The cool winter wind blew against my face, sending chills up my spine, as I sat on the cold metal bench right next to the basketball court Dana was practicing basketball on. It was after school on a Thursday, and somehow Dana convinced me to come all the way out in the cold to watch him play, and prepare for his big game that was coming up.
"Are you close to done yet? It's freezing out here." I whined helplessly, rubbing the sides of my shoulders for warmth.
"Just give me a few more minutes. I want to get these shots down." He told me, taking about her shot on the basket. I groaned slightly, tugging tightly on my clothes, hoping for a little bit more warmth.
"And how are you cold? You're still wearing my jacket, aren't you?" His focused stare turned into a devious smirk.
"Well, it's comfortable. You shouldn't have gave it to me if you thought you were getting it back." I smiled brightly at him with a slight blush, hugging the soft fabric.
"So, how did you get so good at basketball?" I asked, pulling out a pen and paper from my bag.
"I used to practice everyday after school, but it got harder when I had to start taking care of Tiana after school." He explained.
"I wish I could have played basketball when I was younger." I sighed to myself.
"Wait, you have never played basketball before?" Dana asked, filled with shock, as he took another shot on the basketball hoop.
"I wouldn't say never. I played a bit when I was younger, but my parents were more focused on school than staying active." I replied, reminiscing on my days when I actually had fun outside of school.
"I couldn't imagine a life without basketball." He added, backing up as he took another shot, landing it straight in.
Dana also happened to be a basketball star, at least in my eyes. He shot repeatedly, making basket after basket. He mentioned earlier how he was playing on his schools varsity basketball team, and was hoping to be picked Captain after their upcoming game.
"How long have you been playing?" I asked him, watching his complete focus on the ball.
"Since I was a kid. My dad showed me when I could first hold a ball, and I've played since then." His face tensed slightly at the word 'Dad' for reasons I didn't understand. I was tempted into asking him about it, but I let it brush past me, not wanting to start an awkward conversation.
"Do you want to play a bit?" Dana offered, holding the ball towards me.
"Oh no, thanks. I'm really not that good." I shook my head, backing away from his reach.
"Come on, I'll teach you. You taught me to skate, I'll teach you to play basketball." He reached his hand out to me, that charming white smile on his face making me practically melt inside.
"I guess." I whispered nervously, taking his hand and standing up from the cold bench.
He led me over to the court, handing me the basketball. "Here, take a shot." He took a few steps back, leaving me to my work.
"I haven't played in years." I explained again for clarification, before placing the ball in both my hands, pushing the ball up toward the basket.
It felt like years till the ball hit the basket, and when it did, it barely even hit the rim. I cringed a bit, watching the ball slowly bounce away to the side, Dana chasing after it.
"I told you so." I focused my eyes down on my shoes, my cheeks lighting up in embarrassment.
"It was good, you just need to work on your form a bit." He added, handing the ball to me, then stepping behind me.
"Just place your arms like this, and push up with your legs more." His arms slowly wrapped around my body, pushing his chest onto my back, as he slowly moved my arms into position. He was instructing me on how to shoot, but I was too distracted by his sculptured arms wrapped around me.
"Got it?" He asked, snapping me out of my trance.
"Um, sure, sure." I stuttered quickly, completely confused on whatever was going on.
I tried my best to focus on the basket, thinking back to what Dana much have said before I started daydreaming about his gorgeous arms. Of course, nothing came to mind, and I just took a lucky shot.
I kept my eyes shut until I hear the small swish sound come from the basket. I looked up to see the ball bouncing up and down directly below the basket. I actually made the basket!
"Nice shot!" Dana complimented, fetching the ball from in front of me. I couldn't help but smile, feeling somewhat proud.
"Thanks, maybe I do have some skill left in me." I said proudly.
"Yeah, I wouldn't go that far." Dana mumbled under his breath. I pushed him playfully, rolling my eyes.
"Whatever, not everyone can be their school's basketball star." I added in, picking up my papers from the ground.
"You said it, not me." He grinned at me, taking the ball and dribbling around.
"So, do you think you're ready for this game?" I asked him, sitting back down on the cold bench.
"I guess, I'm just a bit nervous. This is on of the biggest games of the season. If we win, we'll probably end up going to states."
"Well, then you better not suck." I replied with a cheesy smile.
"Gee, thanks." He rolled his eyes sarcastically, as I giggled to myself.
"I'm just kidding. I bet you'll do great." I assured with a small smile. He took another shot, staying silent for a few seconds, like he was thinking, before he began to speak again.
"Well, why don't you come and watch?" Dana offered discreetly, focusing his attention on me.
"Me? You want me to come to your game?" I asked him nervously, a bit surprised he would invite me of all people.
"Yeah, I mean if you want to." He offered, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, watching me as he awaited a response.
"Um, yeah, sure." I choked out, trying to keep my voice from cracking. "I'd love too."
- - -
"I can't believe he invited you to his game!" Sam squealed loudly, almost rupturing my eardrum. I had invited Sam to come with me to Dana's game since I too afraid to go alone, and plus, she just had to see Dana in person.
"Yes Sam, I know. You've said that at least 100 times." I rolled my eyes, listening to her ramble on and on about the game we were going to.
"You know what this means, right?" Sam asked me, gripping my arm.
"That he wants me to see him play? Seems pretty normal to me, Sam."
"No!" Sam shouted, "It means he wants to show off to you. You said it yourself, it's a really important game. So he invited you so you can see him all hot and sweaty, being all competitive and stuff."
I laughed loudly, blowing Sam off. "That's ridiculous, Sam. He invited me because it's a game, and some normal people invite their friends to game. He just wants some support."
"Ugh, you are so hopeless." Sam folded her arms in frustration, looking away from me, leaving us sat in silence as the cab drove on.
To be completely honest, I was nervous. Even before Sam had told me all her wild accusations, I was thinking of them myself. Why did Dana invite me to his game?
There had to be some logical reason to why. Maybe Sam was right and he was trying to show off to me, or maybe he thought he had to invite me to be polite. What if he didn't even really want me there? Great job Harlem, you just made yourself even more nervous.
"Harlem, we're here!" The cab came to an abrupt halt, stopping right in front of Dana's high school. We paid the driver, before stepping out and heading inside.
The inside of school was crazy, much more exciting than any school I had ever been too. Signs covered the walls that read "Good Luck Boys!" painted in bold colors, with all of the players names on the side. Many other teens were running around the halls, their faces painted with war paint, or their favorite players number. The school's cheerleaders were greeting everybody who walked in, reciting their cheers as they led everyone inside. It was pretty obvious everyone extremely excited for the game to start.
Sam and I made our way down to the ticket booth, getting a few awkward glares from some of the other students, but we did our best to ignore them.
When we entered the main gym, the atmosphere in the room was crazy.
The stands were filled with even more screaming teens, chanting for their high school. Loud music boomed on the speakers, making the floor and bleachers vibrate. The cheerleaders had just filed in, lining up as if they were waiting for something.
"Let's go find a seat." Sam yelled, even though I could barely hear her.
We managed to get seats right on the front of the bleachers, right below where all the hype squad and cheerleaders. A loud siren came over the speakers, and the crowd blew in uproar.
"And now, please welcome our 2014 varsity boys basketball team!" At that point, the crowd lost it. Confetti flee in the air, loud horns sounded loudly, streamers were being thrown back and forth through the crowd, and almost everyone was on their feet screaming.
The team finally sprinted inside, going straight to the court to warm-up. Dana was in the front of the line, and it looked like he was searching for someone. His eyes scanned up and down the bleachers, until he found me, giving off a satisfied smile. I waved back, giving him a thumbs up for good luck, causing Sam to giggle beside me. I pushed her in the shoulder, telling her to shut up, feeling the slightest bit of embarrassment.
It wasn't long until the game started, and it was intense. The score was tied 90% of the time, the crowds were shouting back and forth about unfair calls, even the players were getting heated.
I had seen Dana angry before, but not like this. It was more controlled than vicious like usual. He was so focused on the game, and he was playing well too.
"So, how's your boyfriend doing?" Sam asked, sitting down next to me, offering the bowl of popcorn she had just bought to me.
"Dana's not my boyfriend, and he's doing great. He's scored probably half the points already." I told her, focusing back on Dana who now had the ball.
"Well, it's almost half-time. Are you going to give your boyfriend a visit in the locker room?" Sam suggested, wiggling her eyebrows.
"Um, no. I'll probably just get something to eat, maybe." I replied, pointing to the small food stand on the side.
Half-time came, and the boys team had made their way back into the locker room. I made my way down to the food stand, waiting in line.
"Hi, can I help you?" The boy at the food stand asked.
"Um, yeah, can I get some popcorn and a soda?"
"Coming right up." He turned toward the popcorn machine, making a new batch. "I don't think I've ever seen you around here."
"Oh, I don't go here. I just came to see one of the players, Dana. I'm Harlem, by the way." I introduced myself nervously, I don't know why.
"I'm Trey. Oh yeah, Vaughns. He's a cool guy, a bit mysterious though." Trey commented.
"How so?"
"Well," Trey started, "he's kind of an outsider, but to himself. Everyone at school knows of him, but no one actually really knows him. They're have been rumors circling around about him for awhile now, but I usually ignore them."
"Rumors like what?" I didn't know why I was engaging in a conversation with complete stranger, but it was about Dana and I was interested.
"All sorts. Some people think that he's some type of ladies man, and he just used his cool demeanor for girls. Some say he's a criminal, others think he's some silent freak. Honestly, I just think he's quiet." Trey shrugged his shoulders, handing me the popcorn and drink.
"Oh, that's interesting." I replied, pulling out money to pay.
"There he is right now with Anna, she's our head cheerleader." He pointed across the gym where Dana was sat on the front bleachers, next to another girl.
They were sitting rather close, but not in a romantic sort of way. She seemed to be enjoying the conversation more than he was; Dana seeming completely distracted, constantly searching up and down the gym for something. Every few words she would try to grab his attention again, and he would politely nod, and smile at her, then continue examining the room.
"You guys close friends or something? I didn't know he had a girlfriend." Trey asked, noticing my long state at the two of them.
"What? Oh no, no. I don't have a boyfriend. He's just a friend." I assured him quickly. "How about you? Are you and Dana close? You seem to know a lot about him."
"I wouldn't say friends, but we definitely know each other." He responded in a slight grumble, which I ignored for the time being.
"I'm kind of surprised that you're not his girlfriend, Dana never seems to talk to anyone outside of school." Trey added in. "Plus, you're pretty too."
A bit surprised, I held back my urge to blush, giving off a polite smile. "Oh, thank you."
"Here's your change." Trey's dark scowl emerged into a small smile, handing me the rest of my money.
"Hey, I was looking for you." Dana's voice grabbed the attention from Trey and I as he walked to the snack line where I was standing. He stepped next to me, slipping his arm around my shoulders.
"Oh hey, I was just talking to Trey, here." I nodded, trying not to freak over the fact Dana had his arm around me. I could have sworn I had seen Trey rolls his eyes, but it might have been just in my head.
"Oh right, hey Trey." Dana said in a monotone voice.
"Dana." Trey replied back, the same low tone. They just looked at each other for a few seconds with a fierce glare, leaving me to endure the uncomfortable silence around us.
"So," Dana finally spoke, breaking the still sound. "I have to go back with my teammates, wait for me after the game, alright? I have to tell you something." He looked down at me, locking eys with mine. I just nodded in agreement.
"Alright, I'll see you later. See you around, Trey." Dana slowly moved his arm away from me, leaving to the locker room. I said goodbye to what seemed to be a very annoyed and frustrated Trey.
I met up with Sam who had just happened to be watching everything that was happening from around the corner.
"What just happened over there?" Sam asked me.
"I don't know what you mean."
"That guy at the stand, you guys were talking for a good 20 minutes!" Sam shouted, exaggerating the truth yet again.
"No, we talked for like 5 minutes." I corrected her, sitting back down on the bleacher.
"5 minutes, 20 minutes, same difference. But what was going on with you and that guy? And was that Dana who came over and put his arm around you? Were they fighting over you?!" Sam squealed loudly.
I shushed her, focusing back on the game which had just restarted.
- - -
The game ended up being a nail-biter. The score stayed tied for majority of the half, shots going back and forth. It ended up going into overtime, which had everyone on their toes. Even Sam took a break from questioning me to cheer on Dana and the rest of the team.
At the last few seconds, the score was still tied, and Dana had the ball. Everyone was screaming out his name as he sprinted up to the 3-point line, launching the ball into the basket, scoring the winning point for the game. The final buzzer rang and the crowd went crazy. Even more streamers and confetti than before flew up in the air, as everyone screamed in pure delight that our team had won.
When the crowd began to clear out, I stayed in the gym, waiting for Dana like he had said to after the game.
"Are you sure he meant here?" Sam asked, getting impatient with havig to wait.
"He said wait for me after the game, so I'm guessing that would be here." I shrugged, picking up one of the basketballs that were left behind after the game.
"Alright, well I'm going to go call our cab. Meet me outside if he doesn't show in a few minutes." Sam left the gym, leaving me alone to play basketball by myself.
I took a few shots, still waiting for Dana to come around. After at least 10 shots, I had actually made one.
"Well, isn't it the next basketball star?" Dana's voice echoes from across the gym. I laughed to myself, taking another shot.
"Yeah, in my dreams. I could never be as good as Dana Vaughns himself." I said jokingly.
"Oh please, I'm not that good." Dana exaggerated.
"Says the guy who scored most the points tonight. " I took another shot, missing the basket once again. "Why do I always miss?"
"Your form is messed up again." Dana told me. He was now standing in front of me, trying to adjust my arms to hoot.
"I'm too short to play basketball anyway." My lips formed into a small pout, making him chuckle.
"Maybe you just need a bit of a boost." He suggested before somehow lifting me up onto his shoulder, making me almost level with the basket.
"Dana, put me down!" I giggled lightly , holding on tight to his arm that was supporting me.
"You said you wanted to be taller." Dana laughed from below. "Make the basket."
I rolled my eyes, before shooting the ball straight in the hoop. "There we go!"
A small uproar of wolf whistles and chants came from across the court. I turned my head to see the rest of Dana's team standing in the doorway, watching Dana and I in awe.
Dana slowly took me down from his shoulder, but kept his arm on my waist in a protective grip. It was different, but I didn't min being so close to him.
"What?" Dana asked, his cheeks looking the slightest shade of pink, seeming a bit embarrassed.
"We were just going to see if the Captain wanted to come to grab a bite to eat with us." One of his teammates replied.
"Yeah, I'm coming, just give me a second." Dana ordered. The team agreed, heading away while snickering about Dana and his 'girlfriend.'
When they left, I hit his chest lightly, grabbing his attention. "You didn't tell me you were appointed Captain."
"That's what I wanted to tell you. It was supposed to be a surprise, but I guess they ruined it. They told me at half-time."
"That's great, Dana!" My affection side took over, making me turn to hug him, which was a surprise to the both of us.
It took Dana a few seconds to get the idea, but he quickly did the same, wrapping his arms around me tightly. I could feel almost every muscle in his arm, just the touch of his skin gave me chills.
When we separated, I did my best to mask the feeling of wanting to hug him again. Being wrapped up in him felt so comfortable and safe, but I knew it was too good to be true.
"I got to get going. You don't need a ride, do you?" He asked in a concerned tone.
"Yeah, I'm riding home with a friend. I'll be fine. Thanks for inviting me again." I didn't know whether or not to hug him goodbye, so I stayed in place, throwing my purse over my shoulder.
"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then?"
"Yeah, tomorrow." With that, we both left our separate ways. I stepped out the main gym doors to a very excited Sam.
"Oh. My. Gosh." Sam muttered.
"What are you going on about now?" I scoffed, looking outside for the cab.
"You and Dana! I saw everything from out here! It was perfect!" Sam squealed.
"I dot know what you're talking about."
"How could you not? The way he looks at you, talks to you, acts around you. Harlem, he likes you, and you're too scared to admit you do too."
"Please, Dana is a friend. I'm doing a study on him, remember? He's like- a colleague, kind of. " I lied, biting my tongue slightly.
"Colleague, my ass! Harlem, I know guys, alright? A guy who acts like that, isn't just a friend. And you are just hiding obvious feelings for him. Admit it Harlem, you're falling for Dana."
~A/N: I'm soooooo sorry!
I know I haven't posted in like two weeks im sorry! I didn't notice how long it was until a few days ago.
It would have been sooner but I accidentally deleted the whole chapter and has to start over.
I'm sorry this chapter is crap, I was rushing to get something out. I'll go back and edit it later.
Vote, comment, and tell me something you love about Dana and Harlem.
Kay byeee ;*