Chapter 2
Sticky walks slowly on the dark pavement near the bus stop, careful not to step on the cracks separating the concrete slabs. He nervously pulls on his UCLA cap, causing it to tip downwards. Up and down. Up and down. Up and down. At least Dante will find a tutor for us, Sticky thought, causing a great weight to lift off of his mind. But what if I don't get that 700? What happens if the coaches don't want to talk to me after that? What will I do with my life? The weight came back, now more intense and crushing than it had ever been. I wish I could talk to Annie...
About a year ago, Sticky and Ahn-thu had broken up on friendly terms. Both of them decided to end the relationship on the basis that they had to concentrate on getting into college – with Annie applying to get into the rigorous UC schools and Sticky trying to balance both basketball and his struggling grades. In reality, both wanted to breakup as soon as possible so that it would not be more painful for them down the road, when they would have to break up anyway by going to different colleges. This way, they could concentrate on their own goals, with Annie trying to get top-notch grades so that she could enroll in a pre-med program, and Sticky trying to hone his basketball skills and attending summer camps to attract the attention of big schools. But they had both agreed to try to get into the same schools and get back together if by some chance they would be accepted to the same school. Sticky and Annie both wanted to go to UCLA, and were trying their hardest to make their dream of getting back together a reality.
When Sticky occasionally saw Ahn-thu in the hallways at school, she would sometimes smile sadly and walk away, never talking to Sticky in case they would both feel like getting back together again. Life was hard without having Annie to talk to, and the pain of it sometimes was too much for Sticky to bear. But going to Lincoln Rec and playing ball with everyone there helped ease a little of the pain and gave Sticky something to look forward to once he got out of school. Now, the idea of getting back together with Annie if he made it to one of the UC schools was becoming a major motive for him, and he even went to the public library one day to get a book full of practice SAT tests to help him get the 700. The only problem was that he did not understand most of the material, and desperately needed outside help in preparing for his SAT coming up in December. Only 2 more months to go, thought Sticky, careful not to step on a crack in the sidewalk.
