Volleyball

Chapter Nine

   “Ben.” I heard Kim calling my name beside me. Her hands shook my shoulder softly. “Ben, wake up. It’s nine,” she said. My eyes still closed and I grabbed a pillow under my head, squeezed it onto my face.

   I groaned. “Ugh, Kim. Go back to sleep. It’s weekend, for God’s sake,” I mumbled into the pillow.

   “But I have a soccer practice,” she said. “Are you going to drop me off or should I go by myself?”

   I opened my eyes. A loud sigh escaped my mouth. I remembered today was Kim’s soccer practice and I remembered I wanted to drop her off. I threw the pillow away from my face and sat up, rubbing my eyes.

   “Right,” I said, looking at Kim. “Breakfast?”

   “Toast and a glass of milk,” she answered.

   “Nice job,” I said, stoking her hair, and got up to my feet. I stretched my arms and yawned. “Come on.” I put my hand on her shoulder and walked out of my room to the living room. “Are you ready?”

   “Yep,” she said, popping up the last letter of the word. I sat on the couch and I pulled her to sit on my lap. I bounced her on my lap and she giggled so hard. “Ben, stop!” She begged, laughing, and I laughed, too.

   “You always like it when I do this thing,” I said.

   “Yeah, I always do.”

   I stole a kiss from her cheek and said, “Bounce again?”

   “I’m not a basketball,” she said, laughing. “What about this? You stop bouncing and I will give you a glass of milk?”

   “Deal,” I said. And she got down from my lap and jogged to the kitchen. My stomach grumbled like a thunder. I remembered I hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday. I might find something big to fill my poor stomach. I got up to my feet, taking my phone from my room, and walked to the small kitchen.

   “What time is your soccer?” I asked while Kim poured down the milk into a glass.

   “Ten,” she said and gave me the mil. I drank them in one gulp without giving myself to breathe. Hell, I was starving.

   Valerie came across my mind. I thought about her a lot nowadays. I didn’t know why but somehow I wanted more from her. The way she acted, it was like giving me an addiction to her and I could never get enough of it. She had done nothing great to wow me but the way she walked, they way she talked to me, the way she spun around, the way she laughed, the way she screamed, somehow wowed me already. And I could never get enough of those things.

   “I’m going for a quick shower,” I said after pulling myself out of my Valerie-ish thoughts.

   Should I meet her today in her house? Should I ask her out? What if she was busy? What if she didn’t want me there? What if I interrupted her? What if?

   There would be a carnival in town but I couldn’t remember when. I was thinking about bringing Valerie there and… You know. Right. absentminded.

   I ended my shower and wrapped the towel around my waist. I walked out of the bathroom as running my fingers through my wet hair. Kim was nowhere inside the house. “Kim?” I called out.

   “I’m out here!” she shouted back.

   I sighed in relief, walking into my room and putting on my polo shirt and jeans. I ran my fingers through my hair once again in order of brushing it without a comb and then I put my shoes on. I placed my phone in the jeans pocket and my wallet in the back pocket. I grabbed my keys and jacket before walking out of the house where I found Kim watering the grass with the water.