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I wake up to the alarm, and I stretch in my bed. I get up and put on some sweats and a black t-shirt. They are some of the only clothes that'll fit me due to my height. So I wear them most of the time. Yesterday had a very nice surprise ending to it, and I can't help hoping I can skip college and go straight to the NBA. That's a conversation for tomorrow with Mr. Howards. I make my way towards the kitchen and make myself a breakfast full of protein. I got myself some steak and eggs, with a side of hashbrowns.
I get up before Ellie does on my training days before school. Every other day I have a personal training day, and I leave the house at around 4:45 am and head towards the school. Coach Rodgers gave me the key code to the gym sophomore year to go whenever I wanted to. It's 4:30 right now. I quickly finish my breakfast and head out the door with all my stuff. I start running drills in the darkness and heading towards the high school. I'll do my shooting drills once inside the gym. Right now, it's just handles and cardio.
After a little bit, I make it to the gym doors, and I enter the key code, and the door clicks open. I bounce the ball on the nice clean hardwood and start shooting. The time is passing slowly, and I love that it does. This gym is shared with a gymnastics department, and I can hear the slams of feet hitting pads. Someone is training extra early today. I'm almost tempted to see who it is. If it's anyone, it'd be Hannah since she has a real shot at the global level. I continue running the drills and sinking shots. After about an hour, I'm all done, and I grab my water and start chugging.
I still hear the slams coming from the gymnastics area, and I set my ball down and head over to the door that separates the sections. I open the door, and I see Hannah in her gymnastics gear doing performances herself. I enter quietly and watch her. She hasn't seen me yet. She makes some crazy moves and lands it perfectly. "You're really amazing at this..." I say slowly as I gently clap. Her head darts towards me, and she lightly smiles. "I just got finished with my drills. You changing up your practice schedule?" This is not a common occurrence. She's done it before, just a nice surprise.
She picks up her towel and quickly dries off her sweat as she walks over. "Not really, I just couldn't sleep... I have a big meet on Tuesday and scouts are going to be there. I don't like being judged by them." I nod my head, fully understanding that. I find their presence a real nuisance sometimes. "I knew you were going to be here... You are a machine when it comes to practicing... I actually wanted to talk to you about something..." She looks away slightly as she says that. I don't think that's a good sign.
I lean against the wall waiting for her to speak. She takes a breath. "I know we aren't even dating yet, or have really defined anything between us..." I tilt my head, not knowing where this is going. "I just want to know if you have anything with Jade... Everyone knows she has a boyfriend, but I've seen the way she looks at you sometimes..." I look at her in confusion. She sees my look and chuckles a bit. I don't know what she's getting at. "You are really dense. You know that... Forget I said anything. I just needed to make sure you weren't... Y'know, a cheater..." This is even more confusing.
I rub the back of my head as I look down at her. "I don't know where this is all coming from. Jade is just a friend, and whenever I hang out with her she never stops talking about her boyfriend. She really likes him. She doesn't even see me that way. Does she?" I watch Hannah's face twist in the realization of something. She puts a hand on her temple and looks at me with a sorry look. I think about our conversation, and it hits me. "Ohhh, Jade has a thing for me..." She puts her hand on my shoulder and gives a sorry look.
She takes another swig of water and looks at me once she is done drinking. "I was thinking we could go to the movies this Friday for our date? I know it's pretty typical, but it's all that I can come up with on such short notice..." I smile and tell her I'm perfectly fine with that. She smiles and quickly grabs my collar and pulls my head down. She gives me a kiss on the cheek and walks away while looking at me. She heads into the women's locker room. I hold the spot she kissed and I laugh. She still had to stand on her tippy toes. Even after bending my head down.