Max woke up around noon, his head pounding. He had crashed at Mocha's place, not wanting to be alone at his frat.
PJ was sitting on the sofa, some papers stacked around him. He had his glasses on, concentrating on the work before him. He didn't notice Max sit up.
"Yo." Moaned Max, closing his eyes. His leg was throbbing. "Do you have any pain killers?"
"Hey Max, you're awake!" PJ said. "Yeah, let me check her room."
Max laid back down, feeling the room spin. Was he getting sick?
"We have some ibuprofen." PJ said, coming back. "What's wrong?"
"Dunno." Max said. "I feel like I got hit all over again."
"Here," PJ handed him a juice box that was sitting out on the coffee table. "I'm sorry about last night. I can't believe she would walk out on you."
"I can't say I blame her Peej." Max said, swallowing the medicine down. "What I don't understand is why she won't forgive me."
"You said you tried apologizing right?" PJ said.
"Yes, kind of, that first night I went over their house." Max said. "What should I do Peej?"
PJ shook his head. "I guess move on. She clearly doesn't want to be with you and everything she does points to her getting emotional."
Max didn't respond. He didn't want to stop talking to Roxanne, but enough was enough. She always shut him out at the last second.
"If I must. But if she comes to me, I can't shut her out. You know I can't."
PJ sighed. "If that's what you want. But it won't do you any good."
"I know." Max said, dozing off to sleep.
.............................
Bradley slid down the ramp, his mind concentrated on learning a new move he saw on tv. His gammas were all watching him, hoping for the best. He jumped off his skateboard, hoping to land on his right hand.
Everything happened so fast. He felt his palm hit the board, and for a second he thought he had it, but he lost his balance and fell face first into the ramp.
"I can't. It's not working!" He said, frustrated.
"Boss, you finally were able to land on the board!" Henry said. "That's amazing!"
"It's pathetic and you know it."
He looked up to find evil Bradley staring down at him from his skateboard, performing his own move perfectly.
Brad tried to ignore him, but he couldn't. He didn't understand why he wouldn't go away.
"If you were half the man you used to be, you'd have this trick down." Evil brad laughed, mocking him.
"Shut up!" Brad yelled, frustrated.
"Sorry boss," his team apologized, thinking Brad was talking to them. He sighed.
He got up, turning to his evil counterpart. Why couldn't anyone see him?
"I could help you with that move."
He stopped, feeling his heart race. Please not her, he thought.
Cora was watching from a nearby bench, bike sitting up against the tree. He hair was braided, and she wore no makeup at all. It made her look younger.
"You know how to do that?" He asked, trying to remain calm. I just looked like a fool in front of her.
"Well, skating on one hand is my speciality. I don't know about the move you're trying right now, but I can help you get your balance on point though." She said smiling. He felt butterflies in his stomach. It was weird but he couldn't also help but feel guilty. He had slept with Jasmine all last month, all while still being friends with Cora. He felt like he had betrayed her in some way. But here she was, offering her assistance.
"I remember," he said, not knowing how to make the churning in his stomach cease. "Water!"
One of the Gammas ran towards him, handing him a fresh cold bottle. He gulped it down, hoping it would help. "Okay, missy, now why would you want to help the opponent?"
She chuckled, grabbing the skateboard from him. "I'm helping my friend, nothing more."
He knew he was about to turn red, so he turned to face Evil Brad, but to his delight, Evil Brad was gone. He sighed, feeling relieved.
"If you must. I appreciate it." He said to her. "Guys, a lap around the neighborhood should end the practice. I'll stay here with Cora."
His team saluted him, and ran off, in single formation as was the Gamma way. Cora nodded her approval.
"My brother doesn't have control of his team like that."
Bradley smirked. "It's something I've been working on since I was a Freshman. Anyways, how many people are on your team?"
"Fifteen of us, but only five of us actually participate." Cora responded.
"Wooow. How did you get into the sport?" Bradley asked, curious. He had never seen a girl ride before.
"Shall we talk or shall we practice?" She teased.
"My apologies. What should we do first?" Bradley asked, feeling rejected. He didn't understand why Cora fascinated him.
"Build up your upper body strength. There's no way you're going to regain your balance so easily if you can't carry your weight for more than a few seconds. Let's start with the basics- pushups." Cora said pointing at the floor.
Bradley threw himself down, not wanting to show how tired he really was. He wanted to impress her, and if a hundred pushups it had to be, then so be it. He started, sweat already running down his nose. The autumn breeze helped somewhat, but after the practice he had just had, it was going to be hard getting cool.
"So you asked how I got into sports? Well, my parents have always been a fan of snowboarding. One thing led to another and instead of snow we started using the skateboard and ramps. That's all we would do. I didn't know I was practicing or anything because I found it fun. I found it relaxing. Next thing you know, we were being recruited, and now he we are."
Bradley felt the butterflies again, this time breaking into a grin. She hadn't rejected him after all.
"So," he groaned, struggling to keep going. His chin almost touch the ground as he came down on the push-up. "It's a natural talent. You're amazing you know?"
He heard her gasp in surprise and that caught him off guard. He fell, his arms giving out.
"Uh, thank-you." She said, trying to regain control. "But you didn't finish your push-ups."
He turned to look at her, wiping the sweat off his brows. "I don't want to anymore. I'm done for today. How about we go out for some coffee and you can tell me all about Greece."
She looked at him with wide eyes, not knowing what to say. He knew he had crossed a line that had always been there, but he didn't care. He needed to know her more. He wanted to know who Cora was, outside of sports. He wasn't calling it a date or anything, but if it turned out that way...
"Sure." She said, her cheeks pink. "Let me just go home and change."
"Same. I'm covered in dirt and sweat. Plus I feel a bruise coming on the side of my head. It's not fun." He responded, his mood lighter than it has ever been. "I'll meet you at your place in an hour?"
She nodded. "I'll be ready. See you Brad."
"Bye, Cora." He said.
He rode his skateboard down to his frat house. He couldn't believe that he had asked Cora out to do something other than workout or practice. He couldn't feel any happier. Today had been a good day.