They Could Care Less

24: Chocolate Feelings

Thea stood quietly in front of the mirror and fixed her hair one last time before she bent down and tied her shoe laces. She put her jacket and scarf on before she swung her bag over her shoulder and walked out of the locker room. As soon as she stepped out a loud hurricane of voices occurred, she looked back and saw the team cheering and clapping.

"What's happening?" Thea asked and couldn't help to smile.

"Great job, Thea!" one of them patted her shoulder roughly, making her take a step forward to not fall. He then walked out with another boy who also patted her on the shoulder.

"You survived!" another one cheered and walked out of the building. It continued like that, but no one had given her an explanation yet until Hussein was the only one left. Everyone else had left to walk back to their dorms but him.

"What just happened?" Thea asked and grinned as he walked forward. He put his arm around her shoulder in a brotherly gesture and began to lead her to the exit.

"You are the second person to survive Damon's punishment. Everyone else that has ever been punished by him gave up," He explained and smiled with pride, as if his own little sister had just won a marathon.

"Who was the first person?" Thea asked, though she had a good guess.

"Jackson. I still remember that day very good, but that's a story for another time," he said and removed his arm.

"I have time," Thea said, suddenly intrigued.

"Are you heading to the dorm rooms?" Hussein asked and held open the door for her. The rain was now trickling down. Thea pulled her hood up and pulled her jacket closer as she answered.

"Yeah."

"Good, then I can tell you the story," he said with an excited voice and pulled his hood over his head.

"It was before school had even started this year. Jackson had just gotten into the school, and the coach at his former high school knew Damon, so he easily got in. Damon wanted us to start early for the season, me and some of the other boys were practicing shooting from mid-court when he walked in half an hour late. Damon was furious so he punished him with fifty laps around the court-" he retold the story with a exaggeratedly dramatic voice.

"Fifty!?" Thea interrupted him and stopped walking.

"Yes, don't interrupt me," Hussein said and carried on with the story-telling.

"As I said, Damon made him run fifty laps around the court. It began as fifteen, but Jackson kept arguing back so Damon gradually raised it until he had enough and raised the punishment to fifty. Jackson finished it without a complaint, since that day, none of the boys have dared to mess with him. You do not mess with someone who completes Damon Miller's punishments," Hussein said with a similar proud grin as before.

"You speak as if you have much experience with Damon... does that mean you're a-" Thea got cut off by Hussein interrupting her.

"Yes, I'm a sophomore which means I'm older than you, Smith," he confirmed in a slightly mocking voice.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Hussein, you're one year older than me," Thea said and smiled.

"A lot can happen in one year," he replied as Thea came to a stop outside of her dorm building. "It's Jamal, by the way."

"This is my stop, see you on Monday, Hussein," Thea had purposely added his name in the end to tease him.

"Wish me luck, Smith, I have a date tonight," he said with a love-stricken gaze up at the sky. He quickly got out of his daydreams and began to walk away. "It's Jamal for the hundredth time!" Thea heard him shout when he had gotten a good bit away from her.