Picture This

Chapter 17

 Chapter 17

Ian

I could already see Charlie’s Lambo in the parking lot of the park when I pulled in.  Levi and Carson were already playing around on the basketball court.  Cooper couldn’t make it because he had an ‘appointment’, as he called it. 

Getting out of my Mercedes, I could see a guy sitting on top of the hood of a car that was parked beside Charlie’s. 

“Hey,” I said, walking up to him. 

He immediately opened his eyes and sat up. 

“Yeah, what do you want?” he asked. 

“Nothing,” I said.  “Is Charlie around?”

He pointed toward the track.  “She and Julia are on their fourth lap now.  That’s when they usually stop.  You might be able to catch her in a little while,” the guy said.

“Okay, thanks,” I said.  “I’m Ian, by the way.  Ian Macpherson.”

He snorted.  “Yeah, everyone knows who you are, man,” the guy said.  “Cameron Doyle, but you can call me Cam.”

“Cool,” I said, nodding.  “Want to play ball with us?  We need another person to play two on two.”

Cam raised an eyebrow.  “You want me to play with you.  There’s no catch, is there?”

“No, there’s not,” I said.  “Why would there be?”

“Because I’m a scholarship kid.  That’s the only reason I go to Jackson Academy.”

“Yeah, so?”

He continued to look at me with raised eyebrows.  I just looked back, waiting for him to make his decision.

Finally, he got off the hood of the car.  “Whatever, I guess I can,” he said.  “No use in waiting around for the girls still.  Why not have some fun while I’m waiting?  Besides, I haven’t played in a while.  I used to play for my old school.  Varsity, even though I was a sophomore.  Got them to the championships.”

“Good, then we can whip their asses,” I said, grinning. 

Cam snorted and rolled his eyes.  I grinned and we both made our way toward the court, which was just off the side of the parking lot. 

“Hey, guys,” I said to Levi and Carson.  I nodded toward Cam.  “This is Cam.  You know him from school, right?”

The two of them just looked at him for a moment.  But since I was being nice to him, they just followed my lead as always and were nice right back. 

“Hey, man,” Levi said, and Carson nodded toward him.

“Hey,” Cam said to them.

I walked over and stole the ball from Carson, who began to dribble it.  “You guys up for two on two?” I asked.

“Sure,” Levi said.  “Me and Carson versus you two?”

I nodded, grinning.  “Yep, that’s it,” I said.  “First one to ten wins.”

“How about we do girls versus boys?” someone asked from the direction of the door of the twenty foot fence that surrounded the court. 

When we looked over, Charlie was smiling as she walked toward me with her friend, who must have been Julia, behind her. 

I smiled, throwing the ball up in the air.  “That wouldn’t be fair,” I said.  “How about we do three on three if you girls want to play?”