Nicole found herself at the basketball gym after wandering for what felt like hours. She looked at her watch.
It'd been twenty minutes.
Only thirty minutes? Nicole groaned. How much longer until I can go back to the dorm? I don't want to go back too soon... That Waverly girl sure is something.
The basketball left Nicole's hands and swished into the basket. The net caught on itself, hanging not so neatly from the rim. Swish! Another drained basket straightened the net out. As the basketball touched her fingertips again, Nicole sprinted towards the basket from the three-point line and jumped up for a nice layup. As soon as the ball dropped out of the net, Nicole grabbed the rebound and put another shot up. After several shots from varying distances, Nicole's chest heaved, and her breath became heavy.
I'm a bit out of shape, I guess, Nicole thought. Good thing I have a couple months before the season.
Another clean shot scored an imaginary three points. Nicole left her hands suspended in the air, her follow-through looking impeccable as her left hand pointed at the basket. In another twenty minutes, Nicole found her legs wobbling under her weight. She made her way over to a water fountain by the bleachers. As water touched her tongue, she breathed a sigh of relief. She'd been very thirsty. Nicole sat in the stands, looking around the gym. A crimson strip lined with gold ran across the gym's perimeter. A giant knight's helmet was painted above the strip behind one of the basketball hoops. The helmet was silvery gray, outlined in crimson red, representing the school's mascot: Crimson Knights. Ghost River Knights just didn't have the same ring, and the school colors included crimson anyway. Crimson Knights was what everyone knew. She closed her eyes, imagining the crowd that would be coming to games. She thought of the cheers that accompanied made baskets, and the cheerleaders who accompanied games. Though boys' basketball held priority over the girls' team, a common thing among sports teams, cheerleaders did not fail to show up at a few games here or there. Those were the games that Nicole loved best. Of course, Nicole loved the sport, but it sure didn't hurt to have a few pretty girls on the sideline, yelling your name.
Nicole! N-I-C-O-L-E, Nicole! Point guard, point guard, point guard, Nicole!
Okay, maybe real cheers didn't sound like that, but that's all Nicole could fathom in the moment. Real cheerleaders were definitely more creative.
Nicole picked up the ball, which had trailed towards a set of double doors that led to a hallway. She dribbled the ball in between her legs, back and forth, before driving towards the basket for a layup. Basketball really helped clear her head.
Waverly lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Did I really scare her that badly? Waverly shivered. I sure hope I didn't. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and jumped off. She paced the length of the room. I should clear my head.
Waverly walked down the hallway of the dorm and descended two flights of stairs. As she headed out of the building, she breathed in the fresh air. The large expanse of grass before her smelled freshly cut. A few birds chirped from above. It was nice out.
The stone path forked ahead. Waverly decided to go left. She kept walking, seeing students hustle around campus, searching for dorms and class buildings. Speaking of class buildings, Waverly made a mental note to go find her classrooms so that she wouldn't be that clueless freshman. She didn't want to be late on the first day of classes. She didn't know whether she could handle the embarrassment. She'd probably die on the spot.
A large building loomed over Waverly. It was relatively modern. Inside the dark brick exterior was a clean-cut interior. Glass panes let light splash onto the white walls, brightening the hallway. Trophy cases lined the walls. Waverly peered into one trophy case.
"Holy Grail Invitational," Waverly read. "Champions." The year etched into the trophy base was only last year, when Waverly was a high school senior. "Impressive," Waverly said to herself, turning to continue walking down the hallway. She eventually, after some turns, arrived outside a set of double doors. She heard a ball hit the ground. She peered inside the small glass windows on the doors. Waverly caught a glimpse of red hair.
Oh, my god.
The redhead dribbled the ball towards the basket. Waverly watched as Nicole made four baskets in a row.
She's pretty good. Is she on the team? She'd be a damn good addition to the team. I think...
Waverly lost herself in her thoughts as a dull thud hit the door that she crouched behind. Nicole sat in the bleachers, closing her eyes.
She looks so peaceful. I wonder what she's thinking about...
Waverly kept her eye level just over the bottom of the window, barely visible to anyone in the gym. She watched Nicole, whose peaceful expression, complimented by a smile at the corner of the mouth, was hypnotizing. Waverly's eyes fell down to Nicole's toned biceps. The shoulder definition that Nicole had was impressive. Hell, muscle definition like that in girls at all was impressive. Waverly squeezed her own shoulder. Damn. How'd Nicole manage that?
Hard, long hours in the gym, I bet. Days and months of work.
Nicole's arms flexed slightly as she opened her eyes and pushed off the bleachers. Waverly's eyes remained fixed on Nicole's muscles. Waverly muttered several things under her breath about working out and the difficult of building muscle when she realized Nicole was getting closer. Waverly's cheeks colored, and she dropped to the ground. She hadn't been caught staring, but she might as well have. Waverly waited a solid few seconds before peeking into the gym. Nicole walked away from the door, dribbling a ball that she picked up from somewhere. Waverly didn't know.
Waverly lifted a hand to her cheek, and her hand warmed. On the verge of breaking into a sweat, Waverly stood up and quickly made her exit, watching Nicole shoot one last basket.
Waverly burst through the bathroom door, grabbing some paper towels and wetting them in the sink. She pressed the cool towels to her face, the heat subsiding. She looked at the mirror. Rosy cheeks and a splotchy complexion greeted her. Waverly sighed and pressed the paper towels to her face again. Waverly heard the bathroom door open and kept her head down. A few tentative footsteps echoed before rescinding back into the hallway. Before they left, Waverly glanced up to see Nicole. Waverly quickly lowered her head. Why'd Nicole leave? Scared her again? Waverly really hoped they'd become good friends. Roommates in the movies always became best friends, right? What kind of small town sweetheart would Waverly be if she couldn't win over one roommate? A real bad one, she supposed. Waverly tapped her chin, and she resolved to make friends with the distant redhead.