to Kiss a Drug Addict

6. Twenty-one questions

"When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen."

― Ernest Hemingway

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Day One - twenty-one questions

ROSE'S POV:

It's sixth grade. I'm in gym class annoyed as ever at being forced to participate in sports. Then I saw him. A smiling boy playing basketball effortlessly. Every shot he threw, he made. My heart melted every time he shook his hair out of his eyes and the way he handled the ball made me realize hey maybe I am into boys after all. Maybe they weren't all slimy, icky, rats who didn't know how to shower and only thought about dirty things.

I watched him all class period just playing with his friends. I could say it was love at first sight with him. And when he caught me staring as our eyes met I felt an instant connection to him, almost as if we were already predestined to meet and it had finally happened.

The next day I was the first to grab the only available basketball. It was a good enough excuse for him to come up to me and ask for it. I bounced it up and down as if I were getting ready to play.

Sure enough, he came up to me running, "Me and my buddies wanna play. Can we have the ball?"

"I'm Rose," I told him immediately. It was a stupid thing to say since I didn't even answer his question. He didn't seem to mind.

He stuck his hand out and gave me a smile, "Peirce."

"Peirce," I repeated his name, his voice making my heart flutter.

"So can we have the ball?"

I hugged the ball to my chest, "If you teach me."

Peirce chuckled, "I thought you knew how since you practically ran to the ball."

"I don't know a lick of it."

Peirce grabbed the ball then and tried hard to teach me how to shoot in a basket properly. But I was too distracted by his gleaming blue eyes and handsome face to care about anything.

"Now you try." He said to me.

"Oh! Yeah, okay." I threw that basket as best as I could but it barely touched the net. His buddies behind him laughed at my pitiful attempt. But he didn't laugh. He only shook his head and handed me the ball again

"Yo Peirce! Just take the ball man. She doesn't know a thing."

"Not like that, remember. Here." He said to me without listening to his friends.

He positioned himself behind me, pressed his cheek against mine, and grabbed my arms and hands, moving them into a position that satisfied him.

"Eyes on the target, tuck your elbows in, bend your knees slightly and jump."

I shot the ball again and this time it made it in. Peirce took the ball in his hands. I smiled at him and jumped up and down like a little girl.

"I did it! I did it!"

"You did." Peirce sighed "Practice more and maybe I'll let you join one day."

Off he went with his buddies to play, but he started saying hi to me from that day on until eventually, we started teaming together for other sports (except basketball. He did not trust me with that!) But that was in sixth grade. It was a long time ago. So very long ago.

..................

Melissa wakes me up at eight a.m on a Saturday morning just to blurt out the news that Landon asked her out.