Take Me Away

Chapter13- The Thief

I tried it again, this time focusing on the net. I couldn't let my outside issues come in between what really mattered. As I released the ball, my dad stepped outside.

I missed again.

"I see you're back where you belong." He said smiling.

He was mad as hell about what went down at the party. He said I could've got really hurt and ruined my chances in basketball forever. My mom was crying about my black eye while he continued to go off about me not taking life serious. We hadn't really spoke since that night.

I sighed. "You know I never left. I can still have a social life while doing basketball dad." I reminded him.

He shook his head with a straight smile. "Do you know what the term ball Is life means?" He asked me.

"Exactly what it says." I responded.

He clapped his hands together.

"Exactly! Basketball is going to consume your time, energy, and your mind. You don't have room for nothing else." He said, referring to my recent actions of hanging out and partying.

I wiped the sweat off of my face. "You're right." I said to him.

He pulled the car keys out of his pocket. "I gotta run, I'll be back shortly. I expect you to still be out here when I pull up." He said to me.

I sucked in the insides of my cheeks before dribbling the ball again. He was right, I had to stay on track.

I tried a lay up, finally making a shot. I did another one, making that one too.

Drops of rain began coving the pavement before a loud crash of thunder shook the sky. I threw another shot, this time a three, and finally made one.

Flashes of Camryn stayed on my mind as I played. I considered dropping the ball, running to her front porch and begging her to talk to me. I just needed to hear her say my name.

"Riley." I suddenly heard.

I thought I was bugging until I heard it again. I turned to see Camryn approaching me, soaking wet as the rain came down.

It was like I dreamt her up.

"What you doing out here?" I asked over the rain.

She shrugged. "We need to talk and I'm not waiting no longer." She said back.

I grabbed her hand, rushing to my front porch to get her out the rain.

"I'm so sorry for how I treated you and for how I let my friends treat you." She said as soon as I looked back at her.

I couldn't let her back in. I mean I really wanted to but the girl was playing with my heart.

"Camryn, you just in yo feelings." I told her.

"Yeah I am, and they brought me here to you." She said to me.

I looked down, scratching my head. "I think you might just be-

"Don't tell me how I feel. Riley I wouldn't be out here if I wasn't serious. You're the only person that's been real with me and I'm not letting that go." She said to me.

I looked away.

"And what about yo friends? Ain't that's why you been avoiding me?" I asked her.

"I'm sorry Riley, I know I hurt you. But, if I was able to hurt you, then that means you have feelings towards me." She said, now waiting for me to speak.

I wiped the water off of my face. "I do care about you so yeah, we can be cool again." I told her.

"No." She said, grabbing my face. "I don't want you to be my friend. I want you to be mine."

My heart raced as I looked into her eyes. The way the drops of rain drizzled down her cheek gave me a urge to kiss them all away. I couldn't even look in this girl face without getting weak in my knees. But I had to protect myself. "How I know you ain't gone switch up on me?" I had to ask with my face still between her fingers.

I couldn't risk her stepping on my heart again.

"You'll just have to trust me." She said.

I looked at her for a while, watching her pink lips lightly tremble from the wind.

"You came out in the rain for me." I said, finally smiling.

She sucked her teeth, now letting go of my face to push her curls back behind her ears. "Boy, I took off my makeup for you." She said.

"Oh it's real." I laughed, grabbing her hand and pulling her into a bear hug. I couldn't explain how happy I was to finally hold her again.

When she looked up at me, I leaned down and kissed her. The rain came down harder and she just pulled me tighter, kissing my me all over my face before smiling.

That was the moment I realized, she was stealing my heart, and it wasn't a damn thing I could do about it.