Like Star Crossed Lovers
Phone Calls
September 5th, 2001
I took a heavy and shaking breath as I stared down the court. This was it. My chance to beat Alice's team one more time.
We were playing three on three, trying to stay in shape for our next game when we got back home. The sounds of the city rang through the air, and were almost comforting.
I passed the ball to Deborah, and stood up straight, watching her take the ball down the court.
"Come on Debbie!" I called.
Tilda came up beside Debbie, and snatched the ball making her way back toward me. I ran at her and paced myself, pushing the ball away from her and picking it up. As I made my way down the court I tossed the ball over Alice's head to Gina, the other player on my team. Once Gina was down the court Lila tried her best to make sure the ball didn't get anywhere near the basket. I jogged up closer to the basket, and Gina passed it back to me. I positioned myself and let the ball fly from my fingers and into the basket.
"Aww," Tilda huffed from somewhere behind me.
"Good game, Captain!" Alice grinned at me.
Coach blew her whistle from the side lines, to attract our attention. "Losers buy lunch!"
"That's not fair!" I laughed. "You'd get a free lunch any way it goes."
She smiled at me and turned to the other girls who were sitting on the bench or on the ground. All twelve of us were here. Twelve completely different girls, and yet we all had one thing in common. We could play a mean game of basket ball. Well really there were thirteen of us, not including coach.
I walked over to Aiko, and she tossed me a towel, I had borrowed from the hotel. I sat down next to her on the bench, and pressed my face into the towel, closing my eyes. I yawned, and stood up, picking my bag up from the ground beside the bench.
We all left the small court and made our way to the closest fast food restaurant that wouldn't have people inside giving us strange looks for being in such a large crowd. We found a scarcely inhabited pizza place and sat down in different booths.
I chose the booth where Alice, Nevada, and Madison had sat down, placing my cell phone in front of me. These three girls were so close to being real friends, it was almost funny.
"So what exactly does your name mean?" Madison asked Nevada.
"Actually it means snow. My mom was going to name me Norah, but she was so drugged up after having me, she couldn't talk and the nurse miss-heard her." Nevada explained, talking with her hands.
"Well I think it's a nice name." Alice smiled pleasantly. "It just makes you who you are."
I examined Alice for a moment. A pair of blue wire frame glasses circled her dark blue eyes. Her brown waving hair tumbled down to her shoulders. A gentle and comforting smile always covered her lips.
"What can I get you ladies?" a waitress asked from beside our table.
"Sprite." Madison said.
"Sweet tea, please." Nevada smiled.
"Uhhm, lemonade sounds nice." Alice laughed lightly.
"Coffee, please." I sighed.
My voice was so alien compared to theirs. It didn't belong.
"Alright, I'll be right back with your drinks." she smiled and walked away.
"So, Captain." Madison began. "How life hanging out with the Princesses?"
"Heh, it's not a life style of choice." I laughed. "It could be worse."
"Yeah, if you lived with a starving pack of lions." Nevada interjected.
"Quite possible." I forced a smile and glanced down at my cell phone. My coffee was sat down in front of me, and I grabbed it and breathed in the steam deeply. The warmth against my face relaxed my muscles and calmed me.
"So what will you girls be having?" the waitress asked, as I tugged a few packets of sugar from the small tub.
The three other girls chattered quietly, to each other before looking to me.
"I'll have a salad. Light Ranch on the side, please." I said handing her my menu.
I felt the other girls eyes on me, during the short silence that followed, before they ordered their pizza.
I stirred the sugar into my coffee, and took a small sip from my spoon. The girls started chatting about different things. Favorite colors, and shopping.
"Have you guys read any good books lately?" I asked boredly.
"Oh, have you read the Catcher in the Rye?" Nevada asked me excited at the new topic.
"Mm, yeah." I said, letting a smile push onto my lips.
"I loved that book. It was so true." Alice laughed. "So sweet."
"Yeah, you call that sweet?" Madison asked sceptically.
My cellphone began to buzz on the table. I went to reach for it, but Madison snatched it before I got the chance. She glanced at the caller ID.
"Oh, who's this?" she smiled, pressing talk and holding the phone to her ear. "Hello?"
"Yeah, this is her phone. Can I ask who this is?" Madison snickered.
"Madison give me my phone!" I glared at her.
She offered a scared laugh, before handing me the phone. I stood and walked to the bathroom.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Hey. It's me. Gerard." he said, amusedly.
"Oh. Hi. Sorry about Madison. She's nosy." I laughed embarrassedly.
"That's fine. I was wondering if you wanted to hang out later."
"Really?" I asked shocked, "I like that idea."
"When sounds good to you?"
"How about tomorrow. I'm not doing anything tomorrow."
"Okay." I could hear in his voice he was smiling. "I'll call you later, to set up a time."
"Alright. Bye, Gerard." I smiled.
"Bye." he said, excitedly, before hanging up.
I made my way back to the table and sat down. Our food had arrived at the table, and the girls were tearing their pizza to pieces. I unwrapped my silver wear, and placed the napkin on my lap, pouring the ranch over my salad.
"Who was that?" Madison asked mischievously.
"Who was what?" I asked, sounding clueless.
I took a heavy and shaking breath as I stared down the court. This was it. My chance to beat Alice's team one more time.
We were playing three on three, trying to stay in shape for our next game when we got back home. The sounds of the city rang through the air, and were almost comforting.
I passed the ball to Deborah, and stood up straight, watching her take the ball down the court.
"Come on Debbie!" I called.
Tilda came up beside Debbie, and snatched the ball making her way back toward me. I ran at her and paced myself, pushing the ball away from her and picking it up. As I made my way down the court I tossed the ball over Alice's head to Gina, the other player on my team. Once Gina was down the court Lila tried her best to make sure the ball didn't get anywhere near the basket. I jogged up closer to the basket, and Gina passed it back to me. I positioned myself and let the ball fly from my fingers and into the basket.
"Aww," Tilda huffed from somewhere behind me.
"Good game, Captain!" Alice grinned at me.
Coach blew her whistle from the side lines, to attract our attention. "Losers buy lunch!"
"That's not fair!" I laughed. "You'd get a free lunch any way it goes."
She smiled at me and turned to the other girls who were sitting on the bench or on the ground. All twelve of us were here. Twelve completely different girls, and yet we all had one thing in common. We could play a mean game of basket ball. Well really there were thirteen of us, not including coach.
I walked over to Aiko, and she tossed me a towel, I had borrowed from the hotel. I sat down next to her on the bench, and pressed my face into the towel, closing my eyes. I yawned, and stood up, picking my bag up from the ground beside the bench.
We all left the small court and made our way to the closest fast food restaurant that wouldn't have people inside giving us strange looks for being in such a large crowd. We found a scarcely inhabited pizza place and sat down in different booths.
I chose the booth where Alice, Nevada, and Madison had sat down, placing my cell phone in front of me. These three girls were so close to being real friends, it was almost funny.
"So what exactly does your name mean?" Madison asked Nevada.
"Actually it means snow. My mom was going to name me Norah, but she was so drugged up after having me, she couldn't talk and the nurse miss-heard her." Nevada explained, talking with her hands.
"Well I think it's a nice name." Alice smiled pleasantly. "It just makes you who you are."
I examined Alice for a moment. A pair of blue wire frame glasses circled her dark blue eyes. Her brown waving hair tumbled down to her shoulders. A gentle and comforting smile always covered her lips.
"What can I get you ladies?" a waitress asked from beside our table.
"Sprite." Madison said.
"Sweet tea, please." Nevada smiled.
"Uhhm, lemonade sounds nice." Alice laughed lightly.
"Coffee, please." I sighed.
My voice was so alien compared to theirs. It didn't belong.
"Alright, I'll be right back with your drinks." she smiled and walked away.
"So, Captain." Madison began. "How life hanging out with the Princesses?"
"Heh, it's not a life style of choice." I laughed. "It could be worse."
"Yeah, if you lived with a starving pack of lions." Nevada interjected.
"Quite possible." I forced a smile and glanced down at my cell phone. My coffee was sat down in front of me, and I grabbed it and breathed in the steam deeply. The warmth against my face relaxed my muscles and calmed me.
"So what will you girls be having?" the waitress asked, as I tugged a few packets of sugar from the small tub.
The three other girls chattered quietly, to each other before looking to me.
"I'll have a salad. Light Ranch on the side, please." I said handing her my menu.
I felt the other girls eyes on me, during the short silence that followed, before they ordered their pizza.
I stirred the sugar into my coffee, and took a small sip from my spoon. The girls started chatting about different things. Favorite colors, and shopping.
"Have you guys read any good books lately?" I asked boredly.
"Oh, have you read the Catcher in the Rye?" Nevada asked me excited at the new topic.
"Mm, yeah." I said, letting a smile push onto my lips.
"I loved that book. It was so true." Alice laughed. "So sweet."
"Yeah, you call that sweet?" Madison asked sceptically.
My cellphone began to buzz on the table. I went to reach for it, but Madison snatched it before I got the chance. She glanced at the caller ID.
"Oh, who's this?" she smiled, pressing talk and holding the phone to her ear. "Hello?"
"Yeah, this is her phone. Can I ask who this is?" Madison snickered.
"Madison give me my phone!" I glared at her.
She offered a scared laugh, before handing me the phone. I stood and walked to the bathroom.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Hey. It's me. Gerard." he said, amusedly.
"Oh. Hi. Sorry about Madison. She's nosy." I laughed embarrassedly.
"That's fine. I was wondering if you wanted to hang out later."
"Really?" I asked shocked, "I like that idea."
"When sounds good to you?"
"How about tomorrow. I'm not doing anything tomorrow."
"Okay." I could hear in his voice he was smiling. "I'll call you later, to set up a time."
"Alright. Bye, Gerard." I smiled.
"Bye." he said, excitedly, before hanging up.
I made my way back to the table and sat down. Our food had arrived at the table, and the girls were tearing their pizza to pieces. I unwrapped my silver wear, and placed the napkin on my lap, pouring the ranch over my salad.
"Who was that?" Madison asked mischievously.
"Who was what?" I asked, sounding clueless.