Root rested her arms on the bleacher behind her and looked around the gymnasium. They'd come to school on a Sunday to watch the debate team's finale debate of the season. There were only a couple of months left before summer and Root wanted to catch as many events as she could. Unfortunately, the Bishop Debate Team was mediocre at best.

The event got to a break and Root sighed, turning to Sameen. "Let's go. I'm bored."

Sameen shrugged and stood up, letting Root go down the steps ahead of her. They walked down the bleachers and headed out of the gym. The air was thick and humid; the thunderstorm in the morning hadn't made it any cooler, just damper.

Being at school on a weekend was always the weirdest feeling. There was something about the empty hallways and abandoned parking lots that made Root feel like she wasn't real. She could only imagine what it would feel like to come back for a 10 year reunion. If she came back. She jumped into a puddle, laughing as Sameen skittered away.

"Stop splashing," Sameen grumbled. "You're going to fall."

Root just grinned and hopped into the next puddle. The basketball court had stopped being level years ago. Now, it was a great place to puddle hop after a rainstorm.

Root spotted a basketball across the court and ran for it. She scooped it up and turned to Sameen, grinning.

"Wanna play?" she asked, waving the ball back and forth.

Sameen crossed her arms, eyebrows raised. "Really? You're going to end up with another broken nose."

"Oh, please," Root scoffed, "That was like…six months ago."

"Only six months?" Sameen said, thoughtfully, "Feels like forever."

Root smiled and threw the ball to her. "Batter up!"

"Oh god," Sameen rolled her eyes, but started dribbling the ball.

Root watched her dribble and squatted into a defensive stance. There was something elegant about the way Sameen handled herself. She was always calm and ready to spring into action. Root liked that about her.

Sameen came towards her, dribbling the ball. Root tried to anticipate her movement, but Sameen faked left and went right, passing her easily. Turning around, Root watched as Sameen jumped into the air, throwing the ball through the hoop.

"You know," Sameen said, picking up the basketball from the ground, "for someone so tall, you're pretty bad at this."

Root lunged forward and grabbed the ball from Sameen's hands. She held it above her head.

"What- Hey!" Sameen jumped, trying to snatch the ball from Root, but she couldn't jump high enough. "Not fair."

"You know," Root mocked, "for someone so short…"

"Ok," Sameen stopped jumping and put her hands on her hips, "Ha Ha, very funny."

Root laughed and lowered the ball, letting Sameen take it from her. "You can be Sporty Spice. I'll be…"

"Baby Spice?" Sameen joked, dribbling the ball between her legs.

"I was going for Scary or Ginger." Root stretched her arms above her head, closing her eyes and turning her face to the sun.

Sameen shot the ball at the hoop, missing. She ran to get the ball as it bounced away. "Definitely not Posh."

Root cracked an eye at Sameen. "Well, I'll never be posh." She straightened out, walking away to find another puddle. Her shoes were wearing thin and the water from the puddles was seeping through, wetting her socks. She stopped in front of a large puddle, staring at her reflection in the clear water. "I wouldn't know how."

"One day," Sameen said, throwing the ball, "You could be rich."

"I want to be a computer scientist, Sameen. They're not exactly known for being rich."

"I dunno," Sameen wiped her forehead, ball tucked under her other arm. "Invent something. Build something." She went back to throwing the ball around.

Root jumped into the puddle with both feet. "I could invent an AI and take over the world."

She climbed out of the puddle, shaking her feet off. Root had thought about trying to invent something. She built her own HAM Radios and was almost done building a computer from scratch. If she put her mind to it, she could do anything.

"Sounds scary," Sameen panted, out of breath from running around. "I like it."

Root grinned at her and checked her phone. "Come on, it's almost dinner time."

Sameen nodded and tossed the ball to the ground. She jogged over to Root and they headed to their bikes.

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"Why is it so fucking hot?" Sameen groaned, sprawled out in the grass.

When they'd gotten back to Sameen's house, Sameen had stopped her bike and just fallen straight to the ground. Root laughed at her, staying on her seat. Root had grown up in Texas, 80 degrees was warm, but not sweltering. Root leaned forward on her handlebar.

"Don't be a baby, Sameen," Root smiled. "It's only March."

"Kill me now," Sameen whined, voice muffled by grass.

Root sat back and kicked out her kickstand. "Haven't you lived somewhere hot?"

"Yes. Always awful."

"Oh my god," Root threw her leg over her bike and sat in the grass next to Sameen. "You'll live. Maybe if you cut some of that hair off…"

"Fuck off," Sameen rolled over onto her back and kicked her shoes off, legs in the air. "Why did we play basketball?"

Root plucked long, green blades of grass from the lawn. "I wouldn't say we played basketball. You threw some hoops and I jumped in some puddles."

Sameen rolled her eyes, sitting up to pull off her socks. She laid back again and closed her eyes, humming softly. A breeze blew over them, shaking the grass and dancing her shirt across her stomach. Root watched her for a moment, her hands twisting the blades of grass together.

"Do you want to go to the hill after dinner?" Root asked her.

Sameen shrugged, shoulders rustling in the grass. "Sure. Something happening?"

"Mars, the moon, and Mercury are forming a triangle," She pushed her hair behind her ear, tying off her grass twist. "I thought we could bring a radio and my telescope."

Sameen sat up, bending her legs in front her. She rested her arms on her knees. "Sounds good."

Root reached over to drop a grass crown on her head, laughing as Sameen wrinkled her nose. She liked to talk a big game, but she'd never say no to Root. Root pulled out her phone and snapped a picture. Since they'd become friends, her Instagram was 50% science and 50% Sameen.

Sameen knocked the phone out of her hands and onto the grass. "Stop. Take some selfies like a normal teenager."

Root picked her phone up. She put her own grass crown on and turned to lean against Sameen, grinning. Her stomach felt hot when Sameen wrapped an arm around it and Root took the picture and moved away.

"I'm posting this right now," Root said, opening Instagram.

Sameen just rolled her eyes and scooted closer to put her chin on Root's shoulder, watching her pick a filter. A shadow fell over them and they looked up. Lionel and John had walked up and were staring down at them.

"Nice crowns," John said, smirking. "Root's doing, I assume?"

"No," Sameen snarked, "I made us fucking flower crowns."

"They're grass crowns, actually," Root corrected her, posting the photo and climbing to her feet. "You guys know what's for dinner?"

"What," Lionel asked, starting to the house, "do you actually live with us now?"

Root stuck her tongue out at him. "You wish, Bro."

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Sameen leaned back on her hands, legs stretched in front of her on the blanket. She stared up at the stars. Root was asleep next to her curled up on her side, hair splayed around her head. They'd gone to the hill after dinner to stargaze.

She hummed along to the radio, her bare feet idly bouncing in time. Sameen was really looking forward to the summer. Root was going to teach her to shoot a gun and they were going to go into the city for some event Root wouldn't tell her about yet. She was actually feeling excited.

Sameen sighed and stretched forward, rubbing her hands on her knees. She stood up carefully to avoid waking Root and walked over to the telescope, the damp grass cool on her bare feet. Bending forward, she put her eye against the view piece.

Mercury looked huge. This was the time of year that Mercury was furthest from the sun. Root had spent the entire bike ride to the hill explain it to her. Sameen already knew it, of course. She wasn't dumb. She'd let Root ramble on, though. It was always nice to listen to her talk about her passions.

She heard a groan behind her and turned around. Root was sitting up, rubbing her eyes.

"Did I fall asleep?" Root rasped, blinking up at Sameen. "Sorry."

Sameen shrugged, slowly making her way back to the blanket. "I was just sitting."

Root pushed her hair out of her face and tied it up into a ponytail. The radio crackled next to them, the next song playing. Sameen dropped down next to Root with a grunt.

"Are you coming to Georgetown for Semi-Finals and Championships?" Sameen asked, dusting off her feet and pulling her socks back on. "I mean, if we make it?"

"You only have one more game until the semi-finals. You'll make it," Root mumbled, only barely awake. "I'm staying in your hotel room with Zoe and Joss."

"Sweet," Sameen looked at her, smiling at Root's grumpy face. "I might be nervous."

"Wow, the great Sameen Shaw is scared."

"I'm not scared," she protested, "I am…proportionally apprehensive."

Root laughed softly and curled back on her side. "I'm sleeping here tonight. Good night."

Sameen rolled her eyes and pulled her phone out, texting Mrs. Reese to let her know they'd be out later than expected. She dropped her phone onto the ground and curled up, facing Root. Sameen smiled to herself and closed her eyes, drifting off.