I am Cazmere *incomplete*

Chapter 1

"Heads up, Caz!" I lift my head just in time to react as a bright orange blur comes shooting towards me.

"Woah!" With two hands I reach out and intercept the hurtling basketball.

A group of hands pounding together in applause erupt into my ears as my senses begin to recover from the shock of the heavy ball.

"Nice one man," a scrawny redheaded boy addressed me. "You were so spaced-out I wasn't sure you'd catch it in time."

"Please." I scoffed, "It'd take a speeding bullet to make it past these reflexes."

I proceed to make a show of flexing and boasting about my significantly toned muscles, and the group of guys around me all laugh, well accustomed to my self-admiration. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not stuck up by any means. I have flaws, many of them in fact. But I'd never let it show around anyone but myself. If you asked anyone about me, the last thing that would come to mind is weak, and that's how I plan to keep it.

There are exactly four other guys here beside myself. The redhead, Alex, is my best friend. He's stuck by my side through everything since my parents passed. Then there are the twins, George and Grayson. They're the sport champions, excelling at anything and everything they've tried. Hand them any sort of ball, bat, or racket and they automatically know what to do. The last guy here is Pierce. He's the walking definition of student-athlete. In class, he's the biggest nerd you'll ever see. But on the court, you'd never know it's the same guy that taught me trigonometry after I slept through the class. "Books before baskets," is what he likes to say.

It's this group of four guys that have kept me sane this whole time. They treat me like a true friend, like I'm a normal person. But I know I'm not.

After I finally complete my gun show, I'm greeted by more sarcastic applause followed by Pierce rolling his eyes and showing off his own muscle; which outdo mine by far. Then everyone else followed suit, all of us hooting with laughter at Alex's scrawny freckled arms.

These kinds of times are the easiest for me. I can relax, and just enjoy my friend's company without feeling unreasonably racked.

Once everyone gets bored with showing off their "strength," we decide to play a quick game of two-on-three with the twins on one team, and me, Pierce, and Alex on the other. Spoiler alert: the twins win. All of us are great at basketball, even been on the varsity team at school since freshman year together, but no one comes close to the skill of the double G's. It's like their brains are linked together, making their movements almost simultaneous, working to build each other's weak points up through opposing strengths.

After the game, we all decide to call it a night. I personally wanted to play another round, but everyone else was so sweaty and eager to take a shower and be welcomed with a warm dinner from their parents that I decided not to voice my protests. Instead, I simply gathered my belongings consisting of a backpack, jacket, and phone that I had left sitting on the bench, before starting on the long walk to the house. At least it's Friday.