LaMelo Ball - By Ari

Five

I tossed a new basketball to LaMelo but he didn't do anything with it besides tuck it at his hip and wipe the small beads of sweat forming at his freshly cut hairline. Pulling up the tips of my Elite socks, Melo approached me, and spun the basketball effortlessly on his finger for a split second before catching and slapping it with one hand.

"Your try-out is a week from today," he stated as he ran his tongue across his braces teeth.

"Yeah...?"

"Have you decided if you're gonna go or what?"

Sighing, I shrugged and stood up tall, still only coming up to a little below his chin. I had no idea if I wanted to be on the traveling team or not. I didn't know if I could handle all the pressure and stiff ass competition because I was well aware of how many girl hoopers that were damn well better than me. It was weird because I was confident in my playing until I went up against someone who had even the slightest advantage with technique or was just a tad bit quicker than I was. "I mean...I don't know but I doubt I'll make it."

LaMelo pulled out a silver whistle on a lanyard from his pocket and put it around his neck. "Well, we better start training now. For warm ups, I'll have you do some laps around the campus outside. It'll really boost your stamina, trust me."

Oh, hell no! "Melo-"

"You can start at the base line, over there."

"LaMelo, I-"

"Ready, set-"

"LaMelo!" I exclaimed, making the eager boy stop in the middle of his tracks and look up at me. The gym was so silent that I almost forgot what I was getting worked up about, until I shook my head. "Dammit, if you would've let me speak then you would be fully aware that I don't even know if I want this, yet you're already bossing me around like a dog."

Dropping the end of his lanyard, the whistle dropped back into his chest and I could feel the disappointment in the air at seemed to be radiating off him. "Okay."  The expression on my face softened. I didn't mean to hurt his feelings.

"I'm sorry," I apologized and tried to give off a smile that would maybe lighten the mood, but Melo's downhearted frown seemed permanent on his lips, like concrete. His clear emotion did not change. Suddenly feeling even more guilty than I already did, I reluctantly stepped closer to the lanky boy and snaked my arms around his waist, burying my head into the texture of his soft-smelling shirt. When LaMelo didn't hug me back, I let out a big breath and looked up at him, his eyes fixed on the wood of the court. "Hey," I nudged him a little to get him to look at me. "I'll try out for the team."

It was like the light switch inside of him flicked on once again.

"Really?" The growing grin spread wider and wider like melting butter on toast and I slowly nodded my head, only relieved that he felt better. Note to self: don't make Melo sad. It'll shatter your heart for damn sure.

"Okay, Cori, we are going to get you ready for this, and no matter how hard we train, you cannot give up on me. Alright?"

Fidgeting with my shirt, I hesitated a moment and silence quickly conquered the pep-talk before I quietly replied, "I won't give up on you if you don't give up on me."

-

LaMelo shoved two basketballs in my hands and bent down in front of me, the whistle on his lanyard swing back and forth from the sudden movement.

"I want you to dribble those balls at the exact same time," he ordered, and I shrugged as if it were no big deal. Two-ball dribbling was something I had learned and mastered by the time I was nine and it was certainly something that was not at all difficult for me. I dropped the basketballs and began bouncing them, both hitting the wood of the court at the exact same time and the rhythmic noise echoed throughout the gym.