Catching Fireflies

Three

"Mind if I join you?" I asked Aiden one day after getting home from school. I caught him playing basketball by himself in the driveway and took it upon myself to walk over and possibly play a few games of one-on-one with him. If he didn't mind of course.

"It's been a while, Harris," Aiden said as he grinned at me and tossed me the ball. "What have you been up to?"

"Just living through life till basketball season and graduation," I stood across from Aiden and checked the ball. "The usual."

"Sounds like you've been busy," I pushed forward and Aiden continued to block me. "As busy as you seem, we always see your car in the driveway." My brain lingered on his sentence, wondering who else would care to see where my car might have been, but I ended up answering that question myself. I didn't bother asking either.

"Sometimes I have work that keeps me at home," I simply replied without offering any sort of explanation on my part. He didn't need to know that most nights I locked myself in my room and drew at my desk until I could hardly keep my eyes open.

"If you say so," Aiden pounced forward and stole the ball from me and restarted farther back from the goal. "You should come out and play more often. Mom misses making us snacks."

I would've loved to go outside more and play basketball with Aiden and Ashley like I once did, but coming over permitted Ashley to be near me and for me to be near him. The thought often made me uneasy, and I didn't want to worry them anymore than I already have. I chose to keep my distance, no matter how much I urged to go out and play.

Half of the time I didn't know what I wanted to do anymore.

I just wanted to play basketball.

"And I miss your mom's snacks," I laughed and then stole the ball then shot it into the hoop.

"And Ashley misses you." I stopped then. I didn't grab the ball as it bounced off the ground and simply watched it roll away towards Aiden.

Another reason why I didn't come over as often. Aiden wasn't afraid to call me out on my consistent avoidance of Ashley's existence. He had no idea why but he didn't need to. This much knowledge was enough for him to hit me in just the right spot, and force me to be open with myself.

Something I hated.

"I don't know what happened, or whatever reasons you have. Maybe Ashley did do something stupid since he can be a bit of a dumbass, but you should at least give him a chance." Aiden picked up the ball and dribbled it a few times. I couldn't turn myself around and muster up a fake smile and tell him I had no idea what he was talking about, cause I already hesitated, I already froze and showed him that there was something. There was no bullshitting my way through this like I had with everyone else. Aiden was smarter than that.

"Let's play Knockout," I said and disregarded his statements. He sighs with a small shake of his head then bounced me the ball and nudged his head to get behind him. We started several short games of knock out.

"How's Junior year treating you?" I asked to change the subject and Aiden just shrugged his shoulders.

"Fine I guess, nothing too exciting."

"Have you considered playing basketball this year? You're pretty good at it." I've mentioned this before and have tried to convince him to join the team. I watched him play by himself loads of times and I knew that there was uncovered talent. But every time I pushed him on it, he gave me the same answer.

"I don't want to receive the same disappointing look from my dad that he gives Ashley over focusing on basketball instead of searching for a real career," Aiden frowned, and having heard the same complaints come from Ashley before, I knew to not annoy him about it.