The Carpool to the Tournament

Neve and Lachlan had been rivals on the debate team since freshman year. They were always assigned to opposite sides of every practice argument, always finishing first and second in an order that rotated depending on the week.

Neve dan Lachlan sudah bersaing di tim debat sejak tahun pertama. Mereka selalu mendapat posisi berlawanan dalam setiap argumen latihan, dan selalu finis di peringkat satu dan dua dengan urutan yang bergantian setiap minggu.

When the team van broke down the morning of the regional tournament, the coach split the remaining students between two parent cars. Neve ended up in the back seat of Lachlan's mother's car for the two-hour drive.

Ketika mobil van tim mogok pada pagi turnamen regional, pelatih membagi para siswa yang tersisa ke dalam dua mobil orang tua. Neve akhirnya duduk di kursi belakang mobil ibu Lachlan selama perjalanan dua jam.

"This should be interesting," Lachlan said, sliding in beside her with his overstuffed folder of evidence cards.

"Ini bakal menarik," kata Lachlan sambil duduk di sebelahnya, membawa map penuh kartu bukti yang menggembung.

"Don't get comfortable," Neve said. "I'm still planning to beat you in finals."

"Jangan terlalu santai," kata Neve. "Aku masih berencana mengalahkanmu di final."

"Noted," he said, grinning in a way that suggested he wasn't taking the threat seriously at all.

"Dicatat," katanya sambil nyengir, tampak sama sekali tidak menganggap ancaman itu serius.

For the first half hour, they quizzed each other on rebuttals, the way teammates usually did before a tournament, competitive but easy. Somewhere around the highway rest stop, though, the conversation drifted away from debate entirely, into subjects neither of them had planned on discussing.

Setengah jam pertama, mereka saling menguji bantahan, seperti yang biasa dilakukan rekan satu tim sebelum turnamen, bersaing tetapi santai. Namun, di sekitar tempat istirahat di jalan tol, percakapan itu menjauh dari debat sama sekali, menuju hal-hal yang tidak pernah mereka rencanakan untuk dibicarakan.

"Can I ask you something?" Neve said, watching the road rather than him. "Why do you always let me go last in practice rounds? You could ask to go first."

"Boleh aku tanya sesuatu?" kata Neve, menatap jalan, bukan dia. "Kenapa kamu selalu membiarkan aku tampil terakhir di ronde latihan? Kamu bisa minta tampil pertama."

Lachlan was quiet for a moment. "Honestly? I like watching you argue. I've been telling myself for months it's because I'm studying your technique."

Lachlan terdiam sejenak. "Jujur? Aku suka melihatmu berargumen. Berbulan-bulan aku meyakinkan diriku bahwa itu karena aku mempelajari tekniknya."

"And is it?"

"Memangnya benar begitu?"

"Not entirely, no."

"Tidak sepenuhnya, tidak."

Neve didn't know what to say to that, so she said nothing. It felt safer than admitting she had wondered the same thing about herself for almost as long.

Neve tidak tahu harus menjawab apa, jadi ia diam saja. Rasanya itu lebih aman daripada mengakui bahwa ia sendiri sudah hampir sama lamanya bertanya-tanya hal yang sama tentang dirinya.

They reached the tournament with twenty minutes to spare, and in the rush of registration tables and nervous teammates, the conversation got buried under logistics. But in the final round that afternoon, arguing opposite sides of the same resolution, Neve caught Lachlan's eye across the room. She lost her train of thought for exactly one second, long enough that the judge noticed.

Mereka tiba di turnamen dengan sisa waktu dua puluh menit, dan di tengah hiruk pikuk meja pendaftaran dan teman-teman setim yang gugup, percakapan itu terkubur di bawah urusan logistik. Tetapi pada ronde final sore itu, saat berargumen di posisi berlawanan dalam mosi yang sama, Neve bertemu pandang dengan Lachlan dari seberang ruangan. Ia kehilangan alur pikirannya selama tepat satu detik, cukup lama hingga juri menyadarinya.

She still won. Barely. And when Lachlan congratulated her afterward, holding the trophy that should have been his, he didn't look like someone who had lost anything at all.

Ia tetap menang. Tipis sekali. Dan ketika Lachlan mengucapkan selamat kepadanya sesudahnya, sambil memegang piala yang seharusnya menjadi miliknya, ia sama sekali tidak tampak seperti orang yang kehilangan sesuatu.