Wanted For Pleasure

Chapter Thirty-one: it's going to be a long night

"Fate has this weird way of making your wish come true by supplementing it with ten other spiteful things."

Chris Omar Vaughn

I'll spare you the details of the game. Basically, we blew the other team out.
Up twenty with ten seconds left, I held the ball at the top of the key. The other team didn't even want to play defense anymore but they stayed in a lousy two-three, just waiting to be put out of their misery.

Paul was walking around me and clapped for the ball.

I looked to my right at the clock positioned in front of Adriel, team manager. Three seconds left.

I whipped the ball right in the diamond of Paul's hands and as soon as he caught it, he released the ball.

ERRRRR! The buzzer went off just as the ball sunk in the net. The red declared it was good and AJ added three more points to our score.

Everyone lost their minds, celebrating, like it was the championship game but that wasn't until tomorrow.

I walked off the court finally after the guys all pushed me in celebration and told me "good game."

I hadn't played or been to a tournament in so long I didn't know what to do until our next game which was only in an hour, and at a big tournament like this, time flies by. The obvious answer was to just sit and wait, but I was hungry and on my toes.

"Here, hoop star," Madi exclaimed, presenting me with a banana.

Hoop star, I mentally laughed at that title again. But good on her for remembering my favorite game day treat - helps with cramps.

"You remembered?" I quickly wiped my smile away. "U-uh, thanks, Madi." I said, taking it out of her hands.

"Good game out there, you looked great," she continued, following me around the bleachers with her two friends who I remember hating in high school.

"Thank you," I replied, looking for my parents.

Madison followed me like she had no where else better to be. I turned and gave her more attention, but not for long.

"How do you learn to dribble like that?" she asked, twisting the ends of her wispy hair.

"I-I don't know," I answered, slowly blinking.

Madison went on to say something else, I yawned and stopped listening. She's not a terribly unattractive girl, the conversation just is flat and she has no personality. She's a pick-me, so I guess that's her personality? I mean, we went to high school together, I just think she's coming on strong after all these years and should stop holding onto the fact that we were prom king and queen. You can tell she peaked before college.

I looked over Madison's head and saw my mother waving me over to them at the stairs.

Thank gosh.

"I'll catch you later," I let Madison know. Although, I had no intention of seeing that through.

"Excuse me," I impatiently let out to people in my way.

The smile built on my face as I neared my family. My mother wore a big grin and held her hands out for a hug, but she's so embarrassing, I put them back at her sides.

"Oh, stop," she nagged, dusting off my jersey. "Good game!"

"Good game, son," Dad said, sliding his palm against mine.

"Thank you, thank you," I said to everyone.

"You have to show me how to cross over like that!" Jack exploded, dribbling through the crowd with an imaginary basketball.