The Transfer Student

Chapter 20: The Doom Bringer

I cracked my knuckles menacingly, grumbling darkly.

"You want to know that much?" Sasuke asked.

I jumped, I had forgotten that he had been there to witness all of that. Perfect.

I turned around and touched his arm gently, "Hey...didn't you say you knew something about this?" I whispered in a silk smooth voice.

I felt him shudder under my touch as I let my fingers creep up to his neck and up to his jawline.

"Just a hint?" I pleaded, standing on my toes to breathe on his neck.

He was giving away, I could feel it. What did just one name mean to him anyways, in exchange for this?

"NO! Sasuke! Don't fall for it!" Liz's call was all the warning I got before I was wrenched away.

Liz was furiously pulling me away, a basketball trapped under one of her arms.

"No! It was working! He was about to tell me!" I struggled to get back to Sasuke, who looked quite dazed at the moment.

"Win over a fair battle!" Liz pouted angrily.

I stopped struggling and cocked my head at Sasuke's appearance, "Maybe my attack was just a little to sudden. I think his brain lacks some oxygen right now" I snickered at the effect that I had on him.

"You're just pure evil, Vira" Liz said, clucking her tongue as she pulled me away to a free basketball court.

Sasuke seemed to regain some sense, recovering from his daze. He raised his eyebrow at me, questioning.

I shrugged, "I was that desperate".

Liz and I stopped in a free court, away from all of the other students who were practicing lay ups on the other side of the gym.

"Who's reffing?" I asked as Liz bounced the ball up and down calmly.

She jerked her chin behind me, "He's coming now".

I looked behind me and saw Gaara walking towards us.

"Oh, no fair! He's for sure gonna coddle you!" I whined.

Liz stuck out her tongue, "I don't need his coddling to win" she said confidently.

I smirked, "Oh yeah? We'll see".

"Getting heated up already, I see" Sasuke joined Gaara on the side lines.

"You betcha" Liz cracked her knuckles a few times between bounces.

"Highest score in five minutes wins" Gaara said lazily.

"Sounds good to me" I said stoically.

"Then let's get this party started" Liz tossed the ball to Gaara.

Liz and I collected at the center of the court, each pumped to the point of bursting with excitement.

"Three, two...one!" Gaara threw the ball straight up into the air between us and the game began.

I lunged for the ball immediately, with a few inches of height on my side, I was able to catch it and begin racing down the court, dribbling expertly. Liz kept pace easily, the same look of determination on her face. She reached around me, trying to slap the ball into her own possession but I wasn't going to make it that easy. I sidled along, always keeping my back to Liz as I made my way closer and closer to her net. As I tensed my leg muscles, preparing to shoot, suddenly, the ball was gone from my hands. Liz had reached under my legs and stolen the ball.

"Is that even valid?!" I cried.

Gaara shrugged, "No one said it wasn't".

I growled in frustration before running to catch up with Liz was already three quarters down the court. She shot just as I came up behind her. The ball hit the backboard with a dull thud and bounced along the rim. I held my breath as the ball wobbled. It slipped through the net.