Cobalt Blue Summer

Chapter 12

“You would think this is the pro ball the way Austin was stressing over it!” Brittany confided on the way to the game.

“Really?”

“Honestly, it was getting kind of annoying. He’s so competitive.”

“No way! I haven’t seen that side of him.”

“Oh . . . lucky you,” she shook her head, rolling her eyes. “It’s there--believe me.”

“He was joking around about the game this morning.”

“Yeah, he tries to project this all-laid-back-funny-guy image, but he takes this stuff super seriously. I just hope he can control his temper and not hurt Drew’s feelings.”

“About what?”

She looked almost apologetic. “Well, I guess, Drew isn’t so great. Austin gets really frustrated when Drew messes up. I’m so afraid he’s gonna’ lose it and go off on Drew.”

“I can’t imagine Austin doing that.”

“I hope you’re right. Drew is so sweet. If Austin does something to hurt him, I’ll be furious.”

When we entered the gym, the teams were already warming up. The sound of bouncing basketballs reverberated throughout the room. We took a seat near some people Brittany knew, and I scanned the crowd wondering if Caleb would come to watch Austin play. He was nowhere in sight, but Justin, who was warming up with the opposing team, sliced his eyes toward me then hastily looked away. I cringed remembering that disgusting scene outside the dance. It hadn’t occurred to me that he might be here, but I supposed it was inevitable that we would cross paths this summer. Austin gave a distracted nod in our direction as the teams headed to their benches for game time. Brittany was right; he absolutely had on his game face.

Luckily, the game progressed uneventfully with Austin’s team trouncing the opposing team. Drew spent more time on the bench than some of the other guys, but if he goofed when he was on the floor, it must have ducked under Austin’s radar. With the big win, I expected Austin to be ecstatic when Brittany and I approached him after the game.

“Congratulations, good game!” Brittany exclaimed, wrapping him in a big hug.

“Yeah, thanks, but it wasn’t much of a game. They were a crappy team. It sucked.”

“Maybe you guys are amazingly good,” she retorted, trying to cajole him out of his grumpiness.

“Good try, babe, but don’t think so,” he contradicted with a weak attempt at a smile.

“Hey, some of us are going to hang out at the dorms after we shower. You guys want to come?”  Drew invited as he passed by.

“Sure, that sounds like fun,” Brittany answered. “That alright with you two?”

“Yeah, I can go for a little while,” I offered.

Austin shrugged, “Whatever.”

#

His pervasively bad mood wore on Brittany’s patience, and the tension between the two of them escalated throughout the evening. I decided to make myself scarce to avoid any crossfire. I hung out in the bathroom for as long as I thought I could reasonably get away with then allowed myself to be cornered by some air bag, a self-proclaimed expert who expounded upon any subject at hand. About the time I was contemplating my chances of “accidentally” setting off the fire alarm as a method of escape, Drew stepped in.

“Hey, sorry to interrupt, but I really need to steal Jessie away for a minute. I’m sure she’ll want to get back to whatever conversation you two were so engrossed in as soon as I’m done with her. Would you come with me for a minute?”