"Yo David, wanna play a game?"
A classmate of David's asked him as he was trying to finish his project at lunch, he was the new kid at the school so everybody was trying to mess with him
"Naw not really" he said honestly while pushing his glasses up David loved projects, and he was good at them, he could write a paper about anything, he could even make it rhyme, he could rhyme a whole paper about the difference between mitosis and meiosis if he wanted to
"Why not? We finna go play ball? You still mad that you got benched yesterday?"
"I really don't care, can y'all go do what you were gonna do so I can study"
"Psh, this nigga studying, let's go since he wanna be a fucking scholar and shit" a bit said hitting him upside his head
"Don't be touching on me like that sticky" He said pushing his hand away "so you to good to be touched or something?" Sticky asked poking his shoulder
"Naw but you be picking yo nose all the time and I ain't tryna get sick, it's too cold out for that"
Some boys snickered as sticky looked st all of them "listen don't get punched in your mouth kid, I was trying to be nice and invite you to play with us since your new."
"And I said I didn't wanna play ball right now." He stared as all the boys looked st each other
They all began laughing a it before walking off, David was annoyed, as you could tell, but he was annoyed and sad, he was benched all game yesterday and it was the only game his father came to since he joined the team, so his dad wasn't very impressed with him, his mom couldn't make it because she was working longer shifts now
He's been practicing his game and it wasn't working. David got up from the lunch table and packed his stuff up and headed down to the court where the boys were, he didn't want to play with them, but he did want to play, he grabbed a ball from the bin and went down to the little court they had outside for recess and played by himself
David wasn't a social butterfly like everyone else, he liked being alone, he didn't need stone in his corner, he wanted someone in his corner though, but none of the boys ever liked playing with him because he was 'weird'
Which they only thought he was weird because they were all privileged, David couldn't afford the best clothes, or the best shoes, or really anything for that matter, his mom worked two jobs and went to school, and still didn't have Enough money to buy him any clothing that was in style even though she did try.
And he knew she was trying, he didn't care about his clothes, but apparently clothing can decide whether or it your cool in school.
He threw the ball into the net and ran over to get it, he turned around to hear loud talking on the big court, he saw a bunch of boys playing together and some talking to girls
He bounced the ball for a while while he continued looking st everyone else on the other court, he didn't understand why the bigger kids always got girls, who wants someone whose buff and only like 12?
Apparently these girls, because they never talked to David, even when he went up to them first, they liked to ignore him or he rude to him, but whenever sticky or any of his friends came around the girls would always giggle and laugh and try to be cute
He sat down in the middle of the court dribbling the ball and throwing it toward the fence playing by himself
Being the new kid sucked for him, he left all his friends and had to deal with the big city and big shot kids.
He didn't like it, he only had a couple of friends but he didn't like always talking to friends, he just wanted to be apart of sticky's little gang.
•••••••••••••
It was the day of prom, a day special to David because he got his first date Zola
Zola was a grade older than David and a bit taller then him, he looked like her little brother compared to her, but he didn't mind it, because he liked her
Today was also they day that David felt like he was going to be out in the game for the first time.
Zola was sitting in the bleachers behind him as he sat on the bench next to the waters and watched his team winning the game, even though it was only highschool 9th grade games, the games were competitive, and David was a competitor, he just never got the chance to show it off
He looked around in the crowd to find his dad or mom, he spotted his mom and she spotted him waving st him along with Tai who gave him the finger while she was sitting behind her mom
He laughed a little before turning around and having a teammate, and his only friend, jayceon walk up to him
"What's up kid? Ready to be out in the game?" He asked clapping "hell yea, I don't know why coach hasn't put me in, it's not really far, I'm the only one who hasn't played any of the games, and I'm better than half these people in the game right now" He said was his team just lost a point do to a ball steal
"Don't worry" jay told him patting his back "they don't know your potential yet, they will tho, just wait on it." He got up and moved back to where he was sitting as the coach called out sticky and called in someone else, sticky sat next to David wiping his face off and looked David up and down.
"Your not sweating. You haven't played yet"
"Nope." He said not looking st sticky but looking st the game
" that sucks. I'd hate being the benchwarmer."
"I call it, being the face of the team" he said trying to make himself feel better
"Or just the benchwarmer. Got a date tonight? I'm going with Lilian, she's pretty as heck"
"Yea, I'm going with Zola , and she asked me, well I asked her but she said she was gonna ask me"
"Forreal? She gotta be playing you, no offense but she wouldn't go with someone whose in the 9tb grade"
"And why not" he asked him
"Because she's Her, she likes going with the older kids, the ones her age, I wouldn't get my hopes up"
"My hopes are already high-"
"David!" The coach yelled as he helped an injured teammate off the court
"Yea coach?" He Asked feeling like he might get out in the game
"Go get zack some ice from the concession stand, quickly, Tristan your up and in!" He yelled to sticky
He looked at David as Hey began getting up
"Better luck next time iceboy" he said before going back into the court.
David huffed as he left the gym and walked down the hall to get some ice.
••••••••
"Remember to talk with manners, girls like that sweetie " David's mother said as her along with Tai were taking him back to school with his suit and everything on ready to go to the dance
"I know momma I know, just speed up" he said excited about dancing with Zola, he even bought her a corset and a Hershey bar because she told him that's her favorite candy
"Don't kiss her" his sister said "some girls have cooties, I don't, it some do, and if you don't wanna come home with cooties I suggest that you wash your mouth if you do kiss her" she said making him roll his eyes
"Yea Yea" He said unbuckling his belt as his mom parked the car
"Alright, baby we will pick you up later Alright? Have fun"
"Yea I will, see you later mom, bye Tai" he said before getting out of the car and heading inside to the dance seeing a bunch of kids already showed up, he sat on the seat by the door where the dance was existing for Zola since she said that she'd be waiting there for him
After waiting a good 20 minutes he saw the front doors open and he saw Zola walk in with someone behind her, she spotted him as he stood up fixing his little suit and began walking over to her
She smiled at him "Hey David. You going to the dance?"
"What?" He asked confused "oh, are you playing with me?" He asked laughing "I got you a corset and Hershey's, since you said it was your favorite" he handed her both and she smiled putting the corset on "oh, uhm thanks.."
"Well, you ready to go in? You got your ticket?" He asked her
"Yea I do, uhm David, I'm sorry...I'm not, going with you..." she said trying to be nice about it
"What do you mean? We're already here." He said looking toward the gym doors
"Yea But, uhm, sticky's date cancelled on him and he asked me to go with him, and I said yes" she said pointing to sticky while he was buying a ticket
"He said you were fine with it though...is it fine?"
"Uhm...Yea sure. Go ahead." He said as sticky walked over putting his arm around Zola
"Hey David. Thanks for letting me take Zola, Lilian cancelled on me and I didn't have a date, I thought you wouldn't mind if I took her."
"No um, it's fine.." he said feeling a bit mad st the fact that sticky was the one she showed up with
"Thanks buddy, hey maybe you can get in without a date, or go work on your basketball technique and actually get out into the game" he said making Zola laugh a little
"Anyways, we gotta go, we're missing the fun, see you at practice tomorrow" he said as they both walked into the gym leaving David outside alone
He walked out of the school and threw the empty corset box away and sat on the neck out front of the school.
His leg tapped against the pavement as he just wanted to go Home, but his mother wasn't kicking him up until 9 and it was only 7.
He decided to head up to the hills where another basketball court was and sit there looking st the city, the lights and the sun about to go down
He took his suit jacket off and untied his tie that took him about 2 hours to perfect.
He sighed, he didn't think he was going to be able to play basketball, he never got kicked to play, and he got ditched by his first ever high-school dance date.
He laid back onto the cement and looked st the purplish and blueish sky mixed together
Wondering if he was ever going to be able to even play basketball, or meet any girls since they always seemed to go for the better looking boys
He didn't know why looks mattered more than the person, and he didn't know why his looks and his clothing style was so looked down upon with his classmates
It was another thing he didn't understand and never understood.