My Kissing Buddy | ✓

Chapter n19eteen

IT'S FUNNY HOW NERVOUS I was. I was never nervous before a game. In fact, I was always so chill. Even though I spotted mum wave and Dee stick his tongue out at me, I didn't really feel like they were there for me. It felt like they were just there because I was family and that it was their obligation to come and support me.

I waved back at mum and flipped Dee off before mum could see me. Then I saw Dad squeeze past a few strangers with drinks in his hands. At least he came this time.

I looked at everyone seated on the bleachers and then at Bec who was far back in the court. I was in the middle, waiting for the referee to finally start the game off by throwing the ball up for jump ball.

I looked to the side to see Alex and the other guys in the boys' team cheering and giving me a thumb's up, then I turned my focus to the opponent team's captain who was standing directly in front of me as tall as I'd imagined.

She smirked and outstretched her right hand to me with her thumb pointing down. I scoffed eagerly at her and my eyebrows furrowed; a clear message that I wasn't going home without being the captain of the winning team.

"You're going down, Stuart little," she whispered to me.

I rolled my eyes at her and sighed, disappointed. "That movie is so fucking old."

"Pfft, we'll see if your-"

FWEET! the referee blew the whistle, and the ball went up high. With Flagpole distracted, I found the perfect advantage of jumping up first to strike the ball to one of my teammates. However, Flagpole got an even higher advantage because she was tall. I ended up brushing my middle finger against the ball as it flew off to one of Flagpole's teammates.

Before we knew it, the ball was already being dribbled to our side and I called out to Macey, one of my teammates, to stand guard. The rest of my team ran after the ball like it was the last slice of pizza in the world.

We kept our distance, drifting and taking our chance at snatching the ball. Although we were shorter, we had the advantage of snatching the ball with ease. Bec was the fastest of us and she managed to take back possession of the ball and pass it to Erica, our tallest player.

Erica struggled to run past the tall giants but she was quick too and managed to pass the ball to me. However, I wasn't quick enough, and one of the Calvaries jumped in front of me and intercepted my ball.

I followed fast after her but it was too late. Macey had been knocked down to the ground with such a force that left the whole court shaking. The ball flew gracefully into the hoop and the Calvaries rejoiced.

Did they not know the rules?!

"Foul! Foul!" I screamed. "She pushed one of my teammates!"

Bec, Erica and Lyla helped Macey up on the other side of the court while I tried my best to call out the foul.

"Foul play by the Calvaries! The fouled player gets two free throws!"

Our team supporters celebrated shortly as we walked Macey towards the free-throw line.

She didn't get either in.

The game had gone on for way too long. It was finally the last quarter and we were losing. Our team had sixteen shots while the other had eighteen resulting in a total count of thirty-two to thirty-six points.

We weren't doing well, in fact, we should have done better but I felt like I'd let the team down the more the ball was in our opponents' possession. I couldn't help but look around the gym for Jayden's familiar messy dark hair bouncing around or the small glimpse of his black distinct hearing aids.

My fists clenched as I bit down on my lower lip hard enough to taste the iron in my blood. That liar. That stupid liar.

The game ended with the Calvaries winning; forty to thirty-eight. We were close, but it wasn't enough.

Coach was proud of us nonetheless saying that he didn't really expect much from us 'shorties' yet we lost by only one shot. But still, I felt mad and infuriated that we lost. We rarely lost games!

"Jay?" Bec called me. I couldn't tell if she was approaching me because I'd been seated on a bench beside my locker, head buried on my laps.

"Hmm?"

"It's okay. We did our best. I mean, those bitches be looking like skyscrapers from the year thirty-forty-eight, being at least forty floors high!"

I looked up at her and remained silent. She sighed.

"We have the best captain we could ask for. You did your best and-"

"I'm not mad we lost Bec!" I lied. Actually, it was partly true...

She walked over and sat next to me. "Then why-"

"Jayden! The idiot didn't even come, even after promising for days that he would!"

I felt a hand land on my back and move in gentle circles. "Jay, it's just a game. It doesn't matter if he missed one. Maybe he didn't want to be stuck seated among strangers so he lied about it because he didn't want to hurt your feelings."

Bec did make a point. I would never be this infuriated if dad missed one of the games I played in. In fact, he's only ever come to two ever since I started playing basketball. So, why the hell am I so mad about Jayden missing one?

"You should, like, chill, 'kay? Alex and the others still haven't played. Let's go watch them."

Bec dragged me up to my feet and I looked at the bench behind me. My legs felt stuck in place but, eventually, I walked out of the locker room hand-in-hand with Bec.

You know that feeling you have when you think too much about someone until you feel weird not thinking about them, that's a feeling I suddenly stopped having after looking back at that bench and realizing that not everyone has to do stuff for you because they are your friends. I can't force anyone to do something. That's not how friendship works.

But still, friendship doesn't work on lies either.

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*insert shocked face here*

HEY! So, I didn't upload yesterday because it was Christmas and I had to break for a day. Happy boxing day though! :)

Thanks so much for the reads, votes and comments. I've been getting new-comers here every so often and I'd like to tell them welcome to the mind of a sixteen-year-old girl!

Now, go eat, vote and comment! Otherwise...

OIAC!