Summer Love

•6•

It's been 5 weeks since I've been here and off the court me and Paul are really good friends. On the court though it's like he hates me and does everything in his power to make me doubt all my capabilities and skills. We were playing one on two in his backyard. Him and James against me. He passed me the ball and I slowly started to dribble and plan how I was going to get around both of them.

"Go" I heard Paul said and I got around him and I crossed James up and I finger rolled the ball into the basket. "That was ok" Paul said "I would've faded away right there" he said and he pointed to where I was standing before I crossed James up. I nodded and he passed me the ball. "Try again" he said but this time he played really hard defense and I couldn't get around him. I got him away from me for a second and I shot a three and it hit the rim and bounced back. "Up and down" he said and I ran up the court and back down. He told James to move and he put me in the spot that I had shot the three. "Make twenty" he said as he passed me the ball. I shot three after three from that same spot. I groaned at the ball rolled in and out.

"I can't make twenty" I said and he raised his eyebrows slightly. I sighed and started to shoot again. He walked off to the side and he slipped his shirt off and tossed it in the grass. Maybe if I make enough and impress him he'll like me to I thought. Immediately all my shots started falling in. Paul smiled a little and walked over to me after I had made well over twenty.

"Good" he said and he took the ball from me. He switched me and James and we started playing. He complimented James on everything I did that he didn't like and I could feel the jealousy and anger filling me.

"How come that's right" I asked him when he told him that it was good that he shot a three. He raised his eyebrows slightly.

"What" he asked me.

"That he couldn't get around you so he shot that three" I said "every time I do it you tell me not to and that it wasn't good."

"Because he can actually make it" he said and I was gonna say something but I didn't and I just let it go. We finished practice and I picked up the ball that they had set down. "Hey you wanna go out to diner" Paul asked me and I shook my head no.

"No I'm just gonna stay and shoot around" I said and he smiled and nodded.

"Alright" he said and him and James walked off and inside. I immediately started to shoot threes. I started in the corner and every time I made ten I would take a step sideways. I made it all the way around and then walked up to the top of the three and pretend Paul was guarding me and I practiced everything he said was bad. I practiced for hours till I finally stopped for a little bit. "You've been out here a while" I heard Paul say and I jumped since I didn't expect him to get home till late.

"Yeah" I said and he nodded.

"One on one" he asked me and I shrugged and tossed him the ball. "No you go first" he said and he tossed it back to me and I shrugged. "Make it take it" he asked and I nodded.

"Yeah we can do that" I said and he nodded. I dribbled around for a little bit and I soon discovered he was not going to let me score easy, he was all up on me playing defense. I ended up shooting a three and I watched it swish in. He went and got it and handed it back to me. I drove past him and I went to lay it in but he blocked me and we both ended up on the floor. He was on top of me with hands on either side of me. If someone walked in right now they'd think something totally different was going on. He stayed in that position a little longer than he should have before he finally stood up and pulled me up.

"My ball" he said after he pulled me up and I passed it to him at the three. He drove around me and dunked and I didn't bother to get in his way. "To easy" he said as he walked back up to the three.

"Y'all gotta spice it up some how" I heard James say from the doorway. "Not just basic one on one, like strip one on one." Paul nodded slightly.

"Alright" he said and he stood up straight. "I make it you take off a piece of clothing, you make with I take off a piece."

"Ok" I said and he smirked.

"Your gonna be out here playing naked" he said and I rolled my eyes.

"I don't know if it'll be me" I said and he laughed. He slowly started to dribble and I went to steal it and he dribbled around me but I caught a piece of it and that threw him off enough that I was able to get the ball. I dribbled out to the three and I shot it and it rattled in. "Take something off" I said and he took off one of his shoes. We went back and forth till i was down to my shorts and underwear and he was down to just his underwear. I drove around him and I lauded it in the basket. "Looks like those are coming off or you accept your defeat" I said and he jokingly went to take his underwear off. He shook his head and smiled.

"Unless you wanna see what's under there" he said jokingly and I rolled my eyes. I shot another three and it went in. "Make your arm straighter" he said and he went and passed me the ball and I smirked at the fact that he still hadn't put his clothes back on. I shot the ball and he stopped me and walked over to me. "Like this" he said and he walked around me and wrapped his arms around my chest so that he could move my arm in the position he wanted. "Now shoot" he said softly and i felt his breath hit my neck which sent chills down my spine. I shot and I felt myself grind against him and I immediately started to get hard. He backed away and watched me shoot a few more shots before he nodded. "Yeah that's good" he said and he grabbed his shirt and shorts off the ground and he put the shorts on and he draped his shirt over his shoulder. He took the ball from me and motioned for me to play defense on him. I stole the ball from him and he played really tight defense on me. He put his hand on my waist and I felt a bolt of electricity shoot through my body.

"What are we playing to" I asked him and he shrugged.

"I don't know just whenever you want to quit" he said and I nodded.

"Alright" I said and I drove around him and he blocked me and that caused him to run into me. He wrapped his arms around me to keep me from falling and I felt a smile tilt on my face but I forced it away. He slowly let his hands fall from around me and he grabbed the ball off the ground. He tried to cross me up but he didn't and I laughed. "Paul George thinks he's so good" I said sarcastically and he smirked.

"Your not even in the NBA so you've got nowhere to talk" he said and I smiled.

"I can't help that I was born six years later than you" I said and he stopped dribbling.

"Just six" he asked me and I nodded slowly.

"Yeah" I said confused and he shook his head and started to dribble again. "Double dribble" I said and he groaned and I hit his arm when he walked by me to pass me the ball.

"Carry" he said as soon as I started to dribble.

"That was not a carry" I said and I continued to dribble between my legs. His eyes drifted down to the ball and I cleared my throat a little and he looked up at me.

"I'm just watching to see where your going to go" he said and I smirked and nodded.

"Mmh" I mumbled and he looked away for a second and I could tell I had embarrassed him.

"Ok well keep going" he said and I smiled. He was so cute when he got flustered. I crossed him up and shot a three. "Damn your good" he said and I smiled.

"Wasn't this good a month ago" I said and he laughed.

"I didn't make you that much better in a month" he said and I smiled.

"Well it's not like you taught me everything I know in a month, but I've definitely gotten better" I said and he smiled.

"Yeah you have" he said and I smiled. "Did you eat anything" he asked me and I shook my head no. "I'll make you something, come on" he said he motioned for me to follow him into the house. I sat down on a chair and we talked while he made food. It was kind of our unspoken rule that I always sat with him while he cooked. I don't know how it got started it just did. "I'm glad your here" he said suddenly and I smiled.

"I'm glad I am to" I said.