RISKY BUSINESS

Chapter 14

MAY,
BLUESTONE HIGH SCHOOL
b r o o k l y n     l e s l i e     c o o p e r
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I couldn't tell if I was relieved or disappointed to not have seen Calum at school lately. The first two classes I had were one's I didn't have with Calum, so I didn't know why I thought I would see him. And now that I thought of it, I didn't have that many classes with Calum. Only Physical Education and Visual Art— but only now had I realised it. I think it was because he almost never showed up. You know, with being busy ditching and all.

So when I entered the gym and saw him shooting hoops with a few other boys in my gym class, I was surprised.

I wasn't surprised that he was shooting hoops. I knew he was sporty and athletic. God knew that I knew that. And God forbid I speak of how good he looked when he was active and playing those sports. I was surprised that he had showed up to class— or school for that matter. There were very few days that he came to school, and those were on days that we had no classes together, most of the time.

When I walked past the basketball ring (where Calum and three other boys were) on my way to the girl's locker room, I caught him watching me. When we made eye contact, I expected him to look away out of embarrassment or something. Just to give me the sign that he regretted taking me out and kissing me. But he didn't look away. He winked at me.

I was the one who looked away first. But it was out of nervousness, not embarrassment. I didn't regret going to the party with him and kissing him back. Not at all. He taught me how to have fun in a place crowded with unknown souls without being intoxicated. He helped me feel alive and free; two feelings I struggled with. Not even Morgan could make me feel the way I did with him. I guessed it was because I'd known her for longer, and she was a girl. I wasn't used to boy friend's, or new friend's for that matter. If Calum and I were even friends. Did friends kiss each other?

After making it to the girl's locker room and changing into my sports attire, I made my way out to place my bag in the bag cage then travelled to the centre of the gym, which was the heart of the basketball courts. My teacher was standing in the circle with students bunched around, waiting for him to start the lesson. Then he did. He made us warm-up by running laps around the whole gymnasium for until he finished marking the roll on his phone, then he let us take a drink and sat us down in the centre of the gym to explain what we'd be doing.

I was pleased when he explained we'd be playing netball.

Netball was most definitely my favourite sport. That, and basketball. I loved how they were similar, yet so different in so many ways.

**side note: if you don't know what netball is please look it up because it's way too difficult to explain. trust me, i tried. #fail.**

Mr. Bringapen placed me in Goal Shooter, even though I pleaded for him not to. I had played netball many times, and I'd played GS enough to know that I couldn't get a single goal in. I was better off playing Wing Attack, or even Goal Keeper. But Sir ignored me, and handed the bib right over.

I walked over to my position in my third's semi-circle and I stared down at the giant GS on the bib with a frown on my face. Then I put it on, and looked up to see Michael Clifford walking over to me with a grin on his face. Over his chest was GK in the opposition's bib; coloured red. Mine was blue.

He stood beside me, and I noticed Calum standing at the third line that was the entry to the centre third. He was on my team, and he was Goal Attack. That meant we'd be shooting together.

He turned around, as if to see who he'd be shooting with, and when his eyes landed on me, he smirked, then looked over at Michael, who was looking at me with a grin wider than the one he walked over to me with.