Sneakers over heels #Wattys2021

Chapter eighteen

Strolling freely to school, my mind was occupied with the match of the previous day. I was almost shut down by the opposing school team. I couldn't make many shots and we barely won the match with Senora and Cassy's leads.
 
Darn it!
 
I even did self-practice on Sunday irrespective of the coach's order. Of course, I was caught red-handed by Senora who had come in search of me and she forced me back home. But I still managed to polish my shooting and yet...
 
Clenching my fists on either side, I just wanted to smash something to vent out my anger.
 
Why am I failing so badly? What's happened to me?
 
"Judy!"
 
I almost crash into someone. Blinking a couple of times to get the splotches off of my vision, I come face to face with Ava.
 
"I've been calling out to you for the past few seconds. What with you? Are you alright?"
 
I don't reply but sigh instead. Ava had seen the match. Seen how I almost lost the ball to the opponents countless times. I'm surprised Coach Harlot hadn't pulled me out.
 
"I need to practice more." It was more of a reminder to myself but Ava being the worrywart she was hearing me, grabs me by the shoulder and glares down at me with anger.
 
"Are you trying to fucking kill yourself!? Did you forget how you passed out due to excess strain and stress?" She was being extra loud earning a few stares.
 
"Stop yelling Ava. I can hear you just fine."
 
"No you don't. You’re being deaf right now because I know very well that in that void mind of yours there's only thoughts of practice running through." She snaps and I remain quiet because that's exactly what was going through my mind.
 
"Judy. I’m scared. Please, don't be so reckless." Ava's harsh tone dies down and was replaced with worry.
 
"Girl, you're being overly conscious. I only meant to improve my shooting. If it makes you feel better, I'll call you whenever I'm going to do self-practice. Alright?" I say and only then does she relax and gives me a nod.
 
Goodness. Handling this girl is much more of a workout to me than actual training.
 
"Now let's go!" I say aloud linking my arm with hers and we skip to school. Soon her mood gets better and she talks excitedly about some guy with glasses from her Algebra class.
 
Waving at Ava and tearing myself from her grip, I enter my AP U.S History class and quickly take a seat on an empty chair in the second row.
 
"Hey." Some kid I've never spoken to smiles at me.
 
"Hi," I reply him back just so I wouldn't be considered rude. I don't really look his way though.
 
How I know I've never spoken to him if I didn’t even look his way? Well, that's because I've never spoken to any guy in any of my classes.
 
I'm still being nice since I answered his ‘Hey’ right?
 
"I watched your match yesterday." He says and I flinch. I've never felt this bad in someone seeing my match before but I knew for once that I hadn't been doing so well in the last one.
 
"You were awesome."
 
What!?
 
I turn to my left and find a guy with dark hair seated, playing with his pen. He had multiple piercings on both his ears and one on his left eyebrow. His dark hair had bronze highlights and his cold blue eyes weren't anything pleasant to look at. He sounded like a typical delinquent you'd come across only, he wasn't your average delinquent.
 
"What was the sub captain of the basketball team doing at a women's game venue?" I ask in surprise. Yep, he's the only junior who managed to get an awesome position as the sub captain. Luca Dowaine was a player worth every boy's basketball member's vote.
 
"So you know who I am. Neat." And he grins taking me by surprise. I always thought outside of a game he would bully the innocent students and well, just be mean.
 
I shouldn't have judged him based on his appearance. I hate people who judge but when it comes to boys, especially mean-looking ones my mind automatically creates a file for them.
 
"I wasn't that good. You don't have to go out of your way to force such fake compliments my way." I say firmly. What I hated right after a judging personality, was fake compliments.
 
"Nope. When it comes to basketball I'm very judgemental. Yeah, you weren't getting in many baskets even though you're such a perfect threepoint shooter, but I don't think you girls would have won that match if it weren't for you creating opens for your teammates to score." He states smartly.
 
I see. So this is why he was voted as sub captain. He could tell a person's importance and their ways of playing with watching just one match.
 
I chuckle looking down at my hands and he raises a brow, not indignantly but more in an amusing way.
 
"Point guard," I say looking his way once more and his cold blue eyes dance with excitement.
 
Westview high's boys' basketball team top five Point guard, Luca Dowaine.
 
He's got a keen eye and I was starting to like the way he perceived people.
 
We weren't allowed to say a word more as Mr. Benjamin made his way inside the classroom and so we turned to the front but not before I caught Luca’s wink.
 
Just what kind of a place is Westview high's boys' basketball team? I've already caught the eye of two regular players.
 
The class drags on but what Luca had said was stuck on my mind.
 
Had I really assisted my team? Was I of help until the end? Was that why I wasn't subbed out?
 
I don't even notice the bell ringing at the end of the class until Luca taps me on the shoulder.
 
"You coming?" He asks unsurely.
 
No. I'm going to keep sitting here until school is over for the day.
 
Sometimes boys ask the stupidest questions.
 
Picking my books and dropping them into my shoulder bag, I zip it close and throw the strap over my shoulder.
 
"Damn," Luca says as he whistles beside me. Looking up at him I find him looking down at me with wonder.
 
"You really are tiny." He says with a mischievous grin that ticks me off.
 
"Now you listen here punk," I start pointing my finger at the dude but then he raises his hand in surrender.
 
"I wasn't mocking you. I'm just amazed at how good you are in basketball irrespective of your height." He corrects his earlier statement.
 
Oh.
 
Well then.
 
I clear my throat to ease the tense atmosphere I had created and make my way to the door with Luca tagging along.
 
I find Ava outside, and she raises her hand to wave at me but then stops abruptly.
 
What's with her?
 
"See you, Judith." Saying so and with a brush of a wave, Luca walks off to someplace I have no idea of.
 
As soon as he is swallowed by the crowd, Ava yanks me to a corner and whispers to me in a hurry.
 
"What were you doing with Luca Dowaine!?" She demands, her breath tickling my ear, pissing me off.
 
What the hell is she demanding about with such a force?
 
"We had a history class together. Is that a bad thing Ava?" I ask her, clenching my teeth at my stupid best friend.
 
"I didn't know you were on good terms with him!"
 
Why is she making all of this a great deal?
 
"We aren't. He just spoke to me about yesterday's match since he happened to be there." I explained, freeing myself from her and walking towards my locker to change books.
 
"But... Why would he go to extra lengths to talk to you? Perhaps!" She exclaims to herself and I know where this was leading to.
 
Another one of her ridiculous discovery of a guy interested in me.
 
Ava goes on and on about something but I zone her out. It's something irrelevant anyways.
 
I catch on to something about 'rivalry between James and Luca’ and roll my eyes at her for being so extra.
 
"Oh right, before this slips out of my mind. Travis said he'd treat you to coffee since you were kind enough to spend time with him on the weekend." Ava says as she quickly grabs a couple of books out of her locker. I shut my locker door and then look at her.
 
"It's fine. I was only doing you a favor." I say and start walking towards my next class. She follows of course. Ava has English next which was in the opposite direction but unlike me, she doesn't care about being late for class.
 
"Judyyyy..." She starts whining and I stop to give her my fullest attention.
 
"What now Ava?"
 
"Who am I to support?" She asks and I'm left confused. "There's my brother. I should be on his side of course, but then James is a good choice too. And now hottie Luca. I'm troubled. Help me, Judy!"
 
I slap her head. Just like that.
 
"Are you fucking insane? I'm not even interested in these guys. Stop planning things out for me!" I yell at her in the face but she still looks like some puppy waiting for a proper meal.
 
"Please just get to class. I'll see you at the cafeteria." With that, I open the door and enter my next class feeling exhausted.
 
As I take my seat my phone vibrates. Pulling it out from my jacket pocket I swipe the screen open.
 
~Can we meet after school?~ T
 
I quickly type back my reply.
 
~Sorry. I've practice.~
 
~Then afterward?~ T
 
Sighing I grip the phone staring at an empty space. I can't afford to spend so much time with Travis.
I'm falling out of my usual routine. 
 
~I'm sorry Tray. I've got late practice today. See you some other time.~
 
With that, I quickly dump the phone into my pocket and forget all about it.
 
Class starts and goes on. The school day was like every other day. Going back and forth from classes and a short trip to the locker every time.
 
When the bell rings for lunch break, all the kids from class rush outside of the classroom. I'm left back to slowly pack my bag and then I head out as well.
 
Dropping off everything at my locker, I make my way towards the cafeteria. Just upon entering my best friend waves at me like some madwoman. Anyone who was entering the cafeteria would have noticed this peculiar girl.
 
"Just a moment Ava." With that, I quickly rush to get my food from the cafeteria counter. Filling my tray with mashed potatoes and some white sauce and fries, I grab a carton of juice and head back to Ava who was tapping her foot impatiently.
 
"What took you so long!?" She demands and I force myself not to roll my eyes at her. I was late for like two minutes and she's asking me why I took so long?
 
Ava doesn't even wait for my reply. The girl knows well I'll give her a good earful. She pulls open the lid of her salad box and starts digging in. We make small talk and I find that the girl still worries about whom to pair me up with.
 
When she brings up Travis's name I start feeling guilty. Unintentionally my hand creeps over to my pocket but I force myself from pulling out my phone.
 
No distractions Judith.
 
"Hey, Judith."
 
At the call of my name I pause myself from taking a bite of Ava's apple and look around. I find Luca waving at me with this weird grin. Besides him was the boy’s basketball team.
 
They're being such a jock group sitting at a table during lunch break with the cheerleaders swarming around them.
 
You don't see us girls from the basketball team sitting together right?
 
I don't really wave back cause I'm busy helping Ava swallow her salad which was making her choke from shock.
 
Luca has never called out to me before. So why now all of a sudden? And what’s with that overly familiar way of calling out to me?
 
Besides Luca was James who upon meeting my gaze gives me a puppy smile.
 
"Hey, Judy." He says throwing me a light wave.
 
"Yaho Shorty."
 
I grab the fork which Ava was holding onto and prepared myself to throw it at the scumbag who was insulting me publicly.
 
"Woah Woah Woah. Girl, what's with being so scary?" Jonas Parker, the guy who had helped James get back those girls who had been mean to me, said in a panic. "Is this how you treat the guy who avenged you?"
 
"You avenged no one so shut up." I snap and he scowls at me.
 
"What do you even like in that girl!?" Jonas demands James whose face turns red annoyingly. "She's not even cute."
 
"Well sorry, but I wasn't trying to be cute. So get lost Parker." I say raising my voice so he'd get that I was beyond mad.
 
All the while Luca was standing beside the two and he broke out laughing.
 
Great. I'm a laughing stock now.
 
"Stop pestering her dude." Saying so, our very own basketball delinquent, Luca steers Jonas towards their table after winking my way.
 
I continue glaring at Jonas who in return glares back at me as he takes a seat at the table. Soon he is enveloped by a group of polished-looking cheerleaders.
 
Some look my way and give me a pointed look. I just glare at them as well trying to be menacing as possible.
 
Sighing I get back to finishing my food.
 
So much for not wanting distractions.

I can almost taste the drama that’s about to enter my life.