Rivals Pt. 03

I nod. "Yeah... unfortunately, she's completely 100% straight. To make matters even more complicated, we used to go to rival schools. She always thought I hated her when in fact, I've had a crush on her ever since we first played against each other our freshman year of high school."

"Ouch," she says, cringing. "That's rough. Does she know how you feel?"

"No... I was going to tell her, but she irrevocably stated her straightness and now I feel like telling her would only put a rift in our friendship," I admit.

"Yeah, probably," she says. "That's rough. Does she at least know you don't hate her?"

"Oh, yeah, we're now like best friends now," I say.

"Ouch, that makes things even more complicated," she says.

"Tell me about it," I say. "I just can't win. I feel like I'm always in situations chasing girls that are either straight or emotionally unavailable."

"So this isn't your first go-around?" she asks.

"No. Back in high school I secretly dated a girl who wasn't out of the closet. Although neither was I. We went to a private catholic school, so it wasn't the most welcoming environment for lesbians. Anyway, she didn't really want a girlfriend, she wanted a fling and when word got out that we were hooking up, I was dropped like last year's fashion statement," I admit. I don't know why, but it just feels so easy to talk to Cassie about all this. "Of course, she was also dating a guy at the time, but I thought it was her beard. You know?"

"Ouch, I definitely know how that feels. I've been in a relationship like that," she says.

"Yeah? I take it didn't it end well?"

"Not at all. She was just too ashamed to be gay and she'd never want to be out in public together. She always tried to keep our relationship a secret and I'm definitely not about that life," she says.

"I totally get that. Ever since I came out to my family and made a vow never to go back to the closet. No one should ever be ashamed of who they are," I say.

"I totally 100% agree," she says, leaning forward and placing her hand on my forearm. I can feel the heat of her touch dance upon my skin.

"So... Do you have a girlfriend or anything?" I ask.

"Nope. I'm not really looking for anything serious at the moment. I decided that I'm just going to enjoy college and just go with the flow. Besides, I'm not sure I really believe in monogamy," she says.

"Really? Why not?" I ask.

"I just feel that love isn't supposed to be chained up, you know?" I nod as she continues. "My parents are divorced. My sister is on her 3rd marriage and to be honest, I don't think I've seen a successful relationship."

"That doesn't mean there aren't any. My parents were happy together," I say. At least I think they were.

"Were?" she asks.

I quickly look away. Walked right into that one. "My mother passed away when I was young."

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," she says, squeezing my arm.

"It's okay. She died a long time ago," I say.

"Still, she's your mom," she says. "I can't imagine not having a mom."

"Yeah, but I've managed," I say. I look down at my phone to see we've been sitting here talking for over an hour. "Well, I should get going. I really enjoyed talking to you."

"Me too, we should definitely do it again. Do you want to exchange numbers?" she asks.

"Sure," I say. She hands me her phone and I put my number in it. Then she shoots me a text.

Algebra Class

As I take my seat in Algebra class, dreading the next hour and 15 minutes, I cringe as pretty boy and drama queen walk in like best friends. "I'm going home this weekend to get one last ride on the boat before my dad puts it away for the winter. You're totally more than welcome to come. I'll have a bunch of my friends out and we'll probably have a bonfire or something."

"I would love too!" she says. Doesn't she have a boyfriend or something? I thought he was on the basketball team too.

"Oh hey, Sarah. I was just telling your teammate Danielle that I'll be taking my boat out this weekend. It's supposed to be nice out. You're welcome to join us. The more the merrier."

"I'll pass," I say.

"You don't know what you're missing," he says, giving me his plastered on playboy smile. Why do I always seem to attract creeps?

--

Aftermath class gets out, I message Cat and ask if I can come over to chat. Of course, she says yes. I head into the house and upstairs to her room to find her and Kennedy on the bed. "What's up, sis?"

"I just came to chat," I say.

"Well, what's on your mind?" she asks.

"Well, I'm kind of on the fence about something. There's this girl in my English class... She's really nice and easy to talk to," I say.

"And you want my permission to see her or what?" she asks.

"I don't know. She says she doesn't want anything serious and... I'm sick of being single. I'm just afraid that if I put myself out there, I'll only end up getting hurt, you know?" I ask.

Cat shares a look with Kennedy before she sits up from the bed. "I get that. I really do, but you have to understand, people come to college looking to experiment and experience freedom. There's nothing wrong with something casual. What do you have to lose?" Cat asks.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just holding out in hopes things will change?" I say.

Cat's face softens up. "Take a seat, Sarah."

I sit down next to her on the end of the bed and she wraps her arm around me. "I know how hard it is falling in love with someone who's straight, but you have to realize there's nothing you can do or say to make them gay. You're only going to end up getting hurt. Take it from me. My advice is to just try things with this other girl. What's the worst thing that could happen?"

"I fall head over heels for her and she doesn't feel the same way..." I say.

"That's life, young padawan. Now we might as well get ready for practice. By the way, would this girl's name happen to be Cassie?" she asks.

"Yes! How did you know?" I ask.

"She's in our calc class," Cat says.

"Oh, wow. Is that the same class with Marcela?" I ask. She nods. "By the way, you're such a nerd."

She laughs as she and Kennedy climb out of bed.

Marcela's Perspective

Practice

Torturing myself with wall sits as I wait for Sarah to get here, isn't pleasant. I feel like she's been rather distant lately. Was it something I said?

After several sessions, I grab a ball and work on my three-pointer. I spend the next 30 minutes shooting around the key. Every now and then I take a glance at the doors only to be met with disappointment. Maybe she's got some kind of class project or something.

As practice draws near, the team starts to trickle in including Usha. She strolls over with a smile as she grabs a ball and starts to warm up. "Hey," she says.

"Hey, how's everything going?" I ask.

"Great, where's your other half?" she asks.

"Sarah?" I ask.

"Who else would I be referring to?" she asks.

I only shrug. "I don't know."

"Are you two fighting or something?" she asks.

"Not that I'm aware of," I say.

"Everything okay?" she asks.

"Yeah, everything's fine, why?" I ask.

"You just seem off," she says.

Kennedy, Cat, and Sarah all walk in together. It feels like high school all over again with me being out of the loop. It all happened little by little. The other girls slowly cut me out of the group and ostracized me. I never felt more alone. I just can't help shake the feeling that it's going to happen all over again.

I turn around and square up at the three-point line. I'll just do what I always do. Focus on basketball and tune everything else out. Just breathe in and let go of everything else. I pull up and shoot the ball. All I can hear is the swoosh of the net as the ball drops in.

"Hey Dandi," Kennedy says as she walks up to me. "Nice shot."

I look up to see the same bright smile Kennedy always has on. "Thanks."

"How's the defense coming along?" she asks.

"I've been doing those wall sits like you've shown me and it's coming along great. I'll admit it was more difficult than I thought."

"Nice," she says, putting out her fist and I bump it. I look over at Cat and Sarah. Sarah's eyes immediately drift away.

"So, Sarah, want to get a couple of warm-up shots in before practice starts?" Cat asks.

Sarah nods. "Yeah. Definitely!"

The two of them go to the basket on the other side of the court. Are they avoiding me? I don't understand.

"You want to work on your defense?" Kennedy asks.

"Yeah, sure," I say as I try to wrap my brain around why Sarah's all of a sudden being so distant.

Kennedy grabs a ball and we continue the same drills we did earlier, working from one sideline to the other. She crosses me over while I work on my stance and my footwork.

Eventually, both head coach Clayton and assistant coach Milena call us all together. We go through practice like normal, splitting into guards and post players while working on our skills. We do some conditioning before breaking into teams for scrimmages. Sarah and I got put on opposite teams this time.

As we sub in, my thoughts won't stop filling up with her. Danielle manages to slip by my defenses for an easy score. God, I need to get my head into the game. I take the inbound pass and try to push it up the court. I try to pass it down low to Vishay, but it gets intercepted and Danielle takes it back for another bucket. Come on, Marcela! Stop being so stupid.

After taking the inbound pass. I push it up the court. Sarah's open and I pass it right to her. Crap... she's on the other team. Why can't I think straight?

She pushes the ball up and passes it down to Kathleen who puts up another easy bucket. "Subs!" Kennedy says, taking me out. God that was the worst practice ever. I played so terrible out there. I need to get my shit together or I'll be getting cut. This is my dream to play college basketball. If I don't get things straightened out, I'll lose it.

Coach pulls us all together as practice comes to an end. "Everyone, we won't be having practice tomorrow, so you'll have the rest of the weekend off. That being said, I expect none of you to take this weekend lightly. Many of you have a lot to work on," coach says as she looks directly at me. "Remember, no one's spot is secure on this team. We still have to make cuts before the season starts. So stay vigilant. Other than that, enjoy your weekend."

After we break for the weekend, Kennedy comes up to me. "Everything okay? You looked rather distracted out there."

"Can we talk?" I ask.

"Yeah, of course, want to talk over a smoothie?" she asks.

Smoothies

I nod. After we change out of our shoes, I follow her to the smoothie shop. "So what's up?" she asks as we sit down with our smoothies.

"For some reason, Sarah's being distant all of a sudden. I just can't get over the feeling that I did something," I say.

"I doubt that. It probably has nothing to do with you," she says.

"Then why does it feel like she's avoiding me?" I ask.

"She's human, Marcela. And she's gay on top of that. She probably has a lot of stuff going on in her life and she just needs some time. And being gay isn't easy and many people end up getting depressed. Just be the best friend you can be and she'll come around," she says, placing her hand on mine.

"Thanks," I smile.

"Of course, what are sisters for?" she asks.

"So, what are your plans for the weekend?" I ask.

"I'm probably going up to Cats for the weekend to pretend we're just friends," she sighs.

"Are you two having smoothies without us?" Cat asks as she and Sarah walk up.

"Dang it, Dandi. They found us," Kennedy laughs as the two of them join us. "Scatter!"

"So what were you two talking about?" Cat asks.

"Just about going to your house this weekend," Kennedy says.

"Oh... Right. Say, Marcela if you want to go home, you can carpool with us."

"Really? That'd be great," I say.

"Of course," Cat says. "You live right down the street, it's not a problem."

"What are you doing this weekend, Sarah?" Kennedy asks.

"My brothers are driving home for the weekend and offered to give me a ride," she says.

"Nice," Kennedy says. "Gotta love family."

"Do you have any siblings?" Sarah asks.

"I've got a younger sister and an older brother," Kennedy says. "They're actually coming over for homecoming. My sister plays at UCLA and my brother coaches high school basketball."

"Oh cool, looks like basketball runs in your family, huh?" I ask.

"Yep, both my mom and dad played college ball," she says.

"Well, I should actually get packing, my brothers will be here soon, they said they'd leave after their practice," Sarah says. "So we'll end up getting back around 1 in the morning."

"Latter, Peaches," Cat and Kennedy say simultaneously.

"Will I see you back at the dorm?" I ask.

"Maybe," she shrugs before leaving.

"So... What time are we leaving?" I ask.

"Bright and early in the morning," Cat says.

"Yeah right. Translation, hopefully before noon," Kennedy laughs.

--

Sarah's Perspective

God, why do I feel this way? I'm suffocating. Drowning in the sea of Marcela and yet, even though I'm sinking in her light, I don't want to be without her. But being around her just reminds me of lips I'll never get to kiss. Hands I'll never get to feel against my skin and a body I could never feel against mine.

Maly is laying in her bed listening to music when I arrive back and Danielle is nowhere to be found. "Hey," I say.

She takes off her headphones. "Hey, what's up."

"Nothing, just about to leave for home, what about you?" I ask.

"I'm staying here for the weekend," she says.

"Oh, well hold the fort down, will you?" I ask.

She smiles. "I can't promise anything."

I laugh. "Well I need to get cleaned up and packed, my brothers will be here any minute."

"Have fun," she says.

After I take a quick shower, I finish packing my things up just in time as Harrison texts me, telling me they're outside. I grab my bag. Marcela's still not back yet. I want to say goodbye, but I just need some space. "I'll catch ya later, Maly. Have a good weekend."

"You too," she says. I grab my ball and rush outside to find the two numskulls parked by the sidewalk. Brandon honks the horn when he sees me. I cram into the back of his mustang as Harrison lets me in.

"About time," Brandon says as he checks himself out in the rearview mirror, running a hand through his golden blonde hair. "We were waiting here forever."

"Yeah, right. It's only been 5 minutes since I got your text," I snap back.

"For Brandon, that is forever," Harrison laughs.

Brandon sighs, pulls out of the parking lot, and hits the road.

"So..." Harrison says. "How's basketball?"

"Good," I say.

"Good," Harrison repeats. "Find any hot girls?"

"Sorta, it's complicated," I sigh.

"Isn't it always complicated with you?" Brandon asks.

"Shut up!" I sigh.

"Alright, share away," Brandon says.

"No. not after that. It's too complicated for your simple brain to understand," I say.

"Can't say I'm disappointed," Brandon sighs.

Harrison turns on some music. He tries to sing along with the Rapper Emmerson, but fails miserably, while I turn my attention to the dark outside of the window with thoughts of Marcela taking over my mind.

The way she always tries to one-up me during our little one on one battles. Her expression after I score on her. The way she crinkles her nose when she's mad. Those eyes, I just want to swim in them.

"You're not going to beat me," she says with that determined look. She tries to guard me, placing her hand on my hip as I pivot away. I can feel her steaming hot breath against my skin as she leans in. Her face only inches away from mine. I look into those dark brown eyes and get swallowed into the depths of her gaze.

The ball slips from my fingers as she leans in, our lips only inches away. I breathe her in just as our mouths connect. Our kiss is unlike anything I've ever felt. It's more than butterflies in the stomach or dancing upon the clouds. We're floating above it all. I bask in the touch of her hands as they caress my cheeks. I pull her close, wanting this moment to never end. Marcela... A name I want to be tied to mine. Marcela and...

"Sarah, wake up! We're home," Harrison says as he opens the door, causing me to nearly fall over, barely being held up by the seat belt.

"You still talk in your sleep by the way. Who's Marcela?" Brandon asks as he grabs his stuff out of the trunk.

I can feel the heat rush into my cheeks. "No one!"

"Whatever," he mumbles as he heads inside.

"Why does that name sound so familiar?" Harrison asks.

"It's no one," I say.

"Everything okay?" he asks.

"Yes! Everything's fine!" I spit out.

"Okay..." He sighs, grabbing his duffle bag as he follows Brandon inside. I hope I haven't talked in my sleep at the dorms. God that would be so embarrassing. I grab my bags and head inside.

--

Marcela's Perspective

"I wave my white flag and completely surrender myself to you," Cat sings as The Blades new song plays over the speakers of Kennedy's car as we drive up north. The lyrics seem to wrap themselves around my heart and all I can think about is Sarah. I wonder what she's up to today?

The song finally comes to an end. "Did you guys hear the story behind the song?" Cat asks.

"I'll be honest, this is actually the first time hearing it," I say.

"Really, Dandi? Come on! And here I thought you were a true fan," Cat says.

"I've been a little distracted lately," I sigh.

"Well, I guess I'm just going to have to educate you then," she says. "Although I'm not going to lie, I just read about this last night after hearing the song for the first time. It was just released the other day. Anyway, there's a sweet video of Kira playing the song for Charlie. Their first song, Only Friends, was actually written by Charlie. She wrote it because she was in love with Kira, but Kira thought it was for some guy. So for the most part, Kira sang the song, not realizing it was about her. Kira finally found out that Charlie was in love with her, she felt the same way. So she wrote White Flag to Charlie. Then she kept it a secret until she and the other band could surprise Charlie by playing it for her."

"Aww, that's so sweet," I say.

"Right? I thought so too," Cat says as she looks back at me with a smile.

When we finally arrive back in Boyne, Kennedy drops me off at my Aunt and Uncle's before they drive down the street to Cats. I notice that we've got new neighbors that moved into the old Stanson house. That's surprising, it's been for sale for quite some time.

I head inside to find the house empty. I assumed they'd be at work. I unpack my things and start a load of laundry before heading into my room to pull up the Blades video Cat was talking about. I watch as their producer Ashanti leads Charlie into an auditorium where the rest of the band are already on stage. As soon as Kira sees her, the band begins to play.

Their performance is so emotional I can't help but shed a tear as Kira plays her soul out to Charlie. As the song comes to end, Kira whispers into the mic one more time. "I wave my white flag and completely surrender myself to you. I'm so sorry I didn't realize how much I love you sooner. Charlie, will you be my girlfriend?"

Charlie immediately breaks down in tears as she nods her head yes. Kira rushes off the stage and the girls meet in such a loving embrace before kissing. Wow... Just seeing them together, their love is so apparent. It makes my heart melt and all I can think about is Sarah...

Sarah's Perspective

I pull myself out of bed at the smell of bacon. I can't help but feel the weight of the world pushing down on me as I pull myself together. I head downstairs to find my dad cooking up a storm in the kitchen while Brandon and Harrison play video games in the living room.