball skills were top-notch.

"We're still missing one more person though." Logan pointed out, his expression a mix of awe and frustration as he glared at the boys of Class Eighteen. "Are you guys really going to let a girl show you up?" The boys of Class Eighteen remained silent.

"Guess I'll have to do it then." Vivienne said with her hands tucked into her pockets.

Everyone turned to look at her in surprise.

"Ms. Vivienne, are you sure you can handle it?" Oberon looked at her skeptically, the same doubt he had for Anna reflected in his gaze.

Vivienne picked up a basketball and spun it on her finger, cocking her head to look at Oberon. "You don't think I can?"

For some reason, even though Vivienne was smiling, Oberon saw a glint of challenge in her eyes.

"No, no, that's not what I meant." He quickly waved his hands, not daring to voice any objections.

"So, Ms. Vivienne, what position will you play?" Logan asked cautiously.

"How about point guard?" Vivienne suggested with a smile.

A point guard was the organizer of the team's offense. They didn't need to be particularly tall, but they did need to have excellent control over the game and timing of passes. It was a critical position. Logan and Oberon were skeptical but didn't voice their doubts. Anna seemed indifferent.

Percival, being fond of Vivienne, wouldn't have objected even if she wanted to play center and compete for rebounds.

So they decided on the positions. Percival was the small forward, Logan was the power forward, Oberon was the center, Anna was the shooting guard, and Vivienne was the point guard, forming an unconventional team.

When Tristan from Class One walked onto the court with his four-man team and saw the lineup of Class Eighteen, they all looked taken aback.

"Percival, are all the boys in your class a bunch of wimps?" Tristan couldn't help but scoff. "You even have two girls on your team? And isn't Vivienne a teacher? Is that even allowed?"

"Ms. Vivienne is our homeroom teacher, so she can definitely represent us." Logan retorted defiantly. "We just thought it would be too easy to beat you guys, so we put two girls on our team to give you a fighting chance."

"Sure, keep talking tough." Tristan sneered, then turned to his own team. "If you guys lose to a team with two girls, don't ever tell anyone you know how to play basketball."

His teammates exchanged glances. Their competitive spirits were ignited.

Truth be told, they had all seen Tristan deliberately injure Coral. They were already displeased with this new PE teacher who had suddenly appeared. Initially, they thought of throwing the game in Class Eighteen's favor.

But now, after what Tristan had said, how could they lose dignity by losing to Class Eighteen? After all, they genuinely loved basketball.

The game quickly began. A senior PE teacher who happened to be around was serving as the referee to ensure fairness.

The whistle blew, signaling the start of the game.

Percival jumped for the ball and successfully batted it to his team's side before Tristan could.

The students from Class One rushed to intercept, but Vivienne had already effortlessly scooped up the ball.

Logan and Oberon immediately rushed back to defend.

Vivienne looked at the five eager members of Class One before her, gripping the basketball in her right hand. A playful smile adorned her face as she raised a single finger, signaling to her four teammates. "Let's score the first basket."

No sooner had the words left her mouth than she moved like the wind. A fake charge forward had her opponents scrambling.

By the time they reacted, she had spun around them, dribbling the ball past three of them.

As she bolted past the mid-court, Tristan came forward to intercept her. However, with a swift flick of her wrist, she tossed the ball into the air.

"Darn it!" Tristan cursed and spun around.

The basketball was already in Percival's hands. He weaved around the boys of Class One, moving the ball towards the basket. With three swift steps and a leap, the ball dropped into the net. Two points for their team.