p class="p1"strongAuthor's Note: /strongHello, everyone! Long time no see. First, I would like to apologize for not posting anything for a few months, especially when I have a lot of this story pre-written. The end of Junior year was extremely difficult, what with finals and AP exams, etc. I've been super busy this summer as well, and now I'm scrambling to finish my 4 summer projects before school starts and I go on vacation next week. Also, I hit a major block the last time I tried to write this, and a brief hiatus turned into...well, this. Second, I would like to discuss what's going on with this story. I feel like I've been majorly neglecting this story, and I don't want to be the kind of author who does that, so I'm going to try to finish this part of the series up. I'm not sure if I told you guys that this is actually part one of a three part series, but that's what I've planned from the beginning so I'm going to try to accomplish that. Third, I'm still interested in posting that other story that I told you all about in the previous chapter, so please let me know if you'd like to read it. It is sort of based off of a storyline from One Tree Hill, so if you're a fan of that show, you'll probably be interested. Lastly, in my time off from this story, I began writing a 5 Seconds of Summer story on , so if you are a fan of them, come check it out! I'm under the same username, and the story focuses on numerous characters, which is really interesting for me to write. Hope you all forgive me somewhat and like the chapter; review if you do, it would mean so much to me!/p
p class="p1"strongDisclaimer:/strong I don't own BTR, etc./p
hr /
p class="p1" /p
p class="p1""Cradle, 1, 2!" Ellie called from below, and I felt my feet move down as Ali and Lia threw me into the air. I piked and extended my arms into a T shape so that Ellie could catch me. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Good job, guys. Ellie, Lia and Ali, go out to help with the bake sale." Julie ordered, and immediately, the 3 girls rushed to grab their cheer duffle bags and help with the sale. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Get the clipboard and hair bag. I got the makeup, stickers, and bows." I said, grabbing a large bag filled with makeup, a sticker sheet, and a container that had gigantic bows. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Let's go." /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"It was the big day, the championship JV game, and everyone was pumped. I should know; Dan had been talking to me and anyone that would listen nonstop. Julie and I were on our way to distribute the bows and stickers, since our makeup and hair had been previously done. We had gotten new bows for the game, and they were green and gold, with tons of glitter and sparkles. We had also created a new cheer routine for half time, which I was nervous about, but ultimately prepared for. The Varsity championship game was also tonight, but I didn't want to have to spend the whole game in flashback mode from that night. I told the senior captains that I couldn't be at the game because I had to visit my sick relative in the hospital, and the hours of the game were the only ones that I could use to see them. I knew it was a horrible excuse, particularly because I didn't have a sick relative in the hospital, and that was a serious thing to lie about, but I really couldn't be here tonight and witness Jake's victory. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"As for James, I hadn't spoken to him since our fight at Dan's party. Since we hadn't talked, he obviously hadn't apologized, and I was seriously beginning to doubt Logan's theory. Maybe Logan was just trying to comfort me and be optimistic, but it seemed like James had no regret over telling me that he'd slept with half the grade and implying that I wasn't special to him whatsoever. Dan had coaxed me into going to his victory party tonight, which was after the Varsity game. I wasn't nervous about going because I knew that all of the senior cheerleaders would be going to the after party at Jake Bass's house, so there was little to no chance of me getting caught. However, I knew that going to Dan's party (as if I had a choice) would entail seeing James, which I was not interested in doing. I didn't know what was going to happen with that, but what I did know was that there was no way I was going to be shoved into a closet with him again. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Here, I'll get the girls out here, you get the ones inside the gym, okay?" Julie interrupted my thoughts, and I nodded. We both put the majority of the bags in the locker room and parted to give out the bows. I exited the locker room and opened the gym door, seeing the majority of the team inside, decorating the gym. I was passing the room that held the speakers when I heard arguing voices from inside. I knew that this would technically be considered eavesdropping, but they weren't exactly trying to hide their argument from the world, so I figured that listening for a few seconds wouldn't hurt anyone. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""You're such an idiot." A familiar voice chastised. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""I wasn't thinking, okay?" I gasped silently. I would know that suave, silky voice anywhere. emJames/em. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Why the hell would you lie to her about that?" The voice scolded, still vaguely unrecognizable. Who was the "her" they were referring to, and further, what was James lying to her about?/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""I was just mad. She doesn't even care, Kendall." /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""She emdoes /emcare, but you're not considering the fact that she's probably not over whatever happened to her that you emstill/em won't tell me about." Kendall pointed out, a twinge of annoyance in his voice. Wait, were they talking about me? /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Dude, if she wants to tell you, she will. It's hard for her, you know?" James replied. Yes, I concluded, they were talking about me. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""No, I don't know, actually, since you won't tell me! And you didn't make shit easier by implying that it was her fault! That's not exactly a step in the right direction." James groaned. I could imagine him running his hand through his hair right now, which was something he did when he was frustrated. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""What the hell do I do, then? She's never going to talk to me again. And I know Logan talked to her, but he won't tell me anything, the little bitch." James snarled. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""You really like her, don't you?" Kendall sighed. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Yeah, man. I do, and I'm being completely serious. She's not just another girl that I'll take out once or twice and then ditch for someone else. I just don't know how to do the whole relationship thing, especially with her." /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""You're James Diamond! What happened to the guy who could pick up 3 girls at the same time? The smooth talking ladies man?" /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""That shit doesn't work with Blair. She's not going to fall into my arms because I seduced her like that." James said, clearly aggravated. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Then do what emdoes/em work with her. Make her be unable to resist. You got this, man." Kendall clapped James on the back. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Yeah, you know what? I emcan/em do this. Hopefully." James and Kendall began to walk out of the room, and I hurriedly hid behind the open door, hoping that one of them wouldn't close it. Luckily, they didn't. I emerged from behind the door and tried to process everything from their conversation. So Logan was right, James did lie about the whole 'sleeping with half the grade' thing. And, he liked me. Like, actuallyem liked/em me. It was the first time that I had heard him express it out loud. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Here. Take a bow, pass them around." I handed the container to one of the girls, who took one and passed around the rest. I had already taken mine and put it in. I was so distracted by the fact that Logan was right; James was lying about sleeping with half of the grade, and he was lying about me not being special, as far as I could tell. But Kendall had said that James should do something that I couldn't resist, something that "worked with me". Immediately after, James had gained a bout of confidence and rushed out of the room. What did he have planned?/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Blair! People are starting to come, tell the girls that they seriously need to hurry up because right now, they're all just waiting in the lobby." Julie ran up to me, breathing heavily between words. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Jul, calm down. They're done. You can let people in now." I assured her, motioning to the girls to get over to our section of the bleachers. Julie took one last deep breath and smiled, opening the gym doors and allowing people to come in./p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"I turned around and saw James and Kendall over by the boys locker room. Kendall told James one more thing, and James nodded and disappeared into the locker room. Kendall walked away, pulling off his grey beanie as he walked. Weird. I had never really seen him without his beanie, but I thought that his hair looked better with it off. I watched as Kendall walked up to Ali, who was now attempting to put her bow in, and tap her on the shoulder. She turned around and smiled upon seeing him, opening her arms for a hug. After they had hugged, he said something to her and she nodded, handing him the bow. Kendall swiftly put the bow in her hair, adjusting it for good measure. That reminded me, I had to ask Ali what was going on between her and Kendall. I knew that she definitely liked him, but as far as I knew, they weren't together. And that whole 7 minutes in heaven thing with Kendall and Gianna definitely didn't make things easier to figure out. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""The game is starting in 4 minutes, we need to get everyone to sit down." Julie told me hurriedly. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Okay, Julie." I responded loudly over the noise from the growing crowd, and walked over to Ali to tell her to sit down. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Hey, Ali." I said brightly. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Kendall." I nodded to him and he returned the gesture. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Um," I shook my head of any other thoughts, "Julie's freaking out because there's 4 minutes left and basically, she wants everyone to sit down, so…go sit." I finished awkwardly. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Okay, whatever." Ali brushed off my weirdness. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Bye, Kenny cakes." She smiled at Kendall, who looked ridiculously embarrassed, and gave him a quick hug. We walked back to the bleachers together, and I called out for some of the cheer girls along the way. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Brianna, Kelsey, you need to come sit down, the game's starting in 3 minutes! Kenny cakes, really? That is the worst pet name I have ever heard, like ever." I chastised Ali, who blushed deeply. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Well what would you like me to call him? Kendork? Or Kendizzle? That's what his hockey team guys call him." She suggested, and I shook my head. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""How about Kendall? That is his name, you know." I told her, and she laughed. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Too unoriginal." She said, sitting down in the row behind me. I rolled my eyes and picked up my pom poms, setting them on the empty part of the bleacher next to me. It was almost time for players, so everybody stood up and prepared to go to our spots. People were still filing into the gym, chatting about how exciting the game would be. The sound of people dribbling basketballs started suddenly, and I watched as the JV team and their competitors walked out to the court, each on opposite sides of the court. The team was giving each player a turn to shoot a basket, and I watched as James jump-shotted, making it into the basket immediately. As the ball went through the basket, James grinned, and then ran to the back of the line. This drill continued on for a while, until the buzzer sounded and the team went to sit on the bench. I caught James's hazely-gold eyes for a second, and we stared at each other until Julie interrupted our staring contest type thing. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Blair, it's time for players." I looked away from his perfect eyes and nodded. She gave me a look, and we led the team out to our corners, prepared to stunt. I pressed my hands firmly on Ali and Lia's shoulders and stood on my tip toes. I could feel Ellie's hands close around my waist. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Junior Varsity championship game! Let's welcome our visitors, the Sherwood Sharks!" A small amount of clapping sounded from the stands, and I saw a lot of people from my town politely clap. The announcer read off the names of the starting players from the list, and a few cheers emitted from the stands at each name. Finally, the clapping subsided, and the announcer prepared to introduce our team members. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""And now, your Appleton Alligators!" A huge amount of screams and applause came from the stands this time, and I pressed my hands even harder into their shoulders. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Player number one, Andrew Michaels!" The announcer yelled, and a tall, blonde guy with a buzzcut ran out onto the court. Stunt group #1 went up into a scorpion. Andrew moved off to the center of the team benches. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Player number two, Eddie Rodriguez!" A tall Latino guy, similar in looks to Carlos, ran out, waving at the crowd as he did so. Stunt group #2 went up into a scorpion. Eddie went to go stand with Andrew. I prepared myself for the next player, since it would be my turn to scorpion. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Player number three, Dan Ross!" Dan ran out onto the court, and I counted off in my head, pulling my leg and holding it above my head so that it made a half-circle. I waited 5 seconds to hear Ellie's counts. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""1, 2!" Ellie yelled softly, and I released my leg, allowing Ali to grab my foot and put me in an elevator. I waited patiently, knowing that 2 players were next. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Player number four, Brandon Landers!" Brandon, a tall red-haired guy, with his hair spiked, fist pumped as he ran. Stunt group #4 scorpion-ed. I heard Ellie call cradle, and I dropped into her arms. I hopped out of Lia and Ali's arms, and prepared myself for the basket toss. Ali and Lia knitted their hands together in preparation. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Aaaand player number five, James Diamond!" I ignored James running out and hopped into Ali and Lia's arms, feeling myself fly in a second. I popped my stomach out quickly and soon fell into Ellie's arms. I could see James walking over to where the other guys were, and he smiled and waved at the crowd. I felt my stomach tighten when I saw him, but I followed my team back to the bleachers before he could see and make eye contact with me. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"I sat down next to Julie as usual, and ignored her constant questions about what cheer we should start with. Instead, I watched James as he stood at center court, preparing to face off with the other team's center. He was talking to Brandon, and turned, laughing while he did. Our eyes met once again, hazely-gold colliding with chocolate. The smile stayed etched on his face, while I made no expression. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Diamond. Diamond. James!" Brandon yelled, shoving him out of the momentary trance. James focused back on the game, just in time to see the referee throw the basketball in the air. James jumped up and swiped the ball away from the other player, gaining immediate control of the ball. He dribbled up the court, faked a pass, and easily shot the ball into the hoop, scoring 2 points. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"~~~/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Just two minutes left, and Dan Ross has the ball!" The crowd whooped as Dan scored a 3-pointer, making the score 60-55. The other team now had control of the ball, and maneuvered quickly down the court, shooting for the basket. He missed, but rebounded the ball in. 60-57. I saw James scrunch up his nose in annoyance. A kid named Gabe who was on our team started with the ball, and dribbled it to the half court before passing to Brandon, who shot. The ball rolled around the rim of the hoop and fell out, causing the crowd to "awww" and sigh with disappointment. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Now Ian Rodgers from the Sharks is in control of the ball." The announcer observed, and Ian dribbled up the court and shot, getting a 3 pointer. It was now 60-58. Crap, they were 2 points away from tying the game. If the game ended while it was tied, we'd go into overtime. I emhated/em overtime./p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""And Brandon Landers with the ball." Brandon quickly passed to James, who thankfully made a quick 2-pointer. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""The score is 62-58, the Gators in the lead, with one minute and thirty seconds left in the game." The announcer informed. Upon hearing this, Gabe quickly snatched the ball from the opposing team as soon as possible, but a guy from the Sharks stole it back. He passed it to another kid, who shot and earned a 2-pointer. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""62-60, 45 seconds left!" I saw James mutter, "Dammit" under his breath, and nod to Andrew, who passed him the ball. James shot and made a 3-pointer, causing the crowd to go wild. 65-60. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"The other team now had control of the ball, and a kid on their team shot a 3-pointer. The crowd sighed. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""And we've got 30 seconds left in this game, the score is 65-63!" The announcer yelled happily. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Quick, we need a cheer." Julie told me hurriedly. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Dribble, dribble, down the floor." I suggested off the top of my head, and we both yelled it back to the team, hardly caring if we looked unprofessional doing so. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Hit it!" Julie yelled. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""DRIBBLE, DRIBBLE, DOWN THE FLOOR! SHOOT THAT BALL, RAISE THE SCORE!" We screamed in unison three times, forming motions with our arms as well. The crowd picked the cheer up after the first time and joined in with us. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Come on, boys!" I yelled, but a kid from the other team got a 3-pointer. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Ali yelled from behind me. The other team was now 1 point ahead of us, and there were 7 seconds left in the game. Alright, all professionalism was about to go out the window. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""GET A BASKET!" I screamed. 5 seconds left. The other team shot, but missed, luckily. I saw a kid named Max, who had subbed in for Brandon, receive the ball from the referee, and he quickly passed it to Dan, who beaned it over to James, who shot and-/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""YES!" I roared as the buzzer sounded. The crowd exploded with cheers and applause. Much like the huge rival game against Alexandria, the entire crowd ran onto the basketball court and engulfed the team in hugs. I jumped up and down, group hugging with the entire squad. In the middle of all the excitement, I turned my head slightly to try and find Dan, but strangely, he was nowhere to be seen. I broke away from the group and ran into the crowd, trying to find Dan so that I could congratulate him, when I felt someone grab my waist from behind and turn me around. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"James didn't say anything to me, didn't even look at me. He simply took my face in his hands and pressed his lips against mine. I closed my eyes instantly, recognizing the familiar taste of honey and mint on his lips. His soft lips meshed perfectly with mine and I could feel his barely audible breaths on my skin. I wrapped my right hand around his waist and grabbed the back of his neck with my left. I could feel James smiling into the kiss, knowing that he had done exactly what Kendall had told him to. I couldn't resist James's lips, couldn't pull away. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"James wrapped his arms tighter around my waist and picked me up, twirling me around, showing all the world that I was his and he was mine. I vaguely heard shouts and cheers, most of them from the guys on the basketball team, a few coming from the cheerleaders. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Get it, Diamond!" I heard Dan yell, and James and I both laughed, pulling our lips apart. He continued to hold me up so that our noses were touching. For what felt like the billionth time, James's hazely-gold eyes stared into my chocolate brown ones, and I melted. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Apology accepted." I told him softly. He smiled with his lips closed. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""How did you know I was lying?" He asked me, seemingly baffled. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""I don't reveal my sources." I said slyly, and James gave me a look. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Logan?" He asked knowingly. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Maybe…" He rolled his eyes and set me back on the ground. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Just so you know, you're the only girl I want." James looked down at me. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Do you have something to tell me?" James asked worriedly when I didn't respond. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Well…I kind of like this guy." I said unrevealingly. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Oh." His face fell. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Who is it? Don't tell me it's Logan." He said somberly. I laughed lightly. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""It's you." /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Timmy Yu? That weird Asian kid from biology class? Seriously?" James removed himself from me, running his hand through his hair in an upset manner. I grabbed his forearm to try to get him to pay closer attention. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""I said I like you! Y-O-U. As in James Diamond." He stopped frantically moving and stared straight at me. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Me? Are you sure?" He asked, confused. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Do you want me to change my mind?" I asked jokingly. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Wow, I'm an idiot." He laughed. People around us were still celebrating the championship win, cheering and shouting. I suddenly heard a loud bang and both James and I looked up to see green, gold, and white confetti flying down at us./p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Someone brought a confetti cannon? Weird." I commented, and James laughed again. I brought my face down to "eye level", which, with James, was more like "chin level" since I was a little shorter than him. Then, I tilted my head up, watching him gaze in awe and excitement at the confetti swirling around him. James pulled his head down and smiled at me, pulling me in for another kiss. After a few seconds, we broke apart./p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Blair Anne Boleyn, will you be my girlfriend?" /p
hr /
p class="p2"strongBtw, that thing where James thought that Blair was talking about the kid from biology class was a reference to that scene in the Suite Life on Deck where Maya tells Zack that she likes him and he gets confused and pretty much says what I wrote James to say. I don't know where it came from, but I just thought of how to make them come together and that dialogue just popped into my mind:)/strong/p
p class="p2"strongAnyway, let me know what you thought in the reviews as well as if you'd like to read that other story that I've been working on. /strong/p
p class="p2"strongxoxo, /strong/p
p class="p2"strongJess/strong/p
p class="p1"strongDisclaimer:/strong I don't own BTR, etc./p
hr /
p class="p1" /p
p class="p1""Cradle, 1, 2!" Ellie called from below, and I felt my feet move down as Ali and Lia threw me into the air. I piked and extended my arms into a T shape so that Ellie could catch me. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Good job, guys. Ellie, Lia and Ali, go out to help with the bake sale." Julie ordered, and immediately, the 3 girls rushed to grab their cheer duffle bags and help with the sale. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Get the clipboard and hair bag. I got the makeup, stickers, and bows." I said, grabbing a large bag filled with makeup, a sticker sheet, and a container that had gigantic bows. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Let's go." /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"It was the big day, the championship JV game, and everyone was pumped. I should know; Dan had been talking to me and anyone that would listen nonstop. Julie and I were on our way to distribute the bows and stickers, since our makeup and hair had been previously done. We had gotten new bows for the game, and they were green and gold, with tons of glitter and sparkles. We had also created a new cheer routine for half time, which I was nervous about, but ultimately prepared for. The Varsity championship game was also tonight, but I didn't want to have to spend the whole game in flashback mode from that night. I told the senior captains that I couldn't be at the game because I had to visit my sick relative in the hospital, and the hours of the game were the only ones that I could use to see them. I knew it was a horrible excuse, particularly because I didn't have a sick relative in the hospital, and that was a serious thing to lie about, but I really couldn't be here tonight and witness Jake's victory. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"As for James, I hadn't spoken to him since our fight at Dan's party. Since we hadn't talked, he obviously hadn't apologized, and I was seriously beginning to doubt Logan's theory. Maybe Logan was just trying to comfort me and be optimistic, but it seemed like James had no regret over telling me that he'd slept with half the grade and implying that I wasn't special to him whatsoever. Dan had coaxed me into going to his victory party tonight, which was after the Varsity game. I wasn't nervous about going because I knew that all of the senior cheerleaders would be going to the after party at Jake Bass's house, so there was little to no chance of me getting caught. However, I knew that going to Dan's party (as if I had a choice) would entail seeing James, which I was not interested in doing. I didn't know what was going to happen with that, but what I did know was that there was no way I was going to be shoved into a closet with him again. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Here, I'll get the girls out here, you get the ones inside the gym, okay?" Julie interrupted my thoughts, and I nodded. We both put the majority of the bags in the locker room and parted to give out the bows. I exited the locker room and opened the gym door, seeing the majority of the team inside, decorating the gym. I was passing the room that held the speakers when I heard arguing voices from inside. I knew that this would technically be considered eavesdropping, but they weren't exactly trying to hide their argument from the world, so I figured that listening for a few seconds wouldn't hurt anyone. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""You're such an idiot." A familiar voice chastised. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""I wasn't thinking, okay?" I gasped silently. I would know that suave, silky voice anywhere. emJames/em. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Why the hell would you lie to her about that?" The voice scolded, still vaguely unrecognizable. Who was the "her" they were referring to, and further, what was James lying to her about?/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""I was just mad. She doesn't even care, Kendall." /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""She emdoes /emcare, but you're not considering the fact that she's probably not over whatever happened to her that you emstill/em won't tell me about." Kendall pointed out, a twinge of annoyance in his voice. Wait, were they talking about me? /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Dude, if she wants to tell you, she will. It's hard for her, you know?" James replied. Yes, I concluded, they were talking about me. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""No, I don't know, actually, since you won't tell me! And you didn't make shit easier by implying that it was her fault! That's not exactly a step in the right direction." James groaned. I could imagine him running his hand through his hair right now, which was something he did when he was frustrated. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""What the hell do I do, then? She's never going to talk to me again. And I know Logan talked to her, but he won't tell me anything, the little bitch." James snarled. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""You really like her, don't you?" Kendall sighed. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Yeah, man. I do, and I'm being completely serious. She's not just another girl that I'll take out once or twice and then ditch for someone else. I just don't know how to do the whole relationship thing, especially with her." /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""You're James Diamond! What happened to the guy who could pick up 3 girls at the same time? The smooth talking ladies man?" /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""That shit doesn't work with Blair. She's not going to fall into my arms because I seduced her like that." James said, clearly aggravated. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Then do what emdoes/em work with her. Make her be unable to resist. You got this, man." Kendall clapped James on the back. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Yeah, you know what? I emcan/em do this. Hopefully." James and Kendall began to walk out of the room, and I hurriedly hid behind the open door, hoping that one of them wouldn't close it. Luckily, they didn't. I emerged from behind the door and tried to process everything from their conversation. So Logan was right, James did lie about the whole 'sleeping with half the grade' thing. And, he liked me. Like, actuallyem liked/em me. It was the first time that I had heard him express it out loud. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Here. Take a bow, pass them around." I handed the container to one of the girls, who took one and passed around the rest. I had already taken mine and put it in. I was so distracted by the fact that Logan was right; James was lying about sleeping with half of the grade, and he was lying about me not being special, as far as I could tell. But Kendall had said that James should do something that I couldn't resist, something that "worked with me". Immediately after, James had gained a bout of confidence and rushed out of the room. What did he have planned?/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Blair! People are starting to come, tell the girls that they seriously need to hurry up because right now, they're all just waiting in the lobby." Julie ran up to me, breathing heavily between words. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Jul, calm down. They're done. You can let people in now." I assured her, motioning to the girls to get over to our section of the bleachers. Julie took one last deep breath and smiled, opening the gym doors and allowing people to come in./p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"I turned around and saw James and Kendall over by the boys locker room. Kendall told James one more thing, and James nodded and disappeared into the locker room. Kendall walked away, pulling off his grey beanie as he walked. Weird. I had never really seen him without his beanie, but I thought that his hair looked better with it off. I watched as Kendall walked up to Ali, who was now attempting to put her bow in, and tap her on the shoulder. She turned around and smiled upon seeing him, opening her arms for a hug. After they had hugged, he said something to her and she nodded, handing him the bow. Kendall swiftly put the bow in her hair, adjusting it for good measure. That reminded me, I had to ask Ali what was going on between her and Kendall. I knew that she definitely liked him, but as far as I knew, they weren't together. And that whole 7 minutes in heaven thing with Kendall and Gianna definitely didn't make things easier to figure out. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""The game is starting in 4 minutes, we need to get everyone to sit down." Julie told me hurriedly. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Okay, Julie." I responded loudly over the noise from the growing crowd, and walked over to Ali to tell her to sit down. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Hey, Ali." I said brightly. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Kendall." I nodded to him and he returned the gesture. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Um," I shook my head of any other thoughts, "Julie's freaking out because there's 4 minutes left and basically, she wants everyone to sit down, so…go sit." I finished awkwardly. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Okay, whatever." Ali brushed off my weirdness. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Bye, Kenny cakes." She smiled at Kendall, who looked ridiculously embarrassed, and gave him a quick hug. We walked back to the bleachers together, and I called out for some of the cheer girls along the way. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Brianna, Kelsey, you need to come sit down, the game's starting in 3 minutes! Kenny cakes, really? That is the worst pet name I have ever heard, like ever." I chastised Ali, who blushed deeply. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Well what would you like me to call him? Kendork? Or Kendizzle? That's what his hockey team guys call him." She suggested, and I shook my head. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""How about Kendall? That is his name, you know." I told her, and she laughed. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Too unoriginal." She said, sitting down in the row behind me. I rolled my eyes and picked up my pom poms, setting them on the empty part of the bleacher next to me. It was almost time for players, so everybody stood up and prepared to go to our spots. People were still filing into the gym, chatting about how exciting the game would be. The sound of people dribbling basketballs started suddenly, and I watched as the JV team and their competitors walked out to the court, each on opposite sides of the court. The team was giving each player a turn to shoot a basket, and I watched as James jump-shotted, making it into the basket immediately. As the ball went through the basket, James grinned, and then ran to the back of the line. This drill continued on for a while, until the buzzer sounded and the team went to sit on the bench. I caught James's hazely-gold eyes for a second, and we stared at each other until Julie interrupted our staring contest type thing. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Blair, it's time for players." I looked away from his perfect eyes and nodded. She gave me a look, and we led the team out to our corners, prepared to stunt. I pressed my hands firmly on Ali and Lia's shoulders and stood on my tip toes. I could feel Ellie's hands close around my waist. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Junior Varsity championship game! Let's welcome our visitors, the Sherwood Sharks!" A small amount of clapping sounded from the stands, and I saw a lot of people from my town politely clap. The announcer read off the names of the starting players from the list, and a few cheers emitted from the stands at each name. Finally, the clapping subsided, and the announcer prepared to introduce our team members. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""And now, your Appleton Alligators!" A huge amount of screams and applause came from the stands this time, and I pressed my hands even harder into their shoulders. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Player number one, Andrew Michaels!" The announcer yelled, and a tall, blonde guy with a buzzcut ran out onto the court. Stunt group #1 went up into a scorpion. Andrew moved off to the center of the team benches. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Player number two, Eddie Rodriguez!" A tall Latino guy, similar in looks to Carlos, ran out, waving at the crowd as he did so. Stunt group #2 went up into a scorpion. Eddie went to go stand with Andrew. I prepared myself for the next player, since it would be my turn to scorpion. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Player number three, Dan Ross!" Dan ran out onto the court, and I counted off in my head, pulling my leg and holding it above my head so that it made a half-circle. I waited 5 seconds to hear Ellie's counts. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""1, 2!" Ellie yelled softly, and I released my leg, allowing Ali to grab my foot and put me in an elevator. I waited patiently, knowing that 2 players were next. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Player number four, Brandon Landers!" Brandon, a tall red-haired guy, with his hair spiked, fist pumped as he ran. Stunt group #4 scorpion-ed. I heard Ellie call cradle, and I dropped into her arms. I hopped out of Lia and Ali's arms, and prepared myself for the basket toss. Ali and Lia knitted their hands together in preparation. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Aaaand player number five, James Diamond!" I ignored James running out and hopped into Ali and Lia's arms, feeling myself fly in a second. I popped my stomach out quickly and soon fell into Ellie's arms. I could see James walking over to where the other guys were, and he smiled and waved at the crowd. I felt my stomach tighten when I saw him, but I followed my team back to the bleachers before he could see and make eye contact with me. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"I sat down next to Julie as usual, and ignored her constant questions about what cheer we should start with. Instead, I watched James as he stood at center court, preparing to face off with the other team's center. He was talking to Brandon, and turned, laughing while he did. Our eyes met once again, hazely-gold colliding with chocolate. The smile stayed etched on his face, while I made no expression. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Diamond. Diamond. James!" Brandon yelled, shoving him out of the momentary trance. James focused back on the game, just in time to see the referee throw the basketball in the air. James jumped up and swiped the ball away from the other player, gaining immediate control of the ball. He dribbled up the court, faked a pass, and easily shot the ball into the hoop, scoring 2 points. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"~~~/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Just two minutes left, and Dan Ross has the ball!" The crowd whooped as Dan scored a 3-pointer, making the score 60-55. The other team now had control of the ball, and maneuvered quickly down the court, shooting for the basket. He missed, but rebounded the ball in. 60-57. I saw James scrunch up his nose in annoyance. A kid named Gabe who was on our team started with the ball, and dribbled it to the half court before passing to Brandon, who shot. The ball rolled around the rim of the hoop and fell out, causing the crowd to "awww" and sigh with disappointment. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Now Ian Rodgers from the Sharks is in control of the ball." The announcer observed, and Ian dribbled up the court and shot, getting a 3 pointer. It was now 60-58. Crap, they were 2 points away from tying the game. If the game ended while it was tied, we'd go into overtime. I emhated/em overtime./p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""And Brandon Landers with the ball." Brandon quickly passed to James, who thankfully made a quick 2-pointer. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""The score is 62-58, the Gators in the lead, with one minute and thirty seconds left in the game." The announcer informed. Upon hearing this, Gabe quickly snatched the ball from the opposing team as soon as possible, but a guy from the Sharks stole it back. He passed it to another kid, who shot and earned a 2-pointer. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""62-60, 45 seconds left!" I saw James mutter, "Dammit" under his breath, and nod to Andrew, who passed him the ball. James shot and made a 3-pointer, causing the crowd to go wild. 65-60. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"The other team now had control of the ball, and a kid on their team shot a 3-pointer. The crowd sighed. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""And we've got 30 seconds left in this game, the score is 65-63!" The announcer yelled happily. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Quick, we need a cheer." Julie told me hurriedly. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Dribble, dribble, down the floor." I suggested off the top of my head, and we both yelled it back to the team, hardly caring if we looked unprofessional doing so. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Hit it!" Julie yelled. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""DRIBBLE, DRIBBLE, DOWN THE FLOOR! SHOOT THAT BALL, RAISE THE SCORE!" We screamed in unison three times, forming motions with our arms as well. The crowd picked the cheer up after the first time and joined in with us. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Come on, boys!" I yelled, but a kid from the other team got a 3-pointer. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Ali yelled from behind me. The other team was now 1 point ahead of us, and there were 7 seconds left in the game. Alright, all professionalism was about to go out the window. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""GET A BASKET!" I screamed. 5 seconds left. The other team shot, but missed, luckily. I saw a kid named Max, who had subbed in for Brandon, receive the ball from the referee, and he quickly passed it to Dan, who beaned it over to James, who shot and-/p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""YES!" I roared as the buzzer sounded. The crowd exploded with cheers and applause. Much like the huge rival game against Alexandria, the entire crowd ran onto the basketball court and engulfed the team in hugs. I jumped up and down, group hugging with the entire squad. In the middle of all the excitement, I turned my head slightly to try and find Dan, but strangely, he was nowhere to be seen. I broke away from the group and ran into the crowd, trying to find Dan so that I could congratulate him, when I felt someone grab my waist from behind and turn me around. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"James didn't say anything to me, didn't even look at me. He simply took my face in his hands and pressed his lips against mine. I closed my eyes instantly, recognizing the familiar taste of honey and mint on his lips. His soft lips meshed perfectly with mine and I could feel his barely audible breaths on my skin. I wrapped my right hand around his waist and grabbed the back of his neck with my left. I could feel James smiling into the kiss, knowing that he had done exactly what Kendall had told him to. I couldn't resist James's lips, couldn't pull away. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1"James wrapped his arms tighter around my waist and picked me up, twirling me around, showing all the world that I was his and he was mine. I vaguely heard shouts and cheers, most of them from the guys on the basketball team, a few coming from the cheerleaders. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Get it, Diamond!" I heard Dan yell, and James and I both laughed, pulling our lips apart. He continued to hold me up so that our noses were touching. For what felt like the billionth time, James's hazely-gold eyes stared into my chocolate brown ones, and I melted. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Apology accepted." I told him softly. He smiled with his lips closed. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""How did you know I was lying?" He asked me, seemingly baffled. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""I don't reveal my sources." I said slyly, and James gave me a look. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Logan?" He asked knowingly. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Maybe…" He rolled his eyes and set me back on the ground. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Just so you know, you're the only girl I want." James looked down at me. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Do you have something to tell me?" James asked worriedly when I didn't respond. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Well…I kind of like this guy." I said unrevealingly. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Oh." His face fell. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Who is it? Don't tell me it's Logan." He said somberly. I laughed lightly. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""It's you." /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Timmy Yu? That weird Asian kid from biology class? Seriously?" James removed himself from me, running his hand through his hair in an upset manner. I grabbed his forearm to try to get him to pay closer attention. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""I said I like you! Y-O-U. As in James Diamond." He stopped frantically moving and stared straight at me. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Me? Are you sure?" He asked, confused. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Do you want me to change my mind?" I asked jokingly. /p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Wow, I'm an idiot." He laughed. People around us were still celebrating the championship win, cheering and shouting. I suddenly heard a loud bang and both James and I looked up to see green, gold, and white confetti flying down at us./p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Someone brought a confetti cannon? Weird." I commented, and James laughed again. I brought my face down to "eye level", which, with James, was more like "chin level" since I was a little shorter than him. Then, I tilted my head up, watching him gaze in awe and excitement at the confetti swirling around him. James pulled his head down and smiled at me, pulling me in for another kiss. After a few seconds, we broke apart./p
p class="p2" /p
p class="p1""Blair Anne Boleyn, will you be my girlfriend?" /p
hr /
p class="p2"strongBtw, that thing where James thought that Blair was talking about the kid from biology class was a reference to that scene in the Suite Life on Deck where Maya tells Zack that she likes him and he gets confused and pretty much says what I wrote James to say. I don't know where it came from, but I just thought of how to make them come together and that dialogue just popped into my mind:)/strong/p
p class="p2"strongAnyway, let me know what you thought in the reviews as well as if you'd like to read that other story that I've been working on. /strong/p
p class="p2"strongxoxo, /strong/p
p class="p2"strongJess/strong/p