Chapter 1

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"Amber! Get off your phone & get over here" I yelled to get her attention.
"Alex! Can't you wait or something?"
She said clearly annoyed.

Before I could say anything, Maria hit Amber in the head with the soccer ball.
"What the heck was that for?" She yelled.
"You are a little new here Amber, None of us can call her by her real name unless we're all alone. But as you can see,"she gestured around the park, "We're in a public place, so.. "
"We need to call her by her street name for safety reasons I know" Amber said cutting Leslie off. "Why Secret though?"
"Because nobody really knows what her interest are."Maria said playing with the soccer ball.
"Or how she ended up here," Leslie said leaning on the wall.
"None of them know who I am to be exact. It's all just a secret. Our secret." I said finally speaking up.

There was an awkward silence. Leslie leaning on the wall, just staring into space. Maria playing with the soccer ball, & Amber, on her phone, again.

"Yoo! Leslie you wanna shoot some hoops?" Eric said calling her over.

"I got to go! I have to go do something. Don't wait for me tonight!" Amber said speaking up.
"I'll walk her no need to worry!" Maria said assuring me that nobody would find our where-about for tonight.
I nodded & they dismissed themselves.

"Fuck!" Eric yelled frustrated. "We're short one player." He said scratching the back of his neck.

I saw Leslie whisper something & he nodded.
"Secret!" They called me over.
"Yeah?" I said walking towards them.
"We're short one player. Do you want to play basketball?" Eric asked a pink tint evident in his cheek.
"Who's team?" I asked ignoring him blushing.
"Ours" I turned around to see 2 of the best basketball players of the street, Aaron & Austin.
I smirked.
"The 3A's reunite again huh?"
"yeah, good to have you on the team" Aaron said.
"Just remember no slacking" Austin winked, as I rolled my eyes & went to my position.

About 2 hours pass of us playing basketball. With an occasional small crowd here & there. Our team obviously wining at the end.

"Yeah, well we're gonna dip, we still need to get ready " Aaron said.
"We will see you tonight though." Austin said as they headed towards the direction their so called "crib" was at.

"Not to scare you or anything." Eric paused, " But there was a guy watching us play for the past 3 hours."
"Where?"
"Behind you. Don't turn around now he's looking." Leslie stated.

I saw Eric look at the basketball at his feet, to the basketball hoop & to me.
I knew exactly what he was planning & nodded.

"Bet you can't make it from half court" he challenged me smirking.
"Oh really?" I said grabbing the basketball.
I ran dribbling towards the direction the person was at.

But I swear to god I would have noticed him during the 2nd hour. I don't know how this slipped.

I ran and got a quick glimpse & then ran back & shot it.
"Thank god I didn't bet on that one" he said laughing.

I stood there thinking about his appearance.
Tall, quiff, wearing a SnapBack, khaki skinny jeans, red vans, plaid shirt, piercing & tattoos.Never seen someone like that before.

"He's still there isn't he?" I mumbled.
"yeah" Leslie said.
"I haven't seen him around here before though. Have you?" Eric asked curious.
"I haven't." Leslie said.
"He better no be from another gang or he will be getting his ass beat" Eric mumbled, & I laughed at the fact that if he was, he wouldn't be here right now.

Tall, quiff, wearing a SnapBack, khaki skinny jeans, red vans, plaid shirt, piercing & tattoos. He Couldn't be from another gang.

"Well we will see you later" he said snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Don't be late all the good stuff is always gone within the first 10 minutes" I said smirking, remembering the first time he went. He missed out on everything, just for coming late.
"Wouldn't want that to happen again, bye!" Leslie & Eric said, & walked towards their apartments.

I turned around and saw the guy leaving on his skateboard. I let my eyes linger as he skated away trying to get every aspect of him.

Tall, quiff, wearing a SnapBack, khaki skinny jeans, red vans, plaid shirt, piercing & tattoos.

Not from a gang. I repeated myself.

He wasn't from anywhere near. I never seen him before. I tried to think of everyone I've been with, couldn't be any of them either.

I was about to give up when I though of something. If we take the piercing a & tattoos off maybe..
Wait a second.. it couldn't be..

He's just a normal guy,
probably just moved into the neighborhood.
Probably likes basketball games,
or he's just curious.

I snapped out of my thought & walked towards my apartment.
I couldn't have something so little as someone watching a basketball game affect me. At least not tonight.
I walked in to my apartment and got ready.

He's just a normal guy.
Nothing mysterious.
He's curious.

But his face seems so familiar & it still didn't click.

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