Author's Note: Okay, so I've realized that there are NO Love and Basketball fics on this site, which I can and can't understand. It's such a great movie that you don't really need fics. Everything is there. But I recently re-watched it (I was in love with it the first few years it came out and still love it to this day) and could see so many emotions that I thought it could be cool to see what was going through characters' heads during scenes in the movie and parts not shown. This fic will follow the movie from beginning through after it ends with some gapfillers in between. I hope you enjoy. Reviews are highly appreciated. Thanks for reading!
He knew it the moment he met her, though at the time he would have never admitted it. When she pulled off that hat, he was shocked. A girl wanted to play ball with them.
A girl who stood up to him. Fearless. None of the boys in the neighborhood even did that.
Ever.
He liked that about her. He didn't know what he was feeling, but he knew it was something brand new for him.
And then he discovered that not only could she play...but she was good. Real good.
The other side of him came out then. The competitive side. The side that wanted so badly to be just like his father. To make his father proud.
She and Kelvin were about to win, but being the ultimate competitor when it came to the game that he was, he couldn't let that happen.
He didn't realize what he was doing until after she hit the ground.
He stared, eyes wide and mouth open, shocked at his own actions. He had no idea where that came from. And the look on her face didn't help any.
As she got up and brushed herself off, he kept staring at the side of her face, the large gash that was sure to scar staring back at him. The guilt was eating away at him, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. He watched her leave, unsure of what to do. He looked around at the faces of his friends, all of them surprised at his actions, before he decided to head into the house, effectively ending the game.
When his mother found out, she was both surprised and angry. She demanded that he sit down and write the new girl a card, apologizing. She loved her son endlessly, but knew that he had his father's temper. She did what she could to limit it, but it was something she was still working on. Other than that, he was a great kid. She knew she was lucky to have such a good boy.
She only hoped it stayed that way.
He was working on the card when his dad came home. He knew it needed to say 'I'm sorry', so he put all his effort into those words. His creative mind came to life and he put his focus into making the letters look as good as possible. He knew he needed to say more, though. He wanted to say more.
Yet, he still wouldn't let his feelings fully come to the surface. It frustrated the hell out of him.
He watched his parents go back and forth. They always did. During their arguments, he wondered if they were even aware he was in the room. His eyes flicked back and forth. He loved and idolized his father so much, but he loved his mother and hated to see her in pain. Moments like these always made him feel uncomfortable and torn.
He hated when they did this.
He and his mother headed on over to the new neighbors' place.
Apparently, the older girl was out and the dad was working, so it was just the mom and the girl from earlier.
He awkwardly handed her the card he had made while their mothers chatted uncomfortably. His eyes kept going back to the girl, whose name he'd found out was Monica. He was just drawn to her...he couldn't explain it. His mind was brought back into the women's conversation when his mother said she loved to cook. He looked at her like she was crazy. He knew she was going into her 'trophy wife' mode. It was what she did whenever she needed to feel worthy or like she was doing the right thing.
Eventually the two women left to go explore the house and it was just him and Monica. Did they have to leave him alone with her? He didn't like the idea. Who knew what he would continue to feel if he were forced to be in a room with her for too long.
He became more and more impressed with her the more time he spent with her. Not only could she play, but she knew her stuff when it came to ball. She knew a lot. And not only could she stand up for herself, but she knew karate, too? This girl was full of surprises.
He knew that since she was so different, she would probably get a lot of crap thrown at her from the kids in the neighborhood. He hated the idea of that and decided it was now his job to protect her.
After a while, the two mothers returned and he and his mom headed home. He went to his room, his mind still on the new girl next door. He lay in bed that night, the sounds of his parents having sex preventing his sleep, and decided to look over at the next house.
Sure enough, he could see right into her room. She was sitting on the floor, her sister doing her hair. He simply stood there, staring, engrossed by her, a fond smile playing on his lips. It wasn't until she got into her bed that he slipped back into his and drifted off to sleep.
He waited for her the next morning. His mom had told him that since she was new and didn't know anybody else, he would ride to school with her. He didn't complain.
When she came out, his eyes grew huge.
Every time he had seen her, she had been in jeans and baggy t-shirts.
The bright yellow dress was surprising to say the least.
To be honest, he thought she was pretty even in her regular clothes, but the dress just reinforced the idea in his mind.
It gave him the courage to say what he did next.
"You wanna be my girl?"
He still wasn't quite sure what went into being a boyfriend and girlfriend. All he knew was what he saw from his parents. But he knew that if he was gonna have anything it was gonna be with her.
Their first kiss was what so many first kisses were like. It was hesitant, unsure. Just lips pressed softly against each other. He counted the five seconds off on his hand.
He had to admit he didn't want them to end.
It didn't last long though.
He should have known. From their first meeting, he knew she was strong, tough, independent. He should have known she wouldn't want him to drive her around on his bike. That was just what he knew from his parents.
The tempers and pride from both of them kicked in and before he knew it, they were rolling around in the grass, clawing at each other and pulling at each other's hair.
Their mothers both finally came out and broke them up.
They rode to school together in silence.
He looked over at her, still angry and yet still drawn.
He didn't know how he was going to survive life with this girl.
TBC