LITTLE DARK AGE ━━ stranger things

[ 005 ] better luck next time

With a nod, the latter was quickly confirmed.

She gave Ruth a strange look, shrugging. The brunette did not sympathise, however, and shoved her friend onto the court, snickering quietly when Steph turned to flip her the bird.

"Over here." Steve ordered briskly.

Steph merely stretched her arms outward as if taking flight, throughly confused, "What?"

"You know how to play basketball, right?"

"Well, yeah ──"

Relieved, Steve clapped his hands together, "Great. Stand over there."

She blinked quickly.

The entire opposition were chortling loudly at the concept of a girl playing against them ── because girls were not competition, right? Little housewives couldn't play men's games. Wrong. Steph's felt the familiar ambitious twinge filtering in her stomach, and her jaw tightened out of frustration. Billy's eyes tried pinning her to the spot, to make her squirm nervously and throw in the towel, but he didn't know her. Not much had the power to make Steph squirm, especially if it consisted of an ego-inflated jerk and a competitive game of basketball.

Despite the confusion she felt at being chosen to play for Steve's side, she bent low and clasped her hands around her knees.

She wasn't team captain of the girls soccer team for nothing.

"Let's give this sucker a taste of his own medicine."

The intensity of her words earned the undivided attention of Steve's entire team, and they each let out sharp huffs of determination. One of the players even clapped Steph on the back, causing her adrenaline to pump even louder in her ears.

Only a moment passed before the whistle sounded out.

Billy quickly grasped the orange ball, bouncing it across the entire length of the linoleum court. Steph was up front beside the net, stretching her arms above her head as the Hargrove neared.

With narrowed eyes, she watched him. He was a decent player, that much was clear ── but only because people were scared of him. He used intimidation as a tactic to gain a victory for his team, as well as his height. Nobody dared approach him, apart from Steve, who had already faced the repercussions of putting up a fight.

But Steph refused to feel fear. It was a game.

The basketball thudded against the ground, and Billy's wild expression came into clear view. He smirked when she tried to intercept the ball from his grip, rounding on him haphazardly. And he laughed when she stumbled backward, unable to get a good angle.

Billy made the shot, and it soared through the hooped net.

The Hargrove's dilating eyes found Steph's, "Better luck next time." he drawled.

With clenched teeth, Steph merely glowered at him.

The game raged on for another five minutes, with no more points scored, but many fouls made. Steve had finally caught the ball, and his teammates were scattered across the court, blocked by the opposition. Behind him, Steph was clear ── which was an advantage, seeing as she was faster than half the team and would be able to make it to the bottom of the court in seconds. And, as the small forward, she could attempt to score.

Steve's sneakers screeched against the linoleum as he turned.

He held Steph's gaze, and threw the ball across the space between them.

She jumped into action immediately. The ball was rough in her hands, rolling around in her palms as she threw it to the ground and caught it once it bounced up again. Someone who she didn't know from the opposing team tried to intercept her, but she was quicker and managed to twirl away. Being smaller was an advantage, too.