Romeo On and Off the Court

Chapter 5: Defeating the Double Team

A double team is a defensive alignment in which two defensive players are assigned to guard a single offensive player.

Edward

My form was off during practice on Thursday. We had a game tonight, so it was a short practice. I accepted another ball, lifted it above my head, and bam! Another brick. Fuck! Every shoot I took was a miss.

Coach Grouch and the whole team noticed as I missed basket after basket. Where in the hell was my focus? With the next brick I threw, I realized where my focus was, it was on the brown-eyed beauty that was Bella. Damn it! I had to focus.

"Cullen, what the hell is wrong with you?" Coach yelled, stalking toward me.

"I'm having an off day."

Coach laughed, slapping his hand down on my shoulder. "You don't have off days."

I shrugged not knowing what to say. I certainly couldn't tell him where my head was, he would order me to keep my distance until our season ended. "I know, it's new to me too. I'll be back to normal tonight." At least I hoped I would.

He stepped away and blew his whistle. "Hit the showers. See you at 5:30."

~~ Romeo On and Off the Court ~~

I booked it out of the arena, not wanting to talk to Emmett or Jasper. My hope was that the cold air would help clear head.

"Where was your head, Edward?" Emmett asked, joining me as I walked toward main campus.

"Clearly not on my shots!"

"Clearly," Jasper echoed. "How many bricks did you make?"

I didn't even notice Jasper was with Emmett. And he didn't have a class until three, and Emmett's was in the opposite direction, though not for another hour.

Stopping, I faced both knuckleheads. "I'll tell you both when my mind was as long as you swear you won't tell Coach."

They both placed their hands over their hearts and raised their other hands. Classic! The only thing missing was the "stick the needle in my eye" oath. And no way was I going to ask them for that.

Swiping a hand down my face and around to the back of my neck, I considered not telling them, but they would hound me until I cracked. "Bella," I said, simply.

"A girl!" Jasper exclaimed. "You know better than to let a girl get into your head, especially on game day."

Like I didn't know. "Still, she's on my mind."

"Who is she anyway?" Emmett asked, crossing his arms.

My eyes drifted around the area as I thought of a convincing answer. Bella was walking out of the nearest building, and she stopped, digging in her bag. No one was around her. Willing myself to stay put, I pointed, saying, "That's Bella. I asked her out last night and, I threw a fucking airball."

The two started laughing. "You've got to be kidding me."

I glared at them. "Why would I make that up?" I asked, throwing up my hands. "She turned me down."

Jasper gave a low whistle. Like baskets, I didn't normally miss with girls. "And given you can't keep you mind off of her, you still would like to take her out."

It was a statement, no need for me to answer, but I did anyway. "Any suggestions?" I asked.

I still had a half-hour before class. My gaze moved to where Bella was still standing. She looked up and her eyes narrowed. Lifting my hand, I gave her a friendly wave while answering my friends' questions about why I was hung up on her. Like last night, she blushed at the attention.

"Head to class, Edward. We'll come up with something after the game tonight."

Bella

I couldn't fathom how, but I felt someone watching me. Looking up, my gaze connected with Edward's. He was with two other guys across the street from Guthrie Hall Steven Way's entrance. Edward raised his hand and waved. Was he stalking me? Or did he just happen to stop there to talked to classmates?

I felt the heat of a blush and raised my hands to cover my cheeks, too late for Edward and the other two not to have seen. Edward smiled before pulling his backpack higher on his shoulder and walking away.

Damn him! I had finally managed to banish his rich green eyes from thoughts. No, it's not his fault. Had I not had to turn in my psychology paper I failed to print out before class, I would have been at one of the libraries studying or one of the dining halls eating.

Angela had even called me I was slipping into bed to read the next chapters for my sociology class. She told me witnessed a guy stopping me as I was leaving Mary Gates Hall and wanted to know if I was okay. I explained the situation to her and what no one had heard. She echoed Jessica's advice to give Edward a chance. I asked her why and she won't answer me.

For a brief second, I thought about chasing after Edward and telling him I changed my mind. With a shake of my head, I walked down the steps. The two guys who had been across the way with Edward stopped me.

"Hey, you the girl from Mary Gates Hall?" one asked. He was a big, buff guy and bounced on his feet as if he already knew I was.

"You were there last night, weren't you?" I countered.

"Neither of us was," the other said, with an accent that told me he was from some southern state. Maybe Texas.

"Then why are you bothering me?" I crossed my arms.

They guys shared a look before Tex answered. "We're friends of Edward's."

Rolling my eyes, I thought, of course. "And he asked you to be his wingmen. Talk him up."

Bouncy guffawed. "He would kill us if he knew what we were up to."

Taking a page out of my dad's book, I summarized, "So, let me get this straight." I freed one hand and lift a finger. "First, Edward tells you about asking me out. Second, upon seeing me, points me out as the girl who shot him down. Third, you send him on his way. And fourth, you decide to approach me without his knowledge or permission. That about right, boys?"

"Damn," Bouncy exclaimed. "Edward told us you were smart."

Smart. Edward told them I was smart. I didn't know what to make of that. "Tex, Bouncy," I said, looking at them each in turn, "why are you bothering me if Edward didn't ask you to?"

"Tex, love it. You have a new nickname, Jasper."

"Great! Thanks a lot, Bella. Emmett, or Bouncy, here will torture me now."

"And I care why?" I asked, holding out my hand, palm toward the sky.

Jasper shook his head. "It doesn't matter, ma'am. But back to why we are bothering you. Edward hasn't been himself since meeting you. The only cure might be a date with you."

Oh lord. I saw that one coming and walked right into it. "Sorry, boys. Tell Edward what you did and that I am still not interested."

Pushing past them, I made my way to the nearest dining hall.

Edward

Jasper was next to my car waiting for me at four.

"Don't kill the messenger," he said, as I tossed my backpack into the backseat.

"Do something stupid again?"

He huffed. "I should stop letting Emmett talk me into things. We approached Bella after you left. Earned me the nickname Tex for going along with it."

My eyes turned hard as I squinted. "You did what?" I whisper-shouted.

He took a step back, raising his hands. "All we wanted to do was talk you up. Bella went all cop on us, saw right through us before we could even start."

I closed the distance he created, grabbing him by his coat. "If you and Emmett ruined my chances, you're both dead. Deliver that message to him, will you?"

Spinning around, I got in my SUV and drove away as I voice commanded a call to Angela. She picked up on the second ring.

"Hello, Edward. Shouldn't you be heading to the arena?"

I ignored her question. "Have you talked with Bella lately?"

She had called me early this morning and told me she hadn't gotten anywhere with Bella.

"Nooooo… what did you do?"

Since I was idling at a light, I reached up and rubbed my eyes. "Emmett and Jasper double-teamed her. And she apparently went cop on them."

Angela laughed. "Her dad is the sheriff in Forks. And she learned lots from him. Look, Edward, my class is about to start. How about I come over for a late dinner and I'll tell you a little about Bella. Maybe it will help you out."

"Sounds good. See you after the game. You'll be there, right?"

She giggled. "When have I missed a college game of yours?"