The ball flies from one end of the court to the other and if you don’t watch closely enough, you would have missed who touched it in between. Sounds of the boys’ rubber soles on the court echo over the crowd’s roar as the cheer team stands at the sidelines, waving their pompoms.
Mine and Nessa’s asses have hardly seen our chairs the whole way through, but it’s not just us, everyone has been on their feet since the beginning, it’s just that kind of game.
Slade has been up and down the court all night, scoring goal after goal and winning the hearts of everyone in the crowd, even the opposition. Their coach hasn’t been able to keep his eyes off Slade knowing damn well that one day, he’s going to get home and turn on his TV to see Slade running up and down the court at the NBA as their star player.
As the final buzzer sounds, the ball flies through the air and slams down through the basket just in the nick of time, making my boys the proud, undefeated champions, but I’m not surprised. It’s what they deserve for working their asses off all night.
The crowd screams their approvals as the Aston Creek Mambas gather into the middle of the court, celebrating together. Slade’s little sisters run into the middle and are instantly welcomed in by the guys who must seem like giants to them.
Jerseys are pulled off and swung around like helicopters, the watercooler is tipped over the coach’s head, and the cheer team is going nuts on the sidelines while Nessa and I try to squeeze past all these people trying to get down to our favorite boys.
The scout instantly stands and goes to make his way out of the gymnasium but I don’t miss the excited skip in his step. He just found his next star player and he couldn’t be happier. He’s going to get Slade onto any damn team he wants and he’s going to be a shining star, just like I always knew he would be.
Nessa and I somehow break free of the crowd and get down onto the court. Damian runs at Nessa and she hardly gets a second to retreat before he grabs her and sits her up on his shoulders, all while she’s screaming to be put down, and it’s damn clear that over the past few weeks, he’s started to develop a little crush on her.
I race for Slade and he only just turns to face me in time before I throw myself up into the air. He catches me with ease and instantly crushes his lips down on mine. “You were amazing,” I tell him, wondering how long I could get away with kissing him before someone pulls us apart. “The scout loved you.”
He doesn’t bother responding. He doesn’t have to. Me telling him how amazing he was and mentioning how much the scout loved him is just stating the obvious. It’s as though I just told him the sky was blue or he’s the sexiest damn thing I’ve ever laid my eyes on. Pure fact.
I’m torn away from Slade as my brother pours his iced water down my back and then instantly runs and hides behind Shay despite being three times the size of her.
I cringe. I hadn’t known she was here, if I did, I would have dragged her ass over to the scout to come and sit with us. She’s been doing it alone for the past few weeks and has refused to allow Ben back into the house. It’s been rough for her but she’s stronger than any of us gave her credit for.
She loves Ben with everything that she’s got but she’s really struggling to move past his betrayal. Maybe one day in the future she’ll be ready to give him a chance to explain himself, but not yet. She’s not ready.
The school cleaners start making their way around the gymnasium and we get the hint that it’s time to go.
I wait with Nessa outside as the boys do their thing in the locker room. It won’t be long. There’s a huge celebratory party tonight and I don’t doubt that they’re all itching to get to it.
Daniella walks past with Emma and Rain and I give her a small smile, knowing she’s probably in a rush to get the girls home for dinner, bed, and bath. Just when I think she’s about to keep going, she stops and rests a hand on my forearm. “How are you going, sweetie?”
“Alright,” I say, knowing she’s referring to one specific thing and not my overall general mood. “I’m coping, and you?”
“About the same,” she tells me with a nod. “I didn’t want to worry you but I thought you would want to know that I contacted the police this afternoon to follow up with our case.”