Rollercoaster

#39 the other girl

hi

Chapter 39 song
~ Girl from Mars (Ash)

* * *

Basketball practice in school was still going on with Kaycee and I in the boys varsity team. We had finally managed to learn the strengths and weaknesses of our teammates and learnt how to play with them. The boys finally trusted us to pass to us unlike how it was when we first joined the team. Coach said that our first game was going to be the following weekend against another school team and if we beat two teams, we'd get to round two where we'd have to beat two more teams to get to the finals.

We quickly made teams, Kaycee and I in different teams while the boys were also equally split. The coach blew the whistle and threw the ball up into the air for jump ball. Drake from the opposite team tapped the ball towards their net while another boy from their team caught it and started dribbling towards the basket immediately. While the other boy started a lay up and jumped in the air, Blake jumped along with him and managed to tap the ball away just before it went near the basket. I ran to the edge of the court and caught the ball just before it went outside. I then started dribbling towards the other court, passing it to another boy midway but being intercepted by Drake during the pass. Our team groaned when we lost the ball. I felt completely responsible for not passing the ball carefully. Either way, I ran back and tried to tackle Drake, who was making it awfully hard for me to even touch the ball. I managed to not stop trying, making him stop in his place, the dread that he can't dribble anymore dawning upon his face.

He tried to pass the ball around his back but I grabbed it and ran to the other court, dribbling. Blake was near the hoop as I passed without being intercepted this time and Blake caught the ball and shot into the basket, gaining us two points.

A boy from the other team started by passing to Kaycee who dribbled the ball all the way to the other court and then tried to pass while I blocked the ball from reaching the other guy and passed to another boy from my team. The other boy saw another teammate of ours near the basket already and passed it immediately before anyone from the other team could reach and we watched him shoot another basket.

The next basket was scored by Drake who shot just after the three-pointer line.

The game went on pretty well, completely showing our improvement over the past few weeks. We seemed well prepared for our game the following weekend, plus we had a few more days to get even better.

A/n - I write shitty game descriptions so I'm not even trying to write a whole game lmao

* * *

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Ms. Rosemary yelled.

It was taking forever to finish this scene that Ms. Rosemary kept interrupting. She kept stopping, telling Leslie to focus and put in some actual emotion and made everyone restart the scene. Half an hour had passed and Leslie still hadn't been able to live up to Rosemary's expectations. It wasn't like she was being asked for too much either, she really seemed off. She fumbled with her lines and narrated the dialogues emotionlessly. It wasn't helping that this was one of the most important scenes either.

"This ring, good sir? Alas, it is a trifle. I will not shame myself to give you this," Drake said, pretending to be Bassanio.

"I will have nothing else but only this. And now me- uh," Leslie struggled.

"Methinks I have a mind to it! It's one line Leslie! What's going on with you!" Rosemary yelled angrily.

Leslie seemed utterly stressed at this point. On seeing her sweat, Ms. Rosemary announced a five minute break and advised her to drink some water.

River and I sitting at the back of the room couldn't help but watch all this, instead of watching a movie as usual.

"What're you two looking at?" Leslie snarled at us with a hint of insecurity in her tone.

Damn, even after us seeing her struggle the way she did on stage, she still held her balloon sized pride on her shoulders. I wouldn't know how to do it. Being popular and having to keep up a reputation? It just seemed so difficult. Having to constantly be perfect and in definition of popular also have to be super bratty. I didn't know what was bothering Leslie, but if she could just keep her pride aside for a moment, maybe people would be able to help her.

Leslie drank some water and went back on stage.

"I will have nothing else but only this. And now methinks I have a mind to it."

"There's more depends on this than on the value. The dearest ring in Venice will I give you, And find it out by proclamation. Only for this, I pray you pardon me," Drake said.

"I see, sir, you are liberal in offers. You taught me..." she trailed off again.

Ms. Rosemary was a pressure cooker at this point. She kept going off when Leslie forgot her lines again.

"That's it. We're done for today. I can't handle this anymore. You better get your shit together by next practice," Ms. Rosemary said, sternly.

Everyone sighed in relief.

River and I got up immediately and went outside. It was suffocating in there and watching the pitiful sight had made it worse. A breath of fresh air got completely rid off the sleepiness I felt inside.

"Oh shit, I left my earphones inside," I told River realising I had to go back in to get them. I said goodbye and went back inside.

Ms. Rosemary was just about to close the door so I reached just in time.

It took me a while to find my earphones in the dark but I eventually found them and went back outside, thanking her for letting me go back inside.

"Why are you messing with me like this?" I heard a girl's voice from the other side of the building while reaching the parking lot.

I didn't mean to eavesdrop but I couldn't help myself.

"I don't want anyone to know," the other person replied.

After some silence the first girl yelled at the other one. "Get off me."

"Please. I'm sorry, I'm just not ready yet."

"You'll never be ready."

"Is that such a bad thing?"

"We can't keep doing this. Do you know how it feels to be ignored by a person you really care about in the hallways? You act like you don't know me. I can't deal with your shit every time."

"We just have to keep this low. It'll be fine."

"No, it won't. I don't want this. I want to be with someone who can have commitments. I want to be someone's priority. Not just some meaningless fling. Meaningless to you at least..."

"You aren't meaningless to me."

"Then why do you act like that?!"

I peeped from the corner to see two people I never expected there.

Two girls. Leslie and Leah.

Leslie was the other girl... Leslie was the girl in the picture. Leslie was the girl Leah liked.