Chapter 5 — Throwing the Ball Through the Rain

The first friendly match was held on Wednesday afternoon, with the girls' team from the neighboring school. The rain has stopped but the field is still slippery in the east corner. Ms. Hanh marked it with red chalk, asking the two teams not to run into it. Opponents have new uniforms, matching shoes and a strategy sheet printed on glossy paper. Bap looked at the paper and asked if they were given a copy to memorize. Nhien told him to remember his teammate's name first.

An is placed as the main player. She heard the sound of her shoes hitting the field, heard Mai Chi calling out the position, heard Bap recording a video from behind the board. In the first half, she passed twice incorrectly. A defender on the other side read her eyes, stole the ball and scored. An felt her wrist go cold. She wanted to retreat to the bench, but Nhien touched her shoulder when the ball went out of play.

“Look at the recipient, don't look at the mistake just now.”

An passes to Vy in the left corner. Vy was tightly marked but was able to pull away two defenders, opening up space for Mai Chi to throw. Mai Chi scored. Bap on the field shouted so loudly that the referee had to remind him, then he turned to apologize by raising his hands as if in surrender. The audience laughed, the atmosphere became lighter.

In the second half, Nhien's knee hurt. She still wanted to stay, but her steps were no longer steady. An saw that she missed a beat and called for a consultation. Nhien objected because the team was clinging to points. Ms. Hanh asked Nhien if she wanted to be replaced instead of being safe or if she wanted to stay because she was afraid others would think she quit the team. Nhien was silent, then took off her captain's armband. "For me. But let me call the strategy."

The first time An received the ball from a captain sitting on the sidelines. Nhien pointed, adjusted Vy's position and asked Mai Chi to run the next round. An followed suit, received Bap's pass, and threw it at the board. The ball bounced out, but Vy caught it and scored. The team lost by three points, but the applause from the stands did not stop immediately.

After the match, the other team asked if they would participate in the rainy season tournament. Nhien said yes, if the yard is still kept. The opposing coach did not understand, Ms. Hanh explained. A parent offered to sign in support, but Ms. Hanh said they should not turn the stadium into a campaign when they don't have a plan. An agreed; She didn't want to use a loss to ask for mercy.

Bap took An to watch the video. At the last minute, the electronic scoreboard showed one more point even though no one threw. Bap rewinds, confirming he didn't correct it. Phong leaned close to the screen and said the scoreboard signal wire was shorted. Looking at the video, Nhien's expression changed. “The old team's match also had an extra point.”

In the warehouse, Nhien opened the paper box. The old match schedule had the name of the women's team and a red line in the final match. On the back are the words: “Don't let them narrate the game for us.” After reading it, no one said anything. Outside in the yard, the rain began to fall again, each drop hitting the corrugated iron roof like the sound of a ball bouncing in a closed room.

That night, Bap sent the video to the group as an internal link. An watched the dance scoreboard, then asked not to move out. Bap said he knew, he just wanted everyone to see. Phong enlarged the wire and discovered that the redundant point appeared after a click near the warehouse door. Nhien asked if it was a machine error, why did the old team also encounter it? Phong said he could use the same old device many times, but there wasn't enough data.

Ms. Hanh told the team not to call this cheating. If you use that word, people will only hear the shocking part. They need to know who is responsible for checking, whether the minutes have been edited, and where Thu Ha wants the story to go. An asked what if she couldn't find the answer. Ms. Hanh said the team can still keep the field with the current work; old truth is not the only condition for a place to be worthy of existence.

Nhien suggested meeting with the school board after the match, not waiting until the rumors spread. Mai Chi was worried that she would be considered disruptive, but Ms. Hanh said that being transparent at the right time was less dangerous than remaining silent and explaining. Prepare a summary: the friendly match has a scoreboard error, the old team has incomplete documents, the team is verifying with the consent of the person concerned. No name, no photo, no conclusion.

Bap wants to add an appeal to anyone who has information to send it to the team. Tran, who had just joined the recording group at that time, said there must be a separate channel and someone responsible for security. Phong recommends a school mailbox, not a personal account. An saw the group begin to treat information like a dangerous ball: no random passing, no throwing into the crowd.

After the short meeting, they returned to the field to practice free throws. Nhien was in pain so she sat down to write. Mai Chi won seven, Vy won three, Bap won one and then announced that he was holding the low record. An hit six. Ms. Hanh asked who wanted to practice more. No one raised their hands, because it was already dark. An stayed for another five minutes, throwing the last two balls. The first shot missed, the second shot went in. She didn't think it was an omen. She just picked up the ball and put it in the right place.

The next morning, the erroneous transcript video appeared in another class group. Bap realized that version was not the file the group sent, because it had a wider angle. He panicked and wanted to find someone to spread it. Tran asked if he had the right to see the list of recipients. Bap fell silent. An recommended first posting a notice requesting deletion and clearly stating that the video is being verified and does not conclude it is fraudulent.

One friend claimed to have filmed from the stands. You do not want your name revealed, but agree to send the original to Ms. Hanh via school email. Ms. Hanh confirmed that the file was not edited, but also said that the camera angle was not enough to draw conclusions. The team thanks you, delete the copy in the public folder and write down the scope of use. Bap asked why it had to be deleted when this could be evidence. Ms. Hanh replied that evidence also needs to be preserved properly, not everyone has the right to keep it.

An and Nhien met the person in charge of scoreboard technology. He explained that the old controller had been repaired many times, each time without complete records. He didn't know the final ten years ago. Phong asked if he could check the current log, he said yes if the school approved. Tran records the request in the minutes and does not take equipment without permission.

Mai Chi worries about the past, causing the team to be labeled a troublemaker group. Ms. Hanh said they have the right to ask questions but must be responsible for how they ask. An suggested that every time the team mentions the scoreboard, they always include the sentence "no conclusion yet". Bap writes that line at the top of every draft. He said it looks a bit sad, but it helps the reader not jump to conclusions.

During practice, An lost the ball three times because she was lost in thought. Nhien blew the whistle, asking her to leave the yard to drink water. An was upset because she wanted to prove her concentration. Nhien said thinking too much is tiring. An sat next to her, watching Bap score and Phong check the line. She realized that the team did not wait for her to resolve the old matter before playing; they can play and verify at their own pace.

At the end of the day, An put the old calendar in an envelope, writing "not yet published". She put the envelope in the closet and didn't bring it back. It was a small thing, but it made her feel like the story had a safe place to wait.

Tran made a record of sealing the envelope, recording the date, holder and opening conditions. After reading it, Bap asked if he needed An's signature. Ms. Hanh said it requires the signature of the responsible person, but does not make a student the only one responsible. Nhien signed together, An signed more. The two signatures are next to each other like two people holding the same door.

Phong checked the lock twice, then wrote down the closing time. An saw that the old story was put down to normal things, but it was that normality that made it safe.

During practice, the team did not talk about the old match. Ms. Hanh had them practice marking escapes, where the ball keeper always has two passes. An tried to go alone, was stopped, then laughed to herself. Mai Chi reminds her that the ball does not lose value when passed. Vy caught it and scored. Bap on the outside scored an asterisk, not sure if it was for the pass or for the fact that An chose not to try to be a hero.

At the end of the week, Mr. Vinh sent a schedule to survey the yard. He suggested that the team be present, but there was no need to perform. An replied that they would provide documents and answer questions. She didn't want to win a meeting with one shot. Nhien said if adults want to see the team in action, let them watch while the team clears the water and waits for the lights to be fixed.

An prepared three sets of papers: activity schedule, safety table and list of unverified items. She did not bring the old battle schedule because Thu Ha had not allowed it to be used. Bap asked her if she was afraid the council would find the team lacking a story. An said a plan can stand without needing to borrow someone else's story.

On the day of the survey, a council member arrived early and saw Vy wiping away water stains. That person asked me if I was a player. Vy said she was the one using the yard today. The answer made An smile. A public place does not require anyone to wear a uniform to have the right to take care of it.

After the survey, the member asked to see the usage schedule. Tran gave a shortened version, clearly showing team hours, junior class hours and walking hours. No one interferes with anyone else's part. The other person asked who decided to close the yard if it rained. An pointed to the "person on duty" box, then said that all decisions are recorded for later people to check. The most difficult question is not whether the yard is beautiful, but when something happens, do people know to call the right person?