Not a Love Story

Thirty // Blow Them Away

Oliver Greene

I was working on homework in the early afternoon the next day when my phone began to ring, breaking me out of my concentration. My chest fluttered when I saw who was calling.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey." Ben greeted from the other side.

"Hi." I repeated, biting my lip in an attempt to stop the smile that was slowly growing on my face.

"I just, uh, I wanted to check in and see how Henry's doing." he said.

"He's doing a lot better. His headaches aren't as bad or as frequent anymore but he still has them. He's supposed to go to the doctor for a follow up sometime this week." I responded.

"Good, that's good to hear." he paused for a second, both of us waiting for the other to say something. "I have to ask, how was dinner with your mom's boyfriend?" Ben finally said.

"Good. Yeah, really good. He's a really good guy and he clearly likes my mom a lot. He looks at her like she made the moon and the stars. And she clearly likes him too. Henry and I both like him too, so we're really happy for her." I heard Ben chuckle. "What?" I asked.

"That was really cheesy. I think all that classic lit you've been reading is making you sappy." he teased.

"Hey! You don't need to be mean about it!" I responded, laughing.

"Just an observation." he defended himself. I shook my head and sighed.

"What have you been up to?" I asked.

"College apps." he sighed.

"You're still working on them?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'm meeting with coach this week to talk about setting up some meetings with college coaches. I'm trying to get my apps done before I meet them." he responded.

"Wow, good luck. Anyone is lucky to have you on their team." I encouraged.

"Thanks, Ollie. I hope they feel the same way." he responded.

"They will." I firmly stated. I heard a knock on my door, making me swivel around in my chair. "Sorry, I have to go. But I'll see you tomorrow after school?" I confirmed.

"For sure. See you tomorrow, Ollie." he replied, a hint of a smile on his voice.

"Bye." I said, hanging up as my door opened.

"Who were you talking to?" Henry asked, entering my room. I shook my head.

"No one. What's up?" I asked, hoping he wouldn't pry.

"I'm just really bored. Thought I'd see if you're doing anything interesting." Henry groaned, flopping back on my bed.

"I'm just working on homework. Sorry to disappoint." I replied, earning another groan from Henry.

"Fine. I'll go bug mom then. Maybe she's doing something actually interesting." he complained, making me chuckle.

"Okay, have fun." I called as he left my room, shutting the door behind him.

- - - -

The next day, I was sitting in the library after class. I glanced at the clock, seeing Ben was running late. I continued reading for classic lit as he burst through the doors.

"Sorry, I got held up." he said, dropping his things at the table, slightly out of breath.

"Everything okay?" I asked.

"Yeah. I was just working out some home visit details with a few coaches." he said, trying to act nonchalant as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Ben! Congratulations!" I said, grinning, stopping myself from reaching out and touching him.

"Thanks, Ollie. I'll have to cancel a few tutoring sessions so I can meet with them after school." Ben replied.

"No worries, just do what you have to." I said, nodding.

"Thanks." Ben smiled, his eyes meeting mine.

"When's your first meeting?" I asked, curious.

"Beginning of next week. Our last game before the playoffs is next Friday, so we'll meet during the week and they'll watch me play." he responded.

"Wow. This is really exciting, you're going to blow them away." I said, feeling a sense of pride as he talked.

"Thanks, Ollie. That means a lot." he said, sincerity in his voice. "Okay, enough about that. Let's get to some bio." he said, looking down at the worksheet in front of him.