The Bad Boy and The Tomboy

Chapter 3: SMALL WORLD

~

Later that day, I stood by the side of the indoor soccer field at the rec center, watching the kids on the field doing the drills I'd assigned to them. I volunteered here every Saturday as a house league coach.

Glancing down at my phone, I saw that Cedric had texted me again, which he'd been doing nonstop throughout the day.

I blew the whistle to end the drill and let everyone know they'd done a great job. As the kids were getting ready to head home to their parents, I was in the middle of typing a reply to his message when I spotted Sam with Phillip, one of the kids I coached.

"How did I do?" Phillip asked.

Sam gave him a smile I had never seen before. No arrogance. Sam ruffled his hair. Phillip swatted his hand off but didn't appear vexed. "You did great, buddy."

"Really?" Philip glowed.

"Yes." Sam's eyes zeroed in on me. Phillip turned around, the dimples deepening on his cheeks. I gave him a little wave as Sam stood, handing Phillip a coat to wear. "Change into your shoes, you don't want to stretch out your cleats."

"I didn't know you volunteered here," Sam said to me.

"Every Saturday. What are you doing here?"

Sam gestured at Phillip. The kid had brown hair and brown eyes that resembled the boy I was texting. I couldn't believe I never noticed before.

"You're Phillip's cousin too. He's Cedric's brother," I said.

"Look who's finally using their eyes," Sam mocked. Jerk.

Phillip looked at Sam and me in confusion. "You two know each other?"

"We're friends," Sam said.

"We go to school together," I corrected.

But Phillip didn't care for our conversation anymore, his eyes darting over to the water fountain next to the change rooms. "I'll be back," he yelled, running over to fill up his water bottle.

"Small world," Sam said.

"I guess so. Second time I've seen you here."

"I'm here usually the hours others aren't."

"I would have noticed if you were here." The rec center was huge—with a gym, indoor soccer field, basketball courts, and different rooms for various activities—but generally you could see everyone coming and going in the lobby or would run into them in the change rooms.

"You would have?" A smirk crept onto his face in a suggestive manner.

"Not in that way," I said as Phillip came back.

Sam patted his cousin on the shoulder. "Let's go."

Phillip was making his way to the door when Sam reached toward me. I stilled, his hand holding the top of my whistle as he adjusted the string. My face was heating up. "Hazel, we've got to stop bumping into each other like this."

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

Phillip yelled his name from the exit of the indoor field.

"I'll see you at school," he said. He didn't answer my question.

~

The following Monday I found Jasmine near her locker talking to a girl. "Mace, this is Stevie. She was on the volleyball team with me."

"You're on the soccer team, right?" Stevie asked me.

"Yeah," I said. Beatrice stared at us from down the hall, a distasteful look on her face.