*And now we travel into the future, to witness the meeting of another pairing I've long had in mind...involving a certain 16 year old, on a forbidden mission.
Jacob Covey took a step backwards from the dim basketball court. The young man often felt a sense of security under the lights surrounding the fence, but with three of the five lamps inexplicably out, he was unsure. The area was considered progressive, thanks in large part to a strong neighborhood watch program, and he knew a lot of the homeowners by first name.
That doesn't stop creeps from crossing over and looking for trouble. He'd turned his back to leave when a voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Hey! Where are you going?"
Jake spun on heel, but didn't see anyone. He slowly looked left and right. Wherever the voice came from, it couldn't have been talking to him. The young man lightly bounced his ball on the pavement, as though to reassure himself everything was normal. After a few beats he decided to head home and tucked the basketball under his arm.
"You're really not going to play because of a couple of lights?" the stranger persisted.
Jake felt the hairs rising on the back of his neck. "Are you talking to me?" He tried to sound bold, even if he was nervous about someone watching him unseen.
"Yeah, I am. I've never seen you walk away from the court so fast. There's enough light to play, isn't there?"
He curiously analyzed the feminine quality of the voice, and tried to decide if he'd heard it before. "Why are you watching me, and how come I can't see you?"
The following silence was deafening.
"Hello?" he demanded. "Are you still there?"
"Yes." Her tone was fainter, clearly abashed. "But I'm going. This was a stupid idea; I can't believe I almost went through with it."
Jake tried to fixate on her voice and pick out where it came from. Confusion was taking over where nerves left off. "What was a stupid idea? Talking to me? Or have you been stalking me too?"
She made a scoffing sound which indicated offense. "I don't stalk you, fool. I've just seen you play here. Is it my fault you're out so late? Haven't you heard of sleeping?"
"I guess I'm not the only one burning the midnight oil, huh?" he retorted. "Why are you watching me?"
"I don't go looking for you. It's hard not to notice someone who sticks to himself. Most people won't take the chance this time of night."
"Who am I supposed to be worried about? A crazy girl who gets her kicks from spying?"
She swore angrily. "I'm not crazy!"
"Prove it!" he challenged. "Come out where I can see you."
"You're not worth the risk." Her voice dripped with disdain. "Go make love to your basketball and forget I ever talked to you."
"Now hold on!" he protested. "Am I supposed to feel bad for wondering why a perfect stranger is paying attention to me? How'd you expect me to react?"
"I don't know!" she cried defensively. "This is all new for me. I shouldn't even BE here!"
He cocked his head, bewildered by the turn of the conversation. "Are you afraid of me?"
"Don't flatter yourself. I'm not scared of you or anyone else."
"But you're the one standing back and talking about the 'risk.' What danger is there in letting me see you?"
"Punk, you have no idea."
Jake sighed, frustrated. "Look, just tell me what you want! I'm not gonna talk to some invisible voice all night. You're kind of freaking me out."
"It's a lot easier said than done."
"I think you're the one making it hard. What are you scared of?" he intentionally goaded her.
"I'm not scared of you!" she repeated emphatically.
"Then c'mon out! Let's have a face to face." He turned in a circle, watching for any sign of movement. The young man was about to call to her again when something brushed his shoulder. He jumped, startled, and the figure backpedaled too.
"Whoa! Wait, are you…how'd you do that?" His voice shook unintentionally.
The stranger shrugged, but maintained her distance. "It's not hard when you know what you're doing."
"But what are you doing? Are you part ghost or something?"
"You have to ask? I pegged you for smarter than that."
"Normally, yeah, but everything about this is weird." Jake gazed at her hard, his gaze lingering where her face was supposed to be. He couldn't make out any distinguishing features, and it added to the "dream sequence" feeling. Is she wearing a mask? This is really strange. "Do you mind coming into the light?" He gestured toward one of the remaining street lamps on the other side of the black top.
"I would, actually," she answered. "What difference does it make what I look like? How much light do you need to play this game?"
"It helps when you can see the net."
"I think your eyes are better than that. Why don't we give it a shot?"
He was surprised. "You wanna play with me?"
"Girls don't play this game?"
"Well, sure, but…you singled me out like some guy in the middle of a horror flick because you want to play basketball?"
"A horror flick? Asking you questions is comparable to having someone pull a knife or a saw on you?"
"I couldn't see you. You might have a bazooka for all I know." He swore she flashed a quick grin.
"Nah. I like to travel light."
"Who are you?"
"Do you wanna talk, or would you rather put the ball to good use?"
He took a sharp breath. The meeting was feeling odder by the second, but he was too intrigued by the tough-talking mystery girl to back out. "You might wanna take those gloves off first. You'll have a hard time holding on to the ball."
"They're not as clumsy as the look. Hand over the ball, and I'll show you."
"Ladies first," he agreed, holding out the basketball.
She deftly snatched it from his hand without any warning. The young man hurried to get in front of her while she dribbled the ball a couple of times. The faint hue of her red track suit was visible, but her face remained shadowed under the hood of her sweat shirt. He was too distracted by trying to determine her appearance to focus on the basketball in her hands.
She dodged around him, spinning so fast it seemed she would lose control. The ball was in the air, slamming off the backboard before Jake could catch his breath. The basketball bounced off the rim and fell towards the ground. He jumped to retrieve it, not anticipating the girl to do the same thing.
He collided with her before he could change directions. The hard, unrelenting surface of her back caught Jake completely off guard and the wind was knocked out of him as he slammed to the pavement. In between heaving for breath he heard the girl curse again. She started to bend over, but then retreated as quickly as she'd reacted.
"I…I'm sorry," she fumbled. "This was stupid. I don't know what I was thinking."
Jake's brow furrowed as he climbed to his feet. "Hey, it's basketball. Things happen."
"I should go."
"Why? Now you don't like me or something?" he taunted, hoping to keep her interested.
"Who said I liked you to start with?"
"There you go! What do you care if you knocked me on my sorry tail? Take another shot at the hoop. You won the ball back fair and square."
Jake saw some tension leave her frame and he knew he'd been successful. He pursued the girl when she dribbled toward the net a second time, holding out long arms to block her. He was easily half a foot taller than his opponent, but he had a feeling height wouldn't make a big difference.
He followed her as she shifted to the right, but he'd no sooner shadowed the move when she lunged the other way and leaped from the black top with the power of an NBA player. The ball sailed against the backboard and glanced off the rim once more. She stood still while he picked up the ball, and his eyebrows rose when he faced her.
"Who the heck are you, girl?"
"Apparently I'm someone who can't land a basket," she said flatly.
He chuckled. "Nah, you could sink it – you're using too much power. You gotta be gentle with it. More force isn't what makes the ball go in. Check this out, okay?"
She waited silently while he lined up the basketball in the proper position.
"If you want to use the backboard, it helps to put a little spin on it," he said. "But only a little. Accuracy matters way more than force. The spin helps guide the ball's trajectory down to the net. You may be too strong for your own good, but I think you can do this."
She laughed. "It runs in the family. I'm used to being called out for control issues."
"This is a good exercise for you then." He passed the ball back to her. "I'm Jake, by the way. Do you have a name, or is it too big of a risk to share with the guy who's getting his tail kicked?"
"I didn't really kick your tail. I could have, but I didn't."
He grinned. "That's all I'm getting, huh? I s'pose I'll take it. Let's walk through some more shooting drills."
Over the course of thirty minutes, Jake was firmly convinced he was in the company of the most unusual girl he'd ever met. Her speed and agility across the court were so mystifying that he barely noticed when one of her shots failed to go in correctly.
He leaped to catch the ball as it swooshed through the net and clutched it under his arm. "Told you. Less is more."
She swiped the back of her hand across her forehead and cracked another smile.
"Are you hot? You could take the hood off, y'know," he invited.
"I'm fine," she replied swiftly.
Jake backed up to a bench and calmly sat down. "You wanna chill out for a minute?"
The girl lowered to the bench, but he noted she kept considerable space between them.
"Do I make you nervous or something?" he wondered. "I don't bite, and you can obviously take me. It doesn't make much sense."
"I know it doesn't, but…I'm not like other people. I've never done anything like this."
"Like what?"
She stared in his direction but didn't say anything for a moment. "I was born different. I've avoided meeting people my entire life."
"Why?"
The girl shook her head. "It's complicated."
He scooted closer, and saw her hands draw up into the sleeves of her sweatshirt. "I don't see what the problem is. You've got awesome skills. Why do you have to avoid people?"
"Because most of them would never accept us."
"Us?"
"Me," she corrected hastily. "It's the nature of mankind to fear what they don't understand, right? Isn't that how it goes?"
"Maybe, but not everyone is like that. I mean, I'm not afraid of you. I probably should be, what with your rock hard muscles and your little disappearing act, but you don't feel threatening."
She sighed heavily, fixing her gaze on the pavement. "I wish we could be friends."
"Why can't we? I think we'd get along nicely, as long as you keep your hands to yourself."
The girl laughed, but there was bitterness in the sound. "Because I don't get to do anything the normal way."
Jake could admit the encounter was crazy, but he wasn't willing to give up on it yet. "Why don't you take the chance of being my friend? You said you've never tried it before."
"It's not tha—" The girl cut off abruptly at the sound of a ring tone. She snatched up the device with an air of annoyance, glaring at the screen before she answered it. "What, Nate? You couldn't just…Wait, how many? No! Darn it, don't you dare go in alone! I'm coming!" She hung up the phone and lunged to her feet. "I have to go, Jake; sorry."
"But—"
"It was nice to meet you, but I don't have time for anything else. Thanks for being cool with me." The girl headed across the court and picked up something from the sidewalk. He caught a flash of silver as she rapidly cinched the object around her waist and broke into a sprint with no further warning.
Jake stared after her, considering his options. It was possible their brief exchange was destined to be only that, but fascination left him unsatisfied. He slipped his ball into a netted bag and slung it over his shoulder, then went to pick up his bicycle.
He waged an internal war as he settled onto the seat. It sounds like something's wrong, but she clearly doesn't want my help. She wasn't even sure about meeting me. Why am I compelled to chase after her? I should be heading home. That's what I'll do.
Insteadhe remained motionless on his bike, not moving either direction. Why am I only sitting here? This is crazy. I'm not riding after a perfect stranger like some psycho killer. What is wrong with me? There was no real answer. He only hoped it was the anxious quality of her tone that made him hesitate, and not a strange attraction to his would-be stalker.