LITTLE DARK AGE ━━ stranger things

[ 005 ] better luck next time

Of course, Billy decided to take matters into his own hands, as Steve yelled encouraging chants from the bottom of the court.

He surged in front of her, waving his hands around as a means of distraction. Steph continued bouncing the ball, shooting him a glare that only made his smirk grow. She tried to dupe him into going left, but apparently it was a trick people used in this game very often, so he didn't fall for it and snatched the ball from her grip.

Billy winked in her direction, "Nice try, princess."

She grumbled in frustration.

In soccer, arrogant people got what they deserved. It was a rough game ── only headstrong people were able to play to the absolute best of their ability. Basketball, on the other hand, gave assholes like Billy Hargrove a chance to flaunt their tyrannical behaviour and use it to thrust themselves toward victory.

Steph loathed those types of people.

Without thinking, she followed after Billy. He cleared a path toward the net on the opposite side of the court, with Steve's team dispersing as he approached. But Steph stayed on his tail, clenching her hands into fists.

In the middle of the court, he and Steve found one another.

"Come on, King Steve," Billy snarled breathlessly. "Show me what you've got."

That didn't end well for Steve. He ended up on his ass again, cheeks exploding with colour, as Billy raced past him.

Steph was still behind him.

As he repurposed his broad stance toward the net, Steph skidded up to his side. He snickered quietly to himself, which only angered her more. She tried to snatch the ball, but he moved aside and bounced it tantalising, arching a challenging brow.

It looked like he was going to say something, but she refused to let that happen.

Her foot glided across the linoleum, and pummelled fiercely into Billy's ankles. The force of her swipe tripped him over, and much to her amusement, he tumbled to the floor like a dropped bag of bricks, landing flat on his backside.

The anger glinting in his eyes was visceral.

"Better luck next time." Steph drawled, repeating what he had told her only five minutes prior.

While Billy was on the floor, she turned around and tossed the ball toward Steve ── who was grinning judiciously ── despite the coach's demands for a foul to be drawn as a result of Steph's inappropriate actions.

Fortunately, Steve's team shot the ball through the net, and scored.

They all ran toward her as the whistle was drawn to announce the point, because Billy had refused to take the foul, regardless of the coach's demands for it to be tallied. He pulled himself up from the ground, his fury mounting the more he gazed upon Steph.

She was grinning wickedly.

Steve came over and patted her on the shoulder, "Nice one, Miller. The look on his face was priceless."

The whistle blew again, commencing the final round of the game.

Steph sprung into action instantaneously, eyes finding Billy amongst the rowdy players quicker than light. They were all peeved ── you know, unrightfully so. Their team could give and give, but they could never take. Aggression equalled aggression. All sports players should know that. But their superiority complex was blinding, both to them and their peers.

Steph backtracked to the bottom of the court, taking up the defence for her team.

Like a raging bull, Billy charged full steam ahead toward her. But much to her confusion, he skidded to a stop in the centre of the court, glancing between the net and her face.