HOOPS AND HEARTS

Chapter 2

Astrid

"Alright, team, let's settle down." I stand next to my dad in the middle of the court, 13 panting boys in front of me. They all bear smiles and are punching each other in the arms, chuckling and whispering. Heat rises into my face as they continue. Whispers. He chuckles. "Be aware, she will be staying with me for quite some time, so I trust you all will treat her with respect and be friendly!" He says this as if he is bestowing the right to be in my presence, among them. "Anything you would like to add, Astrid?" He turns to me, hopeful.

"Shhh!"

"Oh my god, dude..."

"Dang, is this how all the girls are in London? Fly me out this second, man." A lean blonde boy says this a bit loudly, and they all start pushing his shoulders playfully. I look to the side and wring my hands. My eyes drift across the faces, and everyone sports a playful smile except one...

I spot Leo among the faces, and his eyes are set hard, glaring into mine. I return the glare. Another boy next to him laughs and says something to his teammate, pointing at me. Leo gives him a dirty look and turns back to Dad. Everyone hushes as Leo's subtle eyes meet each of theirs. I open my mouth.

"Well, um. As a die-hard basketball fan, I hope you all win your games or, as the newest student of this ever prestigious school, I will have the lasting impression that Rorian High School's athletic department is not up to par." I say with a smile. "Go Bears," I say sarcastically, pumping a fist in mock support. Everyone looks shocked. They all start chuckling and swatting at each other once more. I glance one more time at Leo. He checks his watch and looks everywhere but the present, gripping the basketball on his side tighter. Dad whistles, stopping the horseplay.

"Okay, everyone!" Dad claps his hands together, the sound ricocheting through the now silent gym. "Now that you are acquainted, keep in mind Astrid will be present at most of the games and some practices." Leo looks to the side and scoffs rather loudly. Dad gives him an odd look. "Is there a problem, Williams?" He asks cautiously.

"Not at all," he says casually. Dad continues.

"Well, in that case, thank you for your attention, and I'll see you back here tomorrow after school." He looks at me. "Bears on three!" Everyone chants after him, an abundance of sounds bouncing off the walls. The words float crisp out of everyone's mouths. Like a war cry. He claps his hands yet again, and the boys flee across the court, changing shoes and offering up high fives. The same blonde winks at me before walking off. I pretend not to notice and turn toward Dad, who is already five steps ahead, walking toward his office. I follow after him.

"Sooo...They seem-" I stop, thinking of a word. "-Nice." I tuck my hands in my back pockets and take long strides to catch up with him. When we reach his office, he sits down and wipes a bead of sweat off his forehead. He nods in agreement.

"You taking your car?" Is all he says. I'm taken aback for a second. I slowly nod.

"I mean it's not really mine..." I say, shrugging, trying to carry out a more than three-exchanged-sentence conversation. He nods once more.

"See ya." He sits up and gathers his papers, taking out his phone, ignoring me. I pause and stiffen. I open my mouth a few times, struggling to grasp onto words. I decide on a sentence of silence and turn on my heel, making my way across the gym. I spot Leo in front of me, opening the door. I wait for him to push it open a bit, maybe even reach out an elbow. Instead, as I come head-on with the door, it greets me with a slam to the face. I scoff and peer out the window. He's strutting down the parking lot, and slowly makes his way to a beat-up black Toyota. I drill daggers into his back with my eyes and open the door with annoyance. I feel a buzz in my pocket and take out my phone, walking into the now dimly lit sun. I open my phone to find a new message from Mom. 'I'll call you.' I bite my lip and sigh, frustrated. Come on, Mum... I'm waiting in my car for about 15 minutes when my phone vibrates.

"Hey, Mum!" I call out into the phone, impatient.

"Hey, Assi." I'm taken aback by her concerned tone.

"Is something wrong?" I say slowly, my small accent peeking through my words.

"No, not at all! How was your day?" She seems to wait, as if to say something more but deciding against it.

"It was good, the school is nice, and I'm excited to join the orchestra..." I bite my lip and hesitate to continue.

"What did you need?" She asks. I sigh and look down at my lap, intaking a breath.

"I don't think he likes me mum." I look around the almost empty parking lot as cars pull away as the sun waves goodbye. She laughs for a few moments.

"Nonsense darling, you just need to give it time! Let him warm up to you-" She pauses for a brief moment, presumably to talk to a customer. "Well I have to dash darling, cooper needs me to make some more copies, I'll contact you later. Love you!" I can hear the rush in her voice, as I open my mouth and close it to find an empty screen staring back at me. I sigh and bang my head against the steering wheel.

"This is hell."

____________

As I walk up to my new home, I latch onto my new key. Everything foreign from my previous life only shifting a few days ago. New car, new key, new school, new home, as the list continues to the depths of my deteriorating mind. I open the door, and greet my father's cat.

"Elizabeth!" I pick her up and snuggle her. In response, my eyes widen as she lunges at me, causing me to scream. My left arm burns, as I drop her and inspect my bleeding skin. "Shit!" I blow on my arm and walk over to the kitchen, searching for something to cover my gash with. "That's why dogs are better." I seath at the cat, as she saunters away in ignorance. I call my dad.

"Hello?"

"Do you have bandaids?" I hear chatter at the end of the phone, glasses clinking and voices laughing. Is he at a bar right now?

"You said what?" He answers chuckling, talking to some other man

"Do you have bandaids?" I said louder, frustration rising in my throat.

"HUH?" He yells, continuing to laugh

"Bandaids, where?" I grip a glass cup on the counter

"See, I can't really hea-"

"I SAID WHERE'S YOUR GODDAMN BANDAIDS!" I scream, slamming the cup down. Silence. I look at my phone and find nothing but my reflection once again. I gather my hair cascading down my back and pull it into a low ponytail. I grab my keys and enter the chilly air, dialing my best friends number. It rings 5 times. No answer. I dial my mother's. No answer. I dial my cousin no answer. There was a contact jumping out of my screen daring me to call it. With each second I pondered the direction of our conversation in my mind. Fuck it. I pressed his name dancing on the screen as I navigated the foreign streets ahead of my car.

"Astrid?"

"Hey, balino." He was never a bad boyfriend but not the good kind. We rode on highs of dopamine and when we reached our peak it was downhill from there, till a wave came and swept us back up again

"Missing me already? Damn."

"Missing home." I laughed

"Aw that's sweet love, but listen, if you ramble on about how i'm your home and shit im hanging up." I laughed at his soothing nonchalant voice. It was deep where you could feel it against your bones, but it slid against your skin like a kiss. I laughed again "Your mums a real arse for sending you to the states, you know that? Now I have to purchase a plane ticket just to fuck."

"We both know that's never been a problem." I think back to the countless girls he had during the duration of our relationship. 6 months in its entirety.

"True that darling. So why am I your conversational partner this evening?" I think on his question, not finding an answer for myself. I try to focus on getting used to the right sides of the road and almost hit another car, missing my turn.

"Shoot!" I hit the wheel and try my best to turn once again. He chuckles on the other end.

"You seem pretty occupied at the moment, I won't distract you mate. Thanks for giving me a call." I sigh.

"I'm not occupied I-" The call ends just as I turn into a drugstore. The three letters on the sign throw me off. CVS.

"Americans." I roll my eyes and stride up to the entrance.