Volleyball

Chapter Two

  “Next bet, guys?” I asked them while we sat at our usual spot in the huge cafeteria packed with students but these guys stayed quiet in their seats, not moving but staring at me. “Come on. Any bet? Any girls? Cheerleaders? Nerds? Geeks? Girls on the bleachers? Water girls?” A deep sigh escaped my mouth after they shook their heads to answer my first to last options of the next bet.

   “Ben, my man, what’s with the rush?” said George, next to me, putting his arm around my shoulder and squeezing it. “You never rush about your bets.”

   Another deep sigh escaped my mouth again. “I don’t know, man. I just need money.”

   “For what?” asked Jake, raising his eyebrows.

   Shit. “For… For, um, for my car’s repairment.” For renting a small house and searching for a new life, I lied. “It’s getting old.”

   “I saw your car yesterday and it looked alright…” said Jake again, narrowing his eyes at my direction.

   “You saw it,” I answered, pressing at the words ‘saw’ and scratching the side of my head. “You saw it, I drive it.”

   I couldn’t let any of these guys know about this. This wasn’t their business and if they knew about this, they wouldn’t just stay in place quietly. They would spread everything out and I wouldn’t get any girls for my bets again. Man, I need a proper and decent job.

   “We haven’t found your next bet, Ben. Just be patient, okay?” answered George.

   Man, I felt like a beggar but a little different. I wasn’t looking for money. I was looking for girls to become my money. If my life were different with mine now, would I still be like this? Would I still be playing around with girls for fun like now?

   Talking about our bet, I would always win, after all, against those chicks after we slept together. Protection was always with me. We would fight a little then I had way more reasonable reasons to take her reasons down then I would win so I got no problem at all.

***

   “Come on, Ben! Focus! Eyes on the ball!” Mr. Jo practically shouted when I hit the ball with all I had but, turned out, the ball slipped away from my arm and it bounced out on the lines. “Out!” he shouted, announcing.

   I let myself hit the ground and sleep on it. My chest heaved. I was out of breath. My body was drenched with sweat; so were my clothes. I wiped the sweat in my face with the back of my hand. My teammates and Mr. Jo squatted down, surrounding me. They probably thought I fainted or something. “What time is it?” I asked them all. I didn’t bother to think I was stupid because that time no one had their watches around their wrists.

   “Four forty-five,” answered Mr. Jo after he took out his phone and put it back in his pocket. “We still have plenty of time. Come on.” He took me by the hand and pulled half of my body up. My chest still heaved and the boys still surrounded me.

   “One more game then I’m going home,” I answered, standing up after Jake gave me a hand up and all the other boys stood up. Jake ran to the other side of the court.

   “Why so early, Ben?” asked Mr. Jo.

   “Got some stuffs to do, Sir.”

   I returned to my position and prepared for the service ball coming from the opponent’s side. Jake hit it and I received the ball. And then the ball came to Collins. He gave an assist for Dylan, who was next to him in front of the net, to smash it down to the opponent’s side. He did. I cheered inaudibly. And by that I could go home.