Basketball, Baby

The Move

My biggest fear growing up was that I'd never see the world. For the first decade of my life I was confined to a city as if I was Rapunzel and my mother was Gothel. But eventually, I realised that it was not the city I was trapped in, but it was myself.

Me and my family are on vacation in British Columbia. We're staying in a very bad motel because we are poor and can't afford anything better. I wanted to go outside to get some air but as I'm walking outside, I see Bell, an old friend of mine from middle school. Shocked, I ask, "What are you doing here?" "I followed you to British Columbia because I want to play basketball with you," he says. It's so random of a request that my initial thought was to say no but then he told me there was something on the line if I won.

He tells me that if I win, I would get whatever I wanted from him, but if I lost, he would get whatever he wanted from me. I was very hesitant to say yes but he convinced me that there was no reason for me to say no.

I agreed and we started playing basketball together and I lost 2-30. Feeling discouraged, I asked what he wanted from me and he replied "You have to marry me when we turn 18." I agreed, thinking he was just joking.

We got back from British Columbia, but unfortunately, things started going south for our family. Our rent is increasing so much that we can't afford to stay in our apartment anymore. Our new home is in Prince Edward Island, a cheaper choice. We didn't have the usual 30 days to leave the apartment, since my Mom confessed that she couldn't afford rent for the last six months.

We bought a small house by the ocean, it's cheap because there are lots of floods in this area, and because the house is really old and outdated. When we first arrived, none of us were really feeling it. I miss my friends from Toronto and all my memories of our old place. Nonetheless, we unpacked, preparing to settle into this new city, Charlottetown.

I got home from my first week at the new school three hours ago. I haven't made any friends, and I have nobody to talk to. It seems like my friends from Toronto are avoiding me too. I pull out my phone from my pocket and begin walking down our street. Back home, I used to walk down to the beach as often as I could. And although it's not the same here, it can't be worse. When I arrive at the beach, the sun has already began to set. I sit down near the shore and watch the waves. Suddenly, I hear a familiar voice coming from behind me. I turn around and spot an old classmate behind me. He was in my eighth grade class, but we were never that close. He waves from across the beach and begins walking over.

He stops and stands beside me, "Hey!" He says. "Oh, hey, Money. I didn't know you were in PEI." I state. He sits down beside me on the sand. "Not many people do. I come here every weekend with my family. We have a cabin." He turns around and points to a large brown cabin slightly in the distance. "Looks nice." I state. "Yeah.. SO! What brings you to Charlottetown?" He asks, turning to face me. "I moved here about a week ago." I reply quietly.

It feels nice talking to somebody again. Money and I continue talking. About eighth grade, highschool, anything. We talk for about half an hour, until the sun is set and it's almost time for me to head back home. Suddenly, we hear a song playing in the distance, a song we both recognize. "It's Better When I'm Dancing!" We both say in sync. And for some reason we just get up and start dancing to it.

The song holds a lot of memories from eighth grade because our teacher used to play it all the time. "Wow! You're a really good dancer, Money!" I say, semi-sarcastically. "Really? Thanks! I actually want to be a breakdancer when I grow up!" I cringe but we continue dancing. When the song ends, he asks me if I want to have dinner with him and his family. I accept, calling my mom and asking her if I can.

The dinner goes well and eventually, the only thing I look forward to every week is when Money is back in town and we can hang out together again.

Eventually, I started to realise that my family wasn't happy in PEI. I wanted to do something and I knew just the right person to call. I thought back to the basketball match where he told me if I had won, he would do anything for me, even pay for a new place for me and my family to live, so I called Bell. I ask him where he is and he says, "I just found out you moved to PEI so I flew out. I'm at the airport. Why?" I tell him about a rematch and the new stakes if I were to win. He agreed to come out and play with me.

We met up at a court not far from Money's cabin and started playing. In five minutes, I was down 8-23 and I was scared I might lose again, but suddenly, Money appeared to me out of nowhere, looking betrayed. "What are you doing here?" he asked me. "What is he doing here?" I thought to myself. Bell stopped running and looked at Money. "I'm playing basketball. Why?" I replied. "Why are you playing basketball with my brother?!"

I stare at them both in disbelief. "What do you mean brother?" Bell didn't say anything, he just sat there with his mouth open. "Wait a minute. This is the girl you've been meeting up with at the PEI cabin?" Bell suddenly asked his brother. "Yes? Who is she to you?" Money replied, suddenly confused. "This is the girl I've been stalking for four years!"