The Pointe Of The Game

Chapter 5

Olivia Beckham-Christmas Day

I walk back inside after meeting Charlie. I don't know what to think. He was very good looking but I don't think he'd want to be friends with me. He had medium length chestnut brown hair that had a slight curl to it and no part. It was shaved on the sides but shaggy on the top.
You could tell he played a sport by the visible bulk of his body through his coat. He definitely went to the gym. If he played a sport, I would have to guess he plays basketball from his height. I swear he was 7 feet tall. Maybe that's just because I'm so short everyone looks tall to me.
But the best part? He brought my siblings cookies! He made cookies and brought them out specifically with them in mind. That's one of the sweetest things I've ever seen someone do. Not even my parents make cookies for them. but Charlie made them the first day he moved in. I hope I can get to know him more. But if I can't, I'll just admire him from afar.

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Today is the first day back after winter break. I do not want to go back to school. The only reason I'm not groaning into my pillow right now is because Charlie is going to be there today. I'm supposed to show him around which I don't mind.
Charlie gave me a ride to school today and we went over his schedule before class. But now I'm sitting in first hour bored out of my mind. I'm in science and my teacher, Mr. Kagman is droning on about the properties of DNA and how it's constructed. We still have 15 minutes of this class before I can go and dance. I haven't seen our school dance team, Graceful, in forever. Not since before winter break. We have so many routines we need to go over. Since we are the company  team, we perform at pretty much every sports game's halftimes, and all assemblies, and if it's something special, random times during lunch or in the mornings.
It's so much fun and I love doing it. Even though it can get a little busy when I also have my actual dance team, the Fluid dance company/studio.
RIIIIING
Finally the bell rings.
I start to gather up all my stuff when my phone vibrates
Charlie: ummm so I'm gonna need your help.
I'm kinda lost. Not kinda really lost. No idea where to go next.

Laughing quietly, I ask him what he has next.

Charlie: strength and conditioning

I have dance which is in the same building so I text him to wait by his classroom and I'll come meet him there.

I walk up to him from behind and loop my elbow around his arm and pull him along with me. We arrive in the sports building and I guide him to the gym where they do strength and conditioning. Finally, I quickly change into my dance clothes and go to the dance room where I find most of the girls chatting with each other. My dance teachers, Mr. and Mrs. Strada walk in holding hands.
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Charlie Williams
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This is one of the weirdest schools I've ever been to. The hallways are literally mazes. It's like they want new kids to get lost. Even though we went through my schedule, I still walked out of my first hour probably more confused than before.
True to her word, Ollie came to my rescue. Luckily, we were going to the same building so I wasn't making her late.
We're in last period now and we have ten minutes before the bell rings. I just want to melt in a puddle and be done with this day. The amount of times I've gotten lost is unreal. Who knew a school could be this huge with so many hallways. Not me that's for sure. Luckily, because I'm the new kid and Ollie's the only person I know, the teachers have been nice enough to let me sit by her in all our classes together.
I glance up at the clock.
10 more minutes until I can leave this place. Luckily, we don't have basketball practice otherwise I wouldn't be able to take Ollie home. I had basketball tryouts over winter break and obviously I made it but we don't have practice on Mondays, and on Fridays we usually have games. Then we have 4 hour practices on Saturdays at 5am. Hopefully the team here is good because I'm looking to be challenged. At my last school I was usually the one who actually did anything on the team. That team was full of people whose parents forced them to play a sport so they dragged their feet for everything.
RIIING
Ugh finallllly
I start to pack up my stuff and Ollie does the same.
"Finally. That was one of the longest days of my life." I say
laughing quietly, she answers, "I agree"
We start walking out of the classroom. There's people everywhere and bumping into us trying to get everywhere at once. Since Ollie is walking in front of me, she keeps getting pushed back into my stomach.
"Are you good?" I ask her remembering what she said this morning in the car.
"Fine" she says
But just as she says that, a boy probably 3 times the size of her, rams into her side knocking her into the ground. Fear seizes in my throat as a slew of images race through my mind. I crouch down and cup her face in my hands. "Are you ok?" I ask panicked
She gives me a small smile and a small "I think so". That's all it takes before I'm lifting her up like a baby and carrying her to my car. I'm not letting anything happen to her. As I approach my car I grab the keys out of my pocket and open the back so I can sit her inside.
"What hurts?" I ask her frantically
"I'm fine. It'll probably just bruise, nothing that hasn't happened before." She says obviously in pain. That makes my insides furl in even tighter. I want to hunt down whoever pushed her and hurt them the same way they hurt her or worse. I turn around so she can't see the anger radiating off me and run my hands through my hair and down my face before turning back around to her.

"Tell me where it hurts." I say sternly

She looks in her lap and shows me her wrist which was covered by her sweatshirt sleeve. It's swollen and discolored already. That's not good. Bringing my hands up to my face, I groan. "Stay here." I said before quickly sprinting back to the school where I go to the nurses office. The one place I actually know where it's located. "Can I have some ice?" I ask her frantically. She gives me a bag of ice and I quickly sprint back to my car and breathe a sigh of relief when I see Ollie still there. I walk over to her and gently take her injured hand in mine. I tug her sleeve up to her elbow and gently place the ice where it's the most bruised and swollen. Then I help her come and sit in the passenger seat so I can get her home.

As I'm walking around to my side, I realize that we might still have to pick up her siblings. Getting in the car I ask, "Do we need to pick up your siblings?" she shakes her head no. "They take the bus home." I glance down at her and notice that she took the ice off her wrist. "Why'd you take the ice off? It'll help with the swelling and pain." She doesn't answer me. I can sense her quickly putting her walls back up and it hurts my heart. She's not used to having someone take care of her. We pull up to a stop light and I grab the ice from her other hand and gently place it over the sleeve of her injured hand that's currently resting on one of her thighs. I hold the ice over her wrist so she keeps it there and when the light turns green, I start driving again.