Sunny September, part seven. Basketball. Christopher.

  “The score is now eleven to three!” Lucy’s voice echoes out from the benches at the side of the school gymnasium.

  Our instructor Mr. Green was too busy smoking outside to do any instructing so we decided to play basketball. It wasn’t much fun since me and Dwayne held an unfair advantage due to our stature.

  With a heavy thud Dwayne touches down after scoring for the third time, giving me and him an eight point advantage against the opposition which was everyone else except Chica and Lucy.

  “Honestly you should join the other side.” I say, “it’ll be more fair that way.”

  Thomas and his two friends are drenched in sweat. The emo kid and Mexican girl who was the only one on their team to score linger at their side indifferently.

  “Come on Thomas!” His blonde friend that I now know is called Peter encourages, slapping the ginger on the back. “It’s your chance to redeem yourself in front of your crush.”

  “She’s not my crush!” Thomas snaps, “you’re the ass that dared me to ask her out, don’t forget that!”

  Ahmed the Indian friend steps forward. “Enough playing around let’s get serious!”

  “Ohh no not you getting serious.” Dwayne mocks.

  I raise an eyebrow. “Let’s see you then. Get serious…”

  Ahmed goes on. “I was the best player on my middle school team. I was so good that all my teammates became rededundid because I always carried on my own.”

  “It’s redundant.” Thomas corrects him.

  Dwayne throws the kid the ball as we get back in to our positions.

  The game continues and we continue to destroy them as usual.

  “The score is now thirteen two five.”

  The Mexican girl scored a two pointer.

  “I was totally bullshiting.” Ahmed admits with a shrug before walking over to the benches to sit down. “I’m tired.”

  I shake my head. “This isn’t fun, Dwayne I’ll play you one on one.”

  “Wait!” Chica calls out.

  She skips up to me and Dwayne with a grin. “Can I play? You can both stay on the same team and I’ll side with the rest.”

  “Sure…” I say throwing her the ball with excessive force. I’m honestly so bored that the only entertainment I can think of is wiping that ever present smile off her face.

  She catches it perfectly, completely unfazed.

  I frown as her smile only gets wider.

  “Don’t bother with resetting the score,” she says before turning to address the others. “The rest of you don’t have to do anything. I’ll handle this by myself.”

  “Okay Chica I see you,” I laugh. Seriously what’s up with this girl?

  “I’m not interested in bullying you.” Dwayne says. “I’ll sit this one out. Christopher you can deal with little miss Shaqullia O’neal by yourself.”

  I nod at him before giving Chica an expectant look. I fold my arms and kiss my teeth wandering just what the hell this girl could possibly do.

  Lucy signals for the game to commence and Chica starts dribbling towards me.

  I waste no time and move to snatch away the ball only to find that she’s somehow slipped past me. It’s fine, I quickly tail her attempting to snatch the ball from behind before she has the chance to score. We get about a quarter of the way to the hoop before I make a second attempt, she shifts backwards bouncing the ball through my legs before spinning around me and reclaiming it.

  The other kids laugh and I can’t help but nod at her genuinely impressed.

  Lucy looks at us with a gaping mouth. “Whoa Chica where did that come from?”

  Dwayne removes his glasses before polishing them with his shirt. “I must not have seen that properly.”

  “You play basketball?” I ask.

  She shakes her head. “Nope. This is the first time I’ve even touched a basketball.”

  I roll my eyes. “Haha very funny.”

  She must have been on the basketball team back in her middle school. The way how she moved just now clearly shows the finesse of an athlete. Her movements were something I had only seen in person during the few times a played against Dashawn for fun.

  “At this distance it’s three points right?” She asks, “I’ll score from here.”

  “Yeah sure you will.” I mock. “I’ll just let that happen.”

  She readies herself.

  Before she even has the chance to spring up I’m already over her ready to smack the ball back down. This girl is at most five ten so she stands no chance at throwing it past me. Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself as I see the ball shoot up so high it must’ve been only inches away from banging the steel structures that cross the ceiling.

  My mouth drops.

  She touches down and I hear the thump of the ball hitting the hoop followed by the rustle of the ropes as it goes through them behind me, a perfect three pointer.

  A silence blankets the gymnasium before they start to cheer her on. I look over at Dwayne who’s just as bedevilled as me.

  Chica skips her way over to collect the ball before hopping back and offering it to me. “Here you go!”

  “So… you chose Middlecrest because you want a sports scholarship?” I ask taking the ball.

  “Hmm, yeah let’s go with that.”

  “The score is now thirteen to eight!” Lucy cheers in the background as we get back into our positions before staring each other down.

  I start to dribble towards her while swerving to the right and then the left to confuse her.

  She giggles and just stands there looking goofy as I pass her by.

  What’s she doing? I decide to forget about her and set my sights on the incoming hoop. I feel the ball sting the palm of my hand over and over again as it comes up and I slam it back down. I wonder if I should shoot a three pointer of my own but dismiss the thought as quickly as it comes. There’s a chance that I can’t replicate Chica’s feat and I wouldn’t dare risk the embarrassment of missing after getting outclassed like I just did.

  I get low under the hoop in preparation for a dunk. Right when I’m ready to jump the ball disappears from my hands. I don’t mean disappear as in it gets grabbed away really fast, it literally vanished into fin air.

  “Looking for something?”

  I look back and see Chica still standing in the middle of the court, one hand mounted on her hip and the other pointing up with the basketball spinning on her finger tip.

  Everyone erupts into laughter as I stare at her stunned like I’ve taken a baseball bat to the head.

  What just happened? I had the ball right?

  “Are you okay dude?” Dwayne yells. “She took the ball off you and you just kept on running while dribbling nothing.”

  “No I… swear I had it just now…” I mumble to myself.

  It’s like art class all over again.

  “Come on!” Chica urges. “All I have to do now is throw the ball into the hoop to score again! Don’t just let me win.”

  “Yeah Christopher snap out of it!” Lucy adds.

  I make my way over to Chica while scratching the back of my head.

  She pouts. “Don’t walk like a zombie, chase me down!”

  She turns and starts to dribble away. I break into a run and quickly catch up to her ready to give this another try.

  I loom over her like a veil then dive snaking my arms to snatch away the ball. She swerves and turns away from my grasp with the agility of a hare dodging an eagle.

  At this point we’re underneath the hoop and embarrassment chews up my ego. I grab her T shirt out of instinct refusing to let her score again. She’d have to do it over my dead body.

  “Aww look at you playing dirty,” She taunts before thrusting backwards and knocking me to the ground with her behind.

  I scramble to my feet and see that she’s stopped and is smiling right at me.

  “You ruined my cute little outfit.” She comments, tucking her shirt back into her shorts and adjusting them, before swaying her hips out as she strikes a pose for me with a kissy face.

  I walk up to her and yank her shirt out again.

  When she giggles and tucks it in a second time I strike like a fox at the slightest sign of weakness. I sweep up the ball that she left on the ground at her side before holding it firmly under my arm.

  I finally see her smile twitch with irritation and it’s the only satisfying event of the day. I laugh at how pathetic I am.

  She tries to snatch it off me but I refuse to let go as I run towards her side’s hoop.

  “No Christopher don’t do that.” She moans clutching my shirt and refusing to let go.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Not affected by her I just drag her along.

  She squirms. “Do you feel even a bit embarrassed for cheating? Especially infront of a bombshell like me?”

  “Still feeling yourself after Sofia hyped you up,” I say, continuing to sprint with her somehow keeping up with me.

  “Well duh!” She says, “you wouldn’t know how to act either if a girl like that compliments your figure.”

  “Don‘t worry Chica I won’t count it if he scores like that.” Lucy just has to say.

  I spin around while clinging to the ball to avoid Chica’s attempts at prying it away while yelling at Lucy. “Can you help me find it?”

  “Find what?” She replies.

  “The fuck I have to give about your opinion.” I reply. “The only thing that matters to me is what I personally consider a legitimate dunk.”

  Chica jumps on my back and tries to pry my arms open.

  “Get off me.” I demand. “I do NOT consent to being touched! Now unmount yourself from my ass!”

  “Yeehwa this fine stallion is a feisty one!” Chica cheers, attacking my ears with a god awful forced southern twang.

  I hit her with the same move she used on me, bouncing my butt backwards and knocking her to the ground like my name is Tom DuBoise. I smile, my ass is pure testosterone fuelled lean muscle with a touch of African genetics. I just know that must have knocked the wind out of her.

  “Ouch… ugh…”

  Hearing her groan I look back to see her lying down in a ball as she clutches her stomach, practically everyone rushing to help her.

  I get to her first genuinely shocked at the power of my cheeks.

  “Shit I didn’t mean to hurt you.” I say sort of lying.

  Before the rest get here she suddenly springs up and snatches the ball out of my loosened grasp before running back towards my side while laughing.

  I quickly bolt after her but she’s somehow running at the speed of a fucking bullet train.

  I fail to stop her dunking and sigh as I come to a stop. The ball bounces off the ground as she hangs from the hoop.

  “She played me for a fool, you’re not going to count that right?” I yell over to Lucy as I get closer to pick up the ball.

  “Of course I am.” She says.

  Hypocrite.

  With the grace of a swan Chica pulls herself up to stand on the hoop itself with her back facing everyone and her arms spread out. As I get closer she does a backflip, her eyes meeting mine as she passes overhead before landing in a front split.

  I clap my hands before turning to pick up the ball. I stare at it wondering why I even cared so much to begin with. This game, this girl and my pride, it’s all pointless. What difference would this make to my life and my circumstances? Even if I had utterly decimated her it would just be me dunking on a girl and thinking I look cool. How would that make a difference when I’m behind bars for another decade and then sum. It’s honestly a joke, putting so much effort into this and letting my ego flare up over nothing.

  After picking up the ball I look over at Chica who does a backwards cartwheel to her feet. Feeling my phone buzz in my back pocket I retrieve it and see a message from Shakira.

  Shakira2006: The police came back for Markeiff, they’re taking him with them right now.

  I drop the ball, it races my heart to the ground and loses.

  “I quit… this game is over.”

  “Why?” Chica asks, the enthusiasm in her voice having deflated like a balloon. “Can you really not handle me anymore?”

  “I’m just a little tired that’s all.” I say flatly. “You win.”

  With an indignant grunt she rants, “don’t just admit that I win! Go down swinging! Show me the pride you have as a man!”

  “Pride comes before the fall and I’ve already fallen off a cliff.”

  I turn to head over to the changing room.

  “Wait you don’t have my permission to give up!” She cries out, her words bouncing off my back as I shut the door behind me.

  I drift around the locker room in a trance before collapsing against the wall and dropping to sit on the floor with my arms folded over my knees. It’s all over now.

  My phone buzzes again as it lies on the tiles in my shade, this time it’s a call from her.

  “Oh god oh Jesus.” Shakira whimpers. “Hey! Don’t throw him around like that!”

  “How did they even…” I mumble out my words, before giving up mid sentence. It’s honestly pointless, what would be the point in even asking?

  “He texted his cousin about the bomb and his uncle saw it on her phone.” Shakira explains in between frantic pants as I hear her run. In the background of the call I hear the roars of the officers and the chatter of the kids.

  His house n****r of an uncle, officer Douglas. I’ve had so many nasty run ins with that prick. I should’ve guessed he was the kind of bastard to do his own nephew in.

  I stare down at the phone dead.

  Markeiff… so much for that crap you said about always relying on family or some nonsense like that.

  I spring to my feet and grab my bag from the bench before throwing my cardigan on and storming off.

  I exit onto the multi story bridge on my way to the main building. I can barely see the main entrance from where I’m at on the third floor because of how the main campus curves, seeing only a small crowd of students, a single cop car and what looks like a few news reporters far around the corner beneath.

  I see them drag Markeiff into the cop car with a black bag over his head to hide his face from the reporters.

  “What the fuck What the fuck WHAT THE FUCK!!”

  Shakira crumples in the corner of the janitor’s lounge on the verge of hyperventilating.

  She stares up at Dashawn who stands by the door with rage in her eyes.

  “Why did you stop me?” She yells at Dashawn and Daqwan who stand by the door ready to stop her from escaping.

  “Because you would’ve gotten yourself either killed or locked up.” Dashawn answers bluntly. “You think you’re some kinda super hero? What was you finna do to save him anyway.”

  “Blowing up the sign is crazy though.” Daqwan says shaking his head. “ what made that nigga do it? You got an answer Shakira?”

  “I… don’t know,” she whimpers.

  I stand with my back to the window dead silent, feeling the rays of sunshine warm the fabric on my back.

  I watch as Shakira starts to cry to herself.

  It’s strange… I don’t feel anymore regret or even fear. Just emptiness.

  This is my fault. He was there because of her and she was there because of me, we didn’t even plan on including them and now it’s these two that are suffering because of our actions. I already texted Okimoto and he’s taking abnormally long to reply. I wonder what he’s doing. What plan he’ll concoct to save his own ass and mine.

  “Well Christopher looks like Shakira’s all yours now.” Daqwan jokes in the most tone death manner imaginable.

  With a bang Dashawn smacks him upside the head. “Read the room dumb ass.”

  “Ouch!” Daqwan yelps before he mumbles an apology.

  Knowing there’s nothing I can do to comfort Shakira I head for the door.

  “I gotta say it, it’s fucked up that his own uncle turned him in.” Dashawn comments as I pass him by and leave.

  Science is my next class. Is there still a point in going? I decide to head out the back for a quick smoke to give myself a nicotine rush. Even if the pleasant feelings it gives me aren’t real, it’s still better than whatever I’m feeling right now.

  I head towards the back exit which is down the opposite direction from the main lounge. I slip through the double doors and swing my bag off before opening it.

  When I look inside I see that the vape as well as a certain something has gone missing. My heart rate skyrockets.

  I make a frantic dash for the gym locker room swearing that I never took the thing out after my confrontation with Daniel. I start to laugh nervously wondering why every possible thing that can go wrong is going wrong with a passion.

  Where the hell is my gun? If anyone finds it and they find my finger prints on it then it’s the end of everything.

  I reach the side of the building where I turn to head inside before heading up a staircase to the third story.

  I continue to laugh as I damn near have a mental breakdown from all the stress piling up so quickly. I can barely breathe. The police and jersey jacket, my missing gun and imminent arrest. It sits on my chest like a base mountain looming over a flat plain.

  As I march across the bridge for the second time today I see Chica further ahead leaning over the railing idle as she… smokes on my vape pen? She has it?

  “Okay I’m starting to feel it.” She giggles when I get closer. “Whoa my head is starting to spin.”

  Doing the absolute most, she spins around and flicks her hair over her shoulder like she’s in a L’Oréal commercial before winking at me.

  “Give them back.” I demand. “The vape and the other thing I know you took.”

  “Do you think I’d make a good femme fatale?” She asks then aims the weapon at me.

  “Don’t just wave that thing around like it’s a toy.” I sneer.

  She pokes her finger through the trigger guard before spinning it around above her head as she speaks. “Why do you have this?”

  Seriously what’s up with her? She’s acted so bizarrely ever since I picked her up on my bike. She comes from a secluded community yet behaves like this? It’s like she thinks she’s untouchable and above everything, so she treats everything like a joke. What kind of a community does that to a person? Actually why do I even believe what she said about where she’s from? This girl obviously likes to toy with people. She fishes girl’s for compliments and seems to enjoy making me think I’m going crazy. The picture, the basketball, what the hell is up with all of that?

  “Don’t worry about it.” I say sticking out my hand. “Now please give it back before we’re spotted.”

  “We’re fine.” She says dismissing me. “The gym class hasn’t finished yet.”

  “Then what are you doing outside?”

  “What are YOU doing outside? I quit as soon as you left because there wasn’t a point anymore. I’ve been waiting here for you to come and get the things I snatched from you.”

  When did she do that though? I had my bag with me all day and she never laid a finger on it. I even remember checking my things before I left the locker room before gym class started and everything was fine. She never went into the boys locker room at all during class so how?

  “Why are you even taking my things?” I ask. “Is this another one of your little tricks? Like the drawing that drew itself and the basketball that miraculously vanished from my hands? I already know I’m not going to get an honest answer as to how you did those things so I’ll just ask why, even though I won’t get an honest answer to that either.”

  “You should be more open minded.” She sighs. “I really did draw that picture and I actually took the ball off you. I just did it in my own special way.”

  “What?”

  She chuckles. “What do you mean what?”

  She hands me the gun and keeps the vape.

  I quickly stuff it back into my bag while staring at her bamboozled by her bizarre explanation.

  “I don’t get it.” I sigh. “I don’t get you.”

  She giggles and just stands there amused by me.

  Ready to leave I say. “Give the vape back to me later…”

  She just keeps giggling as she moves to sit on the edge of the railing, swinging her feet with a frustratingly casual demeanour.

  “Watch this before you go.” She says, spreading out her arms before leaning back.

  “Hey what the hell do you think you’re doing!?” I yell and lunge a second too late.

  She falls backwards over the edge…

  As microseconds are stretched out into eternities I wait for the terrible bang of her hitting the ground… but it never comes.

  I jump! Feeling a soft body mount itself on my back, her hands slipping over my shoulders and locking around my chest.

  “Christopherrr.”

  Purring like she always does, she rests her chin on my shoulder before continuing on. “How does it feel this see something that just doesn’t make sense? What’s it like to witness the natural laws of the material world you were raised in be broken like a child’s toy?”

  I spin around and she’s suddenly standing half a dozen feet down the bridge.

  She giggles again, continuing to ramble on as she places her foot on a central pillar. “You were taught that gravity ties us to the ground and yet look at what I’m doing.”

  She walks up onto the pillar, standing horizontally before turning to grin right at me.

  She continues up, transitioning to walking upside down on the ceiling towards me.

  This can’t be happening.

  Continuing to smoke, she comes up to me circles around me before squatting to meet me at eye level.

  Now face to face with me she blows a long sweet cloud of vapour into my face before continuing to giggle.

  “Seriously what do you want?” I ask in a defeated voice. “Do you want me to laugh at your antics or find them terrifying? Or maybe you just want to drive me insane.”

  Maybe I’m already insane. I must be going insane because what the hell is this?

  “I want to be your friend.” She answers, the feline mischievousness in her eyes briefly giving way to a glimpse of earnestness. “I want to understand you and your kin. That’s why I’m here, to learn how to be human…”

  “What are you exactly.” I asks.

  She goes back to giggling. “I’m kind and loving, scrumptiously beautiful and talented.”

  “Forget I ever asked.” I say turning to leave only to come face to face with her again.

  “You’re just going to walk away casually after what I’ve just done?”

  “Well yeah since you won’t take a single question I ask seriously.” I reply. “Hell I already know what you are.”

  “And what is that?”

  “Not real.” I say smugly. “This is all a damn dream.”

  It’s the explanation that makes the most sense. All I have to do is wake up and it will all be over. The arrest, the police, the self snitching. It’s all just my paranoid subconscious getting the better of me. I’m not quite so sure why I’m seeing a female version of my best friend though.

  I start to laugh before spreading out my arms as I stand before the railing taking in the beautiful fake sun and fake ambient sound of the city. “Come on Christopher it’s time to wake up!”

  “I have an idea I’ll slap you awake!” Chica suggests sounding annoyed.

  I turn around and before I get the chance to flip the dream succubus demon off, she jumps down and whips me across the face with a slap.

  The force knocks me to my hands and knees, my head spinning.

  “Can a dream be so painful?” She asks, now leaning over the railing beside me.

  “Fuck you.” I groan before yelling. “Wake up! Wake up! WAKE UP.”

  I continue to yell at the ground for a good three minutes, Chica humming the entire time as she twirls my hair in her hand.

  “Chica, Christopher! There you are.”

  Looking to my left, I see Lucy and the others emerging from the gymnasium.

  “Lucy I missed youuu!” Chica moans before getting up to give her a hug and spin her around.

  Dwayne looks at me with a raised eyebrow, probably wandering why I’m on all fours.

  At this point I’m sure I’m not dreaming, so the reality that I just witnessed a girl teleport around and defy gravity finally sinks in. It’s soon doubled by the gravity of Markeiff’s arrest.

  I get to my feet and hear another voice call out to us all from the opposite side of the bridge.

  It’s Mr green who walks towards us, the freshly peeled beetroots that were once his eyes staring at nothing.

  “Class just started man.” He mumbles. “Go back.”

  Lucy steps forward. “No class ended, we’re going to science now check the time.”

  He stares at his watch. “Oh okay.”

  He then shrugs and turns back towards the main building with the rest of us following.