Figured You Out

10: Competition and Confusion

"Pick and roll! Pick and roll!" Amber called out as she jogged lamely, dribbling a basketball at her side. She wore dark green mesh shorts and a white tank top with her last name across the back and SILVER JETS on the front, also in green. Her hair was up in a ponytail and slipped into a bun. "GO!"

Her teammate sprinted behind the opponent guarding Amber and she took off towards the hoop as her opponent knocked into her teammate who was picking. Spying one of her open teammates out at the three-point line, she passed the ball behind her back and into his hands. Taking his time, he lined up the shot and as if in slow motion the ball rolled cleanly off his fingertips, flew through the air towards the hoop. Reaching it's peak the ball descended in an arch and dove precisely through the metal hoop and caught the net, creating a 'SWOOSH'!

Amber punched her fist into the air and started back towards the other half of the court. "Great shot Mike, beautiful!"

"Thanks Amber, hopefully we'll keep the lead this time, perfect pass," Mike ran up to her and gave her a high five.

"Hey Kris!" Amber yelled to the sidelines where the substitutes waited to get in. A man with short light blonde hair looked up from talking to a girl beside him. "Kris! Sub in for me, I got to take a break."

"Sure!" Kris ran up to her, "you alright? Is it hurting again? Maybe you shouldn't play anymore."

She smacked his shoulder, "Kris! I'm fine - now go before Justin scores! I don't want to have to pay for their bloody dinner tonight, I'm short." She pushed him out on the floor and walked off to the side and sat down on the bench with some others. Wiping her face, neck and arms, she leaned her head back as she tried to relax a bit. After her breathing calmed, she leaned over and propped her elbow on her left thigh.

"Hey Wade," someone called beside her. She turned her attention away from the game and as she turned her head, cold water splash on top of her head and ran down her back. She gasped and jumped out of her seat, pealing the clinging shirt from her skin.

Looking up to find out who the person was, she gritted her teeth and growled. "Why did you suddenly feel the need to pour water on me? And may I add that it contained ice, which would make it very COLD! David Michael O'Brien! I'm going to kill you!"

"Ah... It's good to have her back," David said with a smile. She stomped up to the man with spiked brown hair and dazzling blue eyes and stared him in the eye.

"How could you! And today when I'm wearing a white shirt!" She held the soaked shirt from her body.

His lips grew into a wide grin, "oh don't blow through the roof. You were sweaty enough as it was, so you should be thanking me. Now that's out of the way, how about a little dinner tonight? We haven't seen you in oh - let's see - a month, so how 'bout it? Catch up?"

Amber raised her hand covered her forehead and sighed, "David, I'm sorry. But what have I said before? I'm not interested in you, in that way."

He pouted his bottom lip, "just between friends? Come on Amber I haven't talked to you in a long time, except when we are out on the court, or when we're playing baseball."

"David..." She said weakly, trying to think of a way out of this, until he dropped to his knees and began begging. She stared down at him, pleading that he would stop making a fool of himself and he leaned his head to the side. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What is it?"

"Who's that? I've never seen them before, an old man with a lengthy white beard, three kids, a woman about your age with the oddest color of purple hair I've ever seen and a man who looks like his face is set in a permanent scowl-"

Amber jumped around, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Tonks, Dumbledore, Snape and Remus were up in the bleachers across the gymnasium. She smiled at the sight of Dumbledore and Snape in Muggle clothing and started laughing to herself. Then her stomach twisted into knots and her breath caught in her throat. 'Oh why, oh why did he have to come? Deep breaths and keep your mind off him.'