MR. LIKE OR MR. LOVE?[Completed]

Chapter 5 - Trouble Brewing Ahead

Zoe was sitting on a bench under a tree. Maxene approached her, her obvious happy aura making Zoe worried.

“Hey, Zoe! Did you hear?”

Zoe will flip if it won’t be about Stanley. “I’m about to hear it from you.”

“Weeeeell, Stanley got in the boy’s basketball team!”

Zoe figured. One thing, ever since that ill-natured guy transferred, Max started acting like she’s his number 1 fan girl or something. Another thing, with Stanley back, the basketball team’s coach probably asked Stanley to join the team once again.

“And they’re having a game right now! Let’s watch, Zoe!”

Zoe faced the energetic girl in disdain, “Don’t wanna.”

“Do you wanna pick a fight?”

“Max, I once watched him play in grade school.”

“While I have not! Come on…”

Zoe looked at her best friend’s face and sighed. Whatever did Staley do to her friend? She turned her head to one certain classroom and her attention was centered there.

Maxene noticed this, “If your reason is that you can stay to watch Brian, I’ll kill you. He’s a big boy, Zoe. Surely he can take care of himself.”

Zoe sighed once again. She can see the Brian and Amy are talking from afar. She could see them inside that room. She just couldn’t help but be insecure about it. She has the utmost right, anyway. She aint his girlfriend for nothing.

“Zoe…”

“What?”

“I thought you’re my best friend…”

Zoe raised a brow at Maxene’s pleading statement, “Very dramatic, Max. Are you gonna walk out and never talk to me again?”

“That’s old school. But really! Just text your boyfriend that you’ll meet him at the gym. Truce?”

Zoe fell silent. Perhaps she could do that.

“Hurry! The game’s gonna start!” Maxene exclaimed.

Zoe purposely got her stuff slowly, standing up like she has some illness on her back.

Maxene eyed her, “Are you doing that on purpose, girl?”

“Oh no. I’m naturally slow, you see.”

Without informing Zoe, Maxene grabbed her arm and dragged her to the gym.

“Hey, Max, I have my own feet!”

“But it seems you don’t plan to use it well, so I’ll do the honors!”

Zoe laughed out loud. It’s like any second, Max will die if she can’t see Stan play. ‘I’ll never understand fan girls.’

 _ ~ _

“Work on that, Stanley!”

“Got it, Coach!”

“Nice play, man!”

“See you guys tomorrow?”

“Yeah!”

Stanley gave  his team members a thumbs-up as they parted ways to go home. ‘That was totally refreshing,’ he placed his hands behind his head. He has played basketball at places he and his parents traveled to, but it’s never the same unless you’re home.

‘Home…’ So London is his home, huh? He has always felt comfortable in this place, like he belonged here. With his friends, with Brian and the family. That reminded him. While he was playing earlier, he saw Zoe by the sides watching the game with her energetic friend. When he saw her, he felt fired up, wanting to take the ball for himself and shoot it repeatedly to the ring himself. Now why was that?