"Come on. The courts are just over the hill."
.
Otto nearly sprints over the hill to meet his crew. He knew there was going to be a lot of new people, but he was more excited about seeing Twist and Sam than anything else. As they reached the courts, Otto and Reggie rushed over to greet Sam, who was sitting on the bench with Jorge. Harmony rushed to Jorge once she spotted him, while Rick simply walked over to meet the rest of them.
"So you guys know Jorge?"
Sam's question gave Harmony a big smile.
"Yeah. He was on the bus with me and Rick. We have another friend..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Harmony looked around to see Anna walking down the hill with Twister, and jumped up and down in excitement.
"THERE SHE IS! ANNA!"
Harmony was yelling and waving at Anna, causing her to come darting down the hill. Twister, surprised at how fast she could run, had to rush to catch up to her. Harmony and Anna quickly hugged, causing the Rocket crew to give a confused look. Sam was the first to speak up.
"So...you guys all know each other?"
Harmony, after letting go of Anna, quickly responded.
"Yep! We all met on the bus here yesterday. Let me introduce everyone. I'm Harmony. This guy over here is Rick."
Rick gave a half smirk and half-waved, which caused Reggie and Twister to chuckle.
"This crazy guy over here is Jorge. And this lovely lady is Anna."
Jorge and Anna both followed their introductions with the usual "Hey" answer. Reggie soon stepped up to the front to give her introduction.
"Nice to meet everyone. I guess I'll introduce my crew. I'm Reggie. This is my brother Otto."
Otto gave a quick head nod.
"This is Sam, but we always call him Squid."
Sam seemed relaxed, but nervous.
"Hey guys. And yeah, Squid is fine."
Anna and Reggie smile.
"And over there is Twister."
Twister sheepishly smiles, which got a smile out of Rick and Anna. Soon Jorge piped out of the crowd.
"So why are we at the basketball courts?"
Otto brought out the basketball from his bag as he answered him.
"Well Rick told me last night he played, so I thought I'd challenge him to a 1-on-1 game."
Rick looked embarrassed as Otto called him out.
"You must be real good."
Twister's answer showed his intrigue. Rick laughs, and answers a little more confident than before.
"I played a few years on the road. I'm not super good, but I've got some skills...I guess."
Rick and Otto headed to the court as everyone else sat on the bench to watch the game.
"Let's see if you can handle him, Otto!"
Reggie was quick to get Otto's competitive attitude going.
"Alright dude. You're ball first."
Rick seems surprised at Otto's gesture.
"You sure about that?"
Even after Rick's question, Otto clearly had the confidence of a champion.
"Yeah. Let's go."
Rick checked the ball, and as soon as Otto passed the ball back to Rick, he faked a shot and blew by him, leaving Otto in his dust as he made a simple layup.
"Damn. You're fast."
Rick smiles at Otto's remark.
"Your ball."
Rick checked the ball to Otto, and in a few seconds took the ball back. Throughout the whole game, Rick continues to use his speed and knowledge to control the pace. Before he knew it, Otto had lost. 11-0.
"Dang, Otto man...he's amazing"
Twister was stunned by what had just happened. He was used to seeing Otto dominate everything, yet this time, he was obliterated. Jorge walked up to Rick and put his arm around his shoulder.
"That was killer, Rick!"
Rick smiles. It felt wonderful to him to actually have people say positive things.
"Thanks guys. Sorry I had to do that to ya Otto."
Otto laughs.
"Don't worry. Basketball isn't my thing anyway. Come on. Let's go to the Madtown while it's early."
The group left in a pack, as they headed to the other side of town. As usual, Harmony started the conversation during their trek.
"So. What do you guys do out here for fun?"
Otto was prepared to answer.
"We skate. We surf. Pretty much anything that takes crazy adrenaline. We do it all. The four of us are always doing something exciting."
All of the new kids seem intrigued.
"Sounds bad ass."
Otto nodded at Jorge's observation.
"You better believe it man. We'll have to get you guys some gear soon, so you can learn. Maybe someday you'll get to the point where you can keep up with us."
Anna laughs at Otto before responding.
"We'll see about that."
After a few minutes of walking, Sam spoke up.
"So where are you guys from?"
It was an honest answer, yet got some glim looks from each person. Jorge was the first to speak.
"Texas. Came here because of the troubles."
Jorge seems comfortable with his past, yet inside frustrated over it.
"Troubles?"
Reggie's answer had a taste of worry to it. Jorge chuckled to himself at first.
"I got in a bad crowd. Got caught with drugs I was suppose to be selling. They saw me as a juvenile, yet my parents struck a deal with Foster Care that if I could stay out of trouble and moved away, I wouldn't have to go to jail. But...they were heartbroken."
Shock filled everyone. Harmony was the only one who could speak.
"Wow. That's awful."
Harmony was quick to give her support and put her arm around his shoulder.
The group went silent for a few minutes until Anna spoke.
"I'm from New Jersey. My mom left me at home alone while she went out drinking. She got arrested for DUI. When they found out about me, I got put in this program."
Anna's eyes teared up. Everyone felt the pain in her voice. Harmony felt obligated to break the ice.
"I'm originally from Michigan. Quiet town. Where are you from again Rick?"
Rick looks at Harmony.
"New York. Upstate."
A new voice entered the conversation.
"Is that like New York City?"
Twister had been quiet, yet his question got a laugh from everyone.
"Nah Twist. It's a little different than New York City."
Reggie tries to be as nice as she could with her answer. Twister shook his head for a second, and they continued walking. As they approached the park, Otto turned around and addressed everyone.
"I guess you guys are pretty cool. You can join our group if you guys want. Might as well, since you're all living with us anyway."
Otto's answer got a big laugh from everyone.
"Anyway, might as well show you our greeting."
Otto and the rest of the Rocket Power gang then went together and did their greeting. They formed a square around each other, stretching out their hands and wiggling their fingers, while saying "Woogity! Woogity! Woogity!". The ritual seemed to confuse the new kids. Jorge was the first to ask.
"What does "Woogity" mean?
The Rocket Power gang laughed. Reggie quickly explained it.
"It's just like a general greeting, but it's been our thing for years now. It's not that hard. Try it."
The four new kids gathered in the same formation. They all stretched out the hands. Anna and Rick were hesitant at first, yet everyone soon started the chant.
"You gotta wiggle your fingers, Rick!"
Rick, overhearing Otto's yell, starting wiggling his fingers with the rest of the group. They all started to laugh together.
"I think we all got it down."
Jorge spoke for the rest of the group. Otto approached them again.
"Well that settles it. You guys are part of the crew from now on."
Twister nodded to Otto's answer.
"Yeah! You guys are rad!"
Everyone smiles. It was nice for them to feel like they were accepted after the struggles they just went through. The eight of them went to the park. Throughout the day, the group talked, hung out, and showed what they had. Otto mostly stood out as the dominant skater. They spent most of the day there, relaxing and talking up a storm about each other and their past. Everyone had something to say. By night time, they were laughing and joking around with each other like they'd be friends for years. They soon found themselves heading to their homes. It was a successful first day. Everyone seemed comfortable. The rest of the night was quiet all around. The uncertainty of the place kept the new kids silent most of the time. However, they were happy for the first time in a long time. For these eight kids, it was all about the excitement for the future...for their crew...or more so...their new "family".