"Huh?" Daniel frowned
"Why would you think I'd reject you?"
"Cos you're way out of my league"
"True but I'm not rejecting you".Tara said."I'm not accepting either"
"So...?"
"I don't like you in any way ,but I'm willing to be in a neutral zone for now"
"What does that mean?"
"You're so dumb".Tara giggled and turned.
"That doesn't answer my question".Daniel voiced
Tara didn't reply;She turned to him once more and winked.
"Okay then".Daniel said awkwardly and headed home.He was in a neutral state ,but he felt a tad bit happy when she didn't reject him.
"Maybe I have a chance".He murmured.
Daniel didn't sleep that night.He kept on thinking why she didn't reject him.
"What did she mean by neutral?".Daniel thought.It was two AM and his eyelids refused to shut.
"Damn,sucks to be me".Daniel muttered.
Julian couldn't believe all he missed ever since Tara broke up with him.
He missed food wars and a basketball game because of Cassandra.
She continued enticing him with her huge boobs ,and he was falling hard.
The feeling he got from playing with them was out of this world.
"I'm starting to sound like a sicko".Julian thought
Although he was having fun,he wanted to go out again,have fun with his friends.
Julian grabbed his phone,opened Cassandra's chat and typed: Sorry but I can't come tomorrow
"Why not?". Cassandra replied
"It's complicated but I'll come the day after tomorrow"
"Okay then".Cassandra typed.It felt like a rock suddenly fell on her heart.
She knew he was just using her for sex ,but she didn't care
She was fine as long as he was close to her.
"It's fine, he'll be here the day after tomorrow".Cassandra reassured herself.
Feeling a little better,Cassandra closed her eyes to sleep.
Julian woke up longing for basketball.He missed the game
He grabbed his phone and dialed Chris' number.
"Hey, What's up Julian"Chris said yawningly.
"I was thinking we gather the guys and head to the court"
"Ok,Sounds good.We'll be there at ten"
Julian smiled as he ended the call.
"Gonna play some ball".He whistled,heading to the bathroom
At exactly 9:30 AM,Julian left his room and headed outside.He noticed his father in the living room reading a magazine on the end of the world
Julian decided to stealthily walk past him ،but his father noticed him.
"Julian?"
"Don't mind me Father.Just going out for basketball practice"
"That's alright but be back before Two pm.Your student has an early session today"
"Sure thing".Julian said and walked out of the door.
The sun's rays hit his eyes as he stepped out.The gentle morning breeze blew gently
Nature seemed to be in high spirits as trees swayed,birds chirped ,and bees could be seen commencing their work.
Julian plugged his airpods in his ear and jogged to the park.
He arrived there in ten minutes and trotted to where his friends stood.
"Hey man".They all greeted.
"Man,it feels like I haven't seen you guys in forever" Julian said
"Didn't you see us like last week?".Bruce said
"Shut up and let's play".Julian grabbed the basketball from him.
He bounced the ball a couple of times before shooting it from the three point line
"Ooh! Blood thinks he's Steph curry ,huh?".Joey walked to him.
" Puny three points ain't gonna save us" Eddie said
"What do you mean?" Julian voiced
"Well".Chris started."Even though we got here early, ateam was already playing.So we asked if we could share the court ,and they said the only way to do that is if we play against each other"
"I see".Julian said, spinning the ball absentmindedly.
"There they are".Joey subtly pointed to a group.
"Tall".Julian said
"Extremely,The shortest among them is 6'4"
"You're kidding".Julian said but he knew joey was telling the truth.The guys looked like beasts
"We're gonna get pummeled" Bruce chuckled
"As if".Chris said with a faint smile on his face.His eyes also held a little twinkle in them."This is where we shine bright"
"Time to play" Julian shouted, running round the court to warm up.
After rehearsing their team play and shooting the ball numerous times through the hoop,the team was finally ready.
"How's it going to go?".The leader of the opposite team stepped forward.
"Since there's no buzzer,The first team to reach 100 points wins"
"Okay then".The opposite team's leader agreed.
"Huddle up".Chris said."Okay guys,This is it.We haven't played in a while so it's a given our skills should be rusty.We just need to get familiar with the game again.Their height is going to pose a problem.Eddie's the only one who has a chance of blocking their shots.Can we count on you".Chris faced Eddie who grunted in reply."Okay then,We have the upper hand in long range shots so let's just use that for now"
"Okie dokie".Bruce said, putting his palm in front with his teammates."Ready on three! One,Two,Three!"
"Street ballers!".They all shouted then took their positions on the court.
A random guy jogging was asked to be the referee.
"What should I do?".The guy asked
"Just throw the ball in the middle". A member of the team snapped.
The referee threw the ball high in the air and the representatives for both teams jumped to hit it to their respective sides.
The opposition got the ball and they made way to the street ballers' basket.
"Julian, Mark!".Chris shouted
Julian stepped forward to mark the person with the ball ,but he just threw it to another person.
The other person caught the ball and dribbled his way past Bruce.
Joey stepped forward to intercept
but a huge guy got in his way—A screen.
Chris and Eddie were left to guard the basket.Julian and the rest could be seen running back to the basket.
Eddie stood firmly under his basket and watched the guy approach steadily.
"What are you going to do now?".Eddie eyed the guy warily.
"I think we're about the same height and I wouldn't want to jeopardize my team's chance of winning.So I'm gonna do this".The guy said, inching slightly to the three point line.
He jumped gracefully and shot the ball