Scene 4
The first day of work was exhausting. As Jason pulled off the dark apron and headscarf to clock out, he couldn't help but recount – for the hundredth time that day – how stupid he was earlier on. He had gone to school with Sharpay and Ryan for the past decade or so, after all. He made to put his card back into its appropriate slot when his tired eyes trailed down the list of the familiar names of his classmates, reaching N, for Nielson. Kelsi's last name. His lips pulled up into half a smile, his thoughts on her when he remembered that she had been there.
'She probably thinks I'm a moron,' he thought dejectedly, walking to the employees' locker room. He stuffed his work clothes in, changing into his own and after freshening up, left without a look back.
One day down, the rest of the summer to go.
Kelsi found him at the park at the basketball court, shooting hoops by himself. Adjusting the strap of her bag, she made her way to where he was.
Jason didn't notice her, too absorbed in his game. She watched him, marvelling at his grace. She was ashamed to admit that she had only really watched him play a few times over the years of him playing for the school. She was just never really into sports, always encountering accidents either to various parts of her body or her face. Once, while playing volleyball during gym, she hurt her wrist, preventing her from playing the piano for weeks. It had definitely not been one of her favourite days.
So when Troy passed the ball to her after the game that made East High the champions for the first time in years, she had not known what to do with it. And then Jason had come along, putting his arms around, and together, shot a perfect basket.
She shook her head, stopping herself from replaying the scene in her head again. She decided, finally, to make her presence known.
"Hey, Jason."
She saw his back tense and his arms shot the ball jerkily, bouncing off the hoop and it sailed over his head, landing to the ground and rolling to Kelsi's feet. She picked it up awkwardly and walked over to him.
"Hey," she said, softly this time, smiling awkwardly up at him.
"Hey." He grinned back, a little hesitantly, and took the ball from her. "What brings you here?" It was pretty late, already well into night-time. He started dribbling the ball from one hand to the other, keeping his eyes from looking at anything but her.
"Just wanted to talk," she shrugged, dropping her bag to her feet. "I didn't see you after work. Wanted to ask how your first day went."
She saw him tense up once more, and her eyebrows shot up in confusion. He rarely acted like that around her, around anyone in general.
"Jason, is everything alright?" she asked, at the same time he said, "Do you think I'm stupid?" It sounded awkward, but the question had been abrupt and so out of the blue that it took her a few seconds to process what he said.
"Of course I don't!"
"But this afternoon…" he trailed off, his cheeks turning pink slightly.
'So this is what it's about,' Kelsi mused.
"You're not stupid, Jase, and no, I don't think you are. You're just kind of," she paused, trying to think of a right word, "slow."
He groaned, catching the ball in his hands. "That's just a nicer way of saying stupid, Kels."
She shook her head. "No, it's not."
"Kelsi," he said seriously.
"Jason," she imitated, glaring at him slightly with a determined look on her face. The seriousness of Jason's face melted away as he chuckled, gazing at her fondly. She blushed, quickly diverting her eyes away from him, and without thinking, grabbed the orange ball out of his hands. She turned towards the basket, aimed and shot, only to miss. It rolled back to them, and she rolled her eyes as Jason laughed.
"Hey, I didn't laugh when you missed earlier!" she protested.
"That was because you took me by surprise." He moved behind her, putting his arms around her small frame, his hands on hers, and her back pressing against his chest. He took a deep breath in an attempt to steady his heartbeat, but to no avail. "Here."
And just like during Triple Threat Day, the ball soared from her hands and into the basket in a perfect shot.
"See? Not so hard," he teased. She giggled, and on instinct, he tightened his grip slightly on her hands.
"But, really," she said. He looked at the back of her head in confusion. "You're not stupid." Oh, right. "You just… don't exactly think before saying things." He was silent, gliding his fingers slowly on hers. "Jase?"
He sighed. "I know. I get told that a lot."
She turned around in his arms and smiled up at him encouragingly. She took his hands, holding them gently in hers, feeling the roughness of his fingertips coming from years of handling the coarse texture of basketballs.
"If it makes you feel any better," she started, "I think you're great, and not stupid at all."
Jason smiled hesitantly at her, taking in her features under the glow of the lamppost. Her blue eyes were gentle as they looked into his own dark ones. Her hair, devoid of a hat, brushed her shoulders, her fringe falling across her forehead. Her cheeks were a light shade of pink, and her lips were curved into a smile. His breathing became slightly heavier as he leaned down slowly, pressing his lips hesitantly against hers. It was only about three seconds, but it felt perfect.
He pulled back and looked at her once more. Her eyes were half-closed, and this time, her lips were set in a lazy smile.
"Come on, Playmaker," he said, "let's get you home."
