Can't Stop the Questions

Chapter 8: Hoops

On Monday morning, Audrey meets with Pablo in the weight room. Obviously, they have a lot to tell each other, especially when Pablo had his first sleepover with the quiz bowl team.

"A shame you missed that game against Peabody; if only you were there for this buzzer-beater!" Audrey tells him about the main highlight of the game.

"Did you score that buzzer-beater?" Pablo asks her.

"Yes. I scored ten points in that game. But every ninth and tenth grader on the basketball team kept asking me for help with their homework! Granted, not everyone for the same things, but still"

"Of course you would be asked for help! Your hoops teammates know how smart you are! But better this than getting bullied! Some of our quiz bowl opponents try to befriend people on other teams because they feel quiz bowl..."

"In a sense, better attend VA than some of our opponents' schools. Quiz bowl is still a new world to you; surely you have realized that some players play it because it's the only place they can be themselves at their respective schools!"

Like South Lafourche or Kinder. However, many quiz bowl-playing schools are magnet or private schools, Audrey pauses before asking him about a different aspect.

"How does it feel to sleep at your teammates' place?"

"Honestly, they are able to have fun without having trivia on their minds. They're nicer than I initially believed. If you may excuse me, I will need to go to the principal's office for the morning announcement!"

"Me too, but don't go around thinking that we're dating yet"

When the pair has finished putting their classroom clothes back, they go straight to the principal's office, knowing they don't have much time to deliver their teams' morning announcements.

"The VAs' quiz bowl A-team took first place and the B-team finished seventh at the LQBA Fall Invitational South last Saturday!" Pablo then hands off the PA system to Audrey, and gets to his classroom.

"As for the girls' basketball team, we won over Peabody sixty-three to sixty-two with a buzzer-beater! And we advance to the second round of the Acadiana Classic, playing Lacassine tonight!" Audrey delivers her announcement on behalf of the girls' basketball team.

If we win against Lacassine tonight, we'll play the winner of the game between Oberlin and Eunice, but they play on Tuesday, Audrey can't help but think about the implications of tonight's game, while going to her class with the other sports teams delivering their morning announcements, if any. I hope he realizes that, by playing with people like Nadine, or even me, he might gain some intellectual drive. I think him playing at LQBA Winter Invitational South next month is pretty much a given.

After the first period, Audrey meets with Pablo again.

"You know that, since you started playing quiz bowl, we started doing more things together. And not just quiz bowl practices or weight training. Just so you know, I am allowed to give out two free tickets for any home game. Do you want a free ticket for tonight's game?" Audrey asks him.

"I'll think about it" Pablo looks at his agenda, as well as the schedule of VA girls' basketball games. "I mean, yes, and you probably saw me play once or twice during football season"

"The season closer actually"

We're both athletic, and, even though her thighs are pretty thick, basketball obliges, she feels healthier than girls I keep seeing on social media, Pablo glances at her, before giving her a link to an emulator for the video game Nadine played during the sleepover party. Then he can think of the basketball game for which Audrey sent him a redemption code for a free ticket.