Spring

Chapter Three

Sage Gibson

I knock on my little sister's open door and lean against the wall. She looks up at me, dropping one of the plastic horses in her hands. A welcome smile takes over her face and I smile back.

"You've been fed, got your homework done. Are you happy?" My voice sounds gentler than it ever does with anyone else.

Natalie nods, her smile not leaving her face. "Yeah. I am." Then a look of contemplation plays over her expression for a moment. "Are you happy Sage?"

I smile softly, but don't offer up an answer. There's no point in lying to her, she'll see through it and I'll just feel guilty. Even if neither of us acknowledge it. Crazy how much a six year old can pick up on.

"What do you think about going to search for a park? I was thinking it might be fun to find a basketball court and you could play." 

Natalie nods and stands up. "Yeah! Let's go!"

It doesn't take long for me to change into basketball shorts and to grab my ball. Natalie os ready with a puffy coat and a beanie in addition to her jeans and T-shirt. She smiles underneath all the puff and I laugh.

"It isn't that cold." I tell her while pulling on my hoodie.

"Cold enough." She answers happily and plops down to pull on her shoes. "You run hot, that's what Mommy says. I must run cold then. Whatever that means."

I laugh and then the two of us head out. The cool air brushes by us immediately and I was right. It really isn't all that cold. Nat seems perfectly happy to stay bundled up though.

She skips next to me for a long while as we walk. When we get to the end of our street, I decide to just use google. Typing in parks near me I find one only a few blocks down.

I have to jog after Natalie because she takes off running when she sees it.

I can't blame her. The gigantic grin that takes over my face almost feels unnatural when I see the concrete court that is surrounded by a chain link fence attatched to the park. I feel the excitement start to set in.

It's been too long. A week without even picking up a basketball. Should've been impossible.

We step into the open part of the fence and I look around. The whole area is fenced in and it's strikingly different than the the one back home. I kinda like it. Feels a little safer letting Natalie run over by herself.

"Be careful!" I ahout after her. She just waves behind her and I grin.

The court is fenced in too, separating it from the rest of the park. I step onto it and suck in a big breath. It might sound dramatic but this feels like the first time I can breathe fresh air since we moved.

Dropping my basketball, I dribble it around for a little. The feeling on my palm is familiar in the best ways.

I walk up to the middle of the court, it's about where the three point line would be in a gym. With the flick of my wrist, the ball goes up and lands in the basket. The chain net clangs and it's odd, a little off-putting.

I don't let it distract me. I keep dancing around the court and shooting the ball up. I make it nearly every time, only missing when I throw it at a weird angle or take a risky few too many steps away than what I'm used to.