Little Dove | Daniel Hayward

35.

Daniel's arms snake around my waist as he kisses my neck softly.

The sound of my Louie chiming causes Daniel to pull away. His hands still linger on my waist.

"We have to meet in the cafeteria," I say, reading the text I got from Suzanne. "It's another challenge."

Daniel groans and places another kiss on my neck, his arms tightening. "Can't we skip it?" He says quietly, his mouth near my ear.

I pull back, "we can't. Imagine how bad it would look for my parents if their daughter was skipping challenges."

Daniel pulls his arms away reluctantly, "fine. But we're making up for lost time later." His infamous smirk rests on his face as I take his hand and lead him to the cafeteria.

We sit down beside Hayley and Sophie. Suzanne stands in front of us, explaining the challenge.

"You need to name as many things in that category as possible," she explains. "I need an Eagle to draw their category."

Hayley stands up and grabs a paper slip from a glass jar, then hands it to Suzanne. "U.S. National Parks. You have 30 seconds from now. Go."

"The Grand Canyon," I say, earning a point.

Sophie pipes up, "Yosemite."

The other Eagles give names of U.S. National Parks and after 30 seconds, we gain nine points.

"Now I need a Raven," Suzanne says. Becca stands up, grabs a paper slip and hands it to Suzanne. "Films directed by Steven Spielberg. Go."

The Ravens take turns naming out different films. Leo struggles on the last one.

"Do you want a hint?" Max offers.

"Stop trying to dominate everything," Becca snaps. I laugh at her ridiculousness, ignoring the glare she gives me. By the end of the 30 seconds, the Ravens have only gained five points.

After a few more rounds, we're leading by eighty-five points. The last category for the Ravens is One-term U.S. Presidents.

After 30 seconds, the Ravens only gain seven points. The Eagles win.

Ignoring Becca's bitter protests, we race back to the clubhouse, chanting victoriously. Before we reach the door, I turn to Daniel. "I'm gonna go check on my parents and see how they're settling in."

Daniel nods and kisses my forehead, "okay, I'll see you later, Lex."

I turn and walk away, my shoulder colliding with someone's chest. I stumble backwards and feel a pair of hands grab my shoulders to steady me.

"Woah," a voice says. "My apologies, ma'am."

I look up and lock eyes with a man I don't recognize. His hair is short and dyed blonde but I can still see his brunette roots. A beard embraces his face, thicker above and below his lips. His ears are pierced and his eyebrows are low, emphasizing his sharp features. He towers over me, a smirk lingering on his lips.

"I'm so sorry," I say, then pause. "Are you new here? I don't recognize you."

"I'm the new janitor," he replies, the ghost of a smirk still resting on his lips. "And you are?"

"Lexi," I say, folding my arms. "Ryan's daughter."

His eyebrows raise and his smirks becomes more apparent as he holds out his hand, "it's a pleasure to meet you, Alexandria."

I grab his hand and shake it. "You too, Mr. Janitor." He chuckles and drops his hand, "it's Enzo."

I nod, folding my arms again. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Enzo."

He walks away, throwing one more glance back at me. "See you around, Alexandria."

I smile politely and walk away. My Louie chimes once again. It's from my mom.

Meet at the cafeteria now, with the rest of the students. It's important.

I close my Louie and rush to the cafeteria, where all the other students are sitting. I take a seat beside Daniel. "What's wrong?" I ask but he merely shrugs.

My dad walks into the cafeteria. "What's going on?" Hayley asks. "Is Suzanne okay? I mean, the coach wouldn't let us out."

"Her car exploded but she managed to escape in time," Dad explains. "She's fine. Just a few cuts and bruises. Your mom- Mrs. Woods is going with her to the hospital just for precaution."

"Was there a gas leak?" Sophie asks.

Dad nods, "I don't know when she'll get out of the hospital but in sure she'll be here very soon."

Brooke raises her hand, "did they check to make sure this leak wasn't foul play?"

Dad nods, "yes, we've ruled out that possibility. It's getting late and I suggest you all get to bed." With that he walks off.

Daniel gets up and stands in front of us. "Just a reminder that the Eagles have a big game tomorrow against Briarwood Prep. So, I wanna see you all there, alright?"

The Eagles clap and cheer encouragingly. Sophie rests her hand in my shoulder, "you'll do great, Lex. They may be a tough team but you're even tougher."

I laugh, "thanks Soph. I'll do you proud."

Becca stands up as Daniel sits beside me again, "guys, I also have an exciting announcement. Leo and I are now dating!"

Everyone stays silent. No claps. No cheers. Just silence.

...

The next morning I braid my hair and wear my basketball gear. Daniel and I sit on the yellow sofa together, our fingers interlocked.

"I hate it when games are on late," I mumble. "Now I have to spend all day waitng around for it."

"Early morning games are just better," Daniel agrees, resting his head on my shoulder.

"I can't believe Becca and Leo are dating," I say as Daniel brushes his thumb over my hand.

Daniel laughs, "this is the first time I've actually felt bad for Leo. That poor guy was so embarrassed when she made the announcement yesterday."

I nod, trying to hold back my laugh, "she's even worse than Aspen."

"Maybe that's why Leo's so miserable now," Daniel suggest, laughing loudly. "He can't get a break from physco girlfriends."

A few hours pass and I gather with my teammates in the Eagle's lockeroom. Parker grabs a basketball and starts a chant to hype us up.

We leave the lockeroom energetically, passing through the clubhouse. Alex joins us as we make our way to the gym.

By the time our warm-ups end, the entire gym is full and coach brings us together for a pep talk.

"Listen up guys," he says. "I wanna remind you that there is no second place in basketball. There are only losers. And what are we?"

"Winners!" I chant, along with the rest of my teammates.

"I can't hear you," coach says.

"Winners!" we repeat even louder.

I join Parker, Alex, Daniel and Hunter on the court, marking an opposing player.

The referee throws the ball in the air and blows his whistle. The game has begun.

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Hey guys

I am so sorry for taking months to update. The past year has been crazy and I haven't got much time to write. Now that summer is here, I'll try my best to update as much as possible.

Thank you for being so patient with me lol