Disclaimer: I do not own Recess or any of its characters.
Author's Note: Okay, so here is another one-shot. And this time the pairings have nothing to do with TJ/Spinelli!
Game of Horse
"Hey Spinelli!" Vince called to the girl as all the kids made a scramble to leave Third Street School, "want to wait with me for TJ to get out of detention?"
"Sure," Spinelli said, smiling, "I don't have anything better to do."
The two fourth graders walked over to the swings and sat down, facing the basketball court. The sat in silence for a few moments before Vince noticed a basketball that Ms. Finster must have miraculously forgot to put away. He jumped off the swing, grabbed the ball and turned to Spinelli.
"I have an idea," Vince said, excited, "let's play a game of Horse. But, with each letter one of us gets, the other gets to ask him a question."
"That," Spinelli glared at him, "is not a fair game. You are a lot better than me."
"I'll go easy on you," Vince assured her. Spinelli shrugged and stood up. She quietly followed Vince to the basketball court.
"I get to go first," Spinelli insisted.
"Okay," Vince shrugged, throwing her the basketball. She threw it up in the air from about half-court and it went in. Vince shook his head and took her spot, basketball in hand. But, as it left his hand he knew it wasn't going to go in, and sure enough, it bounced off the rim. With a sigh he turned to Spinelli and said, "okay, what's your question?"
"Which sport are you going to play when you grow up?" Spinelli questioned him.
"Honestly?" Vince said and Spinelli nodded, "I don't really want to play sports for a living. I think it would be cool to be astronaut."
"Vince LaSalle, Astronaut, has a cool ring to it," Spinelli laughed before chunking the ball at the basket, this time missing.
"And I am now in control of the game," Vince smiled, easily making his basket. As he watched Spinelli miss he ran through a bunch of questions he could ask her, and finally decided to settle on, "what was the first fight you ever got into?"
"When I was in preschool I noticed a girl crying in the corner. She looked so sad and lonely so I asked her what her name was and why she was crying. Her name was Ashley A. and she said that some loser had picked on her. So, I found the loser, beat him up, and then Ashley A. thought I was a monster."
"Preschool huh?" Vince shook his head while making another basket.
"Yeah," Spinelli shrugged, missing her second basket in a row, "man, this game stinks."
"Or just you do," Vince laughed, "so, that whole kissing thing you and TJ did, was it really as gross as you both said it was?"
"It was TJ," Spinelli said, with a disgusted look, "anything like that with TJ would be really gross to me. He's, like, my brother."
"Okay," Vince laughed again, purposely missing his next basket and watched happily as Spinelli made hers. He then proceeded to just lob the ball towards the goal, and missed.
"Why did you ask?"
"Because I kind of have a crush on somebody," he answered, a little uncomfortably. Spinelli's interest had just peaked, and she knew that she had to make at least one more basket to ask who. So, she went back to half court and made her second half court shot.
Vince shook his head as he grabbed the ball and tried to make it, unsuccessful once again. Spinelli turned to him, a grin on her face.
"So, Vince LaSalle, tell me who you have a crush on," she demanded to know.
"Well ... I kind of like ...," Vince stuttered, but before any actual names came out of his mouth, TJ ran up to the pair of them.
"Hey guys!" he greeted, "thanks for waiting for me. Man, detention whomps!"
---
Twelve Years Later
"Hey Vince LaSalle, future astronaut," Spinelli greeted the man as she walked onto the Third Street School basketball court. Vince was staring at the goal, but when hearing her voice, turned to her with a smile on his face.
"Hey Spinelli," he grinned, "want to wait with me for TJ to quit talking to the principal about interning here."
"Sure," Spinelli answered, grabbing a nearby basketball, "I have an idea, let's play a game of Horse. But with each letter one of us gets, the other gets to ask them a question."
"Oh, I'm in," the twenty-two year old Vince grinned at her, "you know you won't win."
"As I recall," Spinelli started, while walking towards the half court and stopping once there, throwing the ball into the hoop, "you have a certain weakness in about this area."
"That was in fourth grade," Vince scoffed as he threw the basketball into the air, "I have gotten better since then."
But, as he finished his sentence, the ball bounced off the backboard.
"Go ahead," he said, head hung low.
"Who do you have a crush on?" Spinelli asked, a grin on her face.
"I kind of have this huge thing for this girl named Ashley Spinelli ... have ever since fourth grade," Vince laughed, taking the girl into his arms and kissing her, "I think she must have realized it though when I asked her out two years ago."
"I don't know," Spinelli joined in, "sometimes a girl needs more evidence than that. And a game of Horse can always clear that up."
"Well ... let's see if I can't get you to answer at least one question," Vince said, pulling away from her and throwing the ball to her. It only took a few seconds for Vince to get to ask his question, he turned to her, and said, "Okay ... question is ... will you marry me?"
"Of course!" Spinelli jumped into his arms and he spun her around.
Vince LaSalle was very amused by the fact that all this had come around by two games of Horse.