Basketball is Not Life

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Mom!" I yell, giving her a hug, and she wraps her arms around me. She pulls back and looks at her coat, which is now a little drenched from my hair.

"There's my girl. But why are you not dressed?"

I knew I would have been dressed and ready to go if the Parker situation would not have happened.

I smile at her sheepishly... "Sorry. Having no classes has really thrown me off." Parker is walking down the stairs casually. He is dressed in jeans and a grey v neck sweater. It was ridiculous how much of a supermodel he looked like. My eyes go wide. "Talk to Parker while I get ready. And then you can show me all around your stomping grounds." I give her a peck on the cheek before I dash upstairs and get ready.

I rush; instead of straightening my auburn hair like I have done every morning since being here, I decided to dry it and let it be curly. I throw on my jeans, my little black booties, and a Christmas sweater. It was the last ugly sweater my mother had bought me, and I knew it would make her happy. I was glad I had been smart enough to pack it.

Instead of finding the instant smile on my mom's face like I thought I would find, I see her and Parker having a very in-depth conversation at the kitchen island.

"Renee," she scolds, and I know she is upset at me about something. I should have saved the ugly Christmas for a different time. I move slowly to the kitchen island. "Why didn't you tell me about the text messages?"

Shit.

I would have looked at Parker, but I had been avoiding eye contact with him since the kiss. And now I am more than upset with him.

"I was going to. I... Just thought I would wait until we were in person. He is so far away from me now that it doesn't matter." I roll my eyes. I knew I was lying; I was just going to drop it and forget that it had happened. I cover my hands with the green sweater, pulling it over my hands as much as I can. "Are we done here? Or can we go enjoy the day?" We had today planned out to do Christmas shopping and then dinner. Tomorrow we would do a Christmas baking day that I had invited Parker's sister to. Then we would all go to the home basketball game together. My mom would sit with Parker's family since I would be sitting down with the team.

"We will be talking about it later." She smiles, letting me know that she is onto me.

"Fine. But I'm going to go change now. I'm not really feeling all that festive."

My mother chuckles. "Nonsense." She unzips her coat, and sitting underneath it is the ugly Christmas sweater I had bought her. Hers was a classic; it was a red sweater with a pink unicorn wearing a Christmas hat. Mine was a green sweater with a Goldendoodle on it with a Christmas hat. The only difference was mine had three bells on it, so anytime I moved, it made noise. I gave my mom points for the annoyance factor. And just like that, the conversation about Ryan is long forgotten as I laugh over her sweater.

"Honestly, that is amazing." I pull out my phone and capture a quick selfie of the two of us in our horrible Christmas sweaters. "Let's go before I change my mind and make you stay in and watch Hallmark Christmas movies with me. I have yet to watch one."

Her mouth drops open. "Not one? What have you been doing?" My mother and I were addicts and usually would watch them during all of our free time after 

Thanksgiving to Christmas.

"I've kind of been busy." I smile and bump my shoulder with hers. What with being a college student, basketball manager to a D1 basketball team; still the biggest shock of my life.

"Well, let's go then. I suppose I'm long overdue for this midwest weather. Are you coming, Parker?"

I pause, grabbing my coat from the coat closet.