Basketball is Not Life

Chapter Twelve

 Melissa came over the following day to check in on the house and her brother. If she had arrived ten minutes earlier, she would have seen me escaping her brother's room to head over to mine.

Parker was already outside on the basketball court, and I was dashing around the house trying to leave on time. I had shown up to class late three times, and every time I did, the whole class stopped to stare. "So, how have things been going?"

"Good," I said, opening the fridge, hoping to find a quick bite before I took off.

"Any drinking or parties?"

I stopped to look at her. "You know, for your brother knowing some of the biggest big shots; they are a real boring crew."

Melissa stopped typing on her cell phone and looked at me. "How so?"

"I think the other night they had a Minecraft party. They had four Xboxes hooked up downstairs and were doing a battle round robin. It was one of the dorkiest things I have seen. But they are not tidy at all. I feel like all Parker does is pick up their mess."

Melissa shuttered. "As long as it is clean come game day, we will be fine. But everything else is going good?" She did that eye thing, where she looked at you, and you just wanted to combust and tell her everything, like the fact that her brother and I hardly knew each other, and yet I was making a routine of sleeping in his bed nightly. It had to stop if I was feeling this guilty in front of her. I'm sure this was not what she had in mind when she picked me as a roommate.

"Everything else is going great. Except for the fact that if I am late to Mr. Steinbeck's class one more time, I'm sure he is going to kick me out of his class."

"Go go... "She shoved me away with her hands. "He is a horrible one." I gave her a quick hug before I made a beeline to the door. Melissa had always been my favorite visitor that swung by. Even if it meant she was only stopping by to get information about her brother. I had no clue if the info was for herself; or their dad, who I had yet to meet.

I rounded the hallway for bed that night, went into my room, got ready, and lay down in my own bed. It took five minutes for Parker to come looking for me. He walked in, finding me lying under the covers with a paperback book out. It was about the great depression. It was a reading requisite for my history class.

"What are you doing?" He asked

"I'm going to bed," I answered, closing my book and putting it on the table.

"In here?"

I nodded, not looking him in the eye.

"Ok." I was waiting for him to leave, but instead, he climbed into bed.

"Parker," I whined. "What are you doing?"

"Going to bed," he said as if it was apparent. He closed his eyes and faced my way to make it 

a point that he was already sleeping.

"Parker." He shushed me, putting his hand over my face.

"Ren. Do not be a party pooper."

"A party pooper? Is that the best you got?" He opened his eyes and looked up at me and nodded and shut them again.

"Now, please, let's go to sleep."

"No, I don't want to sleep with you."

He sits up. "Why not?"

"Because this is not normal" I point to him and then back to me. "We can barely stand each other, and yet we are sleeping in bed with each other."

"I can stand you; when have I acted like I can't stand you." He was so severe as if it was the only thing that mattered.

"I can't stand you."

His teeth show through, and he is beaming at me. He pulls off his black t-shirt and throws it on the floor.

 "I think you can stand me. You just don't want to for some reason. You found out I was Parker Baer and decided on the spot that you were going to hate me. For no good reason. And I have sat by and tried to let you come to your senses, but it just isn't working. And now I am going to bed."

I was thinking about just going to one of the other bedrooms and sleeping, but what point did that prove? That he was just getting under my skin more. I groaned and shut the light off. 

I could sense his smile even though I could not see him.

"Did you sleep with your old roommate like this too?" I asked him after I was snuggled in against him.

"Oh yes. It was Paul's hairy back that I found most enjoyable."

I giggled.

"I like it when you laugh." He said, his lips close to my ear, sending goosebumps down my back and everywhere. He was the only person who had ever been able to have this effect on me, and it was something I didn't want to put too much thought into.

"No, Parker. This is just cuddling; nothing else. We can't blur the line more than it already is." His smile and carefreeness were gone as fast as it came.

"Why does there have to be a line at all." He grumbled this time his words didn't send goosebumps down my back, and I wondered if he regretted pushing to sleep in the same bed with me tonight.

He was up and gone without me waking up.

He was outside shooting again. He was a robot; he did not have a shut-off switch.

I was leaving and had left five pancakes under tinfoil on a plate for him when he came in, making sure to catch me before I left. He wouldn't look at me when he talked to me, and I could tell he was still upset with me. He couldn't understand me, which was ok; we never needed to get on that type of level. Where we were at was just fine with me.

"You are still going tonight, right?" He asked.

It was Friday which meant I would be eating East Lansing's best pizza tonight. I nodded my head.

"Are you going to tell me why you haven't had pizza for seven years?" His eyes swept my face when he asked this, determination on his face.

I shook my head no. He stepped forward-leaning his forehead against mine. "I'm not asking for your life story Ren. I'm just asking for one story in a million of yours."

I looked up, catching his eyes with mine. "And you would tell me your most embarrassing story?"

"Yes. It was the first day I saw you. Standing there watching me. It's humiliating when you find out that the girl you thought was there for you; won't even give you a fighting chance." He kissed my forehead and walked back to the kitchen, leaving me swimming in a puddle at my feet.