Magic

Chapter 5

Magdalyn 'Magic' James

Jeremy is nice and he's different. I'm used to guys just talking to me cause they want to hook up but he's different. We talk on the phone for hours about our favorite TV shows and what we did when we weren't playing basketball. He also played baseball so sport is a lot of what he talked about but I don't mind.

"Hey," he said. I looked up from my lunch and up at him. "Uh, I'm having a dinner at my house for my birthday and I wanted to know if you would come."

"Really? At your house, like with your family and stuff?" I asked.

"Yeah," he replied simply.

I tried my best to force a smile but I knew that he could see right through that. Don't get me wrong Jeremy's family is nice. I met his mom when she brought us to the movies and his dad came to every game we had last season, but they were so......white. They were white to the point that it was awkward. And they always tried to relate to me, make me feel at home even though we aren't cut from the safe cloth, but their corny slang and old rap references are just cringe worthy.

"Don't worry, I'll tell my dad to keep his run DMC collection in his study." Jeremy said with a smile.

That I laughed at. "Sure, I'll come, but you gotta make sure he doesn't pull out those old CDs again."

He smiled. "I promise."

The bell rang over our heads telling us that our lunch was over and it was time to go back to class. He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before he grabbed both of our trays and went to throw them away. "I'll text you tonight." He said before disappearing into the crowd.

We didn't have practice today so instead of staying after school. I went to the park around the corner just to do a little bit of free throw practice. When I got there it was late in the afternoon so all of the younger kids were called back home and I was practically there alone.

"So you don't take no days off huh?" a familiar voice asked.

I turned around and Kirshnik stood behind me with a ball of his own in his hand. "You stalking me or something?" I asked him.

"Don't flatter yourself." He said. "I don't like little boys."

"You remember what happened the last time you decided to pick at me at the park?" I asked him.

He rolled his eyes. "That was a cheap shot, and trust me if I would have expected it you would have never got away with that."

"You wanna try it again?" I raised my ball up above my head like i had done that day, but he didn't move. I expected him to flinch or put his hand up or something but he didn't; he just stood there staring at me.

Suddenly he raised his hand and pushed the ball from my hands. It slipped from my grasp and turned to see it bouncing away. He trotted around me and grabbed the ball and began dribbling it around the court.

"Give me my ball back," I said.

"What that name they been calling you?" he asked. "Magic?"

"Yeah," I replied holding my hands out for him to pass me my ball.

"You must be good if they calling you that?" he said.

"One of the top in the city," I replied. "Look up my stats."

"Them numbers don't mean a damn thing. Playing against all those white kids of course you gone look like you the better player." He dropped his own ball in the grass and moved to make a shot with mine. He missed and it bounced off the rim. I tried to shuffle to get it back before he got it but he was fast. In two big steps and a reach of his arm he scooped up the ball and took it out to half court.