Young But Real (5 YA Short Stories)

The Game

"Selena!"

I stop from my tracks and turn around to see my hot ice cream, I mean Finn, jogging towards my direction, holding his backpack. His gold hoop earring on the left catches the autumn sun making him sparkle, in turn, our surroundings move in slow motion. I remove my earphones and slide my phone in the side pocket of my backpack.

"Hi Finn." I give him my most charming smile as my heart starts beating faster again when he stands in front of me and my eyes immediately focus on his chest and abs underneath his polo shirt. The memories from last weekend in his shop makes me feel like it's summer — hot.

"Walk with me?" He pants as he wears his backpack, giving me a lopsided smile.

"Sure. Where is your cousin, Harrison?"

We walk side by side and although my heart is thumping so loud, surprisingly, I feel very comfortable with him by my side. We've known each other since we're seven but we are never friends, though we see each other everyday. He was just someone I knew until two days ago.

"He went to school earlier. Also, I want to walk with you." Harrison lives a bit far from us so he drives to school and most of the time, he will pick-up his cousin on the way.

I glance up and our eyes meet.

"I-Is there any reason why you suddenly want to go together?"

He scratches the back of his neck and his body looks tense as if he's nervous. "Watch our game this Wednesday. You always watch football and soccer, how about giving basketball a chance?"

"Sure. I'll be there. Can I bring Archer and Eloise?"

He releases a hefty sigh. "Of course but wait for me after the game."

I nod, causing a wide grin to appear on his face and his eyes twinkle, making me gawk at him longer than necessary. In bewilderment, I don't notice the open green bin on the sidewalk until I plough into it.

"Ouch!"

"Fuck!"

Finn pulls me towards him and his eyes are full of worry while scanning my appearance. I'm pretty sure my face is as red as a tomato right now.

"Are you hurt somewhere? Sorry, I wasn't fast enough to —"

I hold his left hand. "No, I'm fine. Don't be sorry, it was my fault. Oh my God, this is so embarrassing."

We stare at each other and moments later, laugh at my lack of awareness of my surroundings. Blame it on the guy in front of me who hypnotized my eyes after a decade. Does he like me too? Did I just imagine the affection I saw in his eyes?

I'm smart but I can't decipher his feelings. Damn! I acted like a creep, clumsy and now, dumb. This. Is. Not. Good. My reputation is at risk.

"It isn't embarrassing, it's lit to see the smart girl looking —"

"Dumb?"

"Normal," he says, tucking my hair behind my ears again with the familiar look I've known since last weekend.

I clear my throat and after retreating his hand, he scratches the back of his head, making his brown curls look messier. Damn! I want to furl my fingers into his curls.

"Did you just say, I'm abnormal?"

"No! Of course, not. Just that your brain is unbelievable, amaz—"

I blush at his remarks. "Fine. I get it."

We walk and talk about everything else like basketball, homeworks, ice cream and hobbies. Apart from basketball and working in their ice cream shops ...