Chapter Ten

BAKETBALL

Clutching 9S in his arms, Eve continued, "I still think she would be good at basketball though…" It was a husky whisper under his breath.

Adam turned back around, his eyes narrowing. It was an icy glare that meant to inflict a sense of utter dominance over the other. "Eve." He sighed, grinding his teeth together. "We discussed this. A2 would be incompetent at basketball. We've talked about the fact that she's too fast and she'd ruin the floor. Not to mention she can't play in a team. Volleyball is best." He said, finishing his sentence off with a grunt.

"But," Eve lifted up 9S even a little higher with a little swing, adjusting his hold on his frail body. "Volleyball is just as much of a team sport as basketball is. If not more, maybe."
"IF NOT MORE?" Adam sounded positively offended by this statement. "Are you kidding me, Eve? I knew you were stupid but really? IF NOT MORE? I'm seriously beginning to worry about your tiny little brain cells." His orbs did a little roll, pushing themselves into the back of his head and then back out again. "You cant really be suggesting that volleyball and basketball have the same level of teamwork in them, can you? Basketball is a game where you pass the ball back and forth between you and the other members of your team." Adam seemed to gesture a passing of the ball towards Eve. "IN VOLLEYBALL," He stressed. "Its all about who can spike the ball the farthest."

"This is why I'm winning the argument." Eve exhaled with a crooked grin. "You don't know anything about sports. Why? Because you refused to play with me, even when I asked you to. So therefore I know more about volleyball and basketball and you're bad at this argument."

"Are you serious?" Adam sounded extremely offended.

"Yes, Im serious, brother." He nodded, "You can totally help your teammates out just as much in volleyball as you do in basketball. You have never even played either sport."
"That's not meaning anything to me! Just because I have never played it doesn't mean I don't know how it works. Idiot."
"But you don't know how it works."
"Yes I do."

"Okay, then what do you do in volley?"
"You punt the ball, Eve. I'm not stupid." Adam put his hands on his hips. "Anyways, we have 9S with us, so why don't we get back to business so we can-"
Eve broke out into a roaring laugh, "PUNT? Brother, do you know nothing of volleyball?"
"I just told you I did know everything of volleyball." He said, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Obviously not if you think that you punt the ball in volleyball."
"What, do you volley it or something?" Adam scoffed.

"It is called volleyball, brother." Eve shrugged.

"Well regardless of what one does in volleyball, A2 would be much better suited for it."
"OH!" Eve spoke up, his voice echoing off the back walls of the school, hitting all three boys back in the face. "What about something like bad mitten?"

"Bad mitten?" Adam spoke softly, his eyes relaxing as his expression communicated his contemplation. "Why bad mitten?"

"It's a game you play by yourself against another opponent. And usually you have to be very fast and agile. Which A2 is, right?" Eve gave a lazy shrug. "Also it has the word bad in it and I think A2 is pretty bad."
"She did cut of 4S's pinky, so I suppose so…" Adam mumbled, more to himself than anyone else.

"4S? Was it 4S?" Eve looked upwards, his eyebrows coming together. "Wasn't it 9S?"
"You moron, 9S is right there and his pinkies are both there." Adam groaned, gesturing to the ignored boy.

"Oh, that's right. But he did have like, a head injury or something right? Wasn't it A2 that did it?" Eve seemed to lose himself in his own train of thought.

9S perked up. Were they going to accidentally tell him what happened to his head? No one would tell him and maybe these two would-

"No, it wasn't A2, I don't think, you moron. Wasn't she at some kind of hospital when it happened?" Adam put his thumb on his chin and scratched it lightly. "I'm not really so good at locating A2 when I need her."

"Oh that's right! It wasn't A2, but she was there, I saw it happen." Eve spoke up, seemingly relieving his own worried mind, setting himself at ease with his memory. "That's right."
"Oh, was I there?" Adam grimaced, having a hard time remembering himself.
"Yeah, you were there, brother. Just as we got there, 9S and-"

"That's it!" He shouted loudly. "TENNIS."

"Tennis? Isn't that the same thing as bad mitten?"

"No, you moron. In tennis, when you don't score any points its called love." Adam smirked, looking down at his shoes, proud of himself. "A2 doesn't score anything or anyone. That must be her idea of LOVE!"

"Wow, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard, brother."
"Excuse me? Do you have a better idea?" He cocked his head to the side.

"Yes," He sighed, closing his eyes in frustration. "BASKETBALL, brother."

"I've already decided basketball is off the table."

"Well I don't agree with that, brother." Eve said, definitely crossing his arms and shooting his brother a grimace. "What about hockey?"
"Hockey? For A2?" He scowled back at the younger brother. "Hockey is also a highly competitive team sport."

"But it's also an aggressive sport! All the checking and fist fights." He looked genuinely proud of himself.

"But those are against the rules."

"Against the rules? But everyone does it." Eve seemed to look away, looking a little guilty.

"Everyone? Or just you?" 9S asked timidly. "You seem to be a violent guy."

"Oh, hey, 9S." They both spoke at once, looking at him with the red crimson orbs. "What's your opinion on A2's sport of choice?"

"I don't know...I think she would be good at basketball myself." He nodded and looked nervously between the two men.

"Basketball...is that what we're back to…" Adam grunted, turning around and putting his fists against the wall, punching them until blood spurting out of his knuckles. "What has this small world come to."
Eve set him down on the grass, and gave him a genuine smile. "Hey, 9S…" He spoke softly. "I like your choker necklace." He pointed to the black square choker.
He kind of forgot it was there and pulled his hand to it, holding it and fiddling with it. "This is...oh, yeah, I forgot I had this." He smiled softly and gripped it, running his fingers over the engraved piece of metal. "I don't remember who gave it to me, but I know its special to me...They said I was clutching it when they found me after the accident."
"What's it say?" He asked putting his hands on his hips, bending down to look at it closer.
9S took it off, holding it in his palms. He brought it close to his eyes as he read it outloud, "1C's Boy." He read outloud, shock going through everyone behind the building.