Hawthorne Heights [Editing]

nineteen

"So, how do you feel about basketball? Is it something that you'll ever do professionally?" Milo's date asked her. "I think you'd go far, I've seen you play before."

Milo swirled her spoon around a cup of lemonade flavored shaved ice. The weather that day reached its peak of eighty-five degrees which didn't go unnoticed by the children in St. Louis. Kids ran through sprinklers, played hopscotch, and crowded around that one kid on the block with a Nintendo DS.

   Jermaine attended Milo's school yet never approached her out of fear of rejection. He had it all: perfect grades, athleticism, an amazing sense of humor, and even charm.

Milo confirmed, "Yeah, I personally love the sport. My friend recommended that I play basketball in a different country, but I can't leave this place. As for you seeing me play, when was that?"

"I can admit that I'm a secret admirer. I used to drive past the park after school to sneak a glimpse of you playing. I wanted to approach you but I wasn't sure if I'd come off as creepy." Jermaine rubbed his hand across his waves and blushed. "And then you seemed a lil scary so I kept my distance."

Milo flinched subtly with no means of playing off the confusion. Several boys have called her scary or unapproachable, yet never clarified their unasked for statement. In sixth grade, Milo used to believe that boys thought that she looked ugly or even invisible.

She asked, "What do you mean by scary? I don't mean to be rude, but I've never talked to you before."

Jermaine grew up in California yet moved to St. Louis with his parents in eighth grade after his sister went off to college. He played the sport well —according to Warren. Milo encountered Jermaine a few times on the basketball court, but never spoke to him because he smelled funny.

"I mean you're not like other girls at the school. You don't go around treating yourself without respect and I was thrown off. All the other girls shake their bones and stick out they tongues like they don't have no sense. You got high standards and I respect that," Jermaine elaborated.

"Jermaine, don't compliment me by insulting other girls. You can respect me and those girls at our school. Ain't nothin' wrong with twerking or sticking out tongue. Let's change the topic before I start a debate."

Jermaine shrugged his shoulders with his hands deep in his pockets. Milo enjoyed his company yet he seemed stuck in that "thug" mentality. He resided in an affluent neighborhood, yet told his friends that he lived somewhere near Natural Bridge.

He apologized, "My bad, Ma. But I got a question for you."

   Milo crunched down on the ice while avoiding Jermaine's intense eye contact. He took her to a carnival that day, yet Milo refused to ride any roller coasters. She preferred to play the festival games and eating the food opposed to feeling lightheaded and nauseous. The stench of carnival food around her along with screaming children crowded Milo's senses.
  
   Warren spent that day to visit his dad's new home while Miracle and her dad went to the movie theater.  Milo refused to worry herself about Khari's whereabouts considering the fact that he blatantly ignored her after the sleepover.