Before Everything Changed
Okay, so, as you might have guessed from the title, this is about Bobby and his life before all "the Traveler biz." I was really surprised to learn that there was none of them on the site, so I figured I'd make one up for myself. I would appreciate feedback, but it's not as important to me as some other stories I might write because this I mostly for myself.
Bobby POV
I coolly walked up to her, looked deep into those depthless gray eyes, and asked her out. Or, at least, I did in my fantasies.
You see, I'm a sports star. I've got friends. I crack jokes. I even do pretty well in school. (my lowest being an A-, thank you for asking.) But what I can't do is work up the courage to ASK COURTNEY CHETWYDNE OUT ALREADY! She's got the whole package goin' on, with the silky brown hair, astonishing good looks, and butt-kicking sports ability. And I like her. But I'm a wuss in the land of romance.
"Dude! You playin' or what?" My friend Josh asked me. "The 7th grade team HAS to beat Crowley this year! We just have to!"
"Oh, I don't think Pendragon has the courage. It's alright, Bobby, I'll understand if you have to go home. I am better, anyways. You'd be doing yourself a favor," Chetwydne called out jokingly.
I laughed and looked right at her. "You wish."
"Oh, I think I'll be saving my wishes for something harder." And with that move, we started to play.
Ganger (P.E. Teacher) tossed up the ball. I bunched my leg muscles, threw myself up in the air, and just managed to curve my fingertips around the ball so I could tip it toward Jimmy Hirsch, my strongest forward. I threw a victory look at Courtney before bounding down the court, always keeping my eyes on the ball, my hands open and my sights never to far from. Courtney, who I was guarding, just in case the ball suddenly switched hands.
The second Jimmy crossed the free-throw line, he was mobbed by a hoard of sweaty boys grabbing for the ball. He looked for an outlet, but there was none to be seen. There was no way for the ball to get out.
Almost lazily, I set a pick on him, then rebounded off the same guy the second Jimmy rolled off me, my hands already open for the pass sure to come. Right on time, I felt the smooth leather slide into my hand as I dribbled up toward the basket and executed a perfect backwards lay-up, complete with that little satisfactory swooshing sound as the ball fell through the net yet again.
"Now, now, Courtney," I said teasingly, "this is only a taste of what is about to come. Don't you have the sense to just save yourself the embarrassment and give up already?"
Her mouth was set in a grim line as she mumbled "just gimme the ball." I grinned. She really hated losing.
"Whatever you say…"
Her check was lightning-fast and I almost didn't have time to catch it. Almost.
"Nice try, Chetwydne," I said, as a shot the ball back. "But basketball's my sport."
She started off with a pass to her left flank, Mark, (no, not my buddy) then did a double juke step and bolted down the field. I wasn't expecting that, and I tumbled and fell over. After muttering a quick curse, I straightened out and sprinted after her. She had the ball back by now, and I made a flying stuff just as she shot a perfect three-pointer. However, she caught the wide rebound and dribbled in for a lay-up. You gotta applaud her on that one. But I'll get her net time.
The game continued like that for a while, me gaining a couple of points, but then she would bounce back light lightning, gaining her points back. Coach finally called the whistle a few minutes before the game ended. Final score? 33-34, me. Take that, Chetwydne!
Her shoulders were tense for a minute, but then relaxed as she remembered something.
"I look forward to volleyball next week!" She called out to me with a knowing smile.
The smug grin dropped of my face. Courtney dominates at volleyball. Oh, well. I won today.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, really short. But just try to let me know what you think and I'll update soon!