My First Dance (& Other Tales from Highschool)

In Which I Enter A Basketball Tournament

Before high school, I'd never heard of March Madness. My family wasn't big on sports, and basketball was never really on my radar. It was like a culture shock when I walked into gym class and saw it all decorated with basketball memorabilia. "What's going on?" I whispered to Syd.

"March Madness," Syd sighed, "They do stupid stuff every year because the gym teacher coaches basketball and he's obsessed with it."

"What's March Madness?"

A boy behind us burst out into laughter. "You don't know what March Madness is? Ayo, everyone! Carrie doesn't know what March Madness is!" He obnoxiously covered his mouth, pointing to me. Most people ignored him but there were a few chuckles from his idiot friends.

"Ignore them," Syd grunted, taking my hand and pulling me to where everyone else was gathering for warm-ups. I nodded in agreement and rested my chin in my hands. Jocks were the worst. Not only were they sports-obsessed, which really wasn't my cup of tea, but they always had to be rude to anyone who wasn't as athletic as they were. They thought they were the smartest people ever just because they could throw a ball!

Our gym teacher eventually came out of his office and walked up to our class. He was a burly man with a bushy beard and brown eyes that were always wide with excitement. He was like an overgrown puppy. "Hey everyone! As you all know, today's March 1st, so we're starting Maaaaaaaaarch Madness!" He announced like a real sports commentator. It was annoying, but I couldn't hide my smile either. Gym class was my least favorite class of the day, but he tended to make things interesting, so I couldn't fault him for being a dork about things.

"As you may or may not know, each grade gets to play a basketball tournament at the end of the month. These aren't just normal basketball games, though. On Monday, you'll be tasked with different challenges and there will be winners for all of them. The top players will get to be on teams of five for the last day of games. You're freshman, so you get the first day. There will be real prizes and a real audience, so I expect you all to try your best. We're going to be doing basketball training until then. To make it fair, I'm pairing some of my best athletes with those of you who might need a little more help."

That was a nice way of saying 'unathletic losers', but I'd take it. I knew I was going to be one of the people who needed a little more help, so to speak. I'd played around with my cousins sometimes at the park and I was bad even then. Compared to everyone else in my grade, I was probably around the last 25. It was going to be so embarrassing being partnered up with someone who knew what they were doing! I was already flustered at the thought of it. I really hoped that I'd get partnered up with someone I kind of knew..

When the teacher called my name, he also called Warren's. Syd shot me a knowing smile. At the time, I was still in the flirty talking stage with Warren, so having him as my partner was totally the best. He grinned when he saw me coming over and gave me an exaggerated wave. I laughed a little and came up to his side. "Hey, partner," I snickered, looking up at him. He wasn't the best basketball player on the team, but he always played well. Having him on my side would also give me a small advantage over the other losers who couldn't play worth crap.

That first week, we just practiced the basics, like dribbling, shooting, and passing. I surprised myself by catching on quickly. I guess some part of me wanted to impress Warren, so my tiny bit of athleticism decided to actually come out for once. Every time he complimented something I did, I could feel my cheeks getting pink. He wasn't even trying to flirt with me; he was just being nice! There was just something about the way he looked at me that made me get butterflies. It was almost distracting. Almost. There was no way I'd let anything actually get in my way.