"Hey! You over there!" A rough voice yelled from the middle of the court. "Can you throw the ball to us?"
With no option left, Talia picked up the object, threw the item at them, but the ball flew and bounced three feet in front of her. Loud laughter echoed throughout the gym, which caused her face to turn red from humiliation. She swirled and took a few steps to run from the court.
“Cut it out!” the handsome guy shouted above the ruckus, which caused Talia to stop mid-action. “Can’t you show decency? With this show, no newbie will even dare to sign up because they think we’re jerks.”
Silence followed those words immediately, ceasing the jeers and laughter in the gym. Not even a single person breathed on the stand or even on the court. Was he that popular? One phrase from him could turn the room deadly quiet like the cemetery.
"I apologize for my teammates’ behaviors. Can you please kick the ball to me instead?” The player number 7 requested with concern in his voice. “If the ball doesn’t reach the court, then I’ll just come grab the ball myself.”
Talia recognized the voice belonged to the handsome guy she just met and hesitated for a second. She agreed at last to follow his instruction, aimed her feet toward the object with accuracy based on her soccer skills, and kicked the ball. Due to the ache in her muscles, the round item didn’t fly into the air but rolled on the court toward jersey player number 7 instead.
The handsome guy lunged forward to grab the ball from the ground and threw another three-pointer to the basketball hoop from the sideline. The crowd cheered at his goal as his teammates settled to begin the next round. He turned to look at her and waved his hand in her direction.
Glancing left and right, several ladies already gathered around Talia without her noticing them. She wanted to return the gesture at the young man, but fear struck in her chest. Wait! Was he even waving at her though? Coming to a difficult decision, she turned on her heels and dashed out of the gym.
I should get out here before I make a fool out of myself for the third time.
Dashing through the hallway, she looked for the students from her high school. What did she think would even happen? No one would even spare a glance at an impoverished girl like her. She shouldn’t dream or aim for things that are far from my reach. Did she really think she was Cinderella and the handsome, expert basketball player going to be my prince charming? Hah! In her dreams.
She walked around the cafeteria for several minutes before she found her classmates sitting on a rectangle table in the right corner of the lounge. Talia strode toward them. She sat on one of the empty seats and took out her science homework from her backpack.
"Why did you even bring your assignments here?" Sophie stared at the biology textbook. "Do you even care where we are right now?"
Talia continued scribbling notes without noticing the unpleasant voice of the classmate. “I want to finish my homework now so I can have more time to rest at home." She flipped to the next page. "Why can't I do my assignment here? This location is an open space for everyone to do anything. Right?"
No words came from the other classmates. Several scuffling voices moved back towards the other side of the tables. The tension at their table turned deadly quiet like the aura in a haunted house.
What's with the silence? Did I say something wrong?
Talia finally lifted her head and noticed the frown on Sophie's face. She peeked around the rest of the table and noticed that every girl looked either uncomfortable or awkward.
“Suit yourself,” Sophie stood up and glared at her. “I don't want people to know that I sat with a freak.” She swung her black hair, left the table, and never looked back even once.
Four ladies also followed the blue dress, Sophie, into the middle of the crowd. Two of them started shaking their bodies along with the beat of the hip hop song while the other two disappeared to the dessert table.
I thought I found a new friend, but Sophie only wants to be my friend when she wants to borrow food from me. How sad. I'll never be able to find a true friend.
Due to the uncomfortable situation, she scooted nearer to the wall as she continued to copy the pros and cons of different animals living in the same habitat. Ignoring the displeasing faces of each girl, she preserved a strong will to continue her homework for the next ten minutes before a voice suddenly interrupted her concentration, causing her to glance at the intruder.
“Um… Is this seat occupied?” A young man in his early twenties, who had black hair appeared with two glasses of red wine in his hand. “Can I sit here?”
Hm… Why does this voice sound familiar? He… He’s the most handsome man that I've ever seen in my life.
4
Lifting her head, Talia stared at the item in his hand. She remembered her granny reminded her not to eat or drink anything from strangers, so she refused to reach out her hand. “Actually, I....”
She cleared her ears again and blinked her eyes. To be sure, she sneaked a peek at the visitor’s face. This young man had an oval face, blue eyes, and long black hair. Two dimples appeared on each cheek and the fragrance of apple floated from him. She saw him grinning at her, and her heart fluttered with happiness. Did he notice she stared at him? Talia blushed and avoided staring him straight in the eye.
“No… No one...” Talia stuttered as she controlled the heat in her body. “You can sit there.”
The man nodded as he set his backpack on the table and sat on the chair. “Hey, will you take this drink? I want to apologize on behalf of my teammates for embarrassing you in the gym.” He set one goblet in front of him as he handed the one to Talia. “Thanks for cheering for me though.”
Oh! He’s the basketball player I met in the gym! He wore black jeans and a red shirt this time. Why does he come here?
“Actually, I can't drink wine,” Talia interjected as she shoved the glass toward her visitor. “Thanks, but no thanks.”
The young man raised his eyebrows. “You’re not legal yet? Are you a freshman or junior in this university?”
“No! I’m a senior in high school, and I only came here during a school excursion. I have to go back home tomorrow.”
He took out his hand. “Everybody on the basketball team and computer engineering department calls me JD. Let’s get to know each other. Can I get your name? I hope you don’t mind.”
Talia stared at his hand and then at his face. Narrowing her eyes, she couldn’t move for a few seconds. Her heart thumped with dread, showing her fear in herself. Does he approach me with an honest thought in mind? Why does he want to know me?
“I’m Talia Marlowe,” She finally shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
JD glanced at her surroundings, “I saw everything earlier. You shouldn’t take their words to heart. You must be a nice person.”
“Are you sure you can be here?” Talia twirled her hair as she stared back toward the door to the gym. “Won’t your teammates be looking for you?”
JD chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’m only a benchwarmer. Plus, I’m only playing tonight's free game for fun. I’m more interested to know you.”
Huh? Will he treat me the same as Sophie though? Be kind for a bit, then become indifferent over time? Based on the way he defended me earlier, let me get a chance to know him…