Books, Boys, and Basketball: Senior Year

LEASH

One minute he was there, and the next he was gone. Chloe collided into me taking my attention away from the hooded man for less than a second, but it was long enough for him to disappear.

The party was over for me after that. And as expected, I got an earful from Grams when I got home about putting Drew up to calling her.

She could've said no...

Besides, I didn't have to put Drew up to anything. He plotted and planned all that himself. He didn't need my help pushing the boundaries of Grams' rules.

My brain tells me to put off my stayover until the next day, but when Drew wants something, he gets it. Now, I'm dripping with sweat, panting, and out of breath, because just like I thought, Drew kept me up well past when he was supposed to, and it's so hot in his room I barely got any sleep afterwards. I've had months of learning how to perfect the Drew hangover though. So, it doesn't bother me as much as it did in the beginning. I think I'm getting used to its effects too.

Still, I'm not one hundred percent and it shows. Thankfully, the team we're playing sucks. I can run circles around them with one arm tied around my back.

So, tell me how we only beat them by twelve points when it should have been a blowout. I'll tell you how... I allowed Drew to exhaust me, that's how. And coach Treggle makes me pay for my sloppy playing by having me run ten laps around the gym. As tired as I am, I practically pass out on the gym floor when I'm done.

I've already missed the start of the boy's game, and Drew will be mad if I don't get back out there. So, I quickly shower and change out of my uniform.

When I make it out to the bleachers our boys are losing by five points. Drew looks pissed, one of his teammates is limping to the sidelines, and coach Penman is yelling so loudly a vein is protruding from his neck.

"What did I miss?" I ask Patrice.

"You mean other than the fact that our boys are playing against a team of giants who can also handle the ball?Nothing." She scoffs.

Drew and his teammates are all over the place. He's putting up shot after shot after shot, and they're all nothing but net, but his teammates are giving up unnecessary turnovers like standing in the key rather than moving around, traveling, and double dribbling. They're a hot mess and not even Drew's one-man show can help them win this one. They lose by seven.

After shaking hands with the other team, Drew heads straight for the locker room pissed. Jason, Q, and Drew are the only ones on the scoreboard. And if his current mood is any indication, he isn't going to be much fun tonight.

I wait for him out in the parking lot and his dejected form emerges from the gym well after mostly everyone has already left. "You were amazing tonight." I smile.

"Not amazing enough to pull off a win though," he sulks, licking his wounds.

"Well, there's a reason basketball is played in teams. Yours just sucked tonight. They didn't bring it. It didn't take away from your performance though."

"Yeah, but it would've been better if we'd won. The coach from Sac State was here."

Now I understand why he's beating himself up so badly. He's afraid that losing the game tonight might cost him his chance at Sac state.

"You were a Rockstar tonight, Drew. You don't have anything to worry about." I assure him.

Finally putting a smile on his devastatingly handsome face, Drew pulls me in a little closer and I wrap my arms around his neck. He smells really good, as usual, which makes me think about doing other things. But there's another party Drew's been invited to and I'm his girl so he's dragging me along with him.