We all know that Twilight isn't mine...but CJ is...and that's pretty ok by me.
CHAPTER SIX: YOU NEED TO WORK FOR IT
They rode the elevator down to the gym together with CJ babbling a mile a minute about the game they were about to play. Edward told him they needed to hit the locker room so that he could get changed also. He could tell how excited CJ was and he knew the kid was jumping out of his skin. Edward changed clothes and grabbed some loose change and threw it into the bottom of his gym bag so that they'd be able to purchase Gatorade from the vending machines after their workout and they headed into the gym to begin warming up.
"So, how come you didn't tell me how pretty your mom is, CJ"? Edward asked as they stretched out on the court floor.
"I don't know, you didn't ask".
"Well what was I supposed to do, just come out and ask you if you had a hot mom"?
"Do you think my mom is hot"? He glanced at Edward while he stretched.
"She's really pretty, CJ. Really pretty", Edward's voice trailed off...
They stood up and began dribbling and passing the basketball back and forth between them, working up their rhythm and establishing a pace. For a moment, neither spoke. Then CJ asked, "Are you going to hit on her, Edward"?
"I don't hit on nice women, CJ. I ask them out on dates. Does your mom date"?
CJ shook his head no. "She stays home with me and Apache all the time when she's not working. She never goes anywhere".
"So, if I asked your mom out on a date, how would that make you feel, CJ"? Edward wanted to know. He very much wanted to know. The pretty secretary with the gorgeous brown eyes was on his mind and he needed to know if this young man was going to have a problem with his mother being asked out.
The ball was in CJ's hands and he darted to the basket for a shot. Edward watched him run for the layup and sink the basket perfectly. He began to sense a pattern of behavior with CJ. Anytime something came up in conversation, which CJ could not immediately face, he grabbed his basketball and avoided the topic momentarily as he had just done with Edward's question about dating Bella. As quickly as he had avoided answering Edward, he returned to him with his answer.
"At least you're not a creep", CJ said.
Edward laughed out loud. "Gee, thanks buddy. So does that mean I can ask your mom out"?
CJ threw the basketball to Edward. "We play to twenty-one", he said. "If you win, you can ask out my mom".
"Oh come on! You smoked me before. How am I supposed to beat you at twenty-one"?
"You a chicken or something? If you want to ask out my mom, all you have to do is win". CJ looked at Edward with the gauntlet laid down before him.
"You're on, pal. Let's do this". Edward walked to center court and waited for CJ to join him with the basketball. Great, just great, he thought. This kid is going to kick my ass again and there goes my chance to ask out his mom. He readied himself for CJ's first move. His feet were planted lightly, knees loose and bent slightly. His fingers wiggled in anticipation and his body rocked from side to side. His eyes locked on CJ in deep concentration and he watched CJ break for the basket. Just as CJ went up for his first shot, Edward slapped the ball down, rebounded, took his shot and scored. Yes!He was on the boards first.
They went back and forth, back and forth and Edward scored higher than he dreamed possible against this phenom of a kid. He felt great, he felt the adrenaline rushing through his body, he was quick and his game was on and he was winning. A couple points more and he'd have the right to ask Bella out. And then it hit him, CJ is throwing the game. He tossed the ball to CJ and prepared for CJ's move. He watched him carefully and noticed that he wasn't setting up his shot. He saw that CJ was cutting to his weak side and going up for the layup with his left arm instead of his right arm, and he knew the kid was right handed. How could he have missed it before? He had been so sure that he was actually beating the kid that he didn't notice he was being set up. Why? What's CJ's reason for wanting to throw the game? If he was okay with Edward asking his mom out, why did they have to go through this whole charade of Edward beating him for the right to ask Bella out?
Edward took his final shot and hit twenty-one and it was game over. He kept an eye on CJ's face to gauge his reaction.
"Well, you won. I guess you're asking my mom out on a date, right Edward"?
"We'll see". Edward turned and walked to his gym bag, his back to CJ. He waited for CJ's reaction.
"What do you mean you'll see? You won. You wanted to ask my mom out and you're going to, right"? CJ persisted.
"I was going to, CJ. But I wanted to win fair and square and you cheated. You threw the game". He turned to look at CJ. "Why did you do that, buddy"?
CJ put his head down, embarrassed. He didn't realize that Edward had been on to him.
"I'm sorry, Edward. I just wanted to make sure you won".
"CJ, I wanted to ask your mom out before we played twenty-one. You're the one who turned it into a contest. Why did you do that to me"?
CJ dropped his head again, unable to look Edward in the eye. He shuffled back and forth from one leg to another on the court. He scuffed his gym shoes on the floor to avoid answering the question right away. He did everything but break for the basket, which is what he preferred to do, but Edward had made sure the basketballs were out of reach.
"I wanted to see if you thought my mom was special enough to work for it. And then when I saw that you did, I just wanted to make sure that you won". He cleared his throat and looked up at Edward and locked eyes with him man to man. "She's special and she never has any fun. Please ask her out, Edward".
God, this kid is killing me. He had never met anyone like this boy before. Ten years old and he acted like more of a man than some men Edward knew. He wondered if Bella knew just exactly how incredible her son was. Maybe they could discuss it over dinner.
"Well, we'd better get you back upstairs to your mom so you don't get in trouble, okay buddy"? Edward reached for his gym bag and searched for the change they needed for their Gatorade. "Besides, if she gets mad at us for you being late, she'll shoot me down when I ask her out, right"? He asked with a smile and a wink to CJ as they closed the gymnasium doors.
CJ beamed brightly as they walked to the vending machines, already picturing his mom on her date with Edward.
A/N: What a kid. Are you in love with CJ yet?
