Boys Will Be Boys (v.2)

chapter nine - bloody knees

chapter nine — bloody knees

I WAS BLEEDING. I wasn't completely sure when I'd fallen, but I was bleeding regardless. My knees were purple, a thin trail of blood down my left shin soaking into my white socks, turning them pink. I leaned my head against the fencing, feeling the cool rust of the gate burn against my sweaty neck. The asphalt of the court was hot and rough under my palms, so I quickly picked myself off the ground, wincing as I pushed off the court. Kids from my school liked to use this outdoor court as a place to hangout, the result was netting with holes large enough to let whales swim through, graffiti-covered backboards, and tiny shards of beer bottles in the cracks of the concrete. They were a bunch of fucking idiots, vandalizing shit people actually used. When I was little, the court had been near-flawless. It was where I'd first handled a basketball, but now, it was slowly wasting away.

The city was making plans to demolish the court and the park around it soon. They wanted to replace it with a mini-mall, since 'kids don't play outside anymore'.

Bull-fucking-shit.

"Hey, Kieran!"

I turned slowly, palming the basketball in one hand. The sun was high up in the sky so I squinted, unable to see who exactly was walking into the court. My mouth set into a frown when a saw a decidedly female figure approach. She was walking slowly, eyes downcast to the ground as if she'd never seen asphalt before.

"Hi?" I slammed the basketball into my other hand, lips lifting into a smirk when the sudden sound made the stranger jump.

She giggled nervously, finally close enough that I could make out some of her features. There was nothing remarkable about her, nothing that triggered a memory in my head. Who the fuck are you?

"Hey, um," She leaned from what foot to another and I zeroed in on her laces. One of her shoes was tied, the other's laces haphazardly flopping onto the court with a reckless abandon only shoelaces could possess. I eyed the rims of her Converse suspiciously, looking for any hint of a rainbow.

Nothing.

I was surprised at how disappointed I was.

How boring.

"—so can you come?"

"What?"

Her face tinged pink, a hard feat since she was already pretty tan.

"Um..." she trailed off, face growing more tomato-esque by the minute. I watched her with a small smile, biting my lip to stop from full out laughing in her face.

"You know what? Nevermind," She spun on her heel, waving at me, flustered.

"Enjoy your day, Kieran!" She scurried always and I shrugged to myself, picking up the edge of my shirt to mop my face with it.

Fuck, it's hot outside.

"Kieran, you bitch"

I jumped back, pressing my shirt flat down. My eyes were wide, hands curled into fists and ready to jump on the motherfucker that had decided to sneak up on me. The light made a cute little halo around their blond hair, their smile eerily familiar.

"Elisabeth?"

"Yeah," Lukas' sister shifted her weight onto one hip, sandals making a clacking sound as she moved. Her hair was down for once, wild curls springing all over the place.

I'd once made the mistake of calling her a hay bale, a mistake I'd never make again. Her temper rivaled my father's and that was saying something.