Risking It All

Chapter Four - Noah

I dribbled the basketball in my front yard, the summer sun warming my back. Liam, stood on the other side of the court, ready to challenge me. Sweat trickled down my forehead as I shot the ball, barely missing the hoop.

"Ha! Your aim is way off today, Noah!" Liam teased, retrieving the ball.

"Just warming up, buddy," I grinned, wiping my brow. "You'll see the magic once I'm in the zone."

Later that evening, I found myself seated at the dinner table in our quiet house. My dad, sporting a forced smile, cleared his throat before speaking up. "Noah, I've been invited to a charity event, and I thought it would be a great opportunity for us to spend some quality time together." He explained "You could bring someone if you'd like." He offered.

My fork clinked against the plate as I dropped it in surprise. "A charity event? Are you kidding me dad!"

"You can bring a date..." Amanda said smirking at me.

"I don't have a date to bring." I muttered rolling my eyes.

My mom chimed in, her tone tinged with amusement. "Well just take some girl from school, I'm sure she would be glad to go, after all aren't they all laying at your feet?" She smiled at me.

"Miranda he can't just bring anyone to this...what would people think?" My dad said his tone annoyed.

"Chris, your dragging the boy might as well let him bring someone he wants to..."

I sighed, knowing my parents would argue for a little bit before settling down...they both knew the type of girls I hang out with.

The next day, I found myself in the library, stuck with Jade for a tutoring session. She sat across from me, clearly preoccupied with something else.

"You seem distracted, sunshine. Problems in the world of Statistics ?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

Her eyes darted up from her notebook, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "Noah, for your information, I have a lot on my mind. And it has nothing to do with charts and numbers."

I shrugged, not really caring about her personal problems. We weren't exactly friends—more like two galaxies colliding in the vast expanse of high school drama.

Our tutoring session eventually ended, and I headed to Economics class. Mr. Jenkins droned on about supply and demand, while I doodled a basketball in the margins of my notebook. Who needs graphs when you can calculate the perfect arc for a three-point shot?

Lunchtime rolled around, and I joined my friends at our usual spot in the cafeteria. The topic of discussion? Girls, of course.

"Hey, Noah, did you see that new transfer student, Emily? She's smokin' hot!" one of my buddies exclaimed, causing the others to erupt in agreement.

I rolled my eyes, picking at my salad. "Guys, let's focus on things that actually matter. Like whether the cafeteria pizza is made from real ingredients or some alien goo."

Laughter filled the table, drowning out their shallow chatter. Sometimes, I wondered how we managed to stay friends despite our differing interests. But hey, basketball and a shared sense of humor can bring people together, even if they're clueless about life.