Luna opened the gymnasium doors. The players were all wearing shorts and muscle shirts, even Mark. All of them were crowded around the bench. Some were tying their shoes while most were talking and laughing. She found Isaac already sitting on the bleacher that was pulled out for students who wanted to watch the practice. She scurried over to where he sat.
She caught Mark looking in their direction. She waved to him. He looked away from them and toward the ground, ignoring her. She wondered what that was about. Maybe he was nervous?
The doors opened again as Adam strutted to where the rest of the players were. The black shorts that he wore revealed the long, toned legs that were usually hidden underneath jeans. The red muscle shirt was cut down the sides, revealing the tantalizing skin of his chest. She didn't think she would ever get used to the way his body looked and the way that it made her heart flutter and her cheeks burn.
The coach walked in and started talking to the players. He blew the whistle that hung around his neck, and everyone except for Mark took off. Luna hated the look that her friend wore as he watched the other players run across the floor, passing the ball back and forth. "I really hope he gets to participate."
Isaac nodded and squeezed her hand. "Yeah, me too." Just then, one of the players fell onto the ground as Carl ran past him. The player, Luna was pretty sure that he was a senior, got up off the ground only to fall again. "I think his ankle is twisted," Isaac whispered to her.
"Why are you whispering?" Adam helped the player up. The guy stood with most of his weight on one leg. "Nevermind. I think you're right about the ankle."
The coach signaled for Mark to go out onto the court while Adam helped the guy with the injured ankle over to the bench.
Luna watched as Mark got the ball on the first try. He dribbled it for a second before he shot. The ball soared through the air, brown and black blending together. It hit the ring of the net and stayed there, wobbling back and forth before falling into the basket.
Practice carried on for another hour. It was pretty much just Adam and Mark scoring baskets. A couple of the other guys made some baskets and tried to keep up but never could. It was almost too painful to watch as they struggled against Mark's speed and Adam's strength.
The coach blew the whistle, signaling the end of practice. He grabbed Mark on his way out and started talking to him. She had a feeling that Mark won't be sitting on the bench again in the future.
The group of girls that were sitting near them started whistling and fanning themselves. When Luna looked at what had their attention, she felt like joining them.
Adam had a towel wrapped around his neck. Sweat lined his hair and dribbled down into his face. He walked over to where they sat, his eyes trained on the group of girls. "Kendra, I need to talk to you." His voice came out steady and showed no signs of exhaustion.
Kendra stood up and slowly walked down the bleacher steps. A coy smile splayed across her lips. Her long brown hair was pulled into a ponytail, the lights reflecting off of the gold highlights. When she reached the bottom, she didn't stop but kept on walking past Adam. He watched her walk away. The goofy grin that he wore pulled on her heart, twisting it until it became painful.
Isaac pulled on her arm. "Stop worrying and come on." She allowed him to pull her up and drag her down off of the bleachers. "I'm gonna grab a drink for Mark. Do you want one?" She shook her head. After he disappeared around the corner, she leaned against the wall, the locker rooms were across the hall.
Far quicker than she thought they would, the guys came out of the locker room. Everyone except for Adam. She spotted Mark lingering behind everyone. "You were amazing." She said once she reached him. He gave her a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. "So, is Adam still in there?" She made to move past him, but he grabbed her arm. "What? I'm not actually going to go in there." She laughed. She tried to pull her arm free but he tightened his grip, digging his fingers into the soft skin. "Mark?"
He kept his eyes glued to the ground. "Mark, let go. It's starting to hurt." She tried to pry her arm away, but his grip wasn't loosening. She felt his fingers flex against her skin as his arm tensed. That was the only warning she had before she found herself pressed up against the cold, hard brick wall.
Mark leaned in close. His dark brown eyes appeared black. "Stay away from him or else." Was all he said before he let go of her. His voice sent shudders down her spine.
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as he turned the corner that led into the cafeteria. Her legs started to shake, then turned to jelly. She found herself sliding down the wall, no longer able to stand. What was all that about, and when did Mark suddenly turn scary? There had been no trace of that shy and nervous kid that she had met earlier that day.
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Someone pounded on her bedroom door hard enough to make the door knob rattle. For one crazy moment, she thought it was Kwon on the other side, ready to pull another mean stunt. Then she remembered that Isaac was staying with her and that it was probably him.
She opened the door to find a grinning Isaac. "You'll never guess what I found. When I walked into my room, I saw the ID lying on the nightstand, so I went to return it to your aunt's safe. There was a secret compartment filled with spells in her handwriting. And guess what was written on one of the papers." He paused for dramatics. "A recipe for a love potion." The words tumbled out, and she had a hard time following, but she was able to get the gist of it.